We just got back from a short two night road trip with JJ. It was actually going to be longer, but then the wildfires that have ravaged SoCal happened, and with me monitoring things (Watch Duty is a awesome app), we cut two nights out of the trip (donated the funds to fire relief) and just decided to do Morro Bay and one of our favorite towns in SLO County, Cambria.
We always regretted not taking Sammy and Frankie on Road Trips and we wanted to make sure to have no such regrets with the "J". JJ also seemed to do really well during car rides though he barks and whines like a banshee when waiting for the ride to begin and once the car permanently stops. We're not sure how he knows we've reached our destination, but he strangely does. Hopefully his puppy classes will ease that. However, during the drive he is a perfect angel!
Well, we were amazed to find that JJ handles the drive quite well. In fact, we made one stop at a usual place, which I've posted on three times already in Oxnard. Traffic on the 101 seemed quite typical and while there was haze and smoke it didn't seem too bad. I was concerned about the Auto Fire, but it was fully contained before we left and we really didn't notice much smoke or ash when we stopped at The Collection and took JJ for his "break". He was such a champ.
In fact, when we were back on the 101, the Missus saw the exit to Ojai, another town we enjoy, and requested a detour for lunch. So, off we went. It was Sunday, so the Ojai Farmers Market, another favorite of ours was taking place. Man, the town was packed! I had forgotten that it was MLK weekend! Anyway, we found parking down one of the side streets. We quickly noticed, that unlike our previous visits, with the friendly locals, this was tourist heaven, many of whom were quite pushy and plain rude. The Missus did a quick walk thru the Farmers Market while I took JJ for a walk….dogs are strictly not allowed at the market, folks would be waiting for their partners at the entrance with their pooches.
And then we headed off to find a place for a dog friendly lunch.
We noticed that Ojai Rotie, which we visited before (remember that cool shirt the guy gave me?) was just opening, so that would be it for lunch. I did wish I had brought my "Ojai Psychic Friends Network" t-shirt. Folks and families were cutting in line to get in and all.
Folks didn't know that once in, unless you had reservations you needed to order at the counter. Once in, I headed right to the counter, only to have folks cut in front of me again. When I casually mentioned this to the four guys who cut in front of me they told me "we were in front of you in the other line, so f-off". Nice, huh? The folks A really felt bad for were the locals working, who were just as nice as on our previous visit.
Anyway, I just went and ordered a Grilled Eggplant Sandwich ($19). I told them to pack it to go "just in case", though the Missus and JJ did find a two top.
As before, the sourdough bread was wonderful. It was grilled nice and crisp, slight yeastiness, mild yogurty-sourness, very pleasant.
As for the rest? Well, the pepper-bitter arugula sprouts really dominated the sandwich. We really couldn't make out the pesto. The texture of the eggplant was good, but again, the seasoning-flavor was nullified. At least the milky-nutty Manchego cheese did come thru.
Not terrible; good bread, but if we return we'll try something else next time.
Ojai Rotie
469 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023
We then got the heck out of town as quick as we could. We were really thinking about doing a road trip here. If we do, we'll make sure it's in the off season and also not during a holiday weekend!
The trip to Morro Bay took a bit less than 3 hours and JJ did perfect. We booked the Harbor House Inn which was described as being dog friendly, which it was indeed. They even had a little welcome bag for JJ. It was just a few blocks from the Embarcadero. After checking in, we took JJ right down to the harbor and strolled past all those familiar places.
And had a photo-op or two…..
Before taking a short pre-dinner break. JJ seemed to be enjoying things; which made us happy.
Thanks for stopping by!
From the funky, savory salted crab, to the deeply fermented savory tones, to the pretty hot chilies, this was very spicy and refreshing. Even better than versions we've had here in San Diego! To make things even more fun, this was served with pork rinds!
It was quite interesting, the skin was separated; the one's that were fattier were on the upper and left hand side; these were crisp with a creamy finish. The skin on the right were more crisp. The leftover skin with fat heated up super well in the air fryer later! The meat was slightly gamey and earthy. All of this went so well with the perfectly made tender, but up to the task pancakes. Which also heated up well using my microwave tortilla warmer.
We saved the two legs for home and they crisped up perfectly. This was so delici-yoso once you create your little "roll-up". In fact, the Missus said this was better than what we'd had at 
Good lord. The fish was supposedly mahi mahi, overfried, not seasoned, and dry as heck. The tortillas were like cardboard. The purple cabbage slaw was flavored with ginger and the other had mango "salsa" which really needed some spice. It was all accompanied by a pool of pasty black beans, which at least was seasoned adequately.
With not too much of anything, I could try the biscuits and gravy. The gravy wasn't too salty or greasy, the texture was on the lighter side of things, but it wasn't bad. The egg was perfectly easy over, the yolk having no off flavors. The breakfast potatoes nice and crisp on the exterior, the breakfast sausage routine. This was good enough to bring back memories of old school – diner breakfasts I'd had in my younger days.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marbled Rye was used, which added an interesting yeasty-tangy-sourness to the sandwich. As a whole, a routine sandwich, basic mass produced sliced turkey; we enjoyed the cucumber and sprouts the most. It was enough for our lunch and we walked thru this western theme town to our car and headed off.
We checked in and waited until we were walked over to our seats. The restaurant has sushi bar only seating. I counted a total of 15 seats for our dinner.
As you can tell by that photo, hairy crab was going to be in the first dish, which ended up being a wonderful savory chawan mushi.
The new president, Ed Morales, was introduced and he 
The artist rendition for the 2025 
Even moreso in real life! See the slot in the front hill? That is where the "Spotter" sits and can view what is in front of the float. The Spotter speaks to the driver via a headset and has a set of brakes there at the front, in case an emergency type of stopping is necessary.
Kiwanis International has the theme "Being Together" and is going to be even more beautiful when covered in natural materials and flowers. The slot for the Spotter to view is at the top of the honeycomb
The Service organization of Oddfellows and Rebekahs has their 2025 entry depicted 
Here it is in real life! so vibrant and, again, cute. You can see the rectangular slot in front. The Driver, who only follows the 'Rose Colored Line' on the street is situated near the middle of the float.
The drawing of the 2025 
This beauty is surreal and so detailed; everyone (on either side of the parade route) will see something different.
The 2025 entry for the Luthern Hour Ministries and 
There will be 'stained glass' windows on the church, all created with natural materials. This float will be magnificent with it's theme "Behold! Jesus the Savior is Born". The Petal Pushers volunteers assist with decorating about eight floats during decorating days.
The Fraternal Service Organization of Elks will have another float in the 2025 Rose Parade.
"Cherished Memories" is the theme. Remember that all floats must 'fit' down the parade route, so the Elk at the back of the float must be able to collapse down to the maximum allowable size.
Shriners Children's 2025 float will feature a working waterfall!
So far, in it's basic stages, I can see that the two parrots will be lifted up to go down the parade route, then lowered as it gets to the tight spots along the route. 
I have not seen any drawings for the City of Alhambra entry, but it was also tested on July 13. 
A cortadito ($3.39) was a nice alternative to coffee. The espresso with sweetened condensed milk really hit the spot. 
A new beverage is an iced passion fruit, yuzu pear lemonade ($5.45) and we just had to try it. Topped with edible violas and mint, this was a very pleasant, not overly sweet treat.
A peach target ($4.55) and a matcha raspberry eclair ($3.90) were our choices to try later that day. Wonderful crust and pastry and fruit and cream. Very nice indulgences.
A walnut-raisin batard ($4.65) is a must purchase item. Crisp crust, an almost sourdough base and walnuts and raisins; a perfect snack or breakfast.
Two cheese rolls ($1.19 each). were enjoyed in the car on the way home. Crisp and flaky and sugar topped with a whipped cream cheese filling. Another perfect item.
We ordered Torrejas (Cuban French Toast) ($9.15), a wonderful breakfast item, especially with the cream cheese and fresh fruit.
Instead of an eggy sandwich, we shared a lechon sandwich ($8.69) Roasted pork, so tender and topped with pickled onions, served on fresh, pressed bread that was spread with a wonderful house made chimichurri sauce. This satisfied the cravings I had for about half a year.
The tater tots were nicely fried, crisp, not hard, and the interior slightly creamy. 
