Vacation - Odds and Ends

The little things that were done in between all of the other stuff!

There is a small aviary down the road from my sister's house. We stopped in one afternoon on the way back to the house. The winners of the day were the two geese and one duck in this pond. However, they were not cooperating with me and my camera! They went running into this alley that ran between the pens. I guess some people/birds are just camera shy. But, here are a few of the other birds in the aviary. A lot of the birds were nesting/sleeping/didn't want to be bothered. These are the ones willing to pose for me!




And then of course, every one's favorite, the peacocks! This beauty somehow got on top of the cages. I was chasing him down trying to get a shot! I think he's led other people into running into the trees trying to photograph him. Luckily, I caught on to that trick just seconds before hitting a tree!


Luckily, this one that didn't escape was much easier to photo as he remained in his pen.



Unfortunately, neither would fan out his tail feathers, but they were gorgeous nonetheless.

It was a beautiful little park and this aviary was a gem. We actually were there twice, just to say hello!

One night, Cathie, Ron and I went to the Channel Island Harbor to have dinner and watch the sunset over the water. At least that was the plan.

You know, the people of California are a different breed. No offense to any one here! But they are different. Most places have pedestrian crossings - California has surfer crossings! Gotta love 'em!


We did go to an awesome seafood restaurant. Ron had a seafood linguine which had an array of good stuff from mussels to clams, scallops and salmon and a bunch of good stuff. Cathie ordered a combo platter of more similar stuff. Me, I tried something new and had the swordfish. All of the meals were wonderful, here at the Whale's Tail!


We are right on the water at a marina. The only part of our plan that didn't work out was the watching the sunset part. There was a marine layer that came down early and it totally cut out any plans we had on a sunset. At least the moon came up early!




Of course, the food and the company couldn't be beat! Cathie, Ron and I had a wonderful evening out.



How cute are we!

Tuesday, Ron and I went out with an extra vehicle and a GPS. This time we thought we'd go tooling around Ojai. It's a quaint little touristy town. One thing I noted, is if you're going to open a business, give it a good name! If I lived here, they would get all of my business, just on name alone!


Heaven knows, sometimes I need my attitude adjusted!

There is no way I'm ever going to be able to tell you in a blog about the road we have to take every single day. Route 150 is the devil's work, I'm telling you! There is no way to get to my sister's house without taking this horrific road. Actually, up one side of the mountain it's called Route 150. I'm not sure if the other side is the same number or not but it's still a stupid road. I can't believe people aren't dying out here every day! Of course, the people that live here and travel this road drive on it like maniacs! 65 in a 45 zone around hairpin blind curves is nothing for these people. I was terrified every time we left the house. You know how the saying goes, "first you say it then you do it". Think about it.

Anyway, this is the side of the road that goes from Cathie's house into downtown Ojai. Look at it. The road you see is barely two lanes wide with no guard rails most of the way up. That road across from us is the exact same one I'm standing on. You drive up up up, winding, curving, and then end up where I am. I'd think a freakin' bridge would have been a lot easier and a lot safer. No, these people want the thrill of having to navigate these winding roads. Ugh.


My pictures can't do it justice. Maybe I'm just a big baby (ok I probably am) but I do best if I can just shut my eyes and pray until we get to where we're going. Hopefully, I'm not the one driving since my eyes are closed!

Once you get to the top of this mountain, again, the views are breath taking.


This is the Ojai Valley. What a climb.

So, Tuesday morning, we had fog all the way up into the mountain. That made my favorite road even more fun! It was kinda cool though to see the fog.




California is the land of agriculture. You don't go anywhere without seeing a farm of some sorts. It's hard not to get hungry just driving down the street. We've seen strawberries, apricots, oranges, lemons, peppers, squash, cilantro and numerous other things I can't identify. All this just from the roads driving by!

There are a couple of other things that are common in California. This sign appears just about everywhere. That does not make me happy but it sure does make sure you watch where you walk!


Another thing making sure you watch where you walk are the gophers and ground squirrels. This area is overrun by gophers and ground squirrels. I'm telling you, people say that one day California will break off and fall into the ocean after a good earthquake. Personally, I think California is going to break off and fall into the ocean because of the dang gophers! Mark my words!!



Back to agriculture - in Cathie's own yard, we have pomegranates! Before here, I never saw how they grew. I thought they just appeared in Giant Eagle, just for me!



They were not quite ripe yet or else I'd have been spending some time in her yard eating my way from bush to bush!

Other than pomegranates, she also has some lemons. I didn't try them as I have no idea how to tell if they are ripe.



Another evening activity has been some fun filled games of Rummikub! I'm telling you, it's my favorite game in the entire world! Very few people will play with me though! Any Rummikub players out there, let me know. I'm IN! Anyway, here is my Sissy letting everyone know who is the best sister! Yes, she wins, hands down.


And of course, the sisters. What a pair, huh?


So that's it for now. Today is a travel day for Ron and I as we board the Amtrak and head south to San Diego for the second half of our vacation! More pictures and fun to follow!

In the mean time, a huge thank you to Dan and Cathie for putting us up. For opening your home, for giving up a vehicle and just for being my favorite sister!