Mezzanine revisited

The famous Mezzanine at the Hotel Corque. I think last year we just called it the "lobby". Now we know better. Still a great place to read and do crosswords.

Craft House 2026

 

I remember being in a pizza mood and this Pizza Bianca with multiple kinds of cheese plus roasted garlic and herbs seemed to be a winner. The crispy-thin gluten free crust was perfect in my book and the flavor was good but could have had a touch more umph. Side salads and a Strawberries Wild mocktail rounded out the meal.

an excellent balcony

 

The only flaw with this otherwise excellent balcony was the near total lack of privacy if your neighbor chose to enjoy it at the same time. But I guess if you were eager to meet others that could be a good thing. Can't argue with the scenery though...

an excellent pool revisited

 

The second best pool of 2025, the way it looked in 2026. Hotel Corque in Solvang, CA.

Dean 2026

We hadn't been here in quite a few years so when an investigation of Goleta's new Cajé Coffee location didn't pan out, this was a good solution. One of us had a giant mocha.

Mendocino Farms

This popular food chain opened their 100th location in Santa Barbara so we just had to see what all the shouting was about... In a nutshell it's about good food.

a late summer's night Quiddler

A rousing game of Quiddler. Or maybe a quiet game of Quiddler. Perhaps it was a bit of both. We both "played to win" and as a result there was some pretty fierce competition.

HBM part 3

 

HBM part 2

 

happy birthday month

moldy philosophy

 

It seems highly appropriate that the word "mold" should rhyme with the word "old", and that the word "musty" should rhyme with the words "dusty" and "crusty". This may well be some fine philosophy, but if this book were a piece of fruit it would probably be past its prime.

bromeliad blossoms of 9-12-26

(in memory of Jill F.)

 

peculiar weather

Then came a period of peculiar weather - rain from Pacific hurricanes, extreme heat from somewhere inland, and the horrible humidity resulting from that combination. Also high, agitated surf that in some areas (such as Malibu and Long Beach) caused serious damage. In these photos you can see a patch of rain out in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Shakespeare

Bell Ringer

 

We came here to try the vegan bratwurst - not something you encounter every day. I will say that the topping were good. The bratwurst itself - to me at least - seemed to lack flavor. The salads were just okay.

springer spaniel?

 

This plate in Findings Flea sure reminded me of a springer spaniel, although the ears may be too long.

ayurvedic throat lozenges

The weird, forgotten ayurvedic throat lozenges that Mrs. gave me a long time ago. 

late summer Scrabble

The late summer "kitten I would share my plate of food with" Scrabble game.

CPK 2026

A classic CPK lunch. I thought everything tasted unusually delicious. The only thing that was different was getting the lettuce wrap in lieu of the caesar salad. Mrs. seemed to love that, thus adding to the success of the visit.

"egg McMuffin"

Mrs. has created a delicious, gluten-free "egg McMuffin" (for lack of a better term), and I was lucky enough to be presented with one.

Ojai Studio Artists

Highlights from a show at Ojai Valley Museum.

 

bocce or bocci?

It seems both spellings are legit. This is by the pool at Ojai Rancho Inn.

Highly Likely at 8 am

After coffee - which I consider to be a separate meal anyway - we walked to Highly Likely and arrived right at its 8 o'clock opening. The town still sleeping, we were the first customers. We had our "usual" in our "usual" spot and all was good.

 

morning tune-up

Whereas much of the world gets up around six or seven, Ojai, CA seems to get up around eight or nine (this includes the Ojai Rancho Inn, where we were staying). Since we belong to the first group, and I am an "obligatory" morning coffee person, the solution was to stroll to Three Birds, the nearest open coffee house. This actually worked out well, since the exercise-coffee combo, combined with a good hot shower, tuned my morning piano to perfection.