Pixie Delights in Ojai

image from ojaipixies.com

We're still in Rome, but I just found this post about Ojai, which I never published. Please enjoy this little bit of California sunshine between posts about Italy.

My favorite scent in the whole world is citrus.  I'm a rabid fan of orange blossoms, but I am also partial to the fresh sugar-citrus smell of Meyer lemon rinds, the green-grass fragrance of lemon leaves, the tart kiss of a satsuma. Blood oranges, lemonade, greyhound cocktails, lemon squares, lime-laden mojitos... I love 'em all. 

It follows, then, that one of my very most favorite places in the entire world is Ojai, just 45 minutes north of my house. Not only is it beautiful, but the valley is full of citrus trees.  Driving along Ojai Avenue, past the pin dot of the main drag, Libbey Park and the arcade, the streets become tiny thoroughfares, winding travelers through a fairy land of Pixie tangerine trees.  

The famous Ojai "pink moment"

I wanted to jump out of the car, run through the trees wildly, throw a picnic blanket on the rough ground and eat as many tangerines as I could pick with my bare hands, standing on tippy toes to reach as high up in the trees as possible.  And when I sated my citrus cravings - for the moment - I would lie on the blanket and fall asleep under the green canopy of glossy leaves, my chin and arms sticky with tangerine juice, my lap overflowing with discarded peels. 

They call Ojai "Shangri-La"... and I'm a believer.

For the record, we stayed at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, which is a magical dream of luxury and quiet.  We ate rich Italian food at Boccali's - ask for Starlet when you go, she's a doll of a waitress.  And if you're lucky enough to find yourself with time on your hands, I'd recommend a reflective hike at Meditation Mount, on the far east side of the valley, preferably at sunset so that you can witness the majesty of the famous Ojai "pink moment." Then cap off the day with a kuyam treatment at Ojai Valley Spa.  Bliss. 

Geocaching in Ojai

When I began writing my novel (a young adult adventure set in Italy, with mythological themes; I promise I will give more details when it's complete... which will hopefully be sooner than later!), I created a character who loves geocaching. 

Had I gone geocaching before? Heavens, no. 

And so I wrote this character and I imagined what geocaching would be like... and for the most part, I think I got it right. Geocaching is an elaborate game of hide and seek, in which 'cachers hide tiny treasures and logbooks in plain sight and list their locations by longitude and latitude so that other 'cachers can find them. 

But still I wondered... what's it like?

Finally, I got my chance to try it out with an experienced geocaching guide in Ojai in December. Jimmy Harvey (whose Geocaching.com handle is badfeet) is a longtime geocacher who offers customized geocaching adventures in the Ojai Valley through the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. Jimmy is an affable, easy-to-like guy who proves the old adage You're only as young as you feel. And with his youthful spirit and enthusiasm for nature, Jimmy could easily be an adventurous 8-year-old trapped in a gray-haired guy's body. Not only that, but Jimmy is a former Navy SeaBee and was stationed in Bermuda in the 80s - which is only one of the things we had in common (my dad was NAS Bermuda's crash captain in the mid-80s). I won't digress, but it was truly a joy to reminisce about Bermuda as well as learn a new hobby.

Geocaching can be done anywhere in the world - I can imagine that clever 'cachers can find niches and hiding spots in urban areas as easily as in the woods - but I loved being in nature and hiking among the ancient oaks and citrus trees of Ojai. Using Jimmy's sophisticated GPS to find geocaches along our hike, we found dozens of tiny and not-so-tiny caches hidden on the trail. They were in trees and bushes and under rocks and hanging from trees! Some merely required standing still and looking at a usual sight with a new perspective. Jimmy kept saying, "Okay, Erin, now stop thinking and use your geocacher's instinct." Which meant, "If you were going to hide something cleverly, where would you hide it?" Often, it meant hiding the geocache in plain sight. Several times, I was STARING AT IT and couldn't see it.

(And wow, isn't that a great metaphor for life??)

I won't divulge the secret spots - it's too much fun to find them on your own and this is a fabulous activity for kids and families - but now that I've finally tried it, I'm hooked. I cannot wait to hide a few items on my trip to Europe this summer and maybe find a few surprises, too.

On Jimmy Harvey's business card, his official title is "Retired Guy" and it says, "Nothing to do and all day to do it..." Don't ya love him already? To reach him: 1badfeet@sbcglobal.net . 

Pixie Delights in Ojai

image from ojaipixies.com

My favorite scent in the whole world is citrus.  I'm a rabid fan of orange blossoms, but I am also partial to the fresh sugar-citrus smell of Meyer lemon rinds, the green-grass fragrance of lemon leaves, the tart kiss of a satsuma. Blood oranges, lemonade, greyhound cocktails, lemon squares, lime-laden mojitos... I love 'em all. 

It follows, then, that one of my very most favorite places in the entire world is Ojai, just 45 minutes north of my house. Not only is it beautiful, but the valley is full of citrus trees.  Driving along Ojai Avenue, past the pin dot of the main drag, Libbey Park and the arcade, the streets become tiny thoroughfares, winding travelers through a fairy land of Pixie tangerine trees.  

The famous Ojai "pink moment"

I wanted to jump out of the car, run through the trees wildly, throw a picnic blanket on the rough ground and eat as many tangerines as I could pick with my bare hands, standing on tippy toes to reach as high up in the trees as possible.  And when I sated my citrus cravings - for the moment - I would lie on the blanket and fall asleep under the green canopy of glossy leaves, my chin and arms sticky with tangerine juice, my lap overflowing with discarded peels. 

They call Ojai "Shangri-La"... and I'm a believer.

For the record, we stayed at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, which is a magical dream of luxury and quiet.  We ate rich Italian food at Boccali's - ask for Starlet when you go, she's a doll of a waitress.  And if you're lucky enough to find yourself with time on your hands, I'd recommend a reflective hike at Meditation Mount, on the far east side of the valley, preferably at sunset so that you can witness the majesty of the famous Ojai "pink moment." Then cap off the day with a kuyam treatment at Ojai Valley Spa.  Bliss.