Tag Archives: books

Yet Another Ojai Treasure

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All photos by Slim Paley

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Speaking of Summer Reading…(well,weren’t we??!)

(Look, it’s almost Summer. Lengthy segues are for Fall)

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As I mentioned last week, I decided  to reread “Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury so we stopped in to one of the true treasures of Ojai;

“Bart’s Books”

to see if they had a copy.

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Just one block off the main street of Ojai, Bart’s is a sincerely NOVEL experience (:))

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Passing through the  narrow entrance  one discovers  a  preposterous proposal-

a bookshop open almost entirely to the elements 24/7!

What of the rain? you may well ask, as I did.

Well, firstly, it hardly ever rains in Ojai, but when it does the overhang apparently provides just enough coverage to keep inventory dry.

Being on the inland side of the mountain range that separates Ojai from Ventura and Santa Barbara, the climate is much warmer (OK, it’s HOT) and therefore the books don’t suffer from damp in the way they would oceanside.

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 How many bookshops do you frequent where enormous grapefruits come rolling off the roof  to land at your feet?? ( top right corner)

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Or you’re offered a perch in your own little interrogation booth to peruse  ’True Crime’ tombs?

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A ginormous cat named “PYGMIE” presides, serving up more attitude than a French flight attendant.

This was the look she gave me when I asked how often they turn over the choices on their “Most Requested” shelf.

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Grab a stick of hard candy or a Nespresso and stay for hours- as we did!

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Cookery books are to be found, where else? in the kitchen of course.

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Bart’s, not surprisingly,  had experienced a run on their Bradbury inventory over the last 48 hours so there were no more “Dandelion Wine”s

however we found many other fun treasures

including a copy (in one of their few glass book cases) of Charles Baker Jr.’s “The Gentleman’s Companion: Volume I & II” for a reasonable $100

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Slim Paley photo

Featured in one of my past posts, The Gentleman’s Companion is THE ultimate book concerning the art of concocting cocktails.

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as well as this fab Douglas Fairbanks biography with a most irresistible cover.

Eat your heart out Johnny Depp.

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Lastly, not to be a rabble-rouser, but

know what I won’t be reading this summer?

“50 Shades of Grey”

There.

I said it.

I feel like Meryl Streep in “Silkwood”

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PS.

After all your hard work and heavy lifting at Bart’s, why not saunter up the road to the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and treat yourself to one of these;

(Vegetarians look away)

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I cannot deny I was dreaming of this burger the entire drive over.

Great Burgers & Books.

Life is Good!

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Something Wonderful This Way Came

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We say farewell to a Great One today with the passing of Ray Bradbury.

Blessed with a rich and long life, he was an incredible gift to the child in us all.

I’m going to keep Mr. Bradbury and all the charming and chill provoking memories he imbedded deep within my adolescent heart in my thoughts for the rest of this day and especially this evening when I tuck myself into bed and recall all those nights reading under the covers (often with flashlights)…

Who can forget the palpable sense of foreboding while reading “Something Wicked This Way Comes”?

Though the piddly, pathetic excuse for a  ”carnival” that occasionally passed through our small town in British Columbia was, disappointingly, much less real than the one Bradbury had created in my mind, compare it I did; imagining far more sinister goings-on behind the mouldy tarps than reality delivered

 ( probably just a few guys in sweat stained “Deep Purple” t-shirts and Harrachi sandals passing a filthy joint)

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Or the unimaginable horror of living in a world where all books had to be burned,

sacrificed to a television addicted society

(Hey, wait a minute…)

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That “Science Fiction” wasn’t just for boys…

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and a body covered with spine-tingling stories kept me preoccupied for days…

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or perhaps my favourite, which I think I’ll run out and get a copy of today;

The quiet, soothing imagery of Bradbury’s own small town recollections; ink black skies punctuated with fireflies and  porch swings swaying with the invisible hand of a hot and eery wind…

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For me, a voracious adolescent reader and an avid fan of “horror” in particular, Bradbury was like the genius love child of Edgar Allan Poe and Harpur Lee.

Simply wonderful.

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“Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered.”

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RIP Mr. Bradbury.

1920-2012

Thanks for the memories.

There is now one more amazing story coming to life upon the skin of The Illustrated Man.

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My 200th Post!

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Slim Paley photo

The storm lifts off the mountains just before dark in Sun Valley.tonight

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Greetings and salutations from Sun Valley, Idaho. We’ve been here one day and we’ve had sun, rain, thunder, lightning and a hail storm.  I’m so happy to be writing my 200th post from here! I can’t believe it.  For a world class procrastinator such as myself, I have to reach around and give myself  a little pat on the back (in just a few minutes).  I couldn’t have done it without you, quite literally- so thank you all for your support and encouragement!  As it’s a bit of a blogging milestone for me, I thought I’d ask for some guidance as to what direction I might take with future posts.  What would you like to see more (or less) of on Slim Paley?

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THE FASHION?

Solve Sundsbo.photo

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THE FOOD?

Slim Paley photo

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THE FURNISHINGS?

David Tsay photo/House Beautiful

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THE FLORALS?

Slim Paley Photo

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THE FAR AWAYS?

Slim Paley photo/Devigarh, India

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Slim Paley photo/interior courtyard Amanbagh, India


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THE FANCIFUL??!

Slim Paley photo/Peter Jones window, London


Do you have any other suggestions? I’d love to hear.  I’m guessing I post enough photos from my garden!  I’m afraid  it’s just impossible for me to resist the siren’s call of flowers in their glory.

I probably share more than enough mundanities of my daily life as well, but if you like ridiculously random musings let me know that too!  Somehow the original intent to blog mostly about design and books somehow took a bit of left when I wasn’t looking.  The simple truth is that a lot of the time I used to spend reading has now been supplanted by blogging.  Not that I’m complaining.  It’s been great fun, change is good, and blogging is definitely more social than reading- hell, it’s almost like going out -but I get to stay in my jammies!  My books, like loyal friends, will always be there for me. :)

Personally, I love compiling the colour posts, despite having difficulty sometimes in shutting my ‘colour meter’ off when I need to (it’s a bit like a dishonest cabbie) but I might eventually work my way through the spectrum.

Lastly, I’m about to start building a barn.  But not for animals- it’s a ‘Boy Barn’.  Any interest in following the trials and triumphs of construction from the ground up?!

Well, I must sign off now.  Went to see the movie “The Other Guys” tonight (funny) then watched back to back episodes of “America’s Next Great Artist” finale (yay Abdi!) and “Top Chef”   Yikes… Entirely too much screen time!   Dare I say it might be time to read a book?!

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My Bookie, Karl!

Night All :)

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