OJAI DELIGHTS

We feel like we are living in the country. The closest largish city is Ventura, about  a twenty minute drive. Ojai is a valley town. Nestled between high hills (not quite mountains) with wide meadows and  windy roads. Lots of horses and a few cattle dot the landscape as you drive along. It's a wealthy area. Most homes are estates with locked gates and camera security. Even the houses in town block their front yards, either with wooden fences or tall thick bushes. My Midwestern mind wonders why they cover up the front door. What are they hiding? In the Midwest, the front porches and doors are welcoming. Feels much more friendly, or maybe I'm just missing home.

The campground feels miles away from civilization. Most days our loop has only three RVs, one being the camp host. We overlook a once water filled canyon that has filled in with greening shrubs. The small birds love these bushes and flit from one to another all day. They make little chirping noises. Yesterday, a Great Blue Heron was about 20 feet away in an empty site. I swear, he was as tall as I am. We watch the antics of squirrels, gophers and bunnies. In the skies above, turkey vultures soar, often harassed by smaller red tailed hawks. A camp host out on the border of the park reported a mountain lion crossing the road.

Casitas has Bald Eagles! A nesting pair has been in the area for 7 years. They took over the largest Heron nest left after the herons left the rookery. You have about a 3/4 mile walk to be able to see them. We've seen them building up the nest. They often soar over the Lake. They have a website chronicling their life. The eggs should be laid later in January and hatch around Easter. I hope we are still in the area.