What a great day.

I slept in till 9 which for me is unheard of. Woke up happy and well rested (even benefiting from some very pleasant dreams). After getting a slow start out the door, we drove out towards Thousand Oaks. The plan was to visit the small botanical garden there (Conejo Valley Botanic Garden) and then met with a friend and independent recruiter) for dinner. I had a few back-up plans just in case. I brought along abandoned site info in case we had time.

The result, 60 photos from a lovely community botanical garden, and 100 photos from a house found along the 101 Freeway, The "Scary Dairy" in Camarillo, and "The Wheel Inn" in Oxnard. Even better, our dinner companion (the kids were along), gave me a good Oxnard reference to contact about photographing The Wheel Inn complex (before it's torn down).

Great dinner, a trip to Barnes & Noble, glorious conversation and it was capped off by a dusk drive up California Highway 126. What makes that special? The highway cuts through one of the most amazing micro climates. It's full of groves, fruit orchards and strawberry fields. Everything was in bloom, so from just east of Oxnard all the way to Piru (25 miles), I was having a non-stop ollifactory orgasm. Orange, almond, and strawberry blossoms mingled with the smell of fresh eucalyptus, rose and neroli. I am without doubt, very happy tonight.