Living High Inwards Ojai

I hadn't seen Jim inward over xxx years. In the intervening years, he'd done a stint inward the Navy, gotten married, had a bout amongst cancer, too earned a degree.

He's also a real proficient woodworker too I'd contracted him to brand a slice for me. Instead of having him send it to me, I idea it'd live on prissy to drive upwards to his town...Oxnard, California...pick it upwards inward person, too pass a piddling fourth dimension chatting amongst my one-time friend.

Catching upwards over a belatedly breakfast, or tiffin if you're Tim, at a real proficient Golden Egg eating theatre patio overlooking the following boat harbor, nosotros decided that we'd brand the most of the residue of our day.

Saying our goodbyes to Jim, nosotros caput over to nearby Somis. It's a piddling town simply northeast of Camarillo.  

Last year, nosotros got a tour of the Sriracha sauce manufacturing flora at Huy Fong Foods inward Irwindale, California. That's the terminate of the trace for production of this real pop hot sauce.

The get-go of the trace is inward Moorpark at Underwood Farms where especial jalapenos are grown for the sauce. Here inward nearby Somis is closed to other branch of Underwood Farms.

While non the mothership, this smaller farm is all the same good worth a visit.  Out dorsum are pens for chickens, alpacas, too sheep.

A large caprine animal pen allows feeding of the pigmy goats but, unfortunately, no petting.  Stairs too elevated walkways allow these natural climbers to what they arrive at best.

Picnics tin live on eaten inward the expanse railroad train inward a persimmon too orangish grove. In fall, a corn maze too pumpkin field beckons the modest set.

Of course, there's also the farm store amongst an fantabulous alternative of fresh produce. We purchase closed to incredible strawberries to munch on through the solar daytime too caput out.

Back on the Ventura Freeway, nosotros caput through the road's namesake to the N terminate of town where nosotros plough upwards highway 33 for the curt drive upwards the mount to the lovely piddling town of Ojai.

Along the way, nosotros top through Casitas Springs, which has a sign proverb "the habitation of Johnny Cash." Cash did purchase a trailer green hither for his parents too built a trace of piece of job solid upwards on the loma but this was his dark, drug filled days where he was out on the route 250 days a year.

First married adult woman Vivian too miss Rosanne spent to a greater extent than fourth dimension hither than he did.

Ojai is simply a correct plough away a few minutes later. Sitting at the bottom of the Sespe Range, habitation of the rejuvenated population of California Condors, Ojai is forthwith a town of tony B too B's, expensive restaurants, too spas.

I recall at that topographic point is a parking lot i block N of the master copy drag, behind the shops that trace Ojai Avenue inward the take in of town, too caput dorsum at that topographic point to notice a prime number spot inward the piddling plaza hidden dorsum there.

Decent, accessible world restrooms are at that topographic point along amongst a myriad assortment of shops, restaurants, too i of the concluding remaining independent region stores, Rains.

We stroll through the passageways, Tim too I unremarkably waiting exterior piece Letty browses the goods inside the shops, before ending upwards at Rains .  

We're virtually done hither but simply accept i concluding affair to do, eat. It's virtually 4:30 too the eating theatre nosotros were originally going to swallow at, Azu, doesn't serve dinner until 5:30.

I remembered an Italian house nosotros walked yesteryear before amongst a happy hr sign inward the window. Going back, nosotros notice Osteria Monte Grappa. It's a dollar off beer, ii off of wine, too 3 off of their wood-fired pizzas.

We determine to give it a try.

Turns out that the alone nutrient they serve at happy hr is the pizza then Tim too I part their inferno pizza...pepperoni, olives, too a spicey love apple tree sauce...while Letty enjoys a pizza Margherita.

It is very, real good.

Stomach's sated, it's an slow too relaxed drive dorsum downward the hill.  Shoulda took that left plough at Thousand Oaks, though, because the traffic dorsum inward the San Fernando Valley was a nightmare.

Lucky, nosotros had closed to non bad relaxation to assistance teach us through.

Darryl
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