Ojai Beauty ...

I am back from Ojai again. I have been going up almost every weekend for one reason or another ... a pastel workshop, puppy/house-sitting, nephew-sitting, visiting with friends ... It's about a 3 hour round trip from L.A. The weather has been constantly changing ... overcast, cloudy, rainy, then moments of glorious sunshine where you know spring has finally arrived, then cloudy and raining again with a chill in the air.

When I am up there I do a bit of walking, which I don't do in L.A. unless I am walking to a restaurant. (You know, toward food.) That song "Nobody Walks in L.A.?" Sometimes I think it was written about me, until I remember it was written long before I ever imagined living here. L.A. seemed enormous and strange and the only reason we ever came here when I was a kid was for our yearly trip to see a musical downtown for Mom's birthday, a rare museum excursion, or an even rarer shopping trip. (The Beverly Center was a BIG deal in the 80s.)

When I walk with my camera in Ojai, I am always on the look out for beauty, which is pretty easy to find. I think it has made me even more observant in my life in general. I am happy to say it has spilled over, over the years and as I have gotten older I pay better attention to the world around me and notice the amazing views all around.

These photos are from various walks around Ojai, except the bottom two, which were taken in my parents yard.

Ojai February 2010

"Our soul is nurtured and fed

by taking pleasure

in the beauty in this world."

~Melody Beattie