ojai blog - news and events in the Ojai community

The Ojai Post

in case you haven't noticed... i'm doing all of my blogging over at The Ojai Post...

Ojai Restaurants

It has been awhile, thanks for asking.  I've been rather busy - first with The Ojai Post, which launched March 1 and is going extremely well. And now with a brand new site - Ojai Restaurants.  Check it out, leave a review, let me know if anything needs fixin'.

The Ojai Post

The Ojai Post is a community blog, featuring Ojai residents from all walks of life writing about the unique Ojai experience. Ojai is a special place, not just for its geography, flora and fauna, small-town architecture and rich native American history - its also because of the people - talented, creative souls who tend to walk to the beat of their own drummer and carve their own path through life. Check in for daily musings, rants, Ojai news and greater goings-on from the place some call Shangri-La.

Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit launching websites.  Happy March 1, Ojai.

Ojai Getaway

There's an article in the San Francisco Chronicle on one writer's Ojai getaway.   I want her expense account. A few excerpts (with links to Ojai Network):

I have a couple of favorite places to stay in Ojai. The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa is a destination unto itself, and guests can find plenty to do at the spa, on the golf course, or just enjoying a quiet moment around the spectacular pool. But I also like the location and quirkiness of The Emerald Iguana Inn, a compound of lodgings that includes Indonesian furnishings and artwork by local artists and craftsmen, including bright and cheerful Matisse-like paintings by the architect/owner's mother, Nancy Whitman. It's one part Bali, two parts Santa Fe and three parts Whitman family  --  like staying at the home of a well-traveled friend with an artistic bent who showcases the talents of Ojai's creative community.

A fine spot to sip a glass of wine is the sultry and sophisticated Movino, a candlelit downtown wine and spirits bar in the Arcade. For dinner, try the upscale, beautifully decorated and romantic Maravilla, which serves artfully prepared organic cuisine in a hushed atmosphere... On the way out of town, I like to pop in to the Ranch House restaurant.

Ojai Garden blossoms

I've been working on a new site - OjaiGarden.com - take a look.

The Ojai Garden is a community blog, with authors writing about the greater Ojai Valley as the garden.  Bloggers will include home gardeners, hikers and adventurers, nature photographers and great local destinations such as the Lavender Inn B&B and the The Ojai Community Demonstration Garden.

"From the numerous private gardens found throughout Ojai to outdoor Ojai destinations to over a million acres of national forest, The Ojai Garden is the greater Ojai Valley as a giant natural garden to explore, cultivate and learn from."

Visit Ojai: online Ojai visitors guide

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been putting together The Ojai Network, an online directory for Ojai, which now has about 300 entries, from touristy things to local services.  Following are some links that may help a visitor to Ojai find that perfect romantic hideaway, memorable little restaurant or peaceful hiking spot.

Where to stay in Ojai:
Ojai Hotels, Inns & Spas
Outdoor Ojai Destinations
Private Ojai Destinations

Where to eat in Ojai:
Ojai Restaurants

What to do in Ojai:
Events In Ojai
Ojai Galleries
Music in Ojai
Ojai Theater & Film

Get away from the office and the traffic in sloooojai:
Ojai Healing Destinations
Ojai Healers
Outdoor Recreation in Ojai
Sports & Exercise in Ojai

And certainly some of you will inevitably need these links, so keep this page bookmarked:
Ojai Real Estate Agencies
Ojai Realtors
Ojai Chamber of Commerce

The Ojai Network

A little something I've been working on - the Ojai Network.

From Ojai to Nepal

The latest message from recent Ojai residents Rob Buckley and Sharmila Mali, who have relocated to Nepal.  Check out their site HimalayanHealers.org, and see how you can get involved with their noble cause.

Namaste!

As many of you know, I've been working overtime, for free, for a very long time on this new passion, and it gives me great pleasure to announce our opening phase efforts!

We are building a Healing Arts School, Community Clinic, and Eco-Friendly Cultural Retreat working to preserve the rich history of healing and energy work in the Himalayas, specifically for the benefit of sponsored students from the Untouchable castes of Nepal.

The Himalayan Healers in Kathmandu, Nepal, is a Healing Arts School, Community Clinic, and Eco-Friendly Cultural Retreat working to preserve the rich history of healing and energy work in the Himalayas, specifically for the benefit of Sponsored Students: from the Untouchable castes, Victims of Human Trafficking, Internally Displaced due to the Ongoing Conflict, Freed Kamaiyas (former indentured servants or bonded laborers), and any others of Profound Need.

At the Himalayan Healers project we are training sponsored students to become "Himalayan Healers" in the arts of Ayurvedic, Tibetan, and Indigenous/Nepali massage techniques, supported by a foundation in Yoga, Meditation, and Reiki.

Ojai in the news

There's a great article in the Washington Post on Ojai from writer Laura Randall, including a big shoutout to legendary Bart's Books.  An excerpt:

The stress starts to disappear somewhere between the turnoff for the Fillmore Fish Hatchery and the third produce stand selling grapefruits the size of duckpin bowling balls. By the time the car has passed the oak-lined path that leads to the former home of Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, it is a distant memory that won't return until long after the sun fades to pink over the Topa Topa Mountains.

Ojai, Calif., sits on the edge of the Los Padres National Forest, 70 miles north of Los Angeles, in a valley full of orange groves and horse ranches. It makes an ideal side trip for visitors to L.A. looking for a break from freeway traffic and Hollywood Boulevard crowds. Though a couple of upscale resorts draw a fair number of golfers and celebrity types, the town never seems overrun with day-trippers from L.A. or Santa Barbara, perhaps because of its distance from major freeways.

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa: of painters and prep chefs

Hillary Johnson (also mentioned in the VC Reporter article on blogs) pens a great story for the September 2005 issue of Inc. Magazine entitled "Rebuilding Shangri-La," which chronicles the renovation of the Inn & Spa, where many of the staff were repurposed for construction efforts.  An excerpt:

During a visit to the hotel in late 2004, the grounds looked like any other busy construction site. Yolanda Mora, a mother of two, stood behind a curtain of orange fireworks, welding rungs onto a balcony railing. She doesn't speak very much English but said through a translator that she in fact preferred making wrought iron to making salads. "Maybe she can torch the crème brûlée when the restaurant opens up again," Hyland said, tipping his hard hat to Mora, who beamed back at him through her mask before returning to her torch work.

"The ironworks has been so successful, and the quality of the work so high," said Hyland, "that when the contractor building the new rooms noted our work, he commissioned us over an outside company to do all of the railings for the new building, too. We're pretty new to the iron business, but we won a contract on our own merits."

He shook his head and smiled. "I'm thinking maybe we can drop this whole hotel thing--it's too hard. We could just have an ironworks and a painting company. And we can all golf in our off time."