January reading

Bleak reading for what is a bleak month in many places but was quite sunny and pleasant here. 

Crushcakes revisited

Olio e Limone

Our first time at this Santa Barbara ristorante. Apparently we had pasta.

Zaidee's 2025

 

A logical post-Meditation Mount lunch destination is Zaidee's. I'm glad because not only was the food delicious but the patio and the food were at their most picturesque.

bells and whistles

 

Some interesting features we encountered on that trail at Meditation Mount were the massive chimes (above) and a curious device called a 432Hz Heart Totem (below).

Meditation Mount revisited

First time here in a long time, partly due to the fires that happened here. What was new was taking the trail that circles the whole property. We had only done the one to the lookout point.

 

things you see on bathroom walls

 (Seen at Meditation Mount)

lemon

India Rasoi revisited

The shahi paneer is still singing.

Café Nouveau revisited

As memorable as the meal is this beautiful tiled table.

signage

New signage, I should say. New improved signage.

Bulletproof

Bulletproof, the brand. A Christmas present. Excellent coffee.

pair of pears

Not sure what the alligator pear said to the pear. Maybe "My what smooth skin you have!"

L.A. fires

The terrible L.A. fires were raging and I went up to the botanical garden to have a look. It was clear from this vantage point that the smoke was blowing directly south, far out to sea, past the Channel Islands and beyond.

winter chowder

Note to self: Paradise Pantry has interesting soups. This one was called "winter chowder" and won the local Vegan Challenge competition.

Après-Eno

Not to be confused with Après-ski.

Brian Eno movie

Actually this was two firsts: first time seeing the Brian Eno movie - "Eno" and first time in the newly-renovated Ojai Playhouse. Both were well worth the price of admission.

Rory's Place

What we have here is Rory's Place in three parts. It was our first visit to the famous Ojai eatery. We tried their fish & chips along with a salad and they were very good. Being a Wednesday night the place was not too crazy busy.

set me free

Just like the pigeon in the John Cale song "Set Me Free", this hawk we encountered - trapped in a utility cage - was set free through the efforts of us and some passers by who managed to create a gap for the determined hawk to squeeze through.

Krishnamurti Library 2025

It was inevitable that after living with Krishnamurti all these years I should get to know and appreciate him better. This was a nice visit and the one that made me decide to read "Think on These Things", which I associate with the meditation room here.