A visit that was supposed to last a month, is now well into week eight.

Blue Eyes visited me for a weekend in January and unfortunately he arrived on the day Thich Nhat Hanh passed, so, much of his time was spent watching footage of various funeral events. I booked us at Meditation Mount in Ojai for some quiet time and so Blue Eyes could watch the body being transferred to the coffin in a spiritual environment.

When my 30 days were up at my first little airbnb studio, located east of town on the property of a cute little family, I spent a week in Santa Barbara. I originally thought Santa Barbara was my dream retirement location, however, over the years, the house prices and the traffic have jettisoned it down the list a bit. I still do love to visit though.

My Santa Barbara airbnb rental wasn’t quite as pictured, which was super disappointing. It was a total bait & switch situation on the rental site. None of the beautiful furniture pictured was actually in the little one bedroom house. The kitchen was wonderful and the location was superb, but the furnishings were cheap and uncomfortable and there was a mold problem… my sinuses alerted me early on. I ended up spending four nights there and then had to move to a hotel. C’est la vie! They can’t all be gems, and my review reflected it.

Week six I was back in Ojai in a beautiful little airbnb on the property of another young family. I had to move around so much because most rentals in Ojai are in zones where only 30+ night rentals are allowed. Things book up fast, hotels are expensive, and there’s very little inventory considering it’s a tourist spot. Ojai city is doing this on purpose. Most locals aren’t enamored with transient travelers coming and going in residential neighborhoods all hours of the day and night.

As a matter of fact, over this past Presidents Day Weekend holiday, there was literally nothing available in Ojai, not even expensive hotel rooms, so I ventured to Ventura and spent three nights at an adorable cottage, which was exactly as pictured and perfectly located between beach, restaurants, and shopping. Fun! I had never stopped in Ventura.

Then for the weekend, I splurged and drove myself right to my favorite spot, the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. What a treat!

Now I’m back in Ojai at another adorable airbnb studio location right in the center of town. A two minute walk from the gelato shop, oh no! 😉

I leave Friday for home! I was supposed to leave on the 17th, but The Peacemaker injured his knee playing soccer and was unable to fly down and drive back with me. He found out this morning that he doesn’t need surgery and he says he’s ready for a road trip with me!

Why did I stay so long, other than the fact that I love it here? I purchased another house, in Ojai! It’s been a nightmare of a journey with the sellers, but I stuck with it because, it’s a big part of my retirement plan. It’s a fixer, and will be a rental for a while, but I did it! I’ve landed!