Small Adventures and the Dailyness of Our Lives

Sitting here, in our home away from home in Oxnard, I realize that we have been gone almost three weeks, and it seems like three days or perhaps — forever. How quickly we acclimate to new surroundings. My sister asked me once, “Isn’t getting used to a new (as in different) bed a problem?” Well not if all you do is sleep in new/different beds.

How many beds have we have slept in during the last six months? Should I count? Do I dare? Including our home in Wimberley the total is twenty-three! San Antonio, Niagara Falls, Montreal, Maine, The Maritime Provinces, New Hampshire, Vermont, Galveston, and California, and we still have four more to go before we land back at home base.  Someone called us rolling stones, perhaps they are right.

Currently we hang our hat each night in a tiny harbor condo in Oxnard, California. The town sits in the middle of miles and miles of strawberry fields serviced by miles and miles of migrant workers, and is tucked between the sea and the mountains. The mountains edged with orange groves that seemingly span the length of Southern California.

Our Oxnard Condo

Our condo is a great room all by itself, albeit the size is not so great; the space seemingly larger by the addition of a diagonal wall of mirrors that spans the living/dining area.  In this petite space is a couch, two chairs, a dining table that seats six and a desk, where I now sit and type.  When we first arrived we kept sliding off the faux leather furniture, fixing the problem by flipping the cushions upside down to the fabric side, and using the lovely satin pillows designed for the bed as lumbar support.

The space is cute and cozy, filled with pictures and trinkets from the sea, faux greenery, and a TV that gets a max of five stations.  PBS, not being one of those channels; Downton Abbey and its travails and triumphs are in my far distant future. I hope I’ll survive the wait.

We have a small balcony furnished with a table and chairs for dining, two chairs for relaxing, and a small grill used for the ahi tuna we purchased at the local fish market last Saturday; a view of the harbor is a lovely bonus. 

The building housing our condo is large and seems to go on forever, yet we never see a soul, except for yesterday. Michael bumped into our neighbor who appeared in a long white Grecian style dress with a figure that men dream about. This vision of perfection also had long dark hair and a beautiful face.  I think he is in love, at least in lust, and the brief, miraculous encounter has made the entire trip worthwhile as far as he is concerned.

Thoughtful Touches and Always Problems

The owner of this condo was extremely thoughtful in outfitting his for rent only property.  There is a basket filled with afghans, a picnic basket, picnic supplies, a wine carrier, wine glasses, beach towels, throw pillows, candles, a slow cooker, good pots and pans, a juicer, a cocktail shaker and a variety of martini glasses (a first for any rental), a multitude of hangers in a large walk-in closet, and lots of thoughtful touches and storage space in the bath.

However, things aren’t totally perfect, yesterday the refrigerator stopped working.  Last night we cooked the raw meat — so it wouldn’t smell too bad — before throwing it away.  This morning Michael threw away the rest of the food, and now we wait for Sears to deliver a new refrigerator.

The Dailyness of Our Lives in Oxnard

Being in the Pacific time zone we can hardly stay awake for the TV shows we prefer, which don’t start till 10 p.m.  The sun sets at 5 p.m., so by eight we feel like it is midnight.  We are shopping at the California version of Safeway (Von’s) and Kroger (Ralph’s).  It is possible that Ralph’s may win that battle in terms of selection and price.  If you purchase six bottles of wine you receive a 30% discount — with card.  We have a card.  And booze seems to be the only bargain in this part of the world.

We have learned how to rent movies from Redbox for $1.50 each.  We do this often and each has been entertaining in its own right. Last night we saw And So It Goes with Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton — and I cried.  Maybe I had too much wine. Our movie night popcorn snack turned into crostini, brie and sweet red grapes, and then there was salted brownie brittle—newly discovered—and addictive.  We have also rediscovered pinot noir flavored chocolate covered dried cherries.  Luscious, also addictive, but too expensive to be habit forming.

Today, we sit on our balcony looking at the boat filled harbor, sipping wine and dining on a luxurious lunch of imported Italian tuna nestled amid a sea of perfectly ripe California avocados and dressed in olive oil and 18 year old balsamic vinegar (recently purchased from Fess Parker Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley).  Perfection.

My cell phone rings.  It is my landlord (how odd to have a landlord). Apparently Sears has come and gone, not being able to get in the very secure condo complex (and not calling), and we are sans refrigerator.  The saga continues.

Small Adventures

We live our lives much the same as we do at home, but I am more relaxed.  Here it is hard to over-commit; we know no one and belong to nothing.  The ocean, being a stone’s throw from our door, lures us to the beach where we walk and sit and look and listen and wish we had brought beach chairs so we could sit in comfort longer; Michael uncovers beach glass worn smooth by the sand and sea.

We make time to go to the movies on the big screen at the local glitzy mall where a Whole Foods greets us as we enter, meeting Heather for lunch after she shops for jeans and before she has to pick up the boys from school. We take day trips to Ojai for lunch and wine tastings, and we make plans for a picnic with Heather,  Brendan and the kids on Sunday January 24. Returning home early, we read — I’m on book three in three weeks. That, to me, is a luxury.

We are in the big middle of the haves and have-nots.  I delude myself into thinking we live a bit of both lifestyles.  After a whale watching trip with Heather and the boys on Sunday we wound up at a taqueria where the food was good, the food was cheap, and the five of us were the only Anglo faces in a restaurant so crowded the line of customers was a continuous queue from counter to door; the Sunday before that we had brunch on the Malibu Pier where the tab at the end of the meal for four adults and two kids was $320.  Heather and I both almost choked. Perhaps I’m not deluded after all.  Michael and I prefer the taqueria.

We Have Walked This Way Before

Rediscovery is a daily occurrence. We have walked this way before, nine years ago when we spent a month in Santa Barbara—the impetus for our move to the Texas Hill Country — so we are not in a rush to see what is here.  We have already seen much.  I credit our one month stay in Santa Barbara as the reason for leaving our home in the city and moving to the country. I tell everyone that asks about our late life transition that the Santa Ynez Valley reminded us of the Texas Hill Country and the lure was too strong to resist.

On Wednesday we traveled back to the Santa Ynez Valley and Foxen Canyon where we spent so much of our time that January, and shockingly I realized it does not look like the Texas Hills.  It has the same feel, but that is where it ends.  Its hills are mountains, more numerous, more rugged — made softer by green grassy fields that climb up their sides to meet the scalloped edge of trees that continue the climb to the summit.  The canyons are narrower, filled with vineyards and wineries, and a bit more bucolic than the Texas wine trail on Hwy. 290; here the roads curl and meander forever, the fields, manicured to perfection. But the Texas Hills still sing to me and call me home — I’ll be there — just not immediately.

A former stage coach stop in a high mountain pass above Santa Ynez Valley.  Great chili and a cozy fire every time we have been here.

The grounds of Fess Parker Winery in Foxen Canyon

Recent Memories

Michael playing ball with Kevin and Owen on a beach in Malibu before Christmas.

Shopping at the Oxnard Sunday Market where they sell everything from flowers to frocks to fruit.

Winery in Ojai, discovered after an abortive winery tasting adventure to Fillmore turned into a beautiful serendipitous back-roads trip through the mountains.

1/9/2015 5:00:13 PM