Easter 2022

 

the new Faria Beach Café

We loved the old Faria Beach Café and were curious to check out the new one. We liked the new tables and the menu had a few interesting options. Best of all, a whale swam by while we were there (below). Whales are always a good sign.

Humblemaker Coffee

This Seal Beach-based coffee roaster just opened this intriguing location in Ventura.  This was our first visit and we are forced to give high marks to both the pleasing design and the quality of the drinks. The courtyard is top-notch if you can find shade.

Rice Thai Cuisine

We had eaten here many times but I believe this was the first time outdoors. The memory of the Khao soi is what brought us here. I think this is the second restaurant we had ever had Khao soi at. It wasn't planned, but Mrs. also found a green onion heart in her Panang curry.

Lovewell date

 

Sometimes you go on a "Lovewell date" with your wife (which was actually a Valentines Day present, redeemed exactly two months later). It's a nice space, and I enjoyed the coffee and the morning light very much. And of course the cheddar-sage croissant.

Zaidee's revisited

This was our second time at Zaidee's in Ojai, but our first time dining outside. The weather was nice, as was the scenery. I'm not a big golfer but enjoyed seeing people play while chomping on a veggie burger.

Matilija poppies

 

The famous Matilija poppy, Romneya coulteri - also known as fried egg flower - as seen at the Ventura River Preserve. They are very much a California native plant.

copper and wool Scrabble

 

seven spots for seven years

whales and gulls

 

The biggest highlight of dining outside at the Shoals Restaurant was the sight of whales swimming by (above). We knew they were migrating north and that a sighting was possible, but the timing of this particular sighting was exquisite. Then, for comic relief, we were treated to the sight of a seagull swimming in the pool (below). Not something you see every day, but as the joke goes "Why did the seagull cross the pool?" If you guessed "To get to the food" you are right.

Shoals Restaurant

 

To celebrate our copper and wool anniversary we decided to dine at the Shoals Restaurant which we had driven by many times but never tried. It proved to be a delightful move on multiple levels, not least the scenery. The food was also good, most notably the Shoals Famous Banana Reef for dessert (bottom photo). This place is also a hotel so one wonders how the lodging compares to the restaurant.

coral tree

 

A lovely flowering coral tree down at Santa Barbara Harbor. Apparently this is what they do this time of year, with leaves coming later.

Breakfast Day at Farmer Boy

For Breakfast Day 2022 it was entirely appropriate to try out Santa Barbara's Farmer Boy, a classic diner just down the street from the Agave Inn. Everything was top notch and in the right spirit. The potatoes in particular were memorable. Below, where it all began.

Pictionary 2022

 

What we have here is "goose" and "bathrobe".

Tap Thai

 

Although apparently not everyone would agree - especially after reading the reviews - I found my dinner at Tap Thai to be sufficiently delightful. I guess I played it safe and had Pad Thai, but the Tofu Herbal Salad and the Banana Roti w/ Chocolate Sauce also floated my boat. Being walking distance from the Agave Inn was also a big plus.

Agave Inn revisited

 

It was meaningful to revisit the Agave Inn, where we had stayed twelve years earlier. While a lot has changed in our lives since then, the inn has remained remarkably the same - in a good way. We stayed in one of the larger upstairs rooms, which seemed apropos.

Pagoda Day 2022

We spent the first part of the day in Carpinteria - first a walk along the beach boardwalk, then a wholesome meal at Good Plow. It was our second time dining there, but our first time seated outdoors. The agua fresca was especially refreshing, as our holiday was coinciding with a fairly intense heat wave.