On Wednesday, we headed on down to Brian’s parents house in San Luis Obispo (great town where I actually went to college) for a quick lunch with his parents before heading down to my Dad’s. They had a great time hanging out with Devin for a bit and it was nice to chat with them without the stress of the wedding schedule. Here’s my favorite pic:
Ojai and Art
My Dad lives in a cool, little town called Ojai, CA. It’s a small town that has a bit of a hippy, artist vibe. Plus, it’s just far enough from L.A. that several movie stars live there so you never know who you’re going to see: Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton, Reese Witherspoon.
My Dad’s passion is art, so Ojai fits his style perfectly. He does have a day job as an HR exec at a company, but I keep telling him he should retire and focus on his art because he’s exceptionally talented. Check out his art at rayhardingart.com (A few drawings are of nude models, so please ensure you’re 18+). Some of my favorites are in the “hand series” and “new drawings” sections. The gumball machine will blow your mind as it looks like a photograph, but it’s really a drawing. And…no….I don’t have a drop of his skill in me. But, Devin is showing signs of being ambidextrous like my Dad, so I’m hoping he got the mad artist skills.
Visiting with Dad
We got to my Dad and Debi’s a bit late, but were able to grab some dinner and snacks at the local organic market and walk over to the park behind their house. Every Wednesday they have the Ojai Band (orchestra) play music in the park for the locals. It’s a wonderful family affair of music, local talent, balloons, and popcorn that really speaks to what a neat little town Ojai is.
The next day (my Birthday) we took Devin to a local water park. There are only 2 things that will keep my son entertained for more than 10 minutes: music and water. So the water park was a big hit, and even though he was shivering in the end (because contrary to popular belief, California is not that hot), he had a blast.
We had my Birthday dinner at a restaurant called Bodees and sat outside by their little creek. I had the best and probably most healthy meal of the trip here (baby veggies, wild rice, and a light yellow curry sauce –YUM!). Devin was a little antsy, so we did have to take turns playing with him in the parking lot, but it was still a wonderful Birthday dinner. And I even had a sip of some amazing wine – don’t tell my husband! 
The Happiest Place on Earth
The next day we were off to Disneyland, “the happiest place on Earth”. Kind of ironic that Disneyland, the “happiest place on Earth”, is in L.A., don’t ya think?
