We are still up in Ojai at the orange grove. Currently, I am listening to Mozart’s Oboe Concerto KB 3 while sitting in one of our vintage Spartan trailers, which serves as a spacious living room and is filled with comfortable mid-century furniture. This Spartan is situated directly across a graveled courtyard from our Airstream, which is where we eat and sleep. The Spartan, produced by J. Paul Getty after World War II in converted airplane factories, was considered the “Cadillac of Trailers” at that time. It is all aluminum with very sleek lines. Ours is a 1954 Royal Mansion, which is 39′ 7″ long and 8′ wide. The interior has been removed so it a very long/large room. Our plan is for the walls to be stained mid-century walnut and for the floor to be covered in dark tile. We’re toying with the idea of a cork ceiling. A little while ago, Ray was sitting in the living room on one end while I worked at the dining room table at the other and he called down, “Do you feel crowded?” 

We are here working for several days. One motivation is the weather, which is gorgeous right now. Today was 76 degrees with a lovely breeze from the ocean. Tomorrow is 73. We are also motivated to be here because of the air, which is filled with the scent of orange blossoms. Our trees are in full bloom right now and the bees are busy. The air smells sweet and clean. 

I am also glad to be here so that I have the chance to walk a fair amount. Today, I walked 8220 steps just by going back and forth from one place to another. At home, I walk from the bedroom, downstairs to the den, kitchen, and living room, and maybe out to the back garden. I can assure you that is never going to add up to over 8000 steps. I definitely need to get back on my dog-walking routine when at home in Los Angeles. It is a physical necessity if I plan to live as long as I hope I will. 

We are enjoying this weather right now because it won’t be too long before it starts getting hot here. In mid-summer, it so warm that people only emerge from their homes early in the day and as the sun is setting. I looked up the average temperature in mid-summer and it said 89. That might have been true at some point in the distant past, but it gets much hotter than that now as a rule. Having grown up in Texas, I am used to summer heat. There, I’m also used to humidity. The good news is that here there is very little humidity when it’s hot. There might even be a cool breeze coming from the ocean. Still, I can assure you, it gets hot. So, right now, we are luxuriating in the cool temperatures and appreciating them while they are here. 

And on that note, I’ll close. We are getting up early to work since I have students all afternoon. I’ll still get to enjoy the weather since I can FaceTime while sitting outside. Now, that’s the life!

I hope the weather is pretty where you are. 

Here’s to Spring!