Ex Voto

 

As a man who intends to go to every coffee house on earth at least once, I did not mind stopping in at the new Ex Voto in Ventura, which is also a purveyor of high quality chocolate and ice cream.  In fact, I had the first, best and only Thai tea ice cream of my life (which tasted exactly like Thai iced tea).

Paradise Pantry

To celebrate one year in Ventura, we finally dined at Paradise Pantry.

Willenius Wilhemsen

A Willenius Wilhelmsen container ship for cars, the way it looked from the boat.

whale watching - part 7

After Smugglers Cove we passed through the Anacapa Passage and on to the north side of Anacapa Island. It's hard to argue with the raw volcanic beauty of this island.

whale watching - part 6

After passing the south side of Anacapa Island, we got a close look at sunny Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island.

 

 

whale watching - part 5

 

The dolphins (lots of them).

whale watching - part 4

 

Blue whales, the largest of all animals, crossing my path for the first time.

whale watching - part 3

 

The Anacapa  Arch.

whale watching - part 2

 The navigation display.

whale watching - part 1

Leaving Ventura Harbor.

Santa Fe Depot

 

San Diego's downtown train station, the Santa Fe Depot,  seen here in all of its glory.

Tamarindo

We had a nice dinner at this Latin American restaurant called Tamarindo. It's a great space that interestingly used to be the Claire de Lune coffee house. For more details about that you need to ask Kate and Cheryl.

San Diego suspension bridge

 

The famous San Diego suspension (or swinging) bridge. Or as I described it, San Diego doing its best imitation of Costa Rica.

Saffron revisited

 

 Kate's Holy Grail, a.k.a. Saffron, home of the famous fresh rolls, after a recent makeover.

Gelato Vero Caffe

As a man who intends to go to every coffee house on earth I was glad to stop at the Gelato Vero Caffe in San Diego. I also liked the weird, vacant upstairs area.

eclipse 2017

 

Viewing the eclipse safely at the Ojai Library -- on Nasa TV, with Nasa-approved glasses, and with the old pin hole method. One-stop shopping for all of our eclipse needs.

kayaking in Ventura Harbor

ocean depths

What's there not to love about this 3-D display of ocean depths seen at the visitor center of Channel Islands National Park? One learns that the Santa Barbara Channel, also known to geologists as the Santa Barbara Basin, is barely 2000 feet deep.

germs and steel

The Carpinteria Bluffs, with California buckwheat (above) and railroad tracks (below).

Ventura post office

What's there not to love about this mural in the lobby of the Ventura post office painted by the WPA in the late 1930's?

oldest photo of a U.S. President

The oldest known photograph of a U.S. President is this one taken of William Henry Harrison in 1841. It is NOT the one taken of John Quincy Adams in 1843. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

splashy surf

The at times splashy surf of Ventura's coast at high tide.

shark stamps

Channel Islands visitor center

 

Another well-designed visitor center by the National Park Service.

lovely lobby

This lovely painting was seen in the lovely lobby of the spa at the Ojai Valley Inn.

sky on fire

Tipuana tree, the flowers

Thanks to these flowers, I was able to identify the trees growing around our house as Tipuana trees. I took some of the flowers from what I know are Tipuana trees in Carpinteria and compared them to the flowers on our trees. It was a match. Another great botanical mystery solved.

gold medallion tree

The ubiquitous gold medallion tree, Cassia leptophylla, a native of Brazil but now a very popular street tree in Southern California.

an unusually picturesque latte

At Harvest Cafe, Ventura CA.

Museum of Ventura County

 

Murals and mosaics...

 

kombucha tasting in Ojai

the bluffs, revisited, part 2

 The Carpinteria Bluffs, that is.