New Year's stroll

A failed attempt to visit the botanical garden (it closed early due to the holiday) was a blessing in disguise, as we went for a stroll on the promenade instead and enjoyed these precious views. I believe there was a full moon / king tide thing going on.

Javi New Year!

Not only did Javi express interest in staying up till midnight, but he wanted to sample the non-alcoholic champagne to see what all the shouting was about. Not sure what he thought.

dramatic vistas, part 2

dramatic vistas

On account of the dramatic skies and seas that day, I headed up to the Botanical Gardens for a better look at the dramatic vistas.

Coffee Connection

It had been a long time since we had coffee at the Coffee Connection in Meiners Oaks. It's a small space, but I like the quiet, sunny back patio. They also serve bulletproof coffee, which is increasingly hard to find.

memorable "fish" tacos

The Farmer and the Cook being so close, we had an early dinner there. It was a blessing since we stumbled upon their "fish" tacos, actually made with shitake mushrooms and impressively delicious. I wonder why they don't just call them shitake tacos. In any case, in this case, this local organic restaurant hit a home run.

Ojai Retreat strolls

The grounds of the Ojai Retreat are surrounded by the Ojai Meadows open space, which I know well. The trails of both properties are well integrated. This piece of Ojai is a wonderful piece of terrain with a lot of local history.