August 1, 2025
Quote of the Day
The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.
– Kendall Hailey
This Day in History
August 1, 1861: World’s first weather forecast is published. On this day in 1861, Robert FitzRoy, a British naval officer who had been researching ways to predict the weather, publishes the first known weather forecast in The Times. The report, which includes a prediction of 62 degrees and clear skies in London, is largely accurate.
In a world before forecasts, people relied on simply watching clouds or even observing animal behavior to predict storms. When “weather frogs” climbed up a little ladder in a jar with water, for example, it supposedly predicted good weather; if the frog climbed down, people believed rain was coming.
In 1854, FitzRoy, by then a vice-admiral, established the Meteorological Department of the Board of Trade. The organization, later called the Met Office, initially produced wind charts intended to help boats reduce their sailing times. In 1859, the British government gave FitzRoy the authority to start issuing storm warnings, which he did using the electric telegraph, a new technology. He started sending his predictions to newspapers.
After the initial August 1 forecast, weather reports quickly became very popular and syndicated in publications around England. It wasn’t just fishermen and sailors, traditionally affected by the weather, who availed themselves of the forecasts. People involved in organizing events like county fairs and flower shows obsessively followed them as well. Some people even used the forecasts for more speculative purposes, like picking which horse to bet on in races, depending on how the weather might affect track turf.
Ojai Weather
Sunny – High 85 / Low 52
Lake Casitas water capacity – 94.5%
August 1, 2025
7:05 a.m.
Apologies for missing a couple of updates! On Wednesday our internet was out for most of the day, then yesterday my MLS access was mistakenly suspended (through no fault of my own). I can breathe a sigh of relief, however, as not much happened other than a land parcel coming to the market:
1201 Grand Avenue – $3,750,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 2139 McNell Road – $2,750,000 (this had recently been cancelled on 7/19).
Have a wonderful weekend!
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
10:30 a.m.
There are no new listings for today.
If you’ve followed this site for a while, having been born and raised in the Chicago area, you may recall that I am a fan of the Chicago Cubs. (I commented on their World Series victory here in 2016.)
I realize this is not Ojai or real estate-related, but it’s still something that’s important enough to me to highlight and celebrate. Yesterday, all of Cubs fandom lost one of their stars from the 1980s and 90’s, Ryne Sandberg. Ryne was a 9-time Gold Glove winner, 10-time All-Star, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His career with the Cubs started inauspiciously in 1982, when he started the year at 3rd base and suffered through a stretch of 0 hits in 31 at bats early in the season. He moved over to his career position, 2nd base, the following year in 1983.
June 23, 1984 is a date that, for any Cub fan that’s old enough to remember, should be ingrained in their minds forever. It was a nationally televised game on NBC, where the Cubs were playing the Cardinals – a heated rivalry since before I was born. A young Bob Costas was at the mic, and I remember his game call quite well. I was upstairs in my bedroom watching the game, while my father was downstairs listening to the game on the radio. In the bottom of the 9th, the Cubs were down 9-8 when Sandberg hit a home run against the premiere reliever in those days – Bruce Sutter – tying the game at 9-9 – sending it into extra innings.
But in the 10th inning the Cardinals scored twice, jumping ahead to a seemingly insurmountable 11-9 lead. Sandberg came to bat with a man on and two outs in the bottom of the inning. Bruce Sutter was still pitching (which would be a rarity these days), and Sandberg again hit a home run, scoring two runs and tying the game. I could already hear my father yelling downstairs as I bounded down the steps 2 or 3 at a time, screaming all the while as we eventually embraced somewhere between the living room and kitchen. The Cubs later won the game in the 11th. Somewhat hilariously, NBC had already proclaimed Willie McGee as the “Player of the Game” before the bottom of the 9th inning – so they had to retract it, deciding instead to make he and Sandberg co-Players of the Game.
If this had happened today, I don’t think it would be met with as much excitement. But back then it felt similar to the U.S. beating the Russians in the 1980 winter Olympic hockey game. I can’t explain why…maybe it was a more innocent time? Or that we had less access to media, where everything wasn’t available online 24/7?
That day is known to Cubs fans (and Cardinals fans – bwaa-ha-ha!) as the “Sandberg game.” And while his was a stellar playing career, his most important attribute was how humbly and honorably he played the game. 100% class and character. “Act like you’ve been there before” he once said. That sense of class and character continued well past his playing and coaching days. Check out his 2005 Hall of Fame induction speech if you’re so inclined – it’s inspiring.
In 2017, I attended a Cubs spring training game along with my father in Mesa, AZ. While squeezing past a long row of people to get to our seats, I loudly proclaimed “Don’t worry, we all have big bladders.” I got a few laughs, but the biggest one was of the guy right in front of me as I moved past – Ryne Sandberg. I tapped him on the shoulder and simply said, “Hey, Ryne!” He was grinning all the while. Throughout the game fans occasionally noticed him seated there and stopped by to say hello. Always graciously and with a smile, he posed for photos and signed autographs.
Ryne Sandberg is my favorite Cub player of all-time (yes, even with the 2016 team winning it all). To my younger brother, Rhett, we’ll get through this together, bud. Love you, Ryno – you were the best.
Pic(s) of the Day
Ryne Sandberg ~ 1959-2025
June 23, 1984
June 23, 1984
Monday, July 28, 2025
10:15 a.m.
One new “coming soon” listing has come to the market since Friday:
45 Rio Via – $925,000 (coming soon, 8/6)
Pic of the Day
Friday, July 25, 2025
8:05 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
2064 S. Rice Road – $1,210,000
890 Hackamore Street – $775,000
35 Monte Via – $899,000
Pic of the Day
Thursday, July 24, 2025
9:20 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
11668 N. Ventura Avenue – $750,000
1202 Loma Drive #26 – $447,900
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
1:25 p.m.
Two new listings have come to the market since last Friday:
110 W. Ojai Avenue – $4,250,000
1075 Loma Drive #28 – $225,000
This past weekend, some friends and I rented a pontoon boat on Lake Casitas for the day. If you’ve never done it before, it’s really a great outing for a small group of people (up to 12 on the largest boat). We packed a folding table and brought food and drinks, spending the day casually cruising – with a bit of (successful) fishing to top it off. The price is quite reasonable when split up among the passengers. Here’s the page where you can reserve a boat.
Pic of the Day
Friday, July 18, 2025
1:45 p.m.
Three new listings have come to the market since Wednesday:
212 Foothill Road – $1,950,000
10920 Ventura Avenue – $2,485,000
1975 Maricopa Highway #32 – $420,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 518 S. Ventura Street – $1,375,000 (the previous listing was cancelled on 7/13).
- 1169 Tico Road – $1,849,000 (the previous listing expired on 7/1).
Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
12:00 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
1120 Sunnyglenn Avenue – $1,100,000
One of our listings that we had in escrow came back on the market yesterday, 600 Good Hope Street in Oak View. This came back on the market at no fault of the seller, rather the buyer was unable to get their loan approved. This really is a great house, and any “major” items that a buyer would want to have looked at have already been completed (or will be completed by 7/24). This includes a new roof (new shingles and underlayment), freshly painted interior, a new garage door and opener, the sewer lateral line has been repaired and certified by the OVSD, and all termite work (including wood replacement) will have been completed by 7/24. All one needs to do is move in! We’ll be holding an open house this coming Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00, however, you can also schedule a private showing any time.
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
10:55 a.m.
There are no new listings on the market for today.
Pic of the Day
Monday, July 14, 2025
11:05 a.m.
Three new listings have arrived on the market since Friday:
995 S. La Luna Avenue – $1,750,000
801 Mercer Avenue – $1,100,000
2289 Hermitage Road – $4,989,000
Quick check-in on mortgage rates:
30-yr fixed: 6.83%
15-yr fixed: 6.03%
30-yr Jumbo: 6.90%
30-yr FHA: 6.37%
30-yr VA: 6.39%
Pic of the Day
Friday, July 11, 2025
12:55 p.m.
Second update for today – here’s a bit of a community heads-up: If you frequent Vons supermarket from the west side of town (like I do), there is an entrance to the shopping center off Ojai Avenue as you’re heading east into town. Since they’ve recently re-paved and re-painted the lane lines, there is now a double set of double yellows at this entrance, meaning you can no longer legally turn left into the shopping plaza from the eastbound lanes. You’ll need to go to the traffic light, make a left, then make a left into the parking lot.
I bring this to your attention because word is that people are being ticketed for making this now-illegal left turn. I don’t know the veracity of this rumor, but I would hope that warnings would be issued for a few weeks. At the least, some sort of signage that indicates you can’t make a left would be helpful, as they did when additional stop signs were installed on North Signal Street and Grand Avenue. I’ve probably turned into the lot from this entrance a thousand times, so I’m lucky that someone brought it to my attention.
11:20 a.m.
There are three new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
1687 Kenewa Street – $1,595,000
407 Bryant Circle #A – $1,349,000
310 N. Poli Street – $949,000 (coming soon, 7/14)
Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Who is this bathroom for…The Thing?
Thursday, July 10, 2025
10:05 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
1104 Mariano Drive – $980,000
4530 Hendrickson Road – $3,250,000
950 Woodland Avenue #123 – $392,500
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
11:40 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
16825 Maricopa Highway – $3,250,000
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
11:25 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
2100 Valley Meadow Drive – $1,249,500
1075 Loma Drive #66 – $137,000
Pic of the Day
Monday, July 7, 2025
4:05 p.m.
Two new listings have come to the market since last Thursday:
276 Burnham Road – $1,199,000
313 E. Villanova Road – $3,795,000
(There is no link available at this time. This is a 4 bed/4 bath, 2,672 sf home on 2.50 acres.)
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 410 Bryant Circle “A” – $995,000 (this had recently expired on 6/30).
- 410 Bryant Circle “K” – $650,000 (this had recently expired on 6/30).
I hope you had a great Independence Day weekend! I attended the parade, as usual, with a group of friends and front-row seats in front of Heritage Financial (thanks to Emily and her team)! There were a couple of new/interesting displays in the parade this year, though not as many prancing horses as there usually are. I finally got a decent picture of the fly-over, though I would guess my hope that I’d see a P51 Mustang was probably unwarranted.
Pic(s) of the Day
Thursday, July 3, 2025
12:50 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
840 Fairview Road – $1,700,000
Enjoy the 4th of July weekend! I’ll see you on Monday…
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
2:30 p.m.
There are no new listings for today…
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
9:50 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
1107 S. Rice Road – $1,170,000
Pic of the Day
Click here for archived June, 2025 posts
