ojai
LIVING THE OJAI LIFE
Fall 2017
Quarterly
THE WEIGHT OF WHIMSY Shives’ Art Drives Major Exhibit
DESIGN BY RHYME
Architect Takes On Treasure
Fall 2017
the stories we tell stories we tell (the and why they matter) How Kim Maxwell’s ‘Townies’ Kim Maxwell’s ‘Townies’ Podcast Brings Us All Together Podcast Brings Us All Together
OJAI MILESTONES
Museum, School Make Their Mark
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Fall 2017 Editor & Publisher Bret Bradigan Creative Director Logan Hall Director of Publications Ross Falvo Contributing Editors Mark Lewis Jerry Camarillo Dunn Jr. Earl Bates Jesse Phelps Contributing Photographer Brandi Crockett Columnists Bennett Barthelemy Peter Bellwood Ilona Saari Kit Stolz Sami Zahringer
Director of Sales
Laura Rearwin Ward Circulation Target Media Partners Contact Us: Editorial & Advertising, 805.798.0177 editor@ojaiquarterly.com sales@ojaiquarterly.com The contents of the Ojai Quarterly may not be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written consent of the publisher. Subscriptions: To subscribe to the OQ, visit ojaiquarterly.com or write to 1129 Maricopa Highway, B186 Ojai, CA 93023. Subscriptions are $24.95 per year. You can also e-mail us at editor@ojaiquarterly.com. Please recycle this magazine when you are finished. Š 2017 Bradigan Group LLC. All rights reserved.
60
Brushes with Fame
Tom Hardcastle’s Icons & Archetypes Story by Demitri Corbin
36
FEATURES
Monica Ros Lives On
Weight of Whimsy
Progressive Educator’s School Reaches 75th Year Story by Sarah Howery Hart
Shives’ Art Drives Major Exhibition Story by Mark Lewis
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The Stories We Tell
Rhyming Design
And Why The ‘Townies’ Podcast Matters Story by Jesse Phelps
Architect Takes on G.W. Smith Treasure Story by Jerry Dunn
114
Museum’s First Half Century
Museum Celebrates Milestone, Honors Thacher Story by Misty Hall
ojai
LIVING THE OJAI LIFE
Fall 2017
Quarterly
the wEIGHT OF WHIMSY Shives’ Art Drives Major Exhibit
44
deSIGn By rhyme
Architect Takes On Treasure
Fall 2017
the stories we tell
stories we tell (the and why they matter)
How Kim Maxwell’s ‘Townies’ Kim Maxwell’s ‘Townies’ Podcast Brings Us All Together Podcast Brings Us All Together
OJaI mILeStOneS
Museum, School Make Their Mark
On The Cover
Kim Maxwell, by Brandi Crockett of Fancy Free Photography
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DEPARTMENTS 50
Off The Shelf Authors Revive Public Debate with “Alice” By Kit Stolz
76
Food & Drink Ojai’s Burgeoning Spa Cuisine Scene By Ilona Saari
89
Nocturnal Submissions The League of Competitive Housewiffery By Sami Zahringer
131
Ask Dr. Beth Simple 7 Test For Optimal Health By Beth Prinz, M.D.
153
Bellwood Chronicles Tap Dancing in Meiners Oaks By Peter Bellwood
MAPS/ETC.
22 Editor’s Note 23 Contributors 27 Ojai Notes 63 Artists & Galleries 82 Ojai’s Wine Trail 112 Street Map 124 Healers of Ojai 127 Retreat Page 134 Top Seven Ojai Hikes 148 Calendar of Events
136
Terraining Day Patagonia, OVLC Team Up For Trails Training Story & Photos By Bennett Barthelemy
EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL LAYOUT SYSTEM See the actual layout of the stonework before we make a single cut!
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EDITOR’S NOTE
OUR INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY “When the great lord passes, the wise peasant bows deeply, and silently farts” — Old Ethiopian proverb We dedicate this issue to the memory of David “Mr. Ojai” Mason. He was an occasional OQ contributor, a frequent fan and occasional critic, a joy to know and full of insider information about Ojai that was often slightly naughty. That’s what made him so fun, and why he will be missed so much. The opening quote above captures his irreverent humor. He was deeply interested in the goings on in Ojai — the lives and loves of its citizens. There’s a misconception about gossip. It isn’t always bad and, in fact, it most often is not bad at all. It’s a form of social grooming that shows our interest in each other. We are social creatures. David Mason exemplified this deep and caring interest in each other and we can only hope that his example will be emulated. We at Team OQ promise that we will do what we can to keep that spirit of care, concern and community and institutional memory alive. That spirit was only display across a wide spectrum of opinions on the issue of tourism. After a group of citizens concerned about Ojai being overrun by tourism started organizing a ballot measure, the City Council voted to end funding for the Visitors Bureau. These debates are nothing new for Ojai. In fact, among Patricia Clark Doerner’s extensive collection of family correspondence is a letter from a frequent winter visitor to an Ojai friend. “We are so conservative we hate to have the charming simplicity of the place changed,” wrote Alice B. Chase, of Lynn, Mass. The offense? A bridge was built over San Antonio Creek, so now a stagecoach from Ventura’s railroad station could make it all the way to Ojai in less than one day. The date? Oct. 25, 1916. Times change, but the sentiments — that this place is special and deserves preserving — never do. This dynamic, creative tension is key to understanding our appeal. We care because Ojai is worth it. Because people feel such a deep and personal connection to this “smiling vale,” you’ll find as many different Ojais as they are people who love this place. Yesterday’s tourists are tomorrow’s activists. There is a scarcely a moment to catch our breaths between Labor Day and Thanksgiving weekend. Not coincidentally, we time our Fall issue to cover this busy season. This issue marks two important anniversaries, Monica Ros School turns 75 and the Ojai Valley Museum turns 50. Check out Sarah Howery Hart’s and Misty Hall’s respective stories on the meaning of these institutions to our community. Another institution is Dennis Shives, as profiled by Mark Lewis. If you were seeking an artist who embodied Ojai’s spirit you’d never find a better example than Dennis Shives. His art is his life, and vice versa. The Ojai Valley Museum’s exhibit of his work debuts Oct. 14th. For key, comic insights into Ojai’s particular pecularities, check out Jesse Phelps’ cover profile on Kim Maxwell’s “Townies” Podcast. As usual, our unusually talented columnists Peter “Badger” Bellwood, Ilona Saari and Bennett Barthelemy, help us understand this community with insight and grace, and maybe even a laugh or six. Jerry Dunn’s story on one architect’s quest to restore a George Washington Smith house to its original grace, integrating modern function ties together the often-contrasting strands of Ojai life — our need to preserve the past as we shape the future. Please read on. We hope you’ll come away with common understandings with your fellow readers. This is what we do, and why we do it.
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CONTRIBUTORS Bennett Barthelemy is a freelance adventure photographer and writer who was born and raised in Ojai. Check him out at bennettbarthelemy.blogspot.com.
Demitri Corbin is an actor, writer and founder of Peachtree Theater Company. He writes about arts and culture for theojai.net.
Jerry Dunn received the
2011 Gold Award for best travel column from the Society of American Travel Writers. His latest book is “My Favorite Place on Earth.”
Logan Hall was born in Hawaii, but raised in Ojai. He was most recently the chief photographer for the Ojai Valley News and Visitors Guide.
Peter Bellwood is a
screenwriter and collage artist who works and plays in Ojai, usually both at once.
Brandi Crockett is an Ojai pixie tangerine peelin’ native and an editorial and destination wedding photographer Check out her work fancyfreephotography.com
Chuck Graham’s work
has appeared in Outdoor Photographer, Canoe & Kayak, Trail Runner, Men’s Journal, The Surfer’s Journal and Backpacker.
Linda Harmon is a freelance writer and artist. You can email her at lhart412@ roadrunner.com, or visit her website at highergroundart. com.
Mark Lewis is a writer and
Jesse Phelps grew up
editor based in Ojai. He can be contacted at mark lewis1898@gmail.com.
in Ojai and has written extensively for and about the town. He enjoys freelance projects and throwing things. Jesse can be reached at jessephelps@ outlook.com.
Ilona Saari is a writer
Sami Zahringer is an Ojai
who’s worked in TV/film, rock’n’roll and political press, and as an op-ed columnist, mystery novelist and consultant for HGTV. She blogs for food: mydinnerswithrichard. blogspot.com
writer and award-winning breeder of domestic American long-haired children. She has more forced meat recipes than you.
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The new skilled nursing facility will provide quality care in the comfort of our own home town – with neighbors caring for neighbors. That is why WE GAVE to the campaign to build a new skilled nursing facility at Ojai Valley Community Hospital.
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OJAI NOTES OJAI-BASED PLAY SET TO OPEN ON BROADWAY Amy Schumer has joined an all-star cast for Steve Martin’s play, “Meteor Shower,” set in Ojai in 1993. The comedian, star of “Train Wreck,” will be making her Broadway debut. Martin told the New York Times that he wrote the play in ‘90s “when it was set. But I didn’t finish it, I got distracted, and then it came back to me a couple of years ago.” He said he approached Schumer at a party and thought she’d be great for one of the key parts, and with her name attached, Martin was
able to get the play produced. “Meteor Shower” is a comedy about two couples who spend an evening of “stargazing and sparring” in a backyard in Ojai, the Times wrote. The play pivots around a vivid meteor shower, which prompts Norm and Corky to invite over their neighbors. “By the end of the night they might wish that they hadn’t” wrote New York City Theatre guide. Other cast members announced are Lau-
MATILIJA PAVILION PROJECT BEGINS Just in time for Ojai’s Centennial, the Rotary Club of Ojai is leading a project to build a pavilion at Matilija Junior High School. The structure will serve both audiences as a gathering place for intermissions, and students as an open-air classroom. Designed by noted architect Marc Whitman, himself a Rotarian, the pavilion project has been approved by the Ojai Unified School District board and efforts to raise the estimated $100,000 for the project have begun. The Rotary Club has provided $20,000 as seed money, and is seeking donors for levels from $50,000 as lead donor to walkway bricks at $125 each. The project is designed with energy efficiency and low maintenance requirements. Bill Gil-
Steve Martin and Amy Schumer ra Benanti (a Tony winner for “Gypsy”), Keegan-Michael Key (Peele & Key) and Alan Tudyk (“Firefly”). “I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Martin said. “I’ve been working on this for over 20 years.”
The play will go into previews on Nov. 1 and opens at the Booth Theater on Nov. 29. This will be Martin’s second Broadway play. He collaborated with Edie Brickell on “Bright Star.”
More Inside 41 Arts of Ojai breth, past Rotary president, said, “The overall goal is to provide a beautiful, inspirational and nurturing space for students, residents and visitors all to enjoy.” The pavilion is expected to ready by November. Donations can be made to the Rotary Club of Ojai Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 1036, Ojai, CA 93024, or call 805-794-2429.
Artists, Galleries, Exhibits and More
71 Food & Drink
Spa Cuisine, Wine Tasting Rooms
123 Wellness
Chef interviews, wine maps, events and more
risqué humor and inteltheir launch pad. lectual wit. 2. In the early 1960s the 1. Most of thte president of Footlights founding members were was Ojai screenwriter “Oxbridge” graduates; Peter Bellwood (“HighTerry Jones and Michael lander”). Palin at Oxford; John Bellwood went on Cleese and Graham from the Footlight to O Chapman at Cambridge join Peter Cook and University. Founding Dudley Moore with member Terry Gilliam Peter Bellwood with daughter Lucy “Beyond the Fringe,” was American. a touring revue that Chapman and Cleese were members of enjoyed great success, helping pave the The Footlight in the early 1960s and credway for the “satire boom” that, in turn, opened doors for the Monty Python ited the Cambridge theatrical club, known Two Degrees of Separation Between Ojai & Anyone, Anywhere for satirical bent and political humor, as troupe.
MONTY PYTHON & OJAI Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a sketch comedy show that aired on BBC from 1969 to 1974, known for its surreality,
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MONICA ROS SCHOOL HITS 75-YEAR MARK By Sarah Howery Hart
Pioneering progressive educator Monica Ros founded a school on Ojai’s East End in 1942. It’s still going strong. 36
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F
ounder’s Day, an annual January event at Ojai’s Monica Ros School, is a celebration of Monica Ros’ establishment of Ojai’s first nursery school in 1942. January is also Arts Month, and, according to Susan Hardenbergh, Monica Ros school director, many of the art projects revolve around Ros. “At the end of Arts Month we celebrate her birthday,” Hardenbergh explains. “Last year, we had students who made a little book about her.” Students also perform a play. “At that time, we talk about Mrs. Ros and how she came here to be near Krishnamurti. We also have a bust of her in front of the office, and they dress her up in a birthday hat for her birthday.” This year an extra fancy hat is in order as 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of the facility, which now includes preschool through third grade, extended care, and summer camp. During her childhood in Australia, Monica Ros enjoyed experiences in all forms of creativity including music, dance, drama and art. Later, when she married a Cuban man, Ricardo Ros, she also began to travel, including to India due to the couple’s interest in Krishnamurti, who they also followed to Ojai. Both taught school — Ricardo Ros at the Thacher School teaching Spanish, Monica Ros teaching music to local children. They then moved to Cuba, but after her husband’s death, Ros returned to Ojai in 1940 and resumed teaching music at her Grand Avenue home. Encouraged by Ojai resident Mrs. Anson Thacher, Ros expanded upon the list of subjects she taught, and in 1942 opened Monica Ros School in her home. Two years later she moved the school to its permanent location on McNell Road. FIRST STUDENTS Among Ros’ first students were Thacher’s children, Tony and Anne. “My mother was very fond of Mrs. Ros,” Tony Thacher
Children at play on the school’s wooden slide in the 1940s including Allan Jacobs going head first.
Pioneering educator Monica Ros with an early class. recalls. “She encouraged her to start the school. My sister was in the first class in 1942.” Tony Thacher was in the second class, and he recalls what his mother liked about the school. “The progressive school movement, started earlier, was appealing to my mother. Being creative, doing things with your hands and mind at the same time, and Mrs. Ros certainly embraced that.” One particular experience he remembers, is having class outdoors. “We spent a lot of time outside. I remember finger painting wearing a smock — that was all outside.” Another student, also named Anne, (and who later became his wife) liked the academics at Monica Ros, especially math. She was one of the few students to attend fourth and fifth grade, prior to the school’s decision to include only nursery school through third grade. “I went there through fifth grade. I was the only one in the fifth grade,” she says. One thing I remember, Mrs. Ros hired a separate math teacher.” Monica Ros School was a family affair for many families. Multiple siblings attended, including Allan Jacobs, also one of the original students. “She (Ros) went around to all the neighbors in the East End, including my parents, and said, ‘If I start a preschool will you send your kids?’ My parents guaranteed that I would go and that my sister and brother would follow me. They would make certain that all three of us attended.” Jacobs recalls one of his favorite aspects of the school. “What I liked best was the individual attention you got in the small classes and the fact that everyone participated in her art and music classes, which weren’t available in other schools at that time. I can remember sitting on the floor around Mrs. Ros when she was playing the piano.” Bob Davis, another student who began at Monica Ros the second year, also recalls the music. “Mrs. Ros was my teacher in one of the grades. She played the violin and piano.” THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES Monica Ros students, like Ros, herself, as a child, were exposed to a variety of arts, and among the most popular activities were the school plays. “I remember Monica as being really interested in music and the arts,” Jacobs says, and we were all in plays together.” Thacher says he remembers the plays also, but quips that he
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The school playground on a quiet day. only had one role — (“The only part in a play I remember playing,”) and Davis recalls, “Mrs. Ros took the book (“Peter and the Wolf,”) and made a play out of it. Tony Thacher’s sister, Anne, was the cat, and I was the duck. They played the music, and people asked me, “Oh, did you play the oboe?’” MEMORIES OF MRS. ROS Among the memories these early Monica Ros students have, are their fond recollections of Monica Ros herself. “Things were different there,” Davis recalls. “Mrs. Ros drove her Buick station wagon around the East End picking up kids. We would all pile in there.” Anne Thacher recalls, “She was very child-friendly. Mrs. Ros was a very classy lady. She was pretty much a perfect teacher. She was elegant, and very kind.” “She made you feel like you were important,” Jacobs remembers, referring especially to Ros’ personalized Student Progress Reports. “She had a unique way of evaluating your skills. She said that I really like to dance, I had good rhythm.” Although having good rhythm was not accurate for all students’ Progress Reports, Ros found and commented on every student’s talent. “She would teach us to march,” says Tony Thacher. “She identified my musical talent early, as I remember,” he said, “and I got to play the ribbed musical sticks. That was about my level. Classes were interactive, and I remember the classroom which was part of her house. She was a great math and English teacher. ” He admits, “My favorite subject was recess.” But there were least favorite classes too, and Davis remembers that, for him, that was Rhythm Class. “We were supposed to dance lightly around the room and snap our fingers, and I couldn’t do that.” 38
He describes Ros as kind, but strict. “I don’t remember Mrs. Ros being a particularly fun-loving person, but she was very kind. She was a disciplinarian, and none of us wanted to cross that line.” Tony Thacher agrees. “She was a disciplinarian, The cast of “Peter and the Wolf” and she did wash my production from the 1940s. cousin’s mouth out with soap.” A HAPPY PLACE These original students’ positive memories of Ros all include the descriptor, “kind, ” and each of them also recalls that Monica Ros School was a happy place to be. “I always looked forward to going to school,” Davis says. These students and many others have also enjoyed their continued association with the school and with Ros, herself, such as Davis, who continued visiting when he was older. “I liked the school enough,
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cisco, then high school chemistry in Ojai.”
The school continues to generate future happy memories. I remember when I’d go out for a horseback ride, I would drop by.” Schoolmate Jacobs says he did yardwork for Ros. “I lived just down the street.” Anne Thacher had a continuing relationship as well. “My mother was a close friend of Mrs. Ros’ so I saw her a lot during my childhood years.” Among Thacher’s memories is her appreciation for how Ros prepared the students for their eventual careers, and life in general. “She prepared me very well for going on to school,” Anne Thacher says, speaking specifically of Ros’ hiring of a separate math teacher for her, the only student in the fifth grade. “I had sort of a math minor in college, and chemistry. I have a Masters in Chemistry from Berkeley and worked in research for a couple of years. Then, I wound up teaching junior college in San Fran-
A MULTIGENERATIONAL EXPERIENCE Perhaps the best testimony to these and other early student’s love for the school, is the fact that their families, some now into third generations, have continued to send their children to Monica Ros. “We sent our two children to the school,” Anne Thacher says, “and we have five grandchildren, all have spent time in Monica Ros School.” Davis’ family has a similar history with the school. “My son was on the board, and his son, who is now going into 10th grade at Ojai Valley School, went through Monica Ros School.” Over the school’s 75 years, current students in any given year are curious concerning what it was like attending Monica Ros those first few years, and there are always many questions for the original students when they visit and share their experiences. Davis recalls such a question. “Tony Thacher and I were invited to come up and talk to the kids about what it was like in the old days. A little hand went up, innocent eyes looked up. ‘Did you all wear shoes?’ was the question we got.” It could be said, in fact, that these students from decades ago are rather like celebrities in the newer students’ minds, but Monica Ros herself achieves stardom during Founder’s Day month every year. “They get the idea that she’s a person,” Director Hardenburgh says, “and someone will always ask if she’s buried there, under the bust out in front.” But the true proof of her celebrity status appears at performance time. “We have a play that first graders do about American heroes,” Hardenburgh, says, adding that the role of their founder is coveted, and all the children want to play her. “Monica Ros is very popular. They have to pull sticks.”
The school celebrates many traditions from its founder, including international education.
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ARTS & LITERATURE 44 The Weight of Whimsy
Dennis Shives’ DIY Drives
50 Off The Shelf
Ojai Author Revives Sex-Worker Memoir, Controversy
60 Hardcastle’s Loaded Content
Ventura County Museum Features Ojai Artist
63 Artists & Galleries
Portrait by Brandi Crockett/Fancy Free Photography
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Dennis Shives HIS WAY
By Mark Lewis
Photo by Brandi Crockett
For the better part of seven decades, self-taught Ojai artist Dennis Shives has followed his own path, often while going barefoot. Now, that long and winding road has led this notable free spirit to the Ojai Valley Museum, which this fall is honoring him with a career-retrospective exhibit. After forging a career on his own terms, far from the art-world limelight, Shives finally is ready for his close-up. THE BUILDING WAS NONDESCRIPT, an unassuming stucco affair fronting on El Roblar Drive west of Padre Juan Street in Meiners Oaks. But its display window was lit up at night, and something in it caught the eye of the artist Gayel Childress as she passed by one evening in the early 1980s. “There was this wonderful wooden Gatling gun in the window,” she says. “I said I had to meet whoever made that.” The creator turned out to be Dennis Shives, an artist and woodworker who used the building as his studio and the window as his gallery. Childress discovered to her delight that Shives’s handcranked Gatling gun actually worked, except that it fired rubber bands rather than bullets. He had crafted it a few years earlier using wood left over from another project — oak, ash, a bit of walnut — and part of a bronze light fixture he had salvaged from the Smith-Hobson House while it was being converted into Ojai’s City Hall. Childress was charmed by this whimsical, one-of-akind creation, and by the man who made it. “I’ve been a fan ever since,” she says. “He really is a wonderful artist.” That’s high praise coming from Childress, a co-founder of the Ojai Studio Artists group. Nor is she the only one who thinks so. “A really incredible talent,” says Khaled Al-Awar, who in years past has featured the Gatling gun and other Shives pieces in his Primavera Gallery in the Arcade. “He’s brilliant,” agrees Danna Tartaglia, who sells Shives prints, and framed photographs of his “Making Faces” rock art, in her Tartaglia Fine Arts gallery. “He’s an original — maybe the original Ojai artist.” But Tartaglia and Al-Awar agree that Shives is not the easiest artist to represent, because of his unconventional attitude toward his career. He insists on asking major-league prices for his major pieces, in part because of all the work he puts into making them, and in part because he seems too attached to his creations to let them go. Partly as a result, Shives has struggled all his life to make a decent living, and to win wide recognition in the art world. Nevertheless, he has remained true to his chosen vocation. And now, on the eve of his 70th birthday, the spotlight finally has found him, in the form of a career-retrospective exhibit opening Oct. 14 at the Ojai Valley Museum. Which prompts the question: After a lifetime of wandering in the wilderness, is Dennis Shives ready for the red carpet?
BORN IN SANTA PAULA IN 1947, Shives mostly grew up in Ojai’s Upper Valley, where he attended the Summit School. Later
he attended Matilija Junior High and Santa Paula High, from which he graduated in 1965. As a child he was drawn to art, due in part to encouragement from his maternal grandmother, a talented amateur painter. “I always knew I would be an artist,” he says. But he hated the art classes he took in high school and at Ventura College. There were too many rules about how to make art, and too much emphasis on how to make a living from it. “I really didn’t learn anything in school,” he says. “So actually I’m self taught.” The point of art classes, as Dennis saw it, was to tame the wildly creative urges that welled up within him, and channel them in approved directions. But he declined to submit. He was a classic case of the child who refused to color inside the lines. “They are trying as hard as they can to kill that thing within you,” he says. “But you’re supposed to be who you are. People need to do what they need to do, instead of sitting and copying other people.” Despite his interest in the visual arts, the first career he pursued was that of a musician. A true child of the ‘60s, Shives grew his hair long and tried his hand at rock ‘n’ roll, playing harmonica and singing with the Ojai All Stars, the house band at a rowdy, rough-and-tumble dive called the Ojai Club (located where Ojai Pizza is today). This was a fraught period when the local flower children and the local rednecks were frequently at odds. “We were the hippies and they were the alcoholics,” Shives says. “This was a drunk cowboy town. There was a brawl every Saturday night.” The All Stars’ lineup also included local guitar legend John Orvis, along with the brothers Norman and Curtis Lowe and others. “We had a great time,” Shives says. “But then I switched into the arts.” He took up woodworking, sculpture, painting, and whatever else intrigued him. He was a craftsman too, creating gold and silver jewelry, custom-carved rifles, exotic-looking furniture, even a house in Alaska for his Ojai friend Jack Estil. He never worried about not being formally trained. He just plunged in, and figured it out for himself. “What the process is all about is learning not to be afraid,” he says. “Fear is the biggest killer of creativity.” His longtime friend Sergio Aragones, the famous Mad Magazine artist, admires Shives’ extraordinary versatility. “He’s the true Renaissance man,” Aragones says. “He’s a man who can do everything — and well! He has spent his life per-
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West El Roblar Drive was an anomaly. Generally, Shives has made his art in borrowed spaces, or at home. These days his studio is the house on Willow Street he shares with his life partner, the acupuncture provider Laurie Edgcomb. Here, Shives is surrounded by his sculptures, paintings, carved masks, bubble-blowing devices and fanciful furniture pieces. Many have attracted the attention of collectors, but Shives seems reluctant to part with them. “Making art is completely Roger Conrad says of Shives’ art: “His vision is derived from nature with childlike enthudifferent from making monsiasm to see, touch, and create vivid experiences.” Photo by Brandi Crockett. ey,” he says. “I’m not doing this to sell stuff. I’m doing fecting every craft.” this because it makes me want to get up in the morning.” And to what end? To amuse himself, and other people, by On the other hand, he concedes, “You need to make a living.” telling stories that make everyone smile. There is an implied Indeed, and making a living as a working artist poses enornarrative embedded in most Shives pieces, whether it’s a paintmous challenges. Those who succeed usually find that they must ing of snails in a garden eating a flower, or a carved-wood door put as much time and energy into marketing their art as they do featuring a charging rhinoceros, or a soapstone sculpture of an into creating it. octopus going for a walk. “I guess you have to go out and seek it and chase it down,” “It was the storytelling process that I was interested in,” he Shives says, with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. He’d much says. “You’re playing with the story. It’s a way of entertaining rather drive his ancient Volkswagen van out to the East End, people.” take off his shoes, and go for a walk in Horn Canyon. When Shives turned his hand to creating parade floats, he Shives is not averse to making a buck or two, if he can do it his entertained the entire town. People in Ojai still talk about the way. He sells hand-carved wooden walking sticks, baby spoons one he and his friend Rick DeRamus came up with in 1984, the and magic wands (a Shives specialty). He also sells copies of his year the Los Angeles Summer Olympics held rowing events at charming 2014 book, “True Stories To Be Read Aloud,” a collecLake Casitas. Their float for that year’s Fourth of July parade tion of autobiographical stories. (A follow-up collection is due was inspired by the legend of Old Hoover, the monster-sized out this fall.) And, while he seems reluctant to sell his paintings, largemouth bass said to lurk in the Casitas depths, too wily for he happily sells prints of them at Danna Tartaglia’s gallery. (She any angler to hook. says they are popular choices with visitors looking for some“All the local kids dressed up as minnows and frogs,” he says, thing Ojai-esque to take home with them – such as “Smudgepot “and we chased ‘em down the street with the fish.” Bears,” featuring merry ursine revelers cavorting in an orchard For the following year’s parade, Shives and DeRamus conon a cold winter’s night, with Chief Peak providing the backstructed an even more elaborate version of Old Hoover. This secdrop.) ond mechanized fish float was 40 feet long, 10 feet wide and 14 “I’m not sure what success is,” Shives says. “I do what I do, and feet high, with a tail that wagged, gills that emitted air bubbles, feel pretty successful in my own little realm.” and a huge mouth that swung open and shut as the bass pursued Case in point: Shives is spectacularly successful at sand an elusive frog down the middle of Ojai Avenue. sculpture. He has a shelf full of first-place trophies won at conThis was classic Shives: He put in seven months, uncompentests held at Cayucos Beach and elsewhere. This probably is the sated, to create Old Hoover II, then spent his last $5 on gas so he art form for which he is best known outside of Ojai, but these could drive it in the parade. People loved the float, of course, but are things he cannot sell — and that’s partly what attracted they didn’t pay anything to see it. him to sand sculpting in the first place. He creates a large-scale “I never did anything that made me money,” he says. “I just piece in a few hours, takes a photograph, and walks away. barely scraped by.” “If these things last the afternoon, they’re lucky,” he says. That period in the early ‘80s when he had the building on “Nothing lasts forever.” 46
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DENNIS SHIVES IS A FAMILIAR SIGHT IN OJAI: tall and tanned with long white
hair, a flowing beard and a gentle smile, he favors khaki work shirts and cargo shorts, and gives the impression that he has never owned a pair of socks. If you want to walk a mile in his moccasins, you’ll have to do it barefoot, for when Shives hits the trail in the Los Padres National Forest he does it sans shoes. “For two years, I took every Wednesday off and walked with him,” Khaled Al-Awar says. “This man has an incredible knowledge about nature.” Roger Conrad of the Ojai Valley Museum says that Shives’s art is powerfully informed by his strongly felt connection with the natural world. “His vision is derived from nature with Dennis with “Old Hoover,” the bass that reputedly haunts Lake Casitas. Shives childlike enthusiasm to see, touch, and and a friend crafted this fish as a float for Ojai’s 1985 July 4 Parade. create vivid experiences for himself and those who interact with his art,” Conrad says. “Whimsy is his language to find the spiritual in all living things. His message is that the lives of all classroom walls at the Monica Ros School. He shapes his sand creatures matter.” sculptures for all the beach-going world to enjoy, if only for “Whimsical” is a word often applied to Shives, and it’s not one an afternoon. And everyone who drives along Ojai Avenue that connotes serious artistic purpose in today’s high-powered through the center of town has seen his work — he crafted the art world. Untutored artists like Shives who lack academic replacement lion’s face for the Pergola water fountain, after the credentials often are pigeonholed as outsider artists or folk original deteriorated. artists. But Gayel Childress says Shives falls into none of these Shives also provided similar facelifts for the stone lions at the categories. entrance to Foster Park, and he designed the life-size sleeping “I love outsider art, but his is quite sophisticated,” she says. “He bear that reposes near the front door of the Ojai Valley Museum has that outsider spirit, but his art is certainly not naïve. I don’t (one of his “Specialty Monuments” for Rodger Embury’s Rock & think there’s a term for Dennis. He’s one of a kind — part invenWater Creations). tor, part engineer, part dreamer, part carpenter, part painter. “The most important part of the whole thing is to stay an artLittle touches of everything.” ist,” he says. “Most of the people I know who went to art school Conrad, who is helping to organize the museum’s upcoming don’t do art anymore.” Shives exhibit, is similarly unwilling to hang a label on this Remaining an artist allows Shives to wake up in the morning unique artist. knowing that he will spend the day doing what he wants to do, “His art defies categorization,” Conrad says. “Some of his work and being who he is. “Then I feel as good as I can feel.” seems primitive but other works display the hand of a seasoned Shives is pleased about the upcoming exhibit in part because artist. He pleases himself and dismisses being labeled. Above all he hopes to inspire other would-be artists to follow their own else his art is enchanting and fun.” paths, as he did. The museum exhibit is a big deal for Shives, and his friends “What you’re doing is inventing your life,” he says. “Anyone and supporters are thrilled for him. can do this if they really wanted to. You sit down and figure out “It’s his time,” Childress says. “I really want everyone to see how to do it. But most people are too smart for that. They go for this show. I want everybody in Ojai to know about him. I just the money.” want to see him honored because he surely deserves it.” Not Dennis Shives. He chose freedom instead. He’s happy “It’s about time,” Aragones says. “He deserves it because of the with the way things have worked out for him, and hopes to variety of his art.” inspire more people to make the same choice and “have a great To be clear, Shives had not exactly spent the past few delife too.” cades hiding his light under a bushel. He creates his strikingly “I had a wonderful time,” he says. “I really did.” original artworks and steampunkish devices, and puts them out there. He writes and publishes his stories and reads them Mark Lewis is an Ojai Quarterly contributing editor and presialoud to audiences. He paints frogs and other fanciful figures on dent of the Ojai Valley Museum Board of Trustees.
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OFF THE SHELF
ALICE SPEAKS OJAI AUTHOR REDISCOVERS EARLY SEX WORKER MANUSCRIPT
By Kit Stolz
Ivy Anderson grew up in Ojai, graduated from Nordhoff in 2007, and went on to pursue a degree in environmental studies at San Francisco State University. But living in San Francisco during the technology boom, seeing the city transformed by overwhelming wealth, changed her. At the university, Anderson partnered with Devon Angus, who was pursuing a Masters in history. Living in San Francisco as students as the city was disrupted by a new class of super-rich tech workers radicalized Anderson. She read about the efforts to eradicate San Francisco’s notorious red light districts in the early 20th century, and found herself thinking about the social side of environmental issues, such as the lives of those crushed by commercial development. “Seeing the nature of what was happening to San Francisco, the political and economic transformation of landscape, going to a lot of protest movement events and anti-gentrification protests, as well as doing work around the preservation of open organic food systems, it all fed into my intrigue with San Francisco history and the Progressive movement of
Ivy Anderson with co-author Devon Angus 50
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that time,” she said. “I became interested in questions of how do we as humans engage with the spaces in which we live, and how do political movements work to change the spaces in which we live.” Turns out red-light districts in California and especially in San Francisco had been tolerated by city officials during the Gold Rush era, but early in the 20th century an anti-vice campaign in California was launched to eradicate sex work. In their research into the era, Anderson and Angus caught wind of a popular first-person account written by a prostitute and published by a crusading newspaper editor, Fremont Older, who was sympathetic to the downtrodden, including sex workers in San Francisco’s notorious “Barbary Coast” red-light district. That manuscript published in the San Francisco Bulletin newspaper was called “A Voice from the Underworld.” It drew a huge response from the newspaper readership: over 4,000 people wrote to the editor, back in l913, about “Alice Smith” and her plight as a sex worker, many from women defending her. But despite the controversy, the red light districts were eventually closed, and the story of “Alice” — which was never published before as a book — was forgotten. Almost. “‘Alice’s story was barely mentioned on the Internet, and on Wikipedia they still have the date of the newspaper publication completely wrong,” Angus said. “Sometimes there is an investigative aspect to history.” Anderson and Angus had heard of Alice’s first-person manuscript from a mention in a book published in the l960s. They knew the newspaper in which it had been published, and the era, and little else. In the San Francisco city library on microfiche they read every single page of Fremont Older’s Progressive newspaper The Bulletin from l911-1914 until they found “Voice from the Underworld.” “We really felt we were on to something — something great that had been lost,” Anderson said. “It was extremely exciting typing up her manuscript.”
“
Icameoutofthattrialchanged
in many ways. I seemed to have
moresympathyforpeople.Icould see their troubles plainer, and
theirfaultsplainertoo,sothefaults
excusedthemselves.Andthatwas todayIhaven’titinmetofeelreal hardtowardsanyoneforanything they do.
Left: “Alice: Memoirs of a Barbary Coast Prostitute” was first serialized in the San Francisco Bulletin more than 100 years ago. Heyday Books of Berkeley agreed to republish “Alice,” with some very strong letters to the editor about the story, and a long thoughtful introduction from Anderson and Angus. Reading the memoir — “Alice: Memoirs of a Barbary Coast Prostitute” — today will make your heart ache, more than a hundred years after its original publication. It’s a touching, upsetting story of a soulful woman falling against her will into a trap. Alice writes bluntly of her flaws, and others’ too. “Alice” was a farmgirl from the Midwest who lost her mother at an early age. After dropping out of school, she came out to California in hopes of staying with family and finding her longlost father. She found him, but he had little or nothing to say to her, and her stepmother soon made her move on. On her own as a young woman in California, “Alice” discovered that even when she worked two menial jobs, from seven in the morning to eleven at night, she could barely survive. A seemingly sympathetic older man befriended her, and in time, after she lost a job at a steam laundry, coaxed her into staying with him, and then into sex work on the side. Before long she was in a brothel. Alice didn’t blame the older man as much as she pointed out that no one can make an honest living on the woman’s wage of $6 a week in San Francisco. Even in 1913. The publication of Alice’s story set off a furious public debate that continues, in effect, to this day. When it came to republishing some of the letters to the editor about the plight of Alice, Anderson and Angus mostly chose those from working class women and from sex workers. “Although there are many more opportunities for women today, we still see lingering misogynist tendencies, and the question of economics still stands highest on the totem pole,“ Anderson said. “In the letters we read women saying — I tried my hand at stenography and in the laundry, but I still struggled, and I still had to deal with sexual harassment. For many contemporary sex workers, a similar choice has been made between sex work and other dismal forms of labor which tend to pay far less, such as working at McDonald’s.” One of the most painful parts of the story comes when despite
“
whereIstartedtoquitjudgingothers;
taking precautions Alice becomes pregnant, and has to undergo an illicit abortion. She survives, barely, but it changes her. “I came out of that trial changed in many ways,” Alice wrote in the memoir. “I seemed to have more sympathy for people. I could see their troubles plainer, and their faults plainer too, so the faults excused themselves. And that was where I started to quit judging others; today I haven’t it in me to feel real hard towards anyone for anything they do.” “Alice” published her story in the newspaper under a pen name, but shortly after her story was republished in book form, Angus and Anderson to their surprise stumbled across evidence leading to the real name of “Alice.” For a moment they thought of revealing this century-old mystery, but then reconsidered. “As historians our duty is to find out who is this person,” Angus said. “History can be like Sherlock Holmes solving a case sometimes: our duty is to find out who is this person. But what we quickly started to understand was the political necessity of anonymity for survival in the case of Alice, as it has been for sex workers throughout history. That this all happened so long ago doesn’t necessarily change that, and we don’t think we have the right to release her name. Her anonymity exists then and it still exists now.” Ivy Anderson notes that the story of Alice attracted the attention of the famous anarchist, writer, and speaker Emma Goldman, who came to San Francisco in 1913, and gave a speech in San Francisco referencing Alice’s story and railing against “our terrible economic system” and the idea that girls are told that “marriage is the reason for existence and the result is that they sooner or later sell themselves to one man, or to more than one.” “Alice” herself attended the speech, and — according to the newspaper which published her memoir — “beamed” as she heard Goldman read parts of her memoir to the audience, and heard their hearty applause. The applause continues today in literary form: “Alice” won a California Historical Society Book award, and the book is available in Ojai at Bart’s. “Alice heard her story told by Emma Goldman, and it meant a lot to her,” Anderson said. “We think we have some of those same feelings, telling Alice’s story.”
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Beatrice Wood center for the arts
1947
1917
1908
1986
in New York
with Duchamp & Picabia
Art Student
Happy Valley
September 9 – October 29
Artist: Susan Guy
Logan Gallery
Beato Gallery Legacy & Continuum, featuring works created in Beatrice Wood’s studio in conjunction with our educational programming
Ojai Studio Artists: Salon
This centennial celebration of Walter & Louise Arnsberg Dada salons - which were Beatrice Wood’s introduction to the art world - features Ojai Studio Artists in a salon-style installation
Visit the Center and view our permanent collection, current exhibitions, and recent work created in Beatrice Wood’s studio
6 Ojai Santa Paula Road 8585
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WELCOME to the
Neighborhood
W
hen the sun exits over western peaks, drenching the Topas in rosé, it’s easy to bask in another moment of Ojai exceptionalism. After a traipse down a mountain stream, or into a gallery filled with local plein air originals, or out of a theater having witnessed a talent-laden performance, it’s easy to think that, yes, this valley is a crazy, special place. It is. And yet, in the immortal words of Donald Fagen, it’s also a “town like any other.” When Kim Maxwell — she a progenitor of the Ojai Playwrights Conference and the former Theater 150 — launched The Townies Podcast this past spring, she captured that dialectic full force. Here are genuine stories — some fictional, some funny, some painfully personal — read by the writers 54
‘The Townies Podcast’ Shares Ojai Stories with the World By Jesse Phelps
in an intimate space that, in truth, could only live in this place. And yet, as the name implies, the themes, the details and the truths embodied in each of these parables connect the teller and the listener, the student and the teacher, and maybe this exceptional town, to the equally wondrous outside world. The 30-minute podcast is organized around diverse themes by co-producers Asa Learmonth and Lily Brown (Maxwell’s daughter, who she calls “sharp as a whip”) such as “Growing Pains,” “Love, Am I Right?” and “We’re Only Human.” There are also a few special episodes that clock in at an hour. It’s tonally eclectic; each episode starts with an opening sketch about the town (one in July playfully addressed the chairs-
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along-the-avenue controversy) and features a local musical performance. The Townies Podcast drops a new episode every other Tuesday, and as of this writing, there were 15 asking to be explored. The stories, and the occasional dialog or poem, are the result of a writing process undertaken by each student of a ten-week course taught by Maxwell at her eponymous downtown studio, culminating in a two-night performance run on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets for those shows, Maxwell says, are just $10, because “theater has become very expensive and very elitist, but young people and elderly people and people who live in the town need to have access to the live arts.” Maxwell said she never intended to create a podcast but a suggestion from “her dear friend’s friend,” Elizabeth Alvarez, started her thinking about radio, at least, after a reading one Friday night. “The next night when I came back, I sat in the back row and I closed my eyes,” recalls Maxwell. “And I was like, oh my God, this needs to be a radio program.” About a year later, Maxwell saw a rise in podcasting and realized that it could be the perfect format. She started making recordings but she says she wasn’t in love with the first generation. It took a moment of cultural upheaval to push her to make it happen. In the lead-up to Donald Trump’s election in November of 2016, Maxwell says, “I felt this gaping need. Not just here but nationwide, everybody not communicating, and feeling disenfranchised and left out and not heard and judged. It felt like empathy needed to be cultivated again. I think, and a lot of studies prove, that stories are the foun-
ariana cohen
dation of the development of empathy.” When she heard former First Lady Michelle Obama ask what people would do as their part of the national dialogue, Maxwell says, “It got crystal clear for me. I don’t know what my part is in the national dialog — but I do know what to do with 800-square-feet in the heart of Ojai.” At her friend and co-contributor Rain Perry’s suggestion, she took what she had to local sound wizard Ken Eros. He helped her transform the podcast into a professional-level production, and the rest is history. “He’s just created layers and layers of interest and sound that we didn’t have before,” Maxwell says. Working with her daughter, Eros and Learmonth, who originally came all the way from Bennington College in Vermont to intern at her studio, has been an incredibly special experience. “If any one of my dream team weren’t in place,” she says, “I wouldn’t have a
saul gordillo
podcast.” Given her political proclivities and her ability to create a safe space for expression, it may not surprise that many of Maxwell’s students are women (Episode 8, “The Agency of Women” is one of the hour-long special episodes), and/or people of color. And while Ojai has an unfortunate and perhaps well-deserved reputation as a lilywhite community, it’s also a town in a county built as much on agriculture as tourism. Maxwell said it was important to her to make sure that a Latino population easily overlooked by some — and, bottom line, a wealth of minority perspectives — were given a forum and a voice. OQ / FALL 2017
amaury saugrain “Social justice is unbelievably important to me, and also to my daughter,” says Maxwell. “Most of the people who usually end up (at Kim Maxwell Studios) are change agents.” The majority of people in her class are “in transition,” she says. “There’s something happening in their lives: They have either recently empty-nested, or a husband or wife has passed away, or they lost a job, or they just graduated from college and there are no jobs available. In my teen class, it’s the island of the misfit toys. It’s just a place where you come and you share your story and you realize that you’re just not so different from everyone else.” That feeling translated to the podcast’s unveiling party at Topa Mountain Winery in March, an event attended by about 400 people despite frigid temperatures (for Ojai, anyway). It was the kind of thing that Maxwell, who grew up in Canada and then moved to Los Angeles before discovering Ojai, came here to find. It didn’t take her long, even back then. “I felt like I flourished artistically, I felt like I flourished as an activist and as a political entity. I felt like I was living a much smaller version of myself when I was in LA,” she remembers. And that might be at the crux of what makes being a “townie” special, and one of the many reasons Maxwell is a perfect person to facilitate and 55
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broadcast these small-town stories, that in the end make both teller and listener larger through the connection they form. The podcast has a feel of community even within this community; it sometimes seems much like a window into your neighbors’ house, if those neighbors lived in a performers’ commune and spent equal time trying to make one another laugh, think and cry. “The real magic in here happens, one of my students calls it, between the chairs. There’s just this amazing ensemble, this amazing community that builds over the course of ten weeks,” says Maxwell. Naturally, many of the pieces focus on drama and a love of performance. Just as many, however, delve into more personal topics, and many of these, such as “Siete” (Episode 8, “The Agency of Women,” Litzy’s story of her mother’s immigration to the US, have the power to conjure deep emotional responses in resonance with the performer’s courage and honesty. Some comedic highlights include local barista Megan Bergkvist’s “The Whole Arbolada” (Episode 5, Our Little Pleasures”), a hilarious story of what happens when a leisurely drive through the oaks goes terribly wrong, and Perry’s story, “Wasted,” (Episode 1, “This Life of Ours”), about the first time this well-respected, multi-talented performer got high as an Ojai teen. Her students, of course, wax effusive about the time they have spent with Maxwell, and her ability to help them
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conjure and open up. “The podcast is a little window into the magic,” says Katie Rae Newcomer, who doesn’t live in Ojai but is an “honorary townie” who has taken Maxwell’s workshop for the past couple years and has already appeared three times in the podcast (Episode 2, “We’ve Got Problems,” Episode 7, “I Hate It When You Come Home, Pt. 1,” and Episode 11, “I Hate It When You Come Home, Pt. 2”). “I hope it encourages people to take the class (or something similar in their neighborhood), to take more risks, and to love their fellow man a bit more. Stories connect us. And I think we could all use a little more connection these days.” That connection, or mutual “permission” to be heard, to listen, and to connect, is Maxwell’s primary aim, and judging by her students’ words on-stage and off, she’s succeeding. One person
emma bailey
who has flourished is 79-year-old, 50year Ojai resident Kathleen Hellwitz, who started as a performance attendee before becoming a generous patron and the closing act in episodes 1 and 8 (so far). “Somehow, she puts ten strangers in the same room and, in the end, we have a common story to tell about life. It’s done in a way that we are not shamed or embarrassed or afraid,” Hellwitz says. “I’d been watching Kim work for about 25 years and become known as the front row lady, because for years I always sat there to watch her students perform. One day I told myself, ‘you’ve got to get off your butt and do something here,’ and I’m glad I did because I’ve never had so much fun in my life.” Perry, who also performs the podcast’s theme song, agrees—and her story embodies the transitional element Maxwell highlights. “Kim and I have been working together since I first took her class back in the original Theater 150,” Perry says. “I have been a singer-songwriter my whole OQ / FALL 2017
“Stories connect us. And I think we could all use a little more connection these days.”
noah lashly
life, but at that moment I had young kids and I was trying to figure out who I was as a performer. I was in kind of a rut. Her class was a revelation. She taught me techniques I still use to connect with an audience in the places where we are all confused and tender, and those skills have seen me through all kinds of intimidating performance situations.” Newcomer says, “It was surprisingly emotional to hear my pieces for the first time on the podcast. It felt vulnerable, and it felt brave. I felt very proud of myself and the work I put into each piece (alongside the brilliant and amazingly reassuring Kim, of course). But most of all, I really felt proud of Kim and Lily and the dream they chased down. I am so excited for the magical body of work from our little studio home to be shared with the world. Everyone sounds so wonderful, and all the music is transcendent. It’s just a delight to experience.” The podcast “has been a little bit of a dream come true, and I didn’t see it coming,” Maxwell says. “Good words are contagious.” Perhaps Perry sums it best when she says, “I think the podcast is wonderful. It’s about Ojai, but it’s about everybody.” Episodes of The Townies Podcast are available through iTunes and at thetowniespodcast.org.
kim maxwell
kathleen hellwitz
KM Studio patrons, “Townies” podcast participants joined more than 100 theater groups across the country on Jan. 17th for the “Ghostlight Project,” to light a light and make a
the late, great john slade
lily brown
pledge. The event was inspired by the theater tradition of leaving a “ghost light” in a darkened theater, to light the way for a brighter future and shared values.
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Ojai Studio Artists Tour OCTOBER 13 - 16, 2017 FRIDAY • OCTOBER 13th Pre-Tour Preview Ojai Art Center 7 - 9PM FREE to the public OCTOBER 14th - 16th Saturday • Sunday • Monday 60 Open Artists Studios 10 - 5PM daily SATURDAY • OCTOBER 14th “French Twist Gala Reception” Ojai Art Center 7 - 9PM SUNDAY • OCTOBER 15th Topa Mountain Winery 5 - 7PM no-host wine specials Entry to all events included with wristband ticket Tickets $30 online or $35 day of tour Group discounts available Proceeds fund our student scholarships Check our website for tickets & to preview artists
Buy Tickets Now www.OjaiStudioArtists.org 58
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PO Box 1570, Ojai, CA 93024 • Phone: (805) 646-5581 ext 207 • E-mail: trolley@ci.ojai.ca.us • www.ojaitrolley.com
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LOADED CONTENT A Conversation with Artist TOM HARDCASTLE Story by Demitri Corbin Tom Hardcastle lives the life of a Super Hero Artist. His day job as proprietor of Delilah’s Hair Salon allows him to hone his talents at night to become one of Ojai’s finest visual artists. He is a member of the esteemed Ojai Studio Artists, whose annual tour is coming up in October. But before that, Hardcastle will premiere a new body of work at the Museum of Ventura County in September. “Icons and Archetypes” is an exhibit of six larger-than-life oil paintings of female pop-culture figures. I sat down with Hardcastle one morning in his studio at his home in Mirror Lake. Demitri Corbin: OK, we’re sitting in
here. We’ve got Pam Grier with a sawedoff shotgun, in front of the American flag. Then we have Mamie Van Doren sipping from a water hose. How did this series begin, just tell me everything. Thom Hardcastle: Well, I started with that Jayne Mansfield that’s in the house. And then I decided to do the Geisha for myself after a pastel class but then I took the Jayne Mansfield and hung it in the shop. DC: And when was that? TH: That was about two years ago. You know these paintings take a long time to cover 6-feet by 4-feet, so a long time to cover with oil. Cassandra (Peter-
Tom Hardcastle with Elvira. Photo by Logan Hall
son) came into the shop and really liked the Jayne Mansfield and asked me if I ever thought about painting Elvira. And I said, “Yeah, I have actually thought about that.” So I asked her if she had this specific picture I wanted to paint from and she said she did and I painted it. How (the show) came about is I ran into Anna Bermudez (curator for the Museum of Ventura County) and she asked what I was working on and I showed her. She then asked if I wanted to show them and I said ‘Yeah,’ for what was initially to be the Tool Room, so that’s how the rest came about. So, it was a good opportunity, you know, not just
Pam “Foxy Brown” Grier joins other pop culture figures such as Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield for Tom Hardcastle’s exhibit “Icons & Archetypes” at the Museum of Ventura County, opening in September. to have a show but to do something I started 25 years ago. I had just gone back to the Jayne Mansfield to see if I could do that because I had always wanted to paint that picture years ago and then I never did, so I wanted to know what it would look like now with all my new painting skills, well not new, but 25 years of experience. DC: I noticed a marked difference in your paintings seems to have come hand-in-hand with new instruction. TH: Yes, I studied with Carlos Grasso for about two and-a-half years. It was when I was working with Carlos that I started the Jayne Mansfield. I thought, “I think I’ll see what I can do with my old stuff,” and here we are. DC: Well, for me just looking at your body of work and your new work, you would tend to think that an artist — especially things you do with birds, the landscapes — these are very lush but they’re also very stark and literal as far as, well the female form … TH: Yeah, these are more than just pretty pictures. DC: Yes, they’re much more than just pretty pictures TH: They’re loaded content, they can’t help but be, right, because of who they are, which is why I picked them. Icons and Archetypes, right. Each one of them represents — I think with all of them, with the exception of Marilyn Monroe — even the Pam Grier, people come in and they’ve seen this image as I’m working on it, but they don’t know her, which is for me a sign of a great archetype. The same thing with the Mamie Van Doren. That one’s called
“The Sin Eater.” You don’t really need to know who she is to get the gist of the painting. It’s really not about ‘fan art,’ it’s more about picking people from the entertainment and popular culture who represent more than who they are. Exploitation. That’s the other thing that all the paintings have in common, too. All these people have been exploited. They’ve participated in self-exploitation. They exploit certain social mores. Okay, so even though most of these women have this sexuality, it’s intense sexuality on display, they all have that in common, it’s baked in. But they exploit themselves by offering themselves up to be objectified. However, I don’t feel like the way I painted them is necessarily your traditional objectification. It’s more of like an iconic treatment. You know how you go into those Egyptian movies and they’ve got all the statues lined up keeping guard. They’re kind of like monuments, these girls, they’re for women, too, (referring to the Pam Grier.) Women seem to like this painting the best, which is the most powerful one, the most open-ended. I’m not going to even bother to interpret this one. I don’t want to interfere with their interpretation of it. It’s loaded, isn’t it? DC: Tell me about the tour, tell me about Ojai Studio Artists, becoming a member… TH: Oh, yeah. I was a member years ago, and then I went back and rejoined. The paintings will be display for the tour. And I’m working on the gala. The theme this year is Pink Moment French Twist. OQ / FALL 2017
DC: Tell me about your feelings as an artist, as an Ojai artist. TH: Well, I think … to put it in context, everybody’s talking about Ojai this and Ojai that or the other because it’s not so quiet anymore, and it’s not so secret anymore, right. Other people seem to think that, you know, it should be a place to sell art. I don’t have any feelings about that one way or the other, but what it has been is a reliable place to make work. Because there are no distractions here. I’m mean, when it’s six o’clock and the sidewalks roll up, you’d better have something at home to do. There’s not going to be a mall or a movie theater even to distract you from the work. That’s why people come up here to do creative work. That’s why these art organizations group together, like the Ojai Studio Artists, it’s not just to sell the work, because it’s a volunteer organization. It’s also about the camaraderie, it’s about being around other people who understand the solitude, the creative time, you know, hanging your stuff out on the line. Because anytime you put out a body of work, especially a body of work like this, you’re being candid, shall we say? “Icons and Archetypes” opening reception is September 1 and is on display through September 30 at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main Street. The 34th Annual Ojai Studio Artists Tour is October 14, 15 and 16. For more information visit venturamuseum.org and ojaistudioartists.com/ tom-hardcastle. 61
“Sami”
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Oil on panel
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VISUAL ARTISTS TO ENCOURAGE INTEREST AND EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS RICHARD AMEND
Mysterious equations of abstraction, nature, architecture, and illumination rolled into the stillness and clarity of singular, psychological moments. “Thought Form #1: Clearing.” Oil on canvas, 48” x 36.” Contact: amend@ pobox.com or visit richardamend.net. 805.640.0078.
Paints on clear glass with kiln-fired enamels, mapping unpredictable rhythms of thought. Custom commissions for art and architecture welcome. susanamend@pobox.com, or call 805.640.0078. She is also on Facebook.
LISA SKYHEART MARSHALL
Expressing a connection with nature in original acrylic Botanical Immersion paintings. Find me on the Art Detour: Oct. 14-15, 10-5 SkyheartArt.com shahsi27@gmail.com (805) 256-4209
SUSAN K. GUY
PATRICIA ANDERS
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LOVE is the answer. Invoke the Divine Healing Vibrations of love through these beautiful hand-painted Yoga Yantras. Originals, prints, cards and mugs. 805.617.8745 PaintedPrayers4U.com DanaKarpain.com
Oil paintings, monoprints, etchings, drawings; figures, faces, landscapes, still lifes. www.ojaistudioartists. org/karen_lewis; lewisojai@mac.com. 805.646.8877 karenklewis.com
PATTY MCFALL
ELISSE POGOFSKY-HARRIS
MARTHA MORAN
ELAINE UNZICKER
NANCY WHITMAN
Lowbrow, pop surrealism; evocative, figurative oil paintings and mixed media art dolls. Encaustic paintings on wood, original renderings, paper mache. 818 667 7505 patriciaanders.com
Intuitive, visionary artist, inspired by her dreams and meditations. It is “all about the Light.” Her work may be seen at Frameworks of Ojai, 236 West Ojai Ave, where she has her studio. 805.640.3601 joycehuntingtonart.com
Enjoying Figurative Sculpture in the Human form as well as animals 714.655.9370 SculpturesbyPatty McFall.com pjsculpture@gmail.com
DUANE EELLS In his portrait commissions, Eells captures the essence of those he paints. His paintings are about empathy and connections. Bold strokes are tempered with classical drawing principles. Visit eells.com 805-633-0055
SUSAN STINSMUEHLEN AMEND
Creating life-like highly detailed drawings and oil paintings of ballerinas, pet and people protraits. 805-450-3329 Roygrillo.com
Negotiating the delicate agreement between being provocative and being pleasing to the eye. ojaistudio@aol.com 805.646.7141 P.O. Box 1214, Ojai, CA 93024
Inspired by medieval chain mail — stainless jewelry, scarves, purses, belts and wearable metal clothing. unzickerdesign.com 805-646-4877
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Original modernist plein air oil paintings celebrating the Ojai landscape. Available now at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. SusanKGuyART.com guy.susan@ymail.com 805.890.0708
KAREN K. LEWIS
Rockstacks, Fountains, Art Shower installations. Showing at National Gem and Mineral Show, Ventura Fairgrounds, June 9 -11. Ojairockstacker.com 805.279.7605
Nancy keeps the surface of the paintings interesting and alive. Influences have been Matisse, Jawlensky, Picasso and Bonnard. You can reach her at 525.3551 or email jnwhitman@live. com Studio is at 12615 Koenigstein Road. 63
ART GALLERIES
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MARC WHITMAN Original Landscape, Figure and Portrait Paintings in Oil. On display at the Ojai Design Center Gallery. 111 West Topa Topa Street. marc@whitman-architect.com Open every weekday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LATITUDE FINE ART GALLERY Ventura’s only fine art gallery exclusively dedicated to showcasing the beauty of Ventura County and its breathtaking coastline in fine art photography. 401 East Main Street, Ventura. 805.642.52576 latitudefineart.com
OVA ARTS Fine Art and Contemporary Crafts from 40 local artists in all price ranges. 238 East Ojai Avenue, Ojai. 805.646.5682 ojaivalleyartists.com
NUTMEG’S OJAI HOUSE Featuring local artists, including William Prosser and Ted Campos. American-made gifts and cards, crystals, new and vintage goods. 304 North Montgomery Street, Ojai 805.640.1656
ANCA COLBERT Art Advisory and Appraisal Services. Experienced, professional guidance with art collections management, artworks documentation, insurance valuations, etc. TheColorOfLight.com by appointment 805.624.5757
DAN SCHULTZ FINE ART Plein air landscapes, figures and portraits in oil by nationally-acclaimed artist Dan Schultz. 106 North Signal Street, Ojai 805.317.9634 DanSchultzFineArt.com
HUMAN ARTS GALLERY An arts destination for 42 years! Featuring a colorful, diverse, often whimsical collection of hand-made furniture, art, jewelry, glass, clothing and sculpture. 246 East Ojai Avenue. 805.646.1525 humanartsgallery.com
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OJAI WINE & DINE
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Ojai’s locally owned and operated magazines.
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SPA SCENE CUISINE By Ilona Saari “Spa cuisine.” OK, I know it isn’t sliced cucumbers on my eyelids or an avocado face mask. And it’s probably not a lettuce leaf with a glob of tofu, a walnut and two grapes plopped on top. So, really, what is “Spa cuisine?” I’m not a “salon” habitue, but when I do pamper myself with a mani/pedi, I go to The Oaks at Ojai. Recently, on one of my infrequent trips, I discovered that I’ve been a gourmet food snob (well, if you don’t count my love for hot dogs) as I watched mouth-watering plates of food being delivered to guests in The Oaks dining room. My cucumber-unencumbered eyes were opened. Spa food is really a cuisine. Founded in October 1977 by Sheila Cluff, The Oaks was one of the first weight loss spas in North America and is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Eleanor Brown, The Oaks’ original chef, is considered one of the creators of what is now referred to as spa cuisine. Cooking in the kitchen today is Chef Christine Denney who has carried on The Oaks spa cuisine tradition with updated, new and delicious fare. Though calorie conscious, Christine concentrates more on teaching guests to make healthful food choices by incorporating simple carbs and eliminating salt, sugar, white flour, red meat and alcohol — but not eliminating flavor. She is a farm-to-table chef whenever possible, using local seasonal produce and herbs grown in Sheila’s own garden for dishes such as Thai chicken salad with rice noodles, snow peas and a peanut dressing, or her chef’s salad with roasted turkey and 1,000 Island dressing. (See recipes for both dressings.)
Christine hasn’t forgotten dessert lovers with her sweet and tangy choices that can include anything from a fresh fruit crepé with mixed berries, mango and vanilla yogurt, or grilled apricots with mint feta and toasted pistachios, to a chocolate mousse made from soy or her own “spa bark,” a dreamy concoction of nuts, seeds and dark chocolate. Though The Oaks restaurant is not open to the public, visitors can drop in and buy some spa bark, or Christine’s popular mushroom barley burger which she freezes for you to cook at home. Try her soup of the day or a variety of healthy muffins. All on the “to go” menu. However, to savor your spa cuisine in the comfort of a lovely restaurant, head to the Ojai Valley Inn’s Spa Café & Juice Bar. The Cafe offers a variety of muffins, cereals and yogurts for breakfast, plus a range of choices for the rest of the day from pistachio and guiltless chocolate smoothies to Juice Bar drinks, two of which are called “relaxation” and “hydration.” Appetizers include Vietnamese spring rolls, and the garden-inspired salads offer free range chicken or wild salmon options. Don’t miss the café’s selection of sandwiches and wraps, or its wellness bowls including “meditation” and “fitness.” There’s even a spa burger. In the mood for a little libation? Try one of the Spa Café’s signature cocktails. Perhaps a vodka lavender lemonade or a guiltless margarita. If you prefer, choose a beer or sip a glass of wine from those offered. It’s all spa-licious. Check out the Spa Café’s website menu and hours at: ojairesort.com/dining/spa-café-ojaivalley.
THE OAKS PEANUT DRESSING
2 tablespoons peanut butter, the natural kind 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos ¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt 2 teaspoons honey 1 tablespoon rice vinegar Pinch red pepper flakes Process all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Yield: ½ cup
THE OAKS THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING ¼ cup tomato juice 2 tablespoons minced onion 1 tablespoon minced green or red bell pepper 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Bring these four ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot 1 tablespoon tomato juice Stir cornstarch/arrowroot into the tomato juice and add to the simmering tomato mixture until it begins to thicken. Chill. ¼ cup lowfat sour cream (or the Oaks Sour Cream: ¼ cup cottage cheese blended with 1 tablespoon lemon juice) 2 tablespoons minced parsley 1 tablespoon minced green onion or chives Combine the sour cream, parsley and chives/green onion with the tomato mixture and chill until ready to use. Yield: 1 cup
Ojai Cafe Emporium Ojai’s favorite gathering and eating place for over 30 years.
Voted Best Bakery, Breakfast & Lunch Place
805 646 2723
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108 S. Montgomery Street / off Ojai Ave www.ojaicafeemporium.com BREAKFAST served M-F 7am-11:30am Sat & Sun All Day LUNCH served daily11am-3pm BAKERY & COFFEE BAR open daily 6:30am-3pm
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Ross Falvo The Ojai Real Estate Guy
LOOKING TO BUY IN ITALY? Go to BuyaHouseinUmbria.com
Farm house in Piegaro, in the region of Umbria, just 6 miles from Tuscany, Italy. 99 acres of farm land, including an olive grove and a vineyard. Beautiful location.
IN ESCROW
A newly remodeled and unique Estate on nearly one acre, overlooking the renowned and historic 5-star Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.
Ross Falvo Coldwell Banker Property Shoppe
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OjaiRe.com 80
BRE 01504988
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bringing people together with good food Since 1995
Our patio is now open Happy Hour • Full Bar • Beer on tap • Margaritas • Local Wines
Lisa’s Cantina Bar & Grill
American • Mexican
TRY OUR PATIO DINING!
Open daily: Sun - Thurs till 9 pm, Fri - Sat - till 10 pm Next door to Jim & Robs Mexican Restaurant 214 West Ojai Avenue, Suite 100
Menu: JimAndRobsOjai.com
214 West Ojai Avenue #101 Ojai, California Open 8:30 am – 9:00 pm | (805) 640-1301
805-798-9233
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CASA BARRANCA ORGANIC WINERY & TASTING ROOM Located in Ojai’s Historic Downtown Arcade. Stop by and relax in Casa Barranca’s Craftsman style-designed tasting room. Browse our collection of wine accessories and gifts. Ask about joining our Wine Club – it’s FREE. 208 East Ojai Avenue, 805-640-1255. OPEN DAILY: Sunday — Thursday 12-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday until 12-7 p.m. CasaBarranca.com or facebook.com/casabarranca SAGEBRUSH ANNIE’S In the scenic Cuyama Valley, one hour north of Ojai on Highway 33, Sagebrush Annie’s proprietors Larry and Karina Hogan craft award-winning wine. Wine Tastings available Sat.-Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4211 Highway 33, Ventucopa, (661) 766-2319
OLD CREEK RANCH
TOPA MOUNTAIN WINERY Topa Mountain Winery offers premium wines made from grapes grown on its estate in upper Ojai and sourced from other premium vineyards in the region. A large selection of red and white varietals will be available for sale in its beautiful new tasting room and gardens. Available for events. The wines are also available for sale at topamountainwinery.com.
W I N E R Y
OLD CREEK RANCH W I N E R Y
BOCCALI VINEYARDS & WINERY is a family-owned and operated winery located in the scenic Upper Ojai Valley. Father and son winemakers DeWayne and Joe Boccali are the driving forces behind the label. Boccali Vineyards produces 100 percent estate wines; grown, produced and bottled on the same property. Visit us in Ojai’s East End on weekends for a tasting at 3277 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai. Visit us on the web at BoccaliVineyards.com.
MAJESTIC OAK VINEYARD Hidden in the stunning Ojai Valley, the Majestic Oak Vineyard is deeply rooted on land our family has held for decades. As fifth generation Ojai-ans, we had a dream of bringing you the quintessential Ojai experience — something as beautiful and unique as the Valley itself. We believe a great bottle of wine represents the hard work that goes into it. From the land, to our hands, to your table, we are proud to offer you our labor of love. We invite you to be part of our legacy. It’s not just our wine; it’s our story. 321 East Ojai Avenue (downstairs), 805-794-0272, MajesticOakVineyard.com.
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OLD CREEK RANCH WINERY
OLD CREEK RANCH
OLD CREEK RANCH WINERY
OLD CREEK RANCH W I N E R Y
OLD C RANCH WINERY
OLDREEK CREEK RANCH W I N E R Y
OLD CREEK RANCH W I N E R Y
W I N E R Y
OLD CREEK RANCH WINERY Old Creek Ranch Winery is a 100-year-old Winery and Wine Tasting Room situated on a true working ranch in the Ojai Valley. The prestigious winery specializes in 18 varietals spanning over half a decade. Currently, the winery is undergoing renovation and will be reopening soon. Please continue to check social media for opening dates and sign up on our website to join the wine club (no obligation to buy) for upcoming exclusive events! Located at 10024 Old Creek Road, Ventura, CA 93001. 805-649-4132. OldCreekRanch.com
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OLD C
OLD
OJAI OLIVE OIL Our Tasting Room at 1811 Ladera Ridge Road in the Ojai Valley’s East End is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sample our oils produced on site and more for free! On Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. plus Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. we also offer Free Educational Talks with product tasting. No reservations required. Discover the true taste & health qualities of locally produced organic extra-virgin olive oils! Balsamic vinegars imported from Modena, Italy and olive oil-based skin care products are also for sale.Ojaioliveoil.com, info@ojaioliveoil.com, 805-646-5964.
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OJAI ALISAL’S handcrafted wines are made only with grapes we grow in Upper Ojai. We grow Syrah, Grenache, Malbec and Viognier in our beautiful vineyards dotted with California walnuts and sycamores (or Alisal in Spanish), bringing the spirit of the Rhone region to California. Please visit our Weekend Tasting Room at Azu Restaurant, 457 East Ojai Ave, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m.. For more information 805-640-7987 or online at ojaialisal.com and azuojai.com.
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Gourmet Chinese Food to go or Eat In
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Visit our
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in the Arcade, downtown Ojai
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254 E. Ojai Ave. (The Arcade) 805-798-9253 www.heavenlyhoneycompany.com | 805-207-4847
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Roasting coffee since 1995 Sit, drink, eat and enjoy! (805) 646-4478
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Pizza • Pasta • Wings • Sandwiches • Salads 13 Beers on Draft Happy Hour: Mon - Thu Lunch Specials under $7
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Photo by Roland Stone
646-7878 331 Ojai Ave. Downtown Ojai 87
ORMACHEA JEWELRY Specializes in hand-made, artisan jewelry creations; offering custom and unconventional engagement ring design in precious metals with unique gemstones. Each piece is slowcrafted in our studio by the sea. 432 East Main Street, Ventura 805.652.0484 Info@ormacheajewelry.com OrmacheaJewelry.com
JES MAHARRY Artisan and famed Sundance jeweler Jes MaHarry has teamed with her sister Wendy MaHarry to create the perfect space for their magical creations. Walk into the boutique and you will instantly feel surrounded by beauty. 316 East Ojai Avenue (In the Arcade) 877.728.5537 • Jesmaharry.com
OJAI’S GEMS
LYNN’S JEWELRY STUDIO Lynn’s handcrafted original. Over 4-carat Amethyst and Diamonds. This classic design can be made in Gold, Silver, or Platinum. Ventura County’s ORIGINAL fine jeweler. Let us create new memories with you! John Muscarella, Master Jeweler/ Designer 4572 Telephone Road, Suite 906 805.642.5500
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HUMAN ARTS GALLERY Ojai’s most interesting and eclectic contemporary jewelry by nationally known artists, plus exciting new ideas for custom designed wedding rings by owner and resident jeweler Hallie Katz. 246 East Ojai Avenue. 805.646.1525 humanarts@sbcglobal.net humanartsgallery.com
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NOCTURNAL SUBMISSIONS
By Sami Zahringer
THE LEAGUE OF COMPETITIVE HOUSEWIFERY The sparkliness of my faucets is well known among the other ladies of the TriCounty Competitive Housewifery league, and everybody agrees my rum babas are without peer for form and moistness. But it takes more than just showing up with a whisk and six ways to remove ketchup from a white Pomeranian to be a professional competitive housewife. I may make it look easy at tournaments but for the rest of the year I maintain a punishing daily training schedule, including timed vacuuming over 100 yards, grueling tedious-guest-endurance sessions, and raising my aplomb levels in gracious door-answering to an Olympic standard. Competitive housewifery is an art as much as a science. Valuable points are lost if one’s apron is anything less than waspwaisted snowy perfection. At all times we must be visions of graceful efficiency and remain unruffled come hell or high cocktail guests. We eat tricky finger food with effortless panache and we shriek good taste and valium. (Silently, of course. Mostly.) We tend to go everywhere in triumgynates of blonde-brunette-redhead and we always, ALWAYS know what to do. Housewives must adopt the classic bell-shaped, Alice-banded hair-do for the three months of the professional circuit, maintaining perfect stray hair control throughout. The only sure-fire way to do this is to spray industrial quantities of chemicals at our heads, which is why the annual Housewifery competition is sponsored by Monsanto. Also Michael Kors, and Drano. Behind the scenes at a professional Housewifery Tournament the ladies are generally very excited and sisterhood prevails. Occasionally, however, nastiness nibbles at our beautiful world. Most lately, it came in the form of Mabel Coughwallader,
heiress to a plunger-manufacturing empire, and my nemesis. I genteelly hate her. She was a woman for whom the nautical term “hove into view” might have been coined. Her bosoms were as vast and intimidating as applied mathematics (which has yet to figure out how her bosoms are even mathematically possible) and she had the sort of arrogant look on her face that would turn all the stomachs of a cow. Smaller housewives scattered as she approached, like pearl-earringed minnows before a shark. It was the final competition on the 2016 Circuit and it was down to just two housewives: Mabel and I, head-to-head in the fitted-sheet ironing race. Dressed in select items from the Michael Kors resortwear collection, we approached the starting line. 400 meters and five ironing boards loomed before us and, at each station, an official of the International Butlering Association had to approve the sheets to the exacting Marquess of Queensberry rules. (Primarily known for his boxing rules, of course, the Marquess was also a keen ironer.) The whistle blew. I made it to the first ironing board three seconds before Mabel. As any good housewife knows, ironing is more efficient if one puts a sheet of tinfoil under the cover, and this I had done, completely within the rules. Imagine then, my well-coiffed horror as I realized that my tin-foil was gone! Glancing over at Mabel puffing up pinkly to her board, I caught her face twist into a wicked sneer of triumph and knew I had been sabotaged. Emotions seethed inside me but friends say my expression never deviated from the regulation placid smile. I am nothing if not professional. I won the race but, without my tin-foil, my fitted sheets were undone by two catastrophic wrinkles. Mabel was presented OQ / FALL 2017
with the coveted golden rolling-pin trophy, a set of heated rollers, and a year’s supply of hair-safe Round-Up and, as housewives never complain, there was no recourse for challenging the result. I smiled with heroic grit through the ceremony, shattering a back molar in the process but keeping ever in my mind Maugham’s unimpeachable maxim “Selfcontrol might be as passionate and as active as the surrender to passion...” Then, forgetting that, I rose elegantly, smoothed my skirt, and flipped Mabel Coughwallader a very discreet, very elegant, white-gloved bird, before running into the garden and destroying a herbaceous border in a frenzy of flashing nail scissors, flying geraniums, and animalistic screams. Afterwards, lying panting and besmeared in the wreckage like a psychotic Ophelia had she ever worn Michael Kors, I decided this wouldn’t do. I must pull myself together. I tucked my wobbling chin under my stiff upper lip, powdered my nose, and felt control returning. Back in the bar, housewives and their husbands grunted gently over their scotches and the sheer golfing power in the room was palpable, yet strangely unattractive. Laughing tinklingly, I followed the heady scent of “Gunz!” body-oil to a corner where I knew I would find Juan, my faithful poolboy (just doing pool-boying until he gets his acting break) magnificently arm-curling a balthazar of Bolliger and one of the smaller butlers who seemed to quite like it. As we left, I saw Mabel, flushed with triumph, being interviewed by “Wiving Weekly.” She caught me looking and, with an eye like a malevolent raisin, she winked at me. I nodded with savage pleasantness in return and vowed then and there I would take my immaculately executed, well-bred, devastating revenge. (To be continued…) 89
ISSuE: 2
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147 W. El Roblar Dr., Ojai • Tues-Sat 10:30 - 5 or by appt. 805.640.3699 ~ WWW.TERRAMORORGANIC.COM
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Wrap up your holiday décor now and save.
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Make sure your home is holiday ready by ordering beautiful new Hunter Douglas window fashions today. Rebate savings are available on select styles, 9/16/17 through 12/11/17. Ask for details. Chisum's Floor Covering 118 Bryant Street Ojai, CA. 93023 M-F 10:00am-5:00pm Sat. & evenings by appt. 805-646-2440 www.chisumsfloorcovering.com Contractors License #242944 Ask us about special savings on select Hunter Douglas operating systems.
*Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 9/16/17—12/11/17 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask participating dealer for details 92 Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance OQ6 /months FALLafter 2017 and rebate form. ©2017 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas or their respective owners. 17Q4MAGPIRC2
NOW SELLING BRAND NEW HOMES ON VENTURA’S WESTSIDE 3 EXCEPTIONAL NEW HOME NEIGHBORHOODS/ 3 COMMUNITY PARKS ALONDRA Stylish Townhomes Up to 2,045 Sq. Ft. and 4 Bedrooms From the Mid $400,000s
LADERA Single-Family Homes Up to 2,604 Sq. Ft. and 5 Bedrooms From the Mid $500,000s BARCELO Single-Family Homes Up to 2,971 Sq. Ft. and 5 Bedrooms From the Low $600,000s
COMMUNITY PARK
ALONDRA RENDERING
LADERA RENDERING
BARCELO RENDERING
Discover Solana Heights, a brand new residential community ideally located only 2 miles from Ventura’s downtown and close to shopping and dining, the Pacific Coast and local freeways. Visit our sales center for details on beautiful new homes now selling. 204 Chickasaw Street | Ventura, CA 93001 | 805-665-6085 | SolanaHeights@CalAtl.com | SolanaHeights.com
Square footage/acreage shown is only an estimate and actual square footage/acreage will differ. Buyer should rely on his or her own evaluation of useable area. Completion and/or move-in dates are estimated. Plans to build out this neighborhood as proposed are subject to change without notice. The estimated completion date of the community park is Fall 2017. The date of actual completion could substantially differ from the estimated date. Prices, plans and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. Depictions of homes or other features are artist conceptions. This community is part of Maintenance Assessment District #23, which provides funding for streetlights on public streets and alleys, drainage improvements, sewer improvements, street and alley improvements, and parks and park facilities for all District residents CalAtlantic Group, Inc. California Real Estate License No. 01138346. 8/17
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We know Ojai. We’re lifelong residents.
4 BR + 4 BA Horse Property with 2 Master Suites $1,395,000 www.1195RanchoCourt.com
Saddle Mountain Estate with Guest Quarters, Custom Pool and Amazing Views $1,550,000 www.10655Encino.com
Remodeled 4 BR + 2.5 BA Farmhouse on 3+ Acres with Guest House, Barn and Orchard $1,675,000 www.990LomaDrive.com
42+ Acres with 2BR + 2BA Ranch-Style Home $899,900 www.15301OjaiRoad.com
Build your dream home on this 19+ acre Upper Ojai land with magnificent views, shared well and utilities onsite $499,000
3 BR + 2 BA with covered porch, large master suite steps from downtown, golf course, restaurants, shops and more $599,900
The Davis Group ojaivalleyestates.com
Rare opportunity to buy Gateway Plaza! Oak View shopping center with long-term occupants, large parking lot and great location. $1,950,000
Nora Davis
805.207.6177
nora@ojaivalleyestates.com
We know Ojai. We’re lifelong residents.
This unique, spacious home is the type of property you have to see to really appreciate how much it has to offer. The main house features three fireplaces, a sunken wet bar, formal dining room, office and five bedrooms, each of which has an en suite bathroom. One of the bedrooms also has a separate entrance and kitchenette for use as maid’s quarters or for long-term guests. The cook’s kitchen has double ovens, an island with produce sink and breakfast bar, desk, wine fridge, grilling station and walk-in pantry with a built-in espresso machine. There is also a two-bedroom guest house with a separate driveway and two-car garage, horse facilities, on-grid solar panels and plenty of space to customize to suit your needs Visit www.1577KenewaStreet.com to learn more. $2,995,000
This four bedroom, three bathroom country getaway on five acres features separate guest quarters, an avocado orchard, two large shop buildings and beautiful views. Interior features include a beautifully remodeled kitchen with many upgrades, remodeled bathrooms, formal dining room, vaulted ceilings, large closets and custom touches throughout. The brick fireplace in the living room and wood-burning stove in the family room bring warmth to the elegant interior, while the wine and keg refrigerators, ice maker, two dishwashers and walk-in pantry allow for easy entertaining. Visit www.1923MeinersRoad.com to learn more. $1,699,000
The Davis Group ojaivalleyestates.com
Nora Davis 805.207.6177
nora@ojaivalleyestates.com
Joan Roberts
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Broker Associate/Realtor • BRE#00953244
30 years local experience •Residential •Land •Investment
JOE DAVIS
PROPERTY SHOPPE
Providing expert, diligent and
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT DIVISION
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805- 223-1811 Roberts4homes@gmail.com
www.JoeTheRentalGuy.com JOE DAVIS "The Rental Guy" 727 W OJAI AVE, OJAI CA 93023 • BRE #01999568
Drought Tolerant Hedges • Ground Covers • Trees • Container Plants
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Design ~ Consultation Gift Certificates & Mail Order Available By Appointment: 805-649-3362 www.australianplants.com jo@australianplants.com
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YOUR HOME IS OFTEN YOUR LARGEST INVESTMENT. LET US HELP YOU GET THE BIGGEST RETURN.
STAGED HOMES SELL 78% FASTER THAN NON-STAGED HOMES
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CASA DEL TORO
An Architect Designs for Himself By Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr.
Architect Kevin Clark sits in a patio chair on the far edge of a broad lawn. From there he has a clear view of the home he created for his family, designed in his trademark Spanish Colonial Revival style: red tile roofs, thick white walls, handforged iron balconies, perfectly placed windows edged with subtle brickwork. His view also takes in architectural history: The original core of the house was designed in 1921 by the renowned George Washington Smith, one of Kevin’s heroes. “Sometimes I sit out here with a drink and think, what a dream — that a kid who got no further than Venice High School would get to do something like this!” Self-trained, Kevin started out as a draftsman and learned on construction jobs, rising to designer. But he never attended architecture school. “I
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guess you’d have to say I had natural ability. But more than that, I was extremely diligent. Compared to the drafting jobs I’d been doing for five bucks an hour, it was just a privilege to design buildings.” He and his wife, Lisa, walked past their future home in the Arbolada neighborhood years ago, when they drove up from L.A. for weekend getaways. “We couldn’t have imagined buying anything like that,” says Kevin. “It would have been out of reach.” Then in the late 1990s he got a commission to design a lavish Spanish-style house for Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. It was showcased in the gilded pages of Town & Country. “That really set things ablaze for me,” says the architect. Soon he was designing homes in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills,
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including a 20,000-square-foot L.A. residence called El Sueño, whose Spanish Colonial Revival style radiates an aura of romance. Now worth at least $35 million, it has been called the finest building of the past 50 years. Kevin had always admired George Washington Smith, designer of many acclaimed houses in Santa Barbara, including the legendary Casa del Herrero. “His homes,” says Kevin, “are the touchstone for all Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in California.” In the early 1900s Smith was hired to draft three spec houses in Ojai; the town’s godfather, Edward Libbey, wanted to attract buyers to the winding streets and empty lots of his Arbolada development. “This one was the largest and most formal. Unfortunately,” says Kevin with a
Kevin Clark’s additions to the 1921 George Washington Smith house — walls, courtyards, brickwork, landscaping — brought about a new architectural rhythm. His mastery places him in the top ranks of Spanish Colonial Revival designers. (Left) The living room blends the original ceiling and fireplace with new tile floors and ornate doors. (Above) Replacing a former one-car garage, the taproom achieves a true art deco, Paris-in-the-1930s feel; the woodwork alone took six months to craft.
laugh, “I’d put it in the category of his worst house ever. The layout wasn’t great — for instance, the door from the garage opened right into the living room — and I always thought the façade was bad. “At first I wasn’t even sure the house was a George Washington Smith. It had been brutalized by different owners. But once Lisa and I got inside, we were immediately struck by the original ceiling in the living room. I knew how much work it must have taken.” The massive wooden beams had been shaped with a traditional hand tool called an adze. “That ceiling, and that tree” — Kevin gazes toward an immense valley oak centered outside the living room windows — “are why we bought the house.” The couple named their new home
Casa del Toro. Redoing the residence and its two-acre property was time consuming, costly, and eventually freighted with personal tragedy. “I underestimated what it would take to fix things,” says Kevin. “I had a master plan. It was all part of the initial — not ‘vision,’ because I hate how that sounds — but I knew instantly what I wanted to do. It all revealed itself, in a sense.” A new front courtyard and low walls gave the feeling of a compound. A carport’s pointed arch was inspired by Moorish design, a major influence on Spanish architecture. Kevin also remedied some anachronistic changes to the house and replaced a 1970s-style pool house with a Spanish art studio, its large windows looking onto formal gardens and a swimming pool. Along with Kevin’s drafting table,
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the studio houses 10,000 rare books. “I was a terrible student,” Kevin confesses. “I never read a novel until I was 32 years old. Now I’m surrounded by them, which makes me feel comfortable — and of course they’re also a really big distraction!” (He reads for two hours every night.) In the studio he also plays the drums, an echo of his early scuffling days as a rock ‘n’ roller who dreamed of being the next John Bonham. Substantial additions flank the original core of the house, with patios, balconies, and wings creating a new façade. “Inside, not one original George Washington Smith detail remains except two fireplaces and the living room ceiling. I redid all the floors, cabinets, doors, windows, hardware, and patterned tile,” he says. “I’m just not good at leaving things alone . . . .”
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Outside the architect’s studio, a new swimming pool extends alongside redesigned landscaping. “I’m a huge advocate of a great garden, especially a formal one,” says Clark. Paths bordered with crisply trimmed boxwood contrast with graceful old native oaks.
As work went on, he began to feel stressed. “The constant doling out of money every month! It was just relentless. But I kept up my determination and energy, designing the house and supervising construction, until my stroke.” That happened five years ago. Kevin collapsed just outside the house. Lisa immediately called 911 and then their contractor, Scott Lowen. “He was a huge part of this project,” says Kevin, “but it goes even deeper than that. He was the one who picked me up out of the dirt.” Today Kevin walks with a cane, can no longer surf or ride motorcycles, and can’t remember when he was not in pain. On a table in his studio, a blue handicapped-parking placard rests atop his architectural drawings. (“That’s the one advantage of my situation!” he says with a laugh.) “Maybe it was just too big an undertaking,” Kevin reflects. “I did more than 100 sheets of drawings and details. Nothing is stock: Every molding and door handle was individually made for this house. The walls were hand-painted with horsehair brushes. All this creates authenticity.” As a result, even new parts of the house look old. “George Washington Smith was doing the same thing,” Kevin explains. “He intentionally tried to make his houses look old. I look at architects like him and Wallace Neff, and it makes me humble. It’s like they fell out of bed designing some of the best buildings in California.” Judging by his own Casa del Toro, Kevin Clark will be remembered alongside the great architects he admires.
Kevin Clark at work in his home studio.
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1. Azu 457 East Ojai Ave. 640-7987 2. Bart’s Books 302 W. Matilija Street - corner of Cañada Street. 646-3755 3. Besant Hill School 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road 646-4343
The Ranch House 15
4. Bliss Yogurt 451 East Ojai Avenue 650-8000
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5. Boccali’s Restaurant 3277 Ojai-Santa Paula Road 646-6116 6. Emerald Iguana Inn Located at north end of Blanche Street 646-5276 7. Genesis of Ojai 305 East Matilija Street 746-2058
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8. OVA Arts 238 East Ojai Avenue 646-5682 19
9. Knead Baking Co. 469 East Ojai Ave. 310-770-3282
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10. Ojai Art Center 113 South Montgomery Street 646-0117
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11. Nutmeg’s Ojai House 304 North Montgomery St. 640-1656
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12. Ojai Café Emporium 108 South Montgomery Street 646-2723 13. Ojai Valley Electronics & Hobby 307-A East Matilija Street 646-7585
e Oliv Ojai
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14. Ojai Valley Museum 130 West Ojai Avenue 640-1390
15. Ranch House 102 Besant Road 640-2360
16. Sea Fresh 533 East Ojai Ave. 646-7747 17. Studio Sauvageau 332-B East Ojai Ave. (Inner Arcade) 646-0117
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18. Suzanne’s Cuisine 502 West Ojai Ave. 640-1961
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19. Treasures of Ojai 110 North Signal St. 646-2852
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STAY ON HWY 150 for about 2.2 miles 4
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20. Porch Gallery 310 East Matilija St. 213-321-3919 21. Ojai Olive Oil 1811 Ladera Ridge Road (off Hermitage) 646-5964
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Ojai Valley Museum’s First Half Century
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Oct. 21 gala honoring Thacher family will cap off year of festivities By Misty Hall
Photo by Logan Hall
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The chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in 1919.
A
few things I remember about elementary school: There was powdered soap in the bathroom. Handball had a thousand special rules. Mrs. Smith was a speed walker. That last one really sticks out in my mind because sweet Mrs. Smith loved to take us on field trips. One time we walked from Topa Topa Elementary to the Ojai Valley Museum. Down Park Road we went, hanging a right on Ojai Avenue and a left on South Montgomery Street, half-jogging the whole way. I recall catching my breath in front of the white brick building the tour guide told us used to be a firehouse. And all anyone talked about for days afterward was the exhibit featuring the taxidermy coyote that one of the
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bad kids scandalously referred to as a “dead dog.” Today, the Ojai Valley Museum is on the other end of downtown, in another historic building I remember from my childhood: the old St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel. The coyote still presides over the Sespe Wilderness exhibit, only now, he stands sentinel where the priest used to give communion. This year, the Ojai Valley Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Now, I must confess: I felt a little cocky when I started talking to locals and museum officials for this article. Yeah, I know all about the chapel, my grandma used to take me to mass all the time. Of course I’ve had a glass of wine at the firehouse-turned-muse-
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um-turned-pottery gallery-turned Ojai Vineyard tasting room. And obviously Ojai means moon, not nest. But my cockiness got snuffed out quickly. So many little tales I’d heard growing up here turned out not to be true. Museum board president Mark Lewis helped set me straight. Ojai was originally known as Nordhoff, but the name wasn’t changed due to anti-German sentiment, as I’d always been told. If you look back at the newspapers from the day, Lewis explained, you’ll see that America didn’t join World War I until after the new name had been decided upon. About 100 years ago, Edward Drummond Libbey helped transform the frontier town of Nordhoff into the pretty, cohesive
Spanish-style village we know today. “So, new town, new name,” Lewis said. The debunking continued. The construction of the Arcade was the result of Mr. Libbey’s architectural vision for the new town — not because a fire in 1917 burned it down. There was a fire, but it didn’t reach that far. It did, however, destroy the original wooden Catholic Church, where the museum currently stands. Oddly enough, it was thanks to that fire that Libbey was able to build a new church with architects Mead and Requa. But it never served as a mission; they just designed it to look that way. Several decades later, in the 1990s, the building Libbey had once called his “crowning achievement” was in need of some serious TLC, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles put it up for sale. Recognizing its significance to the community, the City of Ojai purchased the building and leased it to the Ojai Valley Museum for $1 per year. I joked with Lewis that that’s a heck of a deal. He begged to differ. ”I think they’re getting the better end of the deal.” And if you think about it, Lewis is probably right. After all, “We are the communal memory of Ojai,” he said. And as such, it is really several museums rolled in one. It houses art, Chumash history, natural history, city history, and more. The myriad exhibits culminate in a portrait of a community that is diverse, beautiful, mysterious, fiercely loved and protected. “It is a physical place, but ...” Lewis trailed off. “It’s what Ojai MEANS. ... look what it adds up to!” Over the years, the museum has featured a range of exhibits on topics like old ranching families and new locally-made art; medicinal plants used by the Native Americans, and spiritualists like Krishnamurti; the Spanish land grants, and the distinctive geology of the surrounding mountains; and the Ojai Music Festival, and the Ojai Tennis Tournament; the oil prospectors, and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. The great thing about a place like the Ojai Valley Museum, Lewis said, is that it’s got a little something for everyone, whether you’re a longtime local or an art-lover visiting for a yoga retreat. “When you want to find it, we’re here,” Lewis said. And you’ll find more than ever these days.
The history of the museum itself is a testament to the can-do spirit that has always characterized Ojai residents. Tony Thacher, whose family founded The Thacher School and the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament, and who now run Friend’s Ranches, is a board member at the museum. (He’s also been recognized as a Living Treasure by the Rotary Clubs of Ojai, served on a slew of boards, and helped with countless fundraising efforts — just don’t make too big of a deal of his civic achievements. As he puts it, “If you can help, you should … I do what I can.”) Tony’s aunt Elizabeth was among the founding members of the museum. “She was my father’s oldest sister,” Thacher said. “She was very independent, never married.” She worked for many years as bookkeeper at The Thacher School, and when her parents (Tony’s grandparents) died, it was Aunt Elizabeth who took care of their things. “And made sure her siblings were behaving,” Thacher chuckled. “She was quite a fierce lady — focused.” She dedicated herself to the preservation of history and of the town itself, serving as a member of the Ojai Woman’s Club and Garden Club, and in general doing what needed to be done in town. “One of my memories was driving back from college, seeing my Aunt Elizabeth on her hands and knees near where the arches are,” Thacher recalled. “She was weeding! Weeding city property! She was a can-do person.” So when Elizabeth and several of her friends and neighbors decided to start a museum, it was as good as done. They knew many locals had historical items, so “Word went out, and people started bringing things in ... They built whatever they needed for displays, raised money,” Thacher added. “They were ‘get ‘er done’ people.” The museum’s first home was adjacent to the American Legion Hall on East Ojai Avenue. It then moved west to the edge of the Arcade, where the Ojai Board of Realtors office now stands. It found its current home in 1996, the year after
Prior to the Mead & Requa masterwork built in the late 1910s, the original chapel was more modest.
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Photo by Logan Hall
Tony Thacher in front of the Ojai Museum.
the building was named to the National Register of Historic Places. The museum founders’ “get ‘er done” mentality has been passed down over the last five decades as the museum has grown and expanded. Help from the city as well as from locals through gifts and fundraisers has allowed the museum to renovate and improve its spaces, add a sculpture garden out front, and a Chumash Interpretive Garden in the back. Plans are in the works for a new gate, which will double as an art piece. In addition, executive director Wendy Barker has added more interactive exhibits, and worked to get more community involvement — such as the current Ojai Valley Land Conservancy exhibit, which features an oak tree crafted in part by 118
kids from a local elementary school. That exhibit runs through Sept. 24, and marks 30 years of the nonprofit organization’s commitment to preserving open spaces in the valley. From Ojai Day 2016 to Ojai Day 2017, the Ojai Valley Museum is marking its 50th anniversary — and the city’s 100th anniversary — with several events, said Barker. They launched the festivities with a party at the old firehouse, now the Ojai Vineyard tasting room. And in April, there was an event marking the first Ojai Day. Unlike the Ojai Day we now celebrate in October with a street fair, the original event was more like a community picnic in Libbey Park, so organizers took cues from that in a tip-of-the-hat to the past. The museum also teamed up with several other groups and organizations in town, Barker said, to mark this landmark year. Pulling from the museum’s resources, a group of locals put on a play highlighting the origins of Ojai that packed Libbey Bowl. The museum also worked with the Ojai Independence Day Committee to come up with the centennial theme of this year’s Fourth of July festivities, and even held a photo contest in conjunction with the Ojai Art Center’s Photo Branch. “We had more than 175 entries in seven categories,” Barker said. “There were some really great images! You can see the winners on display at the museum now through Sept. 24.” Also added the lineup this season: a celebration of life to acknowledge David Mason, set for Sept. 10. Mason was a local historian known fondly known as “Mr. Ojai,” who died in July after a battle with cancer. The 78-year-old spent decades helping out at the museum and researching all things Ojai. “He was the go-to person, like my father, if I wanted to figure out some historical thing about Ojai,” Thacher said. “David was always collecting things.” He said he recalled a time when a longtime Ojai resident died and his family was clearing out the house. “David went up there and dumpster dived. He needed to make sure we saved that stuff (artifacts).” Lewis, too, has fond memories of Mr. Ojai with whom he worked at the museum. “Losing David is a staggering blow to all of us at the museum, and to the entire community. He was a warm-hearted friend and an irreplaceable resource. Whenever we had a question about some aspect of Ojai history, we’d simply ask David, and nine times out of 10 he’d have
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The City of Ojai bought the St. Thomas Aquinas Church in the 1990s and embarked on a major renovation. the answer. And, on a personal level, he was a delight to have around. We miss him terribly.” The Sept. 10 event will be a bigger version of the David Mason Appreciation Event, held Aug. 6 at the museum. Among other upcoming museum events is the Sept. 16 Family Fun day from 1 to 4 p.m, featuring “a number of interactive activities for all ages — not just kids!” emphasized Barker. “Sometimes you go to these events, and you wish there were things for adults to do, too!” The museum’s biggest event will cap off the year-long celebration on Oct. 21, with a Gala dinner and auction. The event will be a fundraiser for the museum, and will honor the Thacher family. There will also be a special acknowledgement of Mason’s contributions. “The Thachers have been such an important part of this community since the 1880s,” Barker pointed out. “They have done so much for our community over the decades ... and we want to acknowledge that.” “In many ways, Tony is the symbol of the Thacher family here in Ojai,” said local philanthropist and event coordinator extraordinaire, Esther Wachtell. “Their participation in the community is extensive and so is their influence ... They are
truly good citizens and great neighbors and friends. It is hard to imagine what Ojai would be like if Sherman had not planted the Thacher family in this valley.” Lewis echoed Wachtell’s sentiments. “The Thachers helped shape this community in its infancy and they’re still making invaluable contributions today. Look at Tony — he’s on the museum board, he’s in Rotary, he’s in the Civic Association, and he played a key role in turning the Pixie Tangerine into the valley’s signature fruit. I’d say the Thacher legacy is in good hands.” As for the Oct. 21 museum event, Wachtell added, it is also to “honor the 50 years of service that the museum has brought to the Ojai community. In many ways, the Thacher family is a symbol of that history.” The night will begin with cocktails and a silent auction of art pieces created by local artists using Libbey Glass pieces as their impetus. Seasons Catering will provide a sit-down dinner, and pianist Fern Barishman will provide music. Scott White will serve as master of ceremonies, and will share some special surprises. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased through the Ojai Valley Museum. Call (805) 640-1390 or visit ojaivalleymuseum.org.
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18th Ojai Film Festival November 2-12
60 films plus special events and workshops Entire schedule online
ENRICHING THE HUMAN SPIRIT THROUGH FILM
Tickets available online: OjaiFilmFestival.com
The Festival thanks it’s sponsors
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Serving Notice on Your Genetics
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Retreats of Ojai
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Photo by Bennett Barthelemy
Healers
Ask Dr. Beth
Simple 7 Test for Optimal Ojai Health
Hiking
Top Seven Paths to Find Yourself
Terraining Day
Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Teams Up With Patagonia
Lands of Convergence
Nearby Wind Wolves Preserves Showcases Rare Habitats
Calendar of Events
Nearby Wind Wolves Preserves Showcases Rare Habitats
Bellwood Chronicles
Tap Dancing in Meiners Oaks
HEALING ARTS NEW AGE OF MEDICINE:
SERVING NOTICE ON YOUR GENETICS
By Robert Buckingham, M.D., FACP As an Ojai resident of 38 years, I have been privileged to both give and take from the great diversity of healing energy and talent that befits this small eclectic community. When I first arrived here in 1979, I was a newly minted internist practicing standard type allopathic medicine, as would befit any new doctor fresh out of training. The backbone of medical training was and still is disease diagnosis and treatment. From the beginning I sensed there was something different in Ojai about healing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Unfortunately, I was blind to it because so much of it involved what my training as a doctor ignored. Alternative health practitioners were open to me about what they did. They invited, even begged me to come listen to health strategies they called “wellness.” The tipping point for me came in 2005, when at age 53, I met up with my own health problems. In spite of doing the conventional wisdom of “everything in moderation” lifestyle, it was sadly not working. I had dug myself into a deep
medical hole. My brand of practicing medicine had one glaring weakness. There was no playbook on how to marginalize inflammation, prevent illness or promote wellness. Instead, I was subjected to treatment strategies that included expensive drugs, inhalers and catheter interventions. Simply stated, without a wellness playbook what happened to me was happening to almost everyone else. My dad bod and weight creep was coupled with the predictable increases in blood pressure, weight, blood sugar and LDL cholesterol. In spite of all my education and experience as a doctor I followed the path of everyone else. Once more, I was blind to the effects of my own sleep deprivation and daily work stress. This is where Ojai came to the rescue. Realizing the obvious medical void in prevention, I started to do research on root cause and started listening to different wellness healers in town. After about eight years of research, what emerged is a set of playbooks that point
the root cause finger of different diseases at chronic inflammation. Both “Hazing Aging” and my newest just-published book, “Rejuvenation,” amply fill the void that was previously missing in traditional disease treatment models. Now there is a step-by-step playbook that not only gives answers on how to prevent illness but provides a root cause to do so. Some of the playbook involves exercise and stress modifiers that include creative outlets such as dance, painting, sculpting, writing, acting, yoga, different forms of spiritual reawakening, and community service. This is the essence of Ojai. With the blueprint in place you can now serve notice on your genetics. You just don’t have to be a medical prisoner to an inevitable disease outcome of your father, mother or grandparents. Once more, the everyday can be better, brighter, more fulfilling. Ojai has taught me that true healing is not just about numbers, imaging, drugs and surgery, but involves the mechanics of how to be well. Welcome to the new age of medical practice.
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LESLIE BOUCHÉ, C.HT.
JULIE TUMAMAITSTENSLIE
Offers Swedish, deep tissue, reflexology, reiki, cranialsacral and pre and post natal massage with a reverent and joyous balance of hands and heart. laurelfelice54@gmail.com 805-886-3674
JACALYN BOOTH
Certified Colon Hydrotherapist Ojai Digestive Health With more than 30 years of experience in healing modalities, Jacalyn brings a deep level of caring to the art of colon hydrotherapy. Professional, nurturing, experienced. 805-901-3000 www.ojaidigestivehealth.com
NUTMEG’S OJAI HOUSE
Cert. Hypnotherapist Find your calm center. Release negative thinking, emotional reactivity, anxiety, fear and unhelpful behaviors. Improve sleep and comfort. Safe, loving, rapid change. It’s time to feel better! 805-796-1616 leslie.bouche@roadrunner.com lesliebouche.com
MICHAEL D. FREDERICK
Master Teacher, Alexander Technique - Feldenkrais Method. State-of-the art in stress management. “Life Just Got Easier.” More than 40 years of international teaching experience. Free 20-minute consultations. 310-880-7700 michaeldfrederick.com
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Gong Meditation and Acutonics Sound Alchemist. Master Bodyworker. Founder of Harmonic Earth — sacred space for healing arts and performance. Call or text. HarmonicEarth.org 107 W. Aliso St., Ojai 720.530.3415
Chumash Elder Consultant • Storyteller • Spiritual Advisor • Workshops Weddings and Ceremonies 805-646-6214 jtumamait@sbcglobal.net
SENSE OF TOUCH
Therapeutic Massage with Suzanne St. Claire. Specializing in massage retreat support for yogis, bachelorette parties, corporate and family celebrations. Available as an individual therapist, tandem, or team. SuzanneStClaire@therapist.net 562-708-2111
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Krotona
Institute of Theosophy An international center dedicated to understanding, harmony, and peace among all peoples, comparative studies in religion, philosophy and science, altruism and the ideals of a spiritual life.
...and a Fine Selection of Crystals! INTUITIVE READERS DAILY ASTROLOGER BY APPT. CHAIR MASSAGE AND ENERGY HEALING THURS - SUN.
Library and Research Center Quest Bookshop School of Theosophy
OjaiHouse.com
2 Krotona Hill, Ojai 805 646-2653 www.krotonainstitute.org
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ojai
A PLACE FOR RETREAT
OJAI RETREAT 160 Besant Road, Ojai • (805) 646-2536 ojairetreat.com The Ojai Retreat is located on a 5-acre hilltop property with spectacular views. It offers 12 beautiful guestrooms, European-style breakfast included. It also features a spacious living room, a reading room, a waterfall garden, a nature path, and several outdoor spaces to enjoy the view and the surrounding nature. Ideal for individuals and couples. Also available for group retreats, weddings and film productions.
Photo by Caitlin Jean Glaese
The garden’s path brings visitors to one of Ojai’s most spectacular views.
MEDITATION MOUNT
10340 Reeves Road • (805) 646-5508 www.meditationmount.org Meditation Mount is a public spiritual center with the primary purpose of offering meditation as a service to humanity. The Mission is to promote the building of an enlightened and compassionate world through the power of creative meditation. The Mount sponsors community-based events focused on the practical application of the following universal spiritual principles: Right Human Relations, Unanimity, Goodwill, Spiritual Approach, Group Endeavor and Essential Divinity. Since 1971, this landmark facility has welcomed spiritual seekers to be inspired in the International Garden of Peace, and experience the peace of the Meditation Room. One visitor, Jonathan Epstein, wrote “A visit to the viewpoint along the winding path left my friend and I without words to describe the splendor of your garden! -place of such extraordinary beauty and healing.” The Mount has daily, weekly, and monthly programs. All are welcome to join Morning Meditation from 8:30 to 9 a.m. in the Meditation Room every Wednesday through Sunday. A yoga class on Thursday begins at 9:15 and a Pilates class is on Friday mornings. An Introduction to Creative Meditation and a Full Moon Community Meditation are scheduled every month. See the online calendar of events at meditationmount.org for details.
PEACEFUL SELF RETREAT (805) 233-4291 PeacefulSelfRetreats.com Retreat with Dr. Lisa Love and receive: 1) A retreat manual of transformative experiences created especially for you; 2) Assistance in helping you find the right place to retreat (work with me, live in Ojai, or virtually by way of phone or internet in a location near you); 3) Counseling sessions and spiritual guidance! 4) Audio and video meditations during your retreat and to use again for as long as you want when it is over. See Testimonials on the website!
St. Joe’s
PEPPER TREE RETREAT 1130 McAndrew Road, Ojai • (877) 355-5986 peppertreeretreat.com
Pepper Tree Retreat offers a quiet setting for those who want to leave behind the noise of the world. The only sounds are the chirping of crickets, the hooting of an owl, and the wind rustling through the trees. Nestled in the foothills of Ojai’s east end, all rooms have a private bath, writing desk, wireless internet, and air conditioning. A vegetarian breakfast buffet is offered each morning and the nearby Krishnamurti library offers inspiration, reflection, and insight.
It’s not just what you lose. It’s what you gain.
Pepper Tree Retreat
& Krishnamurti Educational Center
The Pepper Tree Retreat & Krishnamurti Educational Center offer a beautiful, serene setting for weekend workshops, study intensives & personal retreats. See our events calendar at kfa.org/events-calendar for more information.
Celebrating 40 Years!
peppertreeretreat.org | 805.646.4773 | 1130 McAndrew, Ojai
Walk-ins welcome!
Chinese massage releases stress, increases circulation and energy – at affordable prices
Reflexology Massage
Full body, foot or chair massage 60 minutes - $35
Oriental Oil Body Massage 60 minutes - $48
Hot Stone Therapy
Ojai Avenue
Open daily from 10 am to 10 pm (except Tuesday open 11 am to 8 pm) 1002 East Ojai Avenue, Suite B, Ojai • (805) 299-5899 • www.BambooCreekSpa.com Our Arcade location • AA Relaxing Station • 323 E. Matilija Street, #112 128
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Shady Lane
Grand Avenue
Park Road
AA Relaxing Station
Montgomery
Signal Street
60 minutes - $68
Bamboo Creek Spa
Your FriendlY neighborhood gYm
• Full Service Workout Facility • Large variety of free weights & machines • Cardio equipment • Fully equipped Pilate’s studio • Personal Training • Over 50 weekly fitness classes • Yoga & Qigong • Great club atmosphere • Helpful and friendly staff
for a Lifetime • Spa Services • Massage
• Microdermabrasion skin treatment • Watsu (water massage) • Steam room • One to three day health retreats
• Convenient Hours • Discount Rates Available
Call us for a tour 805 . 646 . 2233
Active for a lifetime.™
406 Bryant Circle Ste. “Q” Ojai, CA 93023
www.ojaihealth.com
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FULL SERVICE PHARMACY
Specialty and Long Term Care Pharmacy
Delivery Service Available • Competitive Prices Most Vaccinations Available
Including: Flu, Shingles, Prevnar 13 Gardasil Leaving the country? Make an appointment for your travel vaccines and prescriptions.
Most insurance plans accepted including Medicare Part D & Gold Coast
Durable Medical equipment on site
Compounding Available
COMPOUNDING AVAILABLE
Creating medicines right for you including Bio-identical Hormones
Visit our new location in Ventura 3350 Loma Vista Road
805-765-6046
• Total Cholesterol (TC, LDL, HDL & TG)
• Blood Sugar • Blood Pressure
rn Buat! F
Make an appointment with our coaching clinic at our Ventura County Pharmacy location
Amani Hishmeh, Pharmacist
960 E. Ojai Avenue
805.646.0106
M - F 10 - 6 pm | Sat. 10 - 1 pm Visit your App Store, search “Pharmacy Health Connect” to download our App.
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ASK DR. BETH
Life’s Simple 7: Ojai Style Q. Heart disease runs in my family. How can I measure my risks, and what steps can I take to reduce that risk? A. Most of us have probably heard that heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for the past 80 years. If you live in the United States, there is a 1-in-3 chance you will die of cardiovascular disease (this includes heart attack and stroke). What may be surprising is that 80 percent of deaths from heart disease are preventable. Preventable. As in, didn’t have to happen. This, according to the Center For Disease Control. What’s the secret to avoiding heart disease? And why hasn’t this been disclosed? Lives are at stake! Evidently, the message has been out there, but maybe we haven’t been listening. The American Heart Association published a handy metric called Life’s Simple 7, which identifies 7 health behaviors and factors, that if adhered to completely, results in a 90 percent reduction of risk for cardiovascular disease. This is an incredibly powerful tool. Every parameter in the Simple 7 is something each of us can modify with our daily habits. So, how many Americans have all seven parameters in good standing? About 1 in 2,000 of us. In a community the size of Ojai, that’s about four of us. Are you one of those four? Let’s break it down. Diet, exercise, weight, smoking, blood sugar, blood pressure, total cholesterol. That’s it. Simple. Of the 7 elements listed above, poor diet is now the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease in Americans, with tobacco coming in second. That’s correct, our diet is now a more significant health hazard, overall, than our smoking habits! And the No. 1 risk factor in the American diet? Not eating enough fruit, followed by not enough nuts, seeds, too much sodium, too much processed meats, not enough vegetables and too much trans fats. Here’s the Ideal Healthy Diet as defined
by the American Heart Association: meeting more than 4 of 5 dietary recommendations, including (1) fruits and vegetables: more than 4 servings per day; (2) fish: at least 200 grams per week; (3) fiber-to-carbohydrate ratio: more than 1 g of fiber per 10 g of carbohydrate; (4) sodium: less than 1.5 grams per day; and (5) sugar-sweetened foods and beverages: less than 450 kcal (36 oz)/per week. An easy mnemonic: fruit, fish, fiber, salt, sugar. How many adults adhere to the above parameters? About 1.5 percent — one in 68 of us. This increased from 0.7 percent of us a decade or two ago, so we are improving. It is never too late to start. Small changes make a difference. Shifting toward a wholefood-plant-based diet is a good start, because this way of eating guarantees meeting or exceeding targets for fruit and veg, fiber, low sugar, low salt, and will result in weight loss, and improvement and normalization of blood pressure and blood glucose and cholesterol levels. A diet free of animal products is free of cholesterol. Additionally a Whole Food Plant Based diet reduces risk of cancer, the second leading cause of death. Ojai is an ideal place to engage in Life’s Simple 7. Fresh air, year-round sunshine, an abundance of hiking trails, and a bike trail that runs through town to the beach, makes taking daily exercise a joy. The options for healthy eating continue to grow, with an ever-expanding selection of vegan menu options popping up. For example, Azu Restaurant now has several vegan options on the menu: Vegan Carrot Soup, Vegan Paella, and The Azu Chop Salad for example. That’s not to mention the Falafel Chile Relleno: falafel stuffed pasilla chile pepper, with tahini dressing and spicy tomato sauce. The Oak Kitchen at Ojai Valley Inn has four vegan or vegetarian entrees on the dinner menu. Pan-Seared Cauliflower Steak, Portobello Mushroom Ravioli, and Harissa Braised Chickpeas, for example. Go to mlc.heart.org to MyHeartScore to learn your individual score.
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DR. BETH PRINZ The Food Doctor M.D. – Dr. Beth Prinz is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and passionate about preventing disease through healthy living and a whole-food plant-based dietary approach to health.
LIFE’S SIMPLE 7 1. Ideal smoking status was defined as never smoking or quitting more than 1 year ago 2. Ideal diet was defined as meeting 4 of 5 dietary recommendations, including (1) fruits and vegetables: 4 servings per day; (2) fish: 200 grams per week; (3) fiber-to-carbohydrate ratio: more than 1 gram of fiber per 10 g of carbohydrate; (4) sodium: less than 1,500 mg per day; and (5) sugarsweetened foods and beverages: less than 450 kcal per week 3. Ideal physical activity was defined as four bouts per week of intense physical activity sufficient to work up a sweat 4. Ideal BMI was defined as BMI below 25 kg/m2, calculated from measured weight and height. 5. Ideal blood pressure was defined as untreated systolic BP (SBP) less than 120 mm Hg and diastolic BP (DBP) 80 mm Hg or less, from the average of 2 measurements 6. Ideal total cholesterol was defined as untreated total cholesterol below 200 mg/dL 7. Ideal fasting glucose was defined as untreated fasting glucose less than 100 mg/dL
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OJAI HIKES
7 WAYS TO GET LOST By Bret Bradigan
1. SHELF ROAD Directions: From Ojai Avenue, head north on Signal Street until it ends. Length: 3.5 miles return trip. Difficulty: Easy. It takes about an hour at a brisk pace to walk the length of the trail and back between the trailheads at either North Signal Street or Gridley Road. This hike is perfect for visitors or residents to get “ the lay of the land” in Ojai. It is also one of the most “dog friendly” walks around.
2. VENTURA RIVER BOTTOM TRAILS Directions: From Highway 150, there’s a trailhead just east of the Ventura River bridge. From South Rice Road, there’s a trailhead just north of the intersection with Lomita Road. Also from South Rice, take a right on Meyer Road to the Oso Trailhead. Length: Varies. Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Three trailheads lead you into the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s 1,600-acre Ventura River Preserve. This three-mile stretch of the Ventura River offers a spectacular glimpse into old-growth oak canopy, splendid vistas from rocky ridgelines, deep swimming holes, lush fern grottoes, rare wildflowers and many miles of trails to choose from.
3. PRATT TRAIL Directions: From Ojai Avenue, turn north on Signal Street and drive about 1.2 miles until you see the Forest Service sign on the left. The trailhead is a further half-mile. Length: 4.4 miles to Nordhoff Ridge. Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous. The Pratt Trail criss-crosses a seasonal stream through the backyards of private properties before opening onto a natural bowl formed by the slope of Nordhoff Ridge. Follow the signs through about two miles of dry and dusty switchbacks until you reach the ridgeline. From there, it’s another two steep, dusty miles to Nordhoff Peak, 4,426 feet above sea level.
4. GRIDLEY TRAIL Directions: From Ojai Avenue, turn on the Gridley Road.
Photo by Caitlin Petersen
Follow it to the gated end, about two miles. Length: 3 miles to the Gridley Springs, 6 miles to Nordhoff Peak. Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous. Elevation gain: 1,200 feet to the springs. This trail, at the north end of Gridley Road just to the left before the gates to Hermitage Ranch, begins with a steep climb, then follows an orchard road through avocado trees before making a northeastward turn along the rocky western flank of the mountainside. The trail winds along the steep flank of the mountain until it enters the cool, dense side canyon wherein lies Gridley Springs.
6. COZY DELL TRAIL Directions: Head east on the Maricopa Highway (Highway 33) for 3.3 miles. The turnout is on the left, just before and across from Friend’s Ranch packing house.. Cross the street to the trailhead. Length: 1.9 miles to Cozy Dell Creek. Difficulty: Moderate. The trail begins along a seasonal creek and quickly climbs about 640 feet in elevation along a well-forested and wild-flowered canyon to a ridgeline knoll with spectacular views of the Ojai Valley.
7. MIDDLE FORK OF MATILIJA CANYON Directions: Head east on Highway 33 for about 4.7 miles to Matilija Canyon Road. Follow the road to the end — about another two miles. Length: Up to 7 miles (14 miles return). Difficulty: Moderate. Follow the trailhead at the end of Matilija Canyon Road through the gated property to the west side of the creek. The trail, more of a one-track road at this point, heads towards the gates of Blue Heron Ranch, a historic farm with orange and lemon groves. The trail then clambers through thickening chaparral scrub for another 1.5 miles until you can see tilted slabs of weathered granite and a long, green pool to the right. The trail descends back into the creekside sycamore and willow forest through a series of campsites, swimming holes and geologic marvels. The shifting and often-concealed trail eventually leads you to the fabled Three Falls of the Matilija.
TERRAINING DAY
Trail School with Ojai Valley Land Conservancy and Patagonia Story and Photos by Bennett Barthelemy
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt,” — John Muir
S
elfishly speaking, trails offer the perfect escape for me. They are old friends I can always count on to be there when I need them — conduits allowing access from these busy streets, these bustling cafes, into the unhardened arteries connecting deeply to the heart of wilderness where I feel healthy, perfused and alive. Whispering through this urban chatter, I tune to the frequency. Like this morning. Hey — like right now. My brain is too taxed, my fingers jittering from the Jasmine tea — thankfully I know my panacea well. My drug of choice is in this moment is a swirl of red dirt, a dash of birdsong, a jigger of sweat, maybe a drop of my blood or two and the few thousand footfalls up and across an undulating ridge in the backyard with views to the distant sea. I’ll see you in an hour (or 3)! Ok, sweet ... I am back, to ponder on the attendant alchemy that allows this ease of engagement/reconnectivity. Of note, I was not alone in this quick escape. I was in good company with a few dozen hikers of all ages and shapes, a couple mountain bikers, a few long-tongued, happily panting dogs and a few crazy trail runners and one of them may have been me. All of us were engaging the notso-secret secret of a bit of backyard wilderness therapy. With enough time on trails, you begin to see the ebb-and-flow-andebb of life. Like a palm reader, we see the evidence of stormy times in these etched lines. Furrow and sloughing from rainfall, footfall and horse136
hoof, braking of mountain bikes and perhaps a new wrinkle as water and lazy hikers seek to find the line of least resistance. But the trail doesn’t maintain itself. They are quickly choked with invasive brome, wild oats, rip gut, wild mustard and stringers of poison oak. Stickers and ticks begin to be a pervasive part of the experience, if we let this unruly mop of dreads drift over the parted chaparral hairline. Who are the invisible heroes that tame this quiet beast, give it the attention and love it needs? With talk of the Forest Service (especially here in the backyard in the Los Padres) soon to be dismantled and with ever-fragmented resources for trails and recreation, our trails are in danger of being subsumed, not dissimilar to the jungle swallowing the Mayan pyramids of Tikal. Will it be the wood elves to the rescue? Luckily, for a while now the trails have had help. Thankfully, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) has been stepping up and not only building/ maintaining some 27 miles of their own local Ojai front-country trails, it has also adopted several local Forest Service trails and trailheads that connect to their stewarded properties around Ojai and helps to maintain them now. There are some 250 miles of existing trail on the Ojai district in Los Padres however, and just to keep them trimmed and usable is a huge and ongoing task. The OVLC and Patagonia — visionaries of both land stewardship and sustainability as they are — saw this as a challenge to better train and engage local organizations and their OQ / FALL 2017
dedicated volunteers (quick PSA… the volunteer contingent is hugely necessary and being added to and you — yes you — are welcome to come out). Patagonia funded the trail school, IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) provided the trainers, and the OVLC conceived of, hosted and organized it. I attended, and learned that there are quite a few more “wood elves” out there than I previously realized. Representing were the Los Padres Forest Association, Thacher School, Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (soon to be known as the Ventura Land Trust), a couple of dedicated Forest Service personnel, the Dirt Riders contingent, Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers, Condor Trail Association and, of course, some Patagonia employees and a strong presence from OVLC as they ran support and provided the location for the outside training — some 60 individuals strong. The IMBA helps build and maintain trails worldwide. They have written the book, literally, on proper trail design. They organize and execute some 2 million volunteer hours a year in the United States on trails. We did get to lift a tool or two over the weekend, like pick-mattocks and McLeods but 108-degree heat made that reality limiting. Mostly, we learned the subtle secret language of reading landscapes — particularly slope angles, employing grade reversals and learning about “contour vs fall line.” A clinometer is neat tool. Erosion challenges like trail widening, and the use of water control structures like knicks, bring in some cool sciency stuff I missed in college — but it was
Forest Service staff and course participants organize McLeods and pickmatics for practice during the field portion of the course.
Participants practice with the clinometer to dial in ideal slope angles for the trails.
Volunteers survey the OVLC land for possible trail rerouting to help mitigate steepness and erosion.
fairly intuitive, especially once I was outside and looking at trails and terrain and possible re-routes. To build in sustainability and limit maintenance challenges takes real knowledge and practice, but it does seem quite accessible and quickly — especially with the new coalition of folks now motivated with some better skills ready to dive in. Speaking of diving in, the OVLC (OVLC.org) is always welcoming volunteers, as is Los Padres Forest Association. The LPFA offers single day projects in Ojai to 10-day working vacations deep in the backcountry, complete with cooks and stock support. They are also working on final approvals of a forest-wide Adopt-A-Trail
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program that will help outline the steps everyone can take in order to preserve and maintain our favorite trails. (LPForest.org) After the weekend training I asked Hans Cole, Patagonia’s Director of Environmental Campaigns and Advocacy, what he took from it and thought he summed it up pretty well. “We all came away with a much better understanding of sustainable, conservation-minded trails and what it takes to build them, and we’re inspired to apply these skills to our local community. Beyond the philosophy and fundamentals of the training, the networking and connections made across the local trail, biking and land conservation groups were incredibly valuable.” Exactly.
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Together, our community will help protect Ojai’s open space for everyone to enjoy, forever. Visit a participating Wild About Ojai business today and take part. A Taste of Ojai
Parker Jellison Realtor
Axxess Ventura
The Glass Man Professional Window Washing Company
BeCalm of Ojai
GoOjai.com
Sol Haus Design
Bliss Frozen Yogurt
Greyfox Investors
California Solar Electric
Jennifer Keeler, Hair Stylist
The Southern Los Padres Trekking Company
Chamber on the Mountain
Lorraine Lim Catering
Susan K Guy Art
Char Man Brand Hot Sauce
Suzanne’s Cuisine
Dogs Fly Design
Mary Nelson Skincare & Massage Studio
East End Restaurant & Bar
Mooney Creative
Tonya Peralta Real Estate Services, Inc
Erik Wilde, Coldwell Banker
Ojai Food Taxi
Watercolors by Patty Van Dyke
Gabriela Ceseña, Berkshire Hathaway
Ojai Quarterly
West Winds Landscape
Rowsie Vain
Tobias Parker, General Contractor
Lands of Convergence NEARBY WIND WOLVES PRESERVE PROTECTS ASTONISHING ARRAY OF ECOSYSTEMS Story & Photos by Chuck Graham
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followed a gurgling creek into gaping San Emigdio Canyon and its snow-covered mountains. Along the way black-tailed deer traversed the steep slopes above, a buck following a doe, and a northern harrier swooped overhead, foraging the side canyons for possibly a brush rabbit. These were my initial steps into one of the most unusually diversified regions in California, a stupendous convergence of topography and a throng of habitats supporting a wide range of flora and fauna. At 93,000 acres Wind Wolves Preserve is the West Coast’s largest nonprofit preserve. Wind Wolves Preserve is part of The Wildlands Conservancy (TWC), and is one of 15 properties found throughout California. Wind Wolves is a place where the mighty Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Western Sierra Nevada, Western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley all converge on the Kern and Ventura County borders. “It’s an extremely diverse and unique ecosystem,” said Landon Peppel, Central Valley and North Coast Regional Director for TWC and Preserve Manager at Wind Wolves. “It’s a big preserve that’s influenced by a wide range of habitats.” On my first morning hiking the preserve I took the San Emigdio Canyon Trail along the east side of the creek all the way to the Canyon de los Osos Wetlands Trail junction. In the back of the canyon I was surprised to see a huge herd of sheep grazing the canyon floor. Considering the environmental impacts on such a stunning landscape, I was curious about the purpose of the herbivores. Peppel explained to me that before Europeans arrived, the canyon and valley floors were carpeted in low-growing plants that benefitted what are now endangered and threatened wildlife species like sleek San Joaquin kit foxes, inquisitive antelope ground squirrels, striking
blunt-nosed leopard lizards and burrowing owls. Today those sheep are enhancing a return to a natural balance. “The goal of the sheep is trying to keep the thick grasses out and keep the wildlife happy,” continued Peppel. “These Mediterranean grasses are super competitive.” As the sheep continue to eat the thick grasses, native seeds are planted behind them. Wind Wolves has a whopping 550 plant species, and since 2012 approximately 5,000 plants have been put in the ground across the expanse of the preserve. Tule elk have also been returned to the preserve. Currently there are 200 elk. With the amount of acreage in Wind Wolves’ possession, the preserve has the ability to hold 2,000 Tule elk. Once the herd reaches that number Tuke elk will die naturally of attrition and allow for more foraging for endangered California condors that soar nearby in the Los Padres National Forest. The preserve was originally owned by John C. Fremont, a military officer and explorer back in the 1800s. With 52 animal species, close to 200 bird species and 23 reptiles and amphibians found across the acreage, there’s a lot to protect at the Wind Wolves Preserve. “You have to look at the land,” said Peppel. “You have to pay attention. It’s challenging, but it’s the world we live in.” This past spring I returned to Wind Wolves three more times. San Emigdio Canyon is the pulse of the preserve. It’s fortified north and south by steep, daunting mountainsides and a maze of trails run along a boulder-strewn stream choked in knotted oak and cottonwood trees and seemingly impenetrable poison oak but also atop the sweeping plateaus. Wildflowers were beginning to carpet the steep hills and mountainsides. Hillside daisies, California poppies, popcorn flower, valley phacelia and owl’s clover were
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all prominent in the preserve. A marauding coyote loped across the canyon floor. A sleepy gopher snake poked its head out of the crunchy leaf litter, its forked tongue flicking back and forth, while a busy Bewick’s wren filled the canyon with birdsong. Back in the canyon I took the trail heading east and leading toward Reflection Pond. It was still a little early, but the potential was there. It was going to be an excellent year for wildflowers. A couple weeks later I returned with my wife Lori. What a difference a couple more weeks made, aided by some late season rains. I’d never seen wind poppies before or the California jewel flower, an endangered wildflower and one of the Golden State’s rarest. There were sweeping carpets of yellows, oranges, purples and pinks with hardly a soul around. Watermelon-colored Mariposa lilies and stands of Parry’s mallow were still in bloom lasting into late May. On the adjacent ridgeline is the Tule Elk Trail. The ascent up was a steep one and shrouded in hillside daisies, but once atop the windswept terrace more wildflowers, such as blue dicks and popcorn flowers had sprung to life in full bloom while the ridgeline offered incredible views into the depths of several side canyons leading into the Los Padres National Forest. I sat at the edge of a plateau soaking in the grandiose views. A pair of northern harriers soared just below me riding the swirling thermal updrafts created daily in the broad canyon and picking up steam by the late afternoon. A squadron of ravens joined the fray pestering the majestic raptors into a narrow side canyon and completely out of view. The canyon was void of any day hikers. Whether on foot or by mountain bike San Emigdio Canyon is so large it may require a lifetime to explore all its nooks and crannies. Trails meander on either side of the canyon, but also along its gurgling
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OPENING SPREAD: Clockwise from bottom left — a horned lark stakes out a high point on the preserve. The Wind Wolves Preserve ranges over elevations from 600 feet above sea level to 6,000. Wind poppies and Phacelia are among the preserve’s many distinctive wildflowers. A hyperactive Bewick’s Wren makes his presence known. Two black-tailed deer cast a wary backwards glance.
A cluster of rare windpoppies lights up a field at the Wind Wolves Preserve.
stream. The serpentine, riparian corridor is a haven for birdlife with a variety of owls, American kestrels, western kingbirds, red-winged blackbirds, western meadowlarks, horned larks, hummingbirds, and California quail enjoying the tranquil pulse of the canyon. As you hike up the canyon it widens so much that a grassy plain evolves. It’s here where watching for wildlife requires some patience. Early mornings and late afternoons offer the best opportunities to see everything from voles to mountain lions that blend in so well with the dramatic landscape. One of the more dramatic fluctu-
ations in habitats occurs at the fork in the back of San Emigdio Canyon. The Canyon de los Osos Wetlands Trail (Canyon of the Bears) heads southwest and the change in habitat is virtually abrupt. From a grassy plain within the canyon its backend becomes heavily forested in shady, coast live oaks and impressive cottonwood trees. Dense thickets of wild rose and chaparral offer nice cover for wildlife and the birdsong was incessant. It was a nice example of the habitats on offer within the preserve. Elevations in Wind Wolves fluctuate greatly from 600 to over 6,000 feet. Up above on the plateaus
it was noticeably cooler where there was virtually no cover from the chilly winds blowing off the Western Sierra, but the views are stunning. However, a small band of black-tailed deer momentarily took my mind off the frigid conditions as they grazed on a lush hillside adjacent to me. With so many different habitats converging at Wind Wolves you never know what might be seen, its unique topography creating its own little microclimate in a preserve oozing in biodiversity. wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_windwolves.htm.
Wind Wolves Preserve is home to 550 plant species as well as a growing herd of Tule Elk.
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A California quail makes an intruder’s presence known.
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Ojai Valley Trail riding COmpany RIDES & LESSONS Privates & Groups Horse Boarding
0jaiValleyTrailRidingCompany.com 805-890-9340 Photo by Amanda Peacock
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER “Protecting Ojai: Ojai Valley Land Conservancy” Date: Continuing to September 24 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday Location: Ojai Valley Museum, 130 West Ojai Avenue Contact: 640-1390 ojaivalleymuseum.org “Article 16: Selected Works by Lisa Schulte” Date: Continuing to October 8 Time: 12 to 5, Thursday to Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 9:30 a.m to 1 p.m. Location: The Porch Gallery, 310 East Matilija Avenue Contact: 620-7589 porchgalleryojai.com “Sandy Treadwell — Charcoal Artist” Date: September 1 to 28 Time: noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday Location: 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 646-0117 ojaiartcenter.org “Ottmar Liebert in Concert” Date: September 3 Time: 7 to 10 p.m. Location: Libbey Bowl 148
OCT. 6-7: Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams will headline the Topa Topa Folk Fest.
Contact: (888) 645-5006 libbeybowl.org
Contact: 640-1937 ojaitheater.org
17th Annual Storytelling Festival Date: September 7 to 10 Time: Varies Location: Libbey Bowl and Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: (310) 890-1439 ojaistoryfest.org
“24th Annual Bowlful of Blues” Date: September 16 Time: 4 to 9:30 p.m. Location: Libbey Bowl Contact: info@bowlfulofblues.org bowlfulofblues.org
“The Good Doctor” Date: September 15 to October 8 Time: 7:30 Friday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Location: Ojai Art Center 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 640-8797 ojaiartcenter.org “Sam Chase & the Untraditional in Concert” Date: September 9 Time: 6 p.m. Location: Dancing Oak Ranch, 4585 Casitas Pass Road Contact: 665-8852 ojaiconcertseries.org “Ojai Strong: A Woman’s Life in Song” Date: September 15 Time: 8 p.m. Location: Matilija Auditorium, 703 El Paseo Road OQ / FALL 2017
“Dave Mason in Concert” Date: September 23 Time: 7 to 10 p.m. Location: Libbey Bowl Contact: (888) 645-5006 libbeybowl.org Chamber on the Mount: Jill Fieber and Dianne Frazer Date: September 24 Time: 3 p.m. Location: Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road Contact: 646-9951 chamberonthemountain.com “Ojai Studio Artists Tour Exhibit” Date: September 29 to October 26, reception, 7 to 9 p.m. October 13th Time: Noon to 4 p.m. Location: Ojai Art Center 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 640-0117 ojaiartcenter.org
“Journey Tribute & Queen Tribute” Date: September 30 Time: 5 to 9 p.m. Location: Libbey Bowl Contact: (888) 645-5006 libbeybowl.org “The Townies Live!” Date: September 30 Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Topa Mountain Winery, 821 West Ojai Avenue Contact: 207-7470
Certified Farmers Market
OCTOBER “Ojai Open Exhibition” Date: October 2 to January 5 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday Location: Ojai City Hall Gallery, 401 South Ventura Street, with additional work on view at Ojai Valley Museum, 130 West Ojai Avenue Contact: 640-8751 ojaivalleymuseum.org, artsojai. org “Topa Topa Folk Fest: Lucinda Williams” Date: October 6 to 7 Time: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday Location: Libbey Bowl Contact: 796-3674 topatopafolkfest.com
Oct. 13-14: The Ojai Studio Artists (including Carlos Grasso, pictured here) will return with 60+ artists featured.
Historical Walking Tours of Ojai Date: Every Saturday Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Location: Departs from the Ojai Valley Museum, 130 West Ojai Avenue. Contact: 640-1390 ojaivalleymuseum.org
Full Moon Meditations
Nov. 2-12: The Ojai Film Festival will honor Ed Asner, “one of the most outstanding and respected actors of his generation.”
“Boccali’s Hay Maze & Haunted Hayrides” Hay Maze Dates: Oct. 7 to 31 Time: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Haunted Hay Rides: Oct. 13-14, 20-21, 28 Time: 7 to 9 p.m. Location: Boccali’s, 3277 West Ojai Ave Contact: 646-6116 Annual Ojai Studio Artists Tour Date: October 14 to 15 Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: varies Contact: 903-9743 ojaistudioartists.org Ojai Land Conservancy Annual Membership Celebration Date: October 14 Time: Reservations required see website Location: see above
Date: Every Sunday Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact: 698-5555 Location: Matilija Street city parking lot behind the Arcade. Open air market featuring locally grown produce, as well as plants, musicians and handmade items.
Dates: Sept. 5, Oct. 4 and Nov. 3 Time: 7 p.m. Location: Meditation Mount, 10340 Reeves Road Contact: 646-5508 ext.103, meditationmount.org Open meditation at the Full Moon.
‘Eating Ojai’ Food Tour “Eating Ojai” Food Tour Date: Call to schedule Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Location: Varies Contact: 295-8687 venturafoodtours.com
Ojai Seeker’s Bike Tour
Nov. 11-12. Bestselling author Byron Katie will headline the Ojai Word Fest with her new book, “A Mind At Home With Itself.”
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Date: By reservation, 48 hrs in advance Time: varies Location: varies Contact: 272-8102 or email ride@ themobshop.com Ojai bike tour features agricultural, artistic, culinary, cultural and historical landmarks in Ojai. Riders are guided to eight stops where they answer questions about each place. 149
“The Art of Dennis Shives: His Unique Vision” Date: Oct. 14 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday Location: Ojai Valley Museum, 130 West Ojai Avenue Contact: 640-1390, ojaivalleymuseum.org “When Ice Burns: New Work by Diane Best” Date: October 19 to December 3 Time: 12 to 5, Thursday to Friday, Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, 9:30 a.m to 1 p.m. Location: The Porch Gallery, 310 East Matilija Avenue Contact: 620-7589, porchgalleryojai.com Ojai Day/Ojai Night Date: October 21 Time: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Location: Downtown Ojai Contact: 646-5581 ext. 304, ojaiday.com “Taste of Ojai” Date: October 22 Time: 2 to 5 p.m. Location: 10th green, Ojai Valley Inn, Contact: 798-0177, TasteOfOjai.com
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“Meditation Mount Spirit of Peace” Date: October 20 to 22 Time: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Location: 10340 Reeves Road, Contact: 646-5508, meditationmount.org Chamber Music Concert Date: October 22 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 640-0117, ojaiartcenter.org “Postcards from Cambodia: The Photography and Musings of Tree Bernstein” Date: October 27 to November 30 Time: Noon to 4 p.m., reception November 18, 1 to 3 p.m. Location: Ojai Art Center 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 640-0117, ojaiartcenter.org
NOVEMBER “18th Annual Ojai Film Festival” Date: Nov. 2 to Nov. 12 Locations: Include Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Chaparral Auditorium, 414 East Ojai Avenue
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Contact: 640-1947 “Ojai Word Fest” Dates: November 11 and November 12 Locations: Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Chaparral Auditorium, 414 East Ojai Avenue Contact: 766-7222 “Holiday Home Look In” Date: November 11 to 12 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Location: Varies Contact: 646-2094 ext. 103, ojaifestival.org Chamber Music Concert Date: November 19 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 640-0117, ojaiartcenter.org “Holiday Home Look In” Date: November 11 to 12 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Location: Varies Contact: 646-2094 ext. 103, ojaifestival.org
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R Ubicon THEATRE COMPANY
WORLD-CLASS ARTISTRY AND SMALL-TOWN HOSPITALITY
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$5
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SEP 13~ OCT 1
OCT 25~ NOV 12
Incognito
Taking Sides
The West Coast premiere of a dazzling, beautiful drama about our desire to know ourselves and others. Incognito is a rich tapestry weaving together several stories about memory and identity.
In post-WWII Germany, a U.S. Army officer interrogates worldfamous conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, who chose to stay in Germany when many of his colleagues left their homeland out of protest or fear of persecution. Was Furtwängler guilty of collaborating with the Nazis, or did he stay out of devotion to his country and his art?
Incognito has been generously sponsored by Barbara Meister
Taking Sides has been generously sponsored by Sandra and Jordan Laby
8O5.667.29OO
online: www.rubicontheatre.org 1OO6 E. Main St.
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SA e V co E d
Us
Downtown Ventura’s Cultural District
AWARDS
New York Drama Desk Award, the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for “Sustained Excellence,” 15 Ovation Awards, VC Reporter’s “Best Theatre,” a NAACP Award, and multiple Indy, Garland and Robby Awards
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TAP DANCING IN MEINERS OAKS
R
elaxing beneath sparkling starry skies in ultra-cool Meiners Oaks, herewith a bunch of stuff to ponder under the sign of the Orange Cup which I think we should all keep close to our hearts: To avoid being caught on film by a speed camera, you would have to be travelling at 28,000 miles-an-hour. Mollynogging is an old Lincolnshire word for hanging out with loose women. Christopher Columbus suffered from arthritis in his wrist as a result of a bacterial infection caught from a parrot. Bill Clinton was mauled by a sheep at the age of 8, and didn’t learn to ride a bicycle till he was 22. In an average year in the United States, trousers cause twice as many accidents as chain-saws. In the UK, Isaac Newton served as MP for Cambridge for over 30 years, but spoke in the House of Commons only once — to ask for a window to be closed because it was draughty. Herring talk out of their arses, communicating by firing bubbles from their backsides that sound like high-pitched raspberries. And as Mark Twain wisely reminded us — get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. Final fashion note: Andy Warhol always wore green underpants. And now, a beautiful poem: “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke (18871915) If I should die, think only this of me — that there’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever England. There shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed; a dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, a body of England’s, breathing English air, washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home, and think, this heart, all evil shed away, a pulse in the eternal mind, no less gives somewhere back the
By Peter Bellwood
thoughts by England given; her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; and laughter learnt of friends; and gentleness in hearts at peace, under an English heaven. MAKE THE ORDINARY COME ALIVE Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand, and make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself. English village names, No. 240: GROLLY-ON-THE-NOSTRIL CLAMPINGS-ON-THE-WATTLES HALYARD-OFF-THE-SHIV WEEDS-IN-THE-BASIL GUBBINS-IN-THE-CHUTE Quotes Of The Day: “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination.” — Oscar Wilde “Beware of seriousness. It is a form of stupidity.” — Alexander Waugh “I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.” — Steven Wright “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” — Albert Einstein “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” — Mark Twain Wise words from two American literary giants: “To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give oneself; to leave the world a little better, OQ / FALL 2017
whether by a healthy child, a garden path or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exaltation; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived … that is to succeed.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Thoreau was asked why he was so curious about things, he replied “What else is there in life?” He needed nature as he did oxygen itself. In a book he was preparing for publication even while succumbing to tuberculosis, he wrote: “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” He died with great equanimity. When asked by an aunt whether he’d made peace with God, he replied: “I didn’t know we’d ever quarrelled.” Incidentally, I did actually meet Andy Warhol. It was at a party he was hosting at a West Hollywood disco called The Factory back in the ‘70s. I asked him on that occasion, after assorted absurd pleasantries, if he was wearing his green underpants. “None of your damn business,” he replied. I never saw him again — and The Factory didn’t stay open that much longer, either . The truth is, like so many of my close Meiners Oaks friends, I love coffee. But it’s what French writer Honore de Balzac said about it that clinched the deal for me: “As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move … similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.” Isn’t that the best news for writers and all other living things you ever heard — ?! Finally a word from humorist, memoirist and journalist Calvin Trillin, a big fan of H.L. Mencken and how he expressed himself — for instance, Mencken’s definition of Puritanism: “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Thank you and goodnight! And God bless us, everyone … ! 153
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Wilde COLDWELL BANKER
Erik - 805.830.3254 Larry - 805.640.5734
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727 W. Ojai Ave. ~ Ojai ~ CA 93023 ~ Larry - 805.640.5734 ~ Erik - 805.830.3254 www.wilde-wilde.com ~ lwilde@west.net ~ erikw@west.net
Wilde COLDWELL BANKER
Erik - 805.830.3254 Larry - 805.640.5734
T H E F I N E S T O F O J A I & V E N T U R A C O U N T Y R E A L E S TAT E FINE HOMES
RANCHES
LAND
- 50 Acre Ojai Estate Compound -
New England Style Residence + Guest House - Walk to Town
727 W. Ojai Ave. ~ Ojai ~ CA 93023 ~ Larry - 805.640.5734 ~ Erik - 805.830.3254 www.wilde-wilde.com ~ lwilde@west.net ~ erikw@west.net Larry Wilde DRE# 00521627 - Erik Wilde DRE# 01461074