....like a month ago now. Or longer. Sorry for the extreme delay in posting this recap but haven't you all been busy anyway with other stuff? Like changing the blogworld with all of your brilliance? Yeah, I knew it. You weren't waiting for this post or anything....

So the plan is still in motion.  Slow motion.  But it's motion.

Calliote Canyon is even better than it is in the virtual tour on the site. I can not get over how much I dig this place and Jess does too. Except for that fat lizard I showed you in the last post. She wasn't too keen on the lizard.  But I grew up chasing lizards on the concrete walls in my Phoenix backyard so I think they're cute.

After driving up to Ojai for the day and having lots of time to chat, Jess and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the logistics of this location as to get some feedback.  It may not be everyone's cup of tea but we. are. hooked.

So here's the lowdown:

1) Ojai is a quick 1 hour 15 minute drive north of LA.  So you have to work this time into your travel schedule. With this in mind, we thought people would want to fly in on Thursday because honestly? We all want as much time at this place as possible.  We may not want to leave.

2) We want to start the gathering on Friday morning.  So we will have two full days of an agenda.  Sunday will basically be a travel day home.

3) For those of the core team and for others who come up to Ojai on Thursday, we thought we could have a little causal Thursday night gathering/dinner/etc at a local restaurant. For any LA peeps that want to drive up on Friday morning, totally cool.

4) The retreat location is 6 miles north of town.  That's about a 10 minute drive.  It's a winding 2-lane road into the So Cal mountains and it's just gorgeous. The property is totally hidden from the road and we will feel like we are in our own world.  This is NOWHERE near a hotel conference room vibe. So if you dig hotel conference rooms A LOT, you may not dig this.

5) That being said, this is NOT roughing it.  The house is awesome. The rooms and amenities are tasteful, spotless, comfy and cozy.  You will NOT feel like you are camping.  Although I have used that word, it's only because you are surrounded by nature.  But you will be in a comfy bed. Or hanging out on a cozy sofa in a screened in porch sitting by a fire.

6) You will NOT have your own room.  This will be like a sorority scene although believe you me, I was never into the sorority scene.  It's just that most sleeping rooms hold at least 3 if not more people.  But it's gonna be great. That is, if you're into this kind of thing.

7) We will definitely hire a caterer to handle all meals for the core team.  We will figure out which meals will be offered for the whole group.

8) Speaking of the whole group, Jess and I both feel that we most likely don't want more than 35-40 people tops. Like 35 sounds perfect.  We do not want to be overwhelmed.  We want the weekend to take on an organic flowing vibe where people are self-sufficient in getting themselves to the activities/chats/sessions that they care about.  We do not want to feel like we are just the "organizers." We want to assimilate into the whole scene and have time to connect with all of you fabulous women.

9) There is so much to inspire creativity here.  There's a huge fire pit outside, the rock amphitheater where Jess will perform stand-up and Ann and Anna will join her for some improv.  Okay I made that up.  But really the amphitheater is cool for whatever we want to do.  There's the yurt for group gatherings, decks by the creek, a sauna, a jacuzzi and steps down into the pool at the base of the natural waterfall.  I'm already planning one of those hot/cold sessions where we sit in the sauna and then go jump into the creek to get us all jazzed.

10) Wi-fi is available in the house but don't count on great cell phone reception on property.  But really...isn't that kind of a relief?

11) The property is large and we will not in any way feel cramped.  We will all have plenty of space to roam to connect with others or hang out alone for a little while soaking in the gorgeous nature. We really feel like it's the perfect place to align creatively with you all.

So without further ado - here are some pics so you can get a better idea of the different areas:

<center> The main house nestled in the hills:

<a title="DSC_0245 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430356011/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4430356011_129bf91e84.jpg" alt="DSC_0245" width="500" height="333" /></a>

<center> One of the separate cabins (sleeps 2) down by the creek:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431119568/" title="DSC_0227 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4431119568_4f7dc55994.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0227" /></a>

<center> Jess thinking about all of the things she could cook in the kitchen:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430352609/" title="DSC_0232 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4430352609_0f442f17fc.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0232" /></a>

<center> The main dining area by the kitchen:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430352085/" title="DSC_0231 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4430352085_4e6fb8428e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0231" /></a>

<center> The upstairs master bedroom:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431119986/" title="DSC_0228 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4431119986_910f65e725.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0228" /></a>

<center> Also in the master bedroom. But you see two people would sleep on these:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430351681/" title="DSC_0229 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4430351681_5369d1fac0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0229" /></a>

<center> The bathtub with a view that Jess loves:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431122176/" title="DSC_0230 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4431122176_a14d004594.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="DSC_0230" /></a>

<center> Part of the porch.  The screened in porch is HUGE!:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431122612/" title="DSC_0234 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4431122612_f1ee6341c8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0234" /></a>

<center> The outside/porch BBQ set-up.  Okay who can whip something up on this??:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431122946/" title="DSC_0235 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4431122946_09c98b007c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0235" /></a>

<center> The fire pit.  Like really? I'm all inspired to get out my guitar now...:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431123776/" title="DSC_0237 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4431123776_54b34c79c8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0237" /></a>

<center> Jess practicing her stand-up routine quietly:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431124198/" title="DSC_0243 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/4431124198_4fc672b686.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0243" /></a>

<center> Jess and our cool contact, Raymond, hanging and chatting by the creek:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430359183/" title="DSC_0252 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4430359183_0166a0c657.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0252" /></a>

<center> The waterfall scene:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431128280/" title="DSC_0253 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4431128280_c94ae9030a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0253" /></a>

<center> The magical rock that looks like a whale:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431128734/" title="DSC_0257 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4431128734_69b4e866ec.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0257" /></a>

<center> Cool Buddha bench outside the yurt:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430363363/" title="DSC_0264 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4430363363_c374c31ecb.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0264" /></a>

<center> The yurt for our main group chats/sessions/yoga etc:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431131494/" title="DSC_0262 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4431131494_df681d93ea.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0262" /></a>

<center> Another area of the porch.  So cozy!

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4431133338/" title="DSC_0268 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2750/4431133338_762401a36d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0268" /></a>

<center: Just some breathtaking So Cal desert nature:

<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35257736@N05/4430354691/" title="DSC_0236 by Lee Vandeman, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4430354691_31d8c8f3b2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0236" /></a>

So that's it for now friends.  Thoughts? Reactions? Concerns? We have negotiated a deal with our contact as we told him what a stellar group of connected women we are. We are moving forward with signing a contract on the place.  

Throw out any questions we have and we'll do our best to answer.  Otherwise, we'll keep cruising along and keep you updated along the way....

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P.S.  If you haven't emailed me your filled out "questionnaire" we sent to you, can you try to get that going? Or at the very least send me the basics like your twitter handle and preferred email etc. If you need the email again, let me know at leemwob@gmail.com.   Thanks!


