in the country

We discovered how close and magical Calistoga is last year on our California summer vacation tour. We needed to go one last time before our move so we followed our tried and true itinerary: Preston Vineyards, Jimtown Store, Indian Springs, bike ride along the Silverado Trail, and breakfast at Sarafornia. It's short, sweet, and the best cure for stress.


Secret sunlit patio at Jimtown with a marinated tofu sandwich and carrot ginger soup.

Is it weird that we go to Preston mostly to hang out with the cats? It was in the low 90s so the cats were hiding, one hammy cat braved the sun to get pets and begged for picnic food. And on Sundays they sell a $32 jug of wine of a special barrel. I couldn't pass up the deal. You know what we'll be drinking at the going away party. I think Ojai is the southern California equivalent to Calistoga, but what is the equivalent to the olympic size mineral pool at Indian Springs?