Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Malibu Wine Tour

 Another exciting weekend adventure...this time in Malibu, practically my own backyard. I've always heard that there's great wine tasting there...so on an indecisive Saturday afternoon, my running buddy from The Sche Report and I decided to go check it out. We got a late start to the day but somehow managed to hit 4 wineries AND have an amazing dinner at Malibu Cafe @ Calamingas Ranch...by far my favorite of our tour. The grounds are completely magical...with a murky pond reminding us of Louisiana and rustic table settings throughout the property. Having dinner outside with mountain views and sounds of the waterfalls made me realize again how lucky I am to live here and have access to days like this to escape! The wide open field had a huge stone fireplace in the center, a ping pong table AND a pool table which had a chandelier hanging from a tree - what?! I cannot wait to spend every weekend here this Summer! The first place we visited, and the busiest, was Malibu Family Wines....very cool spot to go with a group as you can take your own wine and picnic, and there's often a band playing! I loved the draped lights hanging across the yard and hilltop views of local vineyards. We ended the day (I'm bouncing all around here) at our favorite Malibu stomping ground, The Old Place. It's just too hard to be in the area and not drop in to say hello to some old cowboys.

I dressed casual as usual in my bell bottom jeans, vintage silk pajama shirt,wide brimmed hat and cowboy boots. Had a to bring a big over-sized sweater for after sunset :)
This last one was actually taken the night before our Malibu adventures....
I just love a wide brimmed hat, a fire pit and good conversation with my gals :)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Monday, January 21, 2013

Oh Hi, Ojai!

Finally took the day trip to Ojai Valley this past Sunday that I had been wanting to take for the last year! The sleepy small town artist community is only 90 minutes from LA, but feels like you're in a whole different world. That feeling of freedom and adventure is probably my favorite thing about California...endless fun day trip options that help so much to refresh the mind and regroup from the non-stop chaos of city life. And perhaps just life in general. Spending this day with two of my closest friends who were just as stoked to do something different as I was made it all the better. We set out to do most of what we could squeeze in that Ojai has to offer....a morning 2.5 hour intense hike at Horn Canyon, lunch in a garden setting at the local favorite Suzannes, thrift shopping in the 'downtown' strip (where I scored the badass vintage cowboy hat you'll see below!), wine tasting at Casa Barranca....and an end to the day at Mediation Mount to watch the breathtaking sunset. Sharing a bottle of wine we bought from our tasting with our bare feet in the crisp grass just added to the relaxation factor and grateful feeling that overcame us of simply being alive.
Nice way to end the week...