We met some artists too.

Howard Lamar's distinctive, large-scale work in bright, vivid colors immediately caught our attention. A friendly guy, with longer gray hair, and an easy-going surfer-dude demeanor, Howard chatted with us about his work, about his career, and even signed a copy of Seasons magazine [in which he and his gallery are featured].

Next door, at the Back Arbor Gallery, we met Barbara Greene, Gayel Childress and
Leila Kleiman - all local artists -- all showcasing their work in a small, secluded space.

What a friendly bunch! We hung out at the gallery for a good 40 minutes. Megan enjoyed Puccini and Annie, Barbara's two dogs, Dianne chatted it up with Leila, and Gayel and I talked art, Pasadena and tattoos.

It was a very enjoyable evening.

Next morning, at checkout, I asked for a recommendation for breakfast - something not McDonalds or Dennys -- and the young woman gave me a glance that said 'We don't have those in Ojai, you buffoon.' Café Emporium was suggested without hesitation.

By the way, the Best Western was great. Our room had been recently renovated, and the weather was so nice and the town so quiet, we slept with the windows open

Café Emporium was a good call. This is not a typical belly-up-to-the-counter coffee shop with greasy hash browns and crabby waitresses. Our egg white omelets were fresh and organic tasting, the cranberry muffins were fantastic, and the coffee was fresh roasted and really good. Although we sat inside, patio seating is available too.

Ojai even has a small museum. The Ojai Valley Museum is housed in a former church, in another example of the Mission Revival architectural style.

Adults: $3.00, Children 6-18: $1.00.

It's a tiny space inside, and has a little bit of city history, a little bit of natural history, and some fun little factoids about Ojai.

 

1847 - The small town was named Nordhoff - in honor of author Charles Nordhoff, whose writings about the Ojai Valley encouraged people to move there.

1906 - Edward Libbey [of Libbey Glass fame] visited in 1906, built a vacation home, and started taking an active part in the town's development.

1917 - The name Nordhoff was officially changed to Ojai -- possibly because after World War I, some felt the name Nordhoff sounded too German.

That same year, Libbey offered financing, design or land to build the arcade, tower, pergola, church [right] and other buildings.

One wonders why the name of the city wasn't changed to Libbey.

 

 

We checked out a display of some cute mission models created by local 4th grade students, [left] and then headed for home.

It was a quick visit, and we realize that we have only scratched the surface of this beautiful place.

With Lake Casitas on the west side, and Los Padres National Forest to the north, there are all sorts of outdoor activities. The Ojai Shakespeare Festival takes place here, plus the 2nd Saturday events. The Ojai Valley has plenty to explore.

It's not often that we visit somewhere and all of us want to go back so soon. Ojai is one of those places. We definitely got a dose of the magical feeling - something that seems to be calling us back.