I did the same exact thing :-) I stayed in Ojai for a summer when I was 15. I completely fell in love with CA. Ojai Valley is so magical. The valley smelled of orange blossoms. I hiked the Topatopa Mountains, surfed in Ventura. I remember I was swimming when seemingly out of nowhere a giant bird came directly above me, looking down on me, as I lay on my back in the pool - he just obliterated the sky. Everyone shouted, look at the condor! What a way to see him! It was a sight to behold. I ate oranges so juicy I had to go back in the pool to wash off.:-)
There was no turning back. I decided then and there I was going to live in CA. I went back to NY and started working part-time during school breaks to save barely enough money to move when I was old enough. (Although I lived in Boston for a year for an internship, and fell in love with the Boston as well:-) Anyway, when it came time for college, I was westbound, and settled on the northern CA coast, which I have loved every day for these past many, many years.
We’re closer to the Pacific Northwest in our climate and redwoods trees. I remain equal parts awestruck and humbled by the forest and invigorated and blissed-out by the coast. I feel so fortunate and so alive surrounded by such natural beauty with a lifetime of wonder to explore. I remain graciously in love with CA.
My dear friend lives in Tucson and she and her family come to our coast to beat the heat in summers and think it’s paradise and I don’t disagree. We enjoy Tucson and have hiked Havasupai in the Grand Canyon, the Aravaipa Canyon, Chiricahua Mts, Sonoran Desert … so beautiful. After going to college in the Bay Area, her daughter landed a great job as a scientist in Stockholm, where she has lived with her Chinese boyfriend for the past 10 years. She loves it and is not likely to leave. What a difference from Tucson and SF! The pictures look lovely (and cold!) and the people sound incredibly nice. Her turn to find her beautiful place to live :-) |
