Ojai Quarterly Winter 2018

LIVING THE OJAI LIFE WINTER 2018-19

IMAGE NATION Fine Arts Photography That Puts Focus on Ojai

RING MASTER Pop Soper & Ojai’s Boxing Days

FATHER’S HOME Famed Architect Shaped Ojai for Generations OQ / WINTER 2018-19

DEMONIC DISPOSSESSION New Graphic Novel Takes on Obstacles to 1Art

10-1/4 Acre Padaro Beach | Ocean Vistas | Summerland Beachfront | $49,000,000 | www.Padaro-Lane.com

Mid Century Estate | 11+ Acres | Two Legal Parcels $3,495,000 | 1071RanchoDr.com

First Time To Market! Several Parcels Nine Homes | 31 Acres

East End Ojai Craftsman $1,925,000

Spectacular 6300 SF | Guest House Workshop/Hobby Bldg | 100% Well Water

Downtown Ojai | 3 Unit Commercial Property | 411WOjai.com

41 Acres | Rancho Matilija ranchomatilija41acres.com

Larry Wilde began his real estate career in Ojai in 1975, and by 1978, together with his partner Dennis Guernsey, formed the local Coldwell Banker Property Shoppe. Today it is the premier brokerage in the Ojai Valley.

Classic 1925 Downtown Spanish | Pool Guest House $1,995,000 | 608ElPaseo.com

2065 Los Encinos | Ojai Mid-Century Home with Pool 2065LosEncinos.com

Downtown Ojai | Private | 1.5 Acres $1,349,500 | 811canada.com

3.3 Acres - 4 bed/3 bath in downtown Ojai $1,325,000 www.1368Farnham.com

Downtown contemporary w/mid-century flare | $1,095,000 | www.507Aliso.com

Immaculate Remodeled Mid-Century Gem in Downtown Ojai | $ 899,000

Downtown 2.5 Acre - Persimmon Hills | Great Views - $579,500

Charming Meiners Oaks home 135lomita.com | $455,000

Ojai Creekside Condo 1,900+ Sq Ft 4 Bed | 2 Bath | $595,000

Bryant Circle Industrial 2490+ SF includes solar! | $995,000

727 W. Ojai Ave. - Ojai - CA 93023 - Larry - 805.640.5734 - Erik - 805.830.3254 wilde-wilde.com - lwilde@west.net - erikw@west.net Larry Wilde DRE:#15216270 - Erik Wile DRT:#01461074

Donna Sallen

RE/MAX Gold Coast Realtors

located in the heart of ojai.

805-798-0516

Surrounded by graceful, majeStic oakS and rock wallS, thiS gated and private home iS Sitting perfectly on more than an acre of land on the eaSt end.

located in the quaint oakS weSt neighborhood on a tree lined Street, you will enjoy thiS large family home.

wonderful horSe property located on the ojai valley horSe/bike trail.

Sitting perfectly on nearly 1.5 acreS, thiS eaSt end ojai home offerS a SpaciouS, open floor plan with vaulted ceilingS, large rock fireplaceS, two maSter SuiteS and gueSt quarterS.

charming, charming, charming. thiS 1923 craftSmanStyle home iS tucked away on a quiet cul-de-Sac in the heart of downtown ojai. aS you enter into the living room, you will immediately feel the charm thiS home offerS.

There’s no place like home ...

Let me find yours.

in the preStigiouS eaSt end of ojai, down a private lane, SitS an elegantly modern home recently remodeled by joSeph lam, owner of Zen weSt deSign.

Donna Sallen 805-798-0516 www.donnasallen.com

L ov i n g l y h a n d c ra f te d i n O j a i , C A Jes MaHarry Store ~ 316 East Ojai Avenue, Ojai California 93023

www.jesmaharry.com ~ 877.728.5537 ~ jesmaharryjewelry

Photo by: Rylann Smith

RAINS

Specialty Department Store Est. 1915

DISTINCTIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE QUALITY · SELECTION · SERVICE

Alan Rains

COMPLIMENTARY GIFT WRAP THE CENTER OF OJAI www.RainsOfOjai.com

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

7

challenges are giving way to emerging hope and optimism

a determination for the right to happiness, the strength of bonding friendships, new and old

453 E Ojai Ave., Ojai, CA 93023 • (805) 646-1997 • susancummings.com •

@susancummingsdesign

GREEN BUILDING FEATURE

ADD “GREEN” TO YOUR WALLET

W

e often find that, while many of our clients go into remodels wanting a green approach, they frequently decide against green selections as they look to minimize the remodel and price per square foot costs. We think this is a mistake. And it’s not only because greening your home is better for both our planet and for your family.

While going greener with your remodel may cost a bit more on the front end, chances are you’ll make back your money plus some once your remodel is complete. Here are four reasons why you should consider a greener remodel as an investment instead of an extravagance.

1. The average U.S. household spends a whopping $2,150 on annual energy bills. Bringing your whole home up to California’s Title 24 standards will not only save more than $6,000 in energy over 30 years, but an estimated 300 thousand gallons of water, to boot. Additional air sealing and insulation measures will further enhance your energy savings and comfort. Solar strategies add another dimension to overall energy savings.

2. A recent peer-reviewed study found that high performance homes sell for a premium of 3.46%, on average. Even if you’re not looking to sell in the near term, the features you add now can add dollars to your selling price down the road…and give your real estate agent a listing that’s more tantalizing to potential buyers.

3. Green building materials are often much more durable than their less green counterparts. For homeowners, this doesn’t just mean less home maintenance expense, but less effort and headache replacing components down the line.

4. Improved indoor air quality can make your family feel more energetic, minimize doctor visits in the near term, and help to prevent against respiratory issues later.

For more information or for a complimentary home evaluation, call, click or visit Allen Construction.

Ojai | Ventura | Santa Barbara | San Luis Obispo 805.884.8777 | buildallen.com The Central Coast’s leading green building experts since 1983.

G A B R I E L A C E S E ÑA

CAL BRE# 01983530 Realtor | Luxury Specialist Berkshire Hathaway

Unwavering commitment to my clients’ satisfaction.

Driven by passion for the work I do 805.236.3814 | gabrielacesena@bhhscal.com Gabrielacesena.bhhscalifornia.com

Two Homes | Downtown | $1.349 million

Retreat into this newly updated downtown, 2 homes plus an art studio, Ojai sanctuary. A refuge of natural light, lush flower gardens, romantic patios, and peaceful views of green meadows and abundant trees. $1.349 million

Extraordinary downtown living! This stylish, luxurious Tuscany townhome located conveniently in the highly sought-after Los Arboles enclave offers an exceptional lifestyle within moments of Ojai’s best dining, hip coffee shops $820,000

It’s a lifestyle! Nestled in the heart of Ojai’s vibrant downtown, this luxurious townhome encourages an active lifestyle. Libbey Bowl & Park, wineries, boutiques, estaurants, are seconds away. $1,099,000

960 E Ojai Ave Suite 106/107, Ojai, CA 93023 805-646-6673

RESIDENTIAL- HOSPITALITY - CONTRACT

Winter 2018-19

Editor & Publisher Bret Bradigan Director of Publications Ross Falvo Contributing Editors Mark Lewis Jerry Camarillo Dunn Jr. Jesse Phelps Creative Director Julia Weissman Columnists Bennett Barthelemy Dr. Beth Prinz Ilona Saari Kit Stolz Sami Zahringer

Director of Sales

Ross Falvo 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. © 2018 Bradigan Group LLC. All rights reserved.

LIVING THE OJAI LIFE WINTER 2018-19

Quarterly

IMAGE NATION Fine Arts Photography That Puts Focus on Ojai

RING MASTER

Pop Soper and Ojai’s Boxing Days

FATHER’S HOME

Famed Architect Shaped OQ / WINTER 2018-19 Ojai for Generations

DEMONIC DISPOSSESSION New Graphic Novel 1 Takes On Obstacles to Art

On The Cover

“Terence Stamp: Now & Then” Photo by Betina LaPlante

FEATURES 88

My Father’s Home

Rodney Walker was one of the country’s most influential architects. And so much more.

Story By Craig Walker

54

Staging Ground

The Ojai Art Center Theater Lineup Set for 80th Anniversary.

Story by Mark Lewis

111

Going The Distance

For decades, Clarence “Pop” Soper trained boxing greats in Ojai.

Story by Mark Lewis

Investors Special!! Located in the coveted East End neighborhood, you won’t want to miss this opportunity! Large and private 12,500 sq ft corner parcel and over sized family room with vaulted ceilings compliments the 3 bed and 2 bath Ranch style home. $649,000

With a perfect blend of relaxed refinement, this sophisticated Mediterranean single story enjoys one of Saddle Mountain’s most aesthetic settings offering serene privacy and spectacular views. Over 2 acres & direct bridle trail access.

1,595,000

805.637.4467 ojaihomes4sale.com

Build your own dream home and enjoy quiet country living, just a few minutes from downtown Ojai.

This beautiful, flat parcel on North Fork Springs Road is surrounded by trees and gorgeous mountain views!

299,000

Build your dream home on this flag lot that’s over 1/3rd acre and is flat and fully fenced. Sale can come with complete, custom, zoning-compliant plans for a 2,400 sq.ft.

Main House, 850 sq. ft. Guest House and 800 sq. ft.

Garage. 309,000

Vintage downtown 3 bedroom, 2 bath home full of character, yet refined & updated with amenities such as an updated kitchen, wood floors, central AC & a light-filled breakfast nook. Lush, cool green setting with mature trees, privacy & an equally serene Guest Cottage! 1,195,000

Call us at 805.637.4467 to learn more about our upcoming listings!

DEPARTMENTS 27

Ojai Notes Ojai Farmer’s Son Runs for San Francisco D.A.

73

Ambrosia Bags Saving Money, Produce & the Planet

By Bret Bradigan

128

Nocturnal Submissions DNA, Cancer & the ‘Little Orange’ Story Dr. Beth Prinz

MAPS/ETC.

22 Editor’s Note 23 Contributors 27 Ojai Notes 58 Artists & Galleries 76 Ojai’s Wine Trail 122 Street Map 128 Healers of Ojai 127 Retreat Page 132 Top 10 Ojai Hikes 148 Calendar of Events 16

Photo by Bennett Barthelemy OQ / WINTER 2018-19

63

Food & Drink Ojai Authors Cooking With Books

By Ilona Saari

144

Nocturnal Submissions At An Ojai Party, The Future is Formed

By Sami Zahringer

128

Food as Medicine DNA, Cancer & the Return of a Vegan Favorite Story Dr. Beth Prinz

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

17

Cheryl & Ray Deckert Broker Associates

Maria DePaola Sheryl Whipple Robert Perron Paul Johnsen Realtor Partner Realtor Associate Realtor Associate Realtor Associate

5 Valley Road, Oak View - $599,000 This 1,737 sq. ft., 3 bed/2.5 bath home will WOW the most discriminating buyers with its charm and fine detail! Upon entering you’ll notice high beamed ceilings, a warm, inviting fireplace and rich, tasteful flooring. Entertainment or family time is easy with the open floor plan design throughout the first floor, which continues to flow into the kitchen, featuring gleaming updated counter tops. The downstairs is rounded out with a full laundry room and half bath.

Upstairs you’ll find two large bedrooms with a shared, remodeled bathroom and an oversized master bedroom with an en-suite remodeled bathroom and mountain views. Room for RV parking, too!

402 N. Arnaz Street, Ojai - $550,000 Tucked away just one-half mile from Meiners Oaks Village you’ll find this 3 bedroom/1.75 bathroom Americana home. Inside you’ll find a comfortable living area with an updated kitchen behind it. The kitchen boasts updated cabinets with wood and glass doors, tile flooring, and all the creature comfort appliances you would expect. Don’t miss this one!

115 Valley View Drive, Oak View - $599,000 - SOLD Perched on a hillside in order to capture the sweeping views and colorful sunsets, this two bedroom/1 bathroom home with an open floor plan and light and bright interior will certainly capture your fancy. While you’ll likely wish to spend most of your time on the back patio, the inside of home has its own charms, including wood and tile flooring, raised and beamed ceilings, and views from most windows on the back side of the home. There is a detached garage on the property as well, in addition to room for RV parking. The back patio is a perfect place for sunset dinners, and even features a newer outdoor fireplace. There’s additional terraced space in the back yard as well, with plenty of room for a garden. If you enjoy style, comfort and views…look no further, you have found home.

www.BestBuysInOjai.com ~ Phone: 805.272.5221 ~ Email: Team@DeckertDePaola.com

DRE #01761150, 00780642, 01877842, 01962884, 02019595, 02018091, 01859199

EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL LAYOUT SYSTEM See the actual layout of the stonework before we make a single cut!

celebrating

23 years of business

(805) 648-4098 www.PacificStoneworks.net 31 Peking Street, Ventura, CA 20

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

21

EDITOR’S NOTE

By Bret Bradigan

THE URGENCY OF SHOWING UP “If you don’t go to someone’s funeral, they won’t go to yours.” — Lawrence P. “Yogi” Berra One of my favorite roadside signs of all time was from a volunteer fire department in Oregon. “If you don’t come to our pancake breakfast, we won’t come to your fire.”

In that one sentence, the entire apparatus of small-town life is contained. On one level, it’s entirely tongue-incheek, because the volunteers would never discriminate when someone’s house is on fire; they don’t even keep track of who comes to their fund-raising event. On another level, though, it’s spot-on. Because if the community doesn’t support their volunteer firemen, they can’t fulfill their important mission. My father was a volunteer fireman, as was every male over the age of 18 in our tiny little hometown. That “all hands on deck” mentality when a crisis strikes is the crux of community.

Ojai proved itself, once again, during the Thomas Fire last year with the outpouring of support for the professional firefighters, who fought such a valiant battle.

On the other end of the spectrum — in fact the opposite of a crisis — is this issue of the Ojai Quarterly. Let’s call it what it is, a celebration of community. The fact that we endure is cause enough to celebrate. Ojai doesn’t need this magazine. But it does want it. Hence the fact that Team OQ is closing in our 10th year (stay tuned, we’ve got something very special planned to mark the occasion).

I’ve been after Craig Walker for years to write about his famous architect father, Rodney Walker, one of the masters of the mid-century modern style — and he came through beyond expectation; read on for a poignant, insightful profile of a man who left Ojai a vastly better place than he found it. It’s an important part of our mission at Team OQ to keep the past alive, as we also do with Mark Lewis’ masterful, colorful account of Clarence “Pop” Soper, who for decades trained the greats of the boxing world at his camp on Matilija Creek. And Richard Camp’s preview of the exciting 2019 season at the Ojai Art Center Theater is a glimpse into its future as that stage goes from strength to strength. It is also a testament to the enduring qualities of this tight-knit community of artists and other assorted misfits since the Art Center will be celebrating its 80th anniversary, the oldest continuously operating community theater in the state of California.

We would not be such a miracle of a magazine were it not for our talented columnists. We have more delights in store for you in the manic magic of Sami Zahringer; and Bennett Barthelemy’s lyrical and visually compelling profile of a local climber, or Dr. Beth Prinz’ rendering of new advances in nutritional science into practical wisdom for healthy eating. Ilona Saari takes another of her trademark entertaining looks at the confluence of food and Dada with the upstart Beato Chocolates.

Again, we take seriously our task to add value to the Ojai experience. And we have fun doing it. As someone said, “To not need anything is a triumph; to not want anything is a tragedy.”

22

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

CONTRIBUTORS Bennett Barthelemy is a freelance adventure photographer and writer who was born and raised in Ojai. Check him out at bennettbarthelemy.blogspot.com.

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.

Richard Camp is an

Emmy-winning TV writer, playwright, director, wine writer, and Artistic Director of the Ojai Art Center Theater. richardcamp16@ gmail.com

Mark Lewis is a writer and editor based in Ojai. He can be contacted at mark lewis1898@gmail.com.

Ojai’s locally owned and operated magazines.

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

writer and award-winning breeder of domestic American long-haired children.

She has more force meat recipes than you.

and worked as a doctor in New York, London and locally. If she were president, she’d make all fruits and vegetables free for everyone, and end chronic disease. Until then, she hopes to persuade with words. askdrbeth@ ojaiquarterly.com

Kit Stolz is an award-win-

ning journalist who has written for newspapers, magazines, literary journals, and online sites. He lives in Upper Ojai and blogs at achangeinthewind.com.

Julia Weissman is a mem-

ber of Ojai Studio Artists and runs local marketing agency Lunch Box; lunchbox-creative.com.

Follow her on Instagram @ wooltowool.

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

By nationally award-winning writers and photographers.

DISCOVER

OJAI an

J

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.

Beth Prinz, M.D. has lived

#OJAI STRONG, OJAI STRONGER

On the Firing Line with Travis Escalante

u ary 2 01

8

Jesse Phelps grew up

MONTHLY Lifestyle & Visitor Information

Ojai by Design:

book spotlights famous architects

Ojai’s toy story: The barthelemys have more in store

Cover Sponsored by Oak Grove School “Where the World is Our Classroom • See More On Page 19 Visitor Information • Hikes • Events • Activities • Lifestyle Tips & Tactics - December 2017 See More AtOMTheOjai.net

1

OjaiHub.com 805.798.0177 23

A Taste of Ojai Awhai Pottery Axxess Ventura BeCalm of Ojai California Solar Electric Chamber on the Mountain Char Man Brand Hot Sauce Dogs Fly Design Gabriela CeseĂąa, Berkshire Hathaway

The Glass Man Professional Window Washing Company

Ojai Quarterly

GoOjai.com

Rowsie Vain

Greyfox Investors Jennifer Keeler, Hair Stylist Lorraine Lim Catering Mary Nelson Skincare & Massage Studio Mooney Creative Noah Crowe, Sunrun Home Solar Consultant

Parker Jellison Realtor Sol Haus Design The Southern Los Padres Trekking Company Tobias Parker, General Contractor Tonya Peralta Real Estate Services Watercolors by Patty Van Dyke

Together, our community will help protect Ojai’s trails and open spaces for everyone to enjoy, forever.

Visit a participating Wild About Ojai business today and take part.

24

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

Ojai

For Beauty Home Nature •

•

Arts Investment Community Lifestyle Everyone •

•

•

•

Beautiful single level Ranch style home in historic Arbolada. Full of charm, quality with extensive remodel & upgrades. Private & gated matured .9 acres with salt water pool and separate 500 sq. ft. studio.

Come live the Ojai life today! Asking $1,749,000

Lovely, bright and spacious this 3 +2 Meiners Oaks Cottage sits on .23 lot Majestic Oak studded lot, just waiting for new owners and priced to sell at $569,000

DON & CHEREE EDWARDS

Beautiful 3+2 on .45 acre, newly finished by Scott Loomis. Quality custom hardwoods, designer kitchen, new en suite bath on .45-acre with mountain views and sparkling pool! Asking $839,000

CALL US TODAY!

Ojai’s Top Real Estate Team living and working in Ojai Valley for 30 years!

Platinum Club, Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement RE/MAX GOLD COAST REALTORS 21 W. Baldwin Rd. Ojai, CA 805.340.3192 www.LivinginOjai.com 805.340.7575 DRE # 01053877 DRE # 01823803 2001 & 2017 Ojai Valley Realtors of the Year!

Derby & Derby, Inc.

“Big Company Capabilities, Small Company Service”

Investment & Insurance Planning and Services Since 1979 State of California Registered Investment Advisor

California insurance licenses #0575624, 0A38521 and 0L48881

Wealth Management Retirement Planning Estate Preservation Legacy Planning Life Insurance & Annuities Long-Term Care

(805) 646-3729

603 West Ojai Ave., Suite C PO Box 189, Ojai, CA 93024 vicki@derbyandderby.com

26

Donna Lloyd Vice President

Margaret Marapao CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

Cindy Rodarte Administrative Executive

Victoria Derby Breen Owner/President

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Derby & Derby, Inc., State of California Registered Investment Advisor. Derby & Derby, Inc. and Securities America, Inc. are separate entities.

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

OJAI NOTES OJAI SON RUNNING FOR S.F. D.A. Leif Dautch, Deputy Attorney General and a graduate of Oak Grove School and Yale and Harvard Law School, has been making the rounds of the state as he runs for San Francisco District Attorney.

He held a recent fund-raising event at his mother’s and father’s (organic farmer B.D. Bautch) home in Ojai, gearing up for the Nov. 5, 2019 election.

Dautch is running for the seat formerly held by U.S. Senator Kamala Harris. In 2016, he was named head of San Francisco’s Juvenile Probation Commission, managing a $35 million budget for a 240-person department.

He was recognized by Forbes Magazine as “30 Under 30) list of rising policymakers and lawyers.

Dautch has stated that his focus if elected as San Francisco’s top attorney, he will focus on homelessness, environmental justice and property crimes. He’s announced more than 60 endorsements.

AUGUST LAUREL GALLERY NEW NAME, S AME SPACE Tartaglia Fine Art on Ojai Avenue is under new ownership and has a new name.

The space, a long-established part of the art scene in Ojai, is now known as August Laurel Gallery. It’s located at 307 West Ojai Avenue, Suite 102, across the street from the Arcade.

The gallery’s new director,

Leif Dautch, left, speaks with Chris Cohen and son Dean at a recent fund-raising event in Ojai.

Christine Callahan, will still represent the same award-winning artists as before but plans to expand the roster of artists represented.

The focus of the gallery is on contemporary California artists (and a select few nationally recognized talents) specializing in plein air, landscape, still life and figurative work.

(Pictured at right, a painting

by Ojai artist Dennis Shives.)

AL “SCARFACE” CAPONE & OJAI

During the depth of the Prohibition, it was believed that crime boss Al Capone was earning $1 million per week (in 1927 dollars) through his iron-control of the contraband liquor trade before being declared “Public O Enemy No. 1” 1. Capone was a fight fan, and liked to be seen ringside at the title fights during the 1920s and 1930s before being jailed for tax fraud. Crowds would cheer his appearance at sporting

events as a modern-day Robin Hood Two Degrees of Separation Between Ojai & Anyone, Anywhere and celebrity.

2

of Ojai ?

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

More Inside 35 Arts of Ojai

Artists, Galleries, Exhibits and More

61 Food & Drink

Diners, Dives and Drive- ins of Ojai

125 Wellness

Healers, Hikers and Ojai-Based Medicine

2. When Jack Dempsey came to Ojai in 1927 to train for his much-anticipated rematch against Gene Tunney, (see “Going the Distance” on page 1110 the sparring matches drew big crowds of fight fanatics from around the country. It has long been said that among those fight fans traveling from far and wide to the boxing camp near Ojai was Chicago Outfit capo Alphonse “Scarface” Capone.

27

ojaihub.com

Ojai’s community website

28

events • news • explore Created by the Ojai Quarterly; supported by the Ojai Valley Business Community.

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

TONYA PERALTA REAL ESTATE TEAM

Impressive style with guest optioncondo!

Darling Hitching Postwing end-unit Arbolada Mid-Century with guest wing & pool!

Oak studded beauty on 1 acre+ w/ studio!

2.5 acre private Upper Ojai oasis

Arbolada charmer with legal 2nd dwelling!

Rachelle Guiliani, Realtor® Keller Williams Realty 805.746.5188 BRE#02047608

Tonya Peralta, Broker Associate Keller Williams Realty 805.794.7458 BRE#01862743

Serena Handley, Realtor® Keller Williams Realty 805.798.1286 BRE#01994892

View our Listings at ILiveinOjai.com

Montessori School of Ojai ·Academic Excellence ·Leadership Skills

·Model United Nations Program ·Structured Environment

Infant - 8th Grade

805-649-2525

Lic #566212532 & 561702317

75 years of

monicaros.org

JOYFUL LEARNING

806 Baldwin Rd., Ojai CA 93023

30

Blending academic fundamentals with the richness of the visual arts, drama, and music.

Preserving the magic of childhood in Ojai’s beautiful East End. Pre-K - 3rd Grade • Toddler Program • Summer Camp 805.646.8184 783 McNell Rd. Ojai, CA 93023 monicaros.org

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

PRESCHOOL—HIGH SCHOOL

THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS TO BE GRATEFUL for Oak Grove School, but preserving an environment for students to ask the deepest and most formidable questions is at the top of that list; to directly confront fear, loneliness, self awareness, and love; to flower from a deep truth within. Oak Grove’s expansive wooded campus and community of adults (parents, teachers, staff) support a safe space for deep inquiry, affectionate communication, and openness in the face of challenge, all while infusing our days with a sense of ease and joyfulness.

FOUNDED BY J. KRISHNAMURTI

Oak Grove’s 150-acre rustic campus is as unique as its academic program: A college preparatory DAY and BOARDING High School with an intimate, home-style boarding program. A rich academic curriculum, emphasizing depth over breadth, spanning PRESCHOOL through HIGH SCHOOL. Engaging OUTDOOR EDUCATION courses that encompass field trips, camping, and backpacking, culminating in a month-long Senior trip to India.

PRE-K—12, COLLEGE PREP, DAY AND BOARDING

OAK GROVE SCHOOL The Art of Living and Learning

LEARN MORE

OAKGROVESCHOOL.ORG

The Rainmaker Shower

New generation style, affordable fashion

Custom Design & Installation

DON’T MISS OUR DECEMBER SALES EVENT!

Ha pp our y Hol fam iday ily t s fro o yo m urs !

WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR SELECTION OF CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

Sizes range from XS to 4XL Bring in your school ID and get 10% off your next purchase

OjaiRockstacker.com 805 279-7605

Tel: 805.640.0406 • GenesisOfOjai@yahoo.com 305 E. Matilija Street, Suite B, Ojai

the best shopping is local 32

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

33

an Ojai tradition since 1964

Open Every Day 9:30 - Sunset

302 W. Matilija Street | 805-646-3755

ARTS & LITERATURE

38 Off the Shelf

Lucy Bellwood’s War & Peace With Her Inner Demon

44 Theater Preview

Portrait Artist on Ojai Favorite Subjects

54 Theater Preview

Ojai Art Center Stage for Busy 2019

58 Artists & Galleries

What if the love of your life sees you in a whole new light?

Clothing and accessories so beautiful they appear in the Smithsonian and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

805-646-4877 Come to our site and see how incredible you can look!

www.theunzicker.com BE_OQad_3.pdf

1

10/10/2017

2:08 PM

BookEnds Bookstore

& Curiosities new and used books

on Life, Liberty & Happiness 110 South Pueblo Avenue Ojai, California 93023 in Meiners Oaks, corner of El Roblar

open 10 am to 6 pm (closed Wed)

bookendsbookstore.com

805.640.9441

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OQ / WINTER 2018-19

Unique

Jewelry

& Clothing

in collaboration with artisans in Africa

NOMAD

AU G U S T

L AU R E L

GALLERY

Paintings by Leslie Clark

307 E. Ojai Ave. 805 646 1706 www.nomadgal.com www.nomadfoundation.org

Frameworks of Ojai custom picture framing

Hours: Monday ~ Friday 10 - 5 Saturday 11 - 3, or by appointment.

(805) 640-3601 236 w. ojai ave, #203, ojai, ca 93023 info@frameworksofojai.com

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

37

off the shelf

LUCY BELLWOOD and her demon

What does it take to become a working artist — or a successful human being?

How does one learn to make a living as a creative person?

BY KIT STOLZ

L

ucy Bellwood, who grew up in Ojai, graduated from Reed College in Portland in 2012, describes herself as an “adventure cartoonist,” and has been thinking about these questions for years.

And despite having become somewhat famous in her field, and having published two books and posted a dozen or more projects of all sorts, Bellwood still finds herself struggling with doubts, fears, and anxieties. But instead of trying to suppress these negative thoughts, she has taken to dramatizing them in graphic form. She talks back, in fact. Her inner critic can be a monster, as she shows in her new book Demon Dialogues, but that doesn’t mean he’s always wrong, or as fearsome as he pretends to be.

In the pictures she draws in Demon Dialogues, we see her autobiographical character wincing when her Demon’s remarks strike home. We see her arguing with him, and beginning to talk honestly to him. And even — at times — we see her comforting him when he reveals his doubts, fears, and anxiety.

Ultimately, with forthright charm and honesty, she begins to befriend her Demon, and so disarm him. It’s an unexpected turn in a droll and fastmoving book.

Her demon — whom Bellwood has been drawing for years as a flat black square imp, who makes dramatically angry faces, and has a knack for pointing out the flaw in every little thing Bellwood does or says — doesn’t really like being comforted.

But Bellwood, interviewed at her home in Portland — where she touched down briefly after a summer-long tour of the U.S. promoting her book, before embarking on another tour of the United Kingdom — has given up trying to smash him as she did when he first showed up as a character in 2011. And her humorous exploration of this difficult dynamic has helped make her book, which is available at some stores or by order, her most successful to date. She even sells plush toy versions of her demon,which have proven popular with kids and fellow anguished writers.

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“When I started out I think I fell prey to the standard societal idea that you should be able to eradicate this feeling of weakness,” she said. “I’ve read a lot of self-help-y books over the past couple of years, and when the subject of the inner critic comes up, it’s usually about how you must fight your inner critic and win. The rhetoric is violent: it’s about vanquishing this nagging voice. This does not seem realistic to me. I think it’s a false Paradise, to never have a negative thought again.”

Bellwood stresses that she thinks her Demon in his own fearful, narrowminded way is trying to do what he thinks is right for her.

“The voice serves a purpose,” she said. “It’s trying to protect us, to make sure we don’t get hurt.”

Bellwood began drawing her Demon — who had been a character in her autobiographical sketches for years — as part of the 100 Days Project on-line challenge, in which creative artists of

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all sorts challenge themselves to bring something into being every day for a 100 days and post it in some way, even if it’s on the refrigerator, or to friends, or on social media.

comforting him. Because he was a character, I could see how scared he was.

I think the way we talk to ourselves is often so much crueler than the way we talk to other people.”

“In my first attempts, we were antagonists, and I had difficulty developing the dialogue,” she said.

“When I committed to the challenge [of drawing and posting daily] we started having conversations. In some entries the Demon was really becoming overwhelming, and yet I found myself

Bellwood, raised in Ojai by two writers, expats from Britain (one of whom, Peter Bellwood, has been a founding contributor to the Ojai Quarterly), became a sea-going adventurer before she became a professional cartoonist.

Beginning in 2007 she worked as a deckhand aboard a tall sailing ship

called the Lady Washington, and, with the confidence she gained on that ship and others, went on to launch two successful Kickstarter campaigns. The first was to fund her thesis project, a comic book about finding space for creativity called “True Believer,” which was far more successful than anticipated.

Then, in 2015, to fund the publication of her book about becoming a sailor on a tall ship, called “Baggywrinkles: A Lubber’s Guide to Life at Sea,” Bellwood launched another campaign. She estimated she would need about $15,000 to publish a

quality book in color. The Kickstarter campaign took in over $43,000, and helped launch her professionally.

Yet despite these early successes, Bellwood began to experience a disconnection between how well she appeared to be doing online and the reality of being a freelance artist. An image she drew of a tattooed sailor, for a maritime museum, which she used as a bonus attraction in the Kickstarter campaign for her “Baggywrinkles” book, went viral on the Boing Boing site, which has 10 million visitors a month. The letterprint version of the image soon sold out, and people began to look at Bellwood differently.

it, and she draws herself in her books as a lead character. Young, short-haired, casually dressed, she’s frequently exasperated but nonetheless determined to speak her truth.

“Stop being vulnerable!” her Demon tells her early in her dialogue with him.

“You’re making yourself a target!”

This freedom has given Bellwood the chance to let her career and her life develop mostly spontaneously. She says she’s never planned her next step in life, be it going down the Colorado River as an artist on a rafting trip, working as a deckhand on a tall ship, or launching a career as a cartoonist..

“I have some book ideas in mind, but I like what I’m doing right now,” she said.

“I feel I’m still trying new things. I didn’t know you could get work on tall ships until I ran away and joined some sailing expeditions. It’s very scary getting on a plane with all your possessions and running away to see what will happen and thinking, “Boy, I really hope this works.’”

After all, her image had gone viral, had been promoted by museums and hugely famous people such as George Takei, and had drawn thousands of comments and likes.

“People began to make a lot of assumptions,” she said. “I would be congratulated on becoming successful.”

She appreciated the attention, but knew its limits. In an essay last year she totalled up the amount of money her fling with international fame had netted her: about $1,760. In 2016, she spoke at XOXO conference for Internet pioneers, revealing a fact she felt ashamed to admit, by bluntly telling everyone in a large auditorium a painful truth. What fame and a little publishing meant for Lucy Bellwood was that she could get off food stamps.

“It’s not that I would trade in the success I’ve had,” she said. “But I was on food stamps so that I could pay the rent. It’s not tens of thousands of dollars in the mail every month.”

Bellwood still treasures the “charmed existence” she had growing up in Ojai, the freedom she had to explore the Ventura River bottom as a kid, to explore her creative potential in school and in classes taught by the likes of dramatist Kim Maxwell and writer Deb Norton, to spend summers in the Shakespeare festival. Her humor still has a strongly autobiographical and theatrical aspect: “performed vulnerability” as she calls

would be inconceivable.

“You don’t have to be Beyonce to make a living,” she said. “This is something that doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s not unattainable either. It affords me the chance to connect in a more immediate and personal way with fans, and it creates a welcoming community for artists.”

“We have to talk about what hurts,” her character replies.

This is the wellspring of Bellwood’s humor. She speaks up for what she believes, while at the same time gently mocking her own earnest nature. Along these lines, she has come to believe in an idea first proposed by tech writer Kevin Kelly, a pledge model for artists called 1000 True Fans, which has found an online reality in the form of a site called Patreon. The idea is that if an artist can find 1000 fans willing to pledge a small amount of money a month for access to all his or her work, the artist can find the freedom to grow and thrive, despite the vagaries of the market.

In Bellwood’s case, she says she has attracted so far about 370 fans on the Patreon website, who pledge enough on a monthly basis to allow her the freedom online to be honest and to pursue the kind of “weird and scary” ideas that otherwise

In Bellwood’s case, it seems the courage she has shown — to reveal not only her creative doubts, but also parts of her romantic and social life — has become part of her appeal.

“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show,” wrote Charles Dickens, of his young hero in his classic “David Copperfield.”

In the case of Lucy Bellwood’s work, there’s the dramatization of fears, but also much wry amusement at her own self -- and flashes of an understated heroism, a determination to rise to the occasion. It’s no surprise that her stories have found fans around the country and the world.

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IMAGE NATION

BY BETINA LAPLANTE

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Betina LaPlante has been exploring the possibilities of portraiture with her camera for the past decade, deepening the emotional connection between viewers and subjects. She’s been featured in several photography magazines, including the cover of Rangefinder Magazine, and has a rapidly growing Instagram account with more than 6,000 followers.

The Ojai Quarterly caught up with her for a question-andanswer session about her work, her art and her life.

LEFT: We Three. When shooting Tea, Ami and Linn, I always try to get individual shots as well as of the three together. The house wall makes for a great textured backdrop and there are lounging cushions conveniently propped up against it. We were setting up for a group portrait, Tea and Ami already in position and waiting for Linn, when her shadow appeared in the frame as she was coming to sit down. I told her to stay where she was — the composition that had presented itself was perfect. Her silhouette being so distinctive, in profile with her hair up, it didn’t matter that she wasn’t physically in the frame. It’s still very much a portrait of the three girls.

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Ojai Quarterly: Why photography?

Betina LaPlante: I was given my first camera at age 14 and started taking photos for fun. Photography became a hobby and passion, and the camera has never been too far away since.

Being shy as a young adult, but also loving people and social interaction, the camera provided me with a tool to observe and connect with people with more confidence than just having a dialogue. The hobby became more serious in 2009, when I bought my first digital camera and started broadening my horizons outside my family and friends, and has introduced me to incredibly interesting, talented and exceptional people I would never otherwise have met.

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BELOW: Carolyn Murphy. This is actually a candid photo of Carolyn, taken in mid-discussion during dinner at a friend’s house when she lived in Ojai. The sun was setting and for a brief moment the golden light streaming in from the window happened to fall perfectly on her. I had my camera in my lap and just shot off a couple of frames, without lifting it up. It’s not hard to take a good photo of Carolyn, but I got lucky with both focus and composition considering I was literally shooting from the hip.

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ABOVE: Callie Little. My son Tomas is a swimmer and I always took my camera to his meets. There are opportunities to be had when shooting in crowded places, as cameras are a common sight and they tend to be largely ignored among all the action. During one of these swim meets at his school, I was struck by a beautiful student who was volunteering as a timer. I had a long lens to capture the action in the pool and without her noticing me I managed to grab a shot of her before she was obscured by other people. It was a wider composition in camera but I had enough quality and detail in the frame for a tighter crop in post.

OQ: What about the art form inspires you?

BLP: Photographs tell their own story, all stemming from that fraction of a second in which the moment was captured.

Looking at an image you may not necessarily know what was happening in that instant, but a good photograph will capture your imagination and spark in you its own story about the subject and place, and a great photograph will continue to inspire emotions long after you’ve seen it. I particularly love black-and-white photography and tend to do most of my work in monochrome.

As humans, we see the world in color, so stripping that element from an image forces us to look beyond our normal and what we take for granted, and see the essence of the subject reduced to light, shadow, form and texture.

OQ: Any particular influences or mentors you want to

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TOP LEFT: Gino Hollander. I met the late abstract expressionist painter, and long-time Ojai resident, through a good friend. We became instant friends.

At the time, he was digitally cataloguing his work and asked me whether I would take the photos of the pieces, which I readily agreed to do, as I enjoyed spending time in his company. He was incredibly prolific, so we spent several hours, with his wife Barbi, taking the photos and assigning each painting a reference number.

During one of these afternoons, after we had finished documenting all the canvases, and I was going through everything with Barbi to make sure the right image matched the reference number assigned, he spontaneously started painting a portrait of me. It was quite magical to watch him in action so I shot of a few frames of him painting the portrait. He heard the camera and stood aside slightly, looking at me while waiting for me to shoot the canvas. This is a square crop of the full frame, losing a little of the painting, as I wanted the focus to be on him, with his art as a complement. But I loved that it was also a double portrait, as his interpretation of me was part of it.

TOP RIGHT: George Christie. A well-known Ojai resident, I had the opportunity recently of meeting George through my ex-husband, Richard La Plante, who asked me to do some portraits of him for use in promoting their project “Outlaw,” a one-man play written by Richard and based on George’s experiences as a Hell’s Angel. We set up an impromptu studio in Richard’s living room by draping a black sheet next to a window for a neutral background. The actual shoot took less than 20 minutes but I stayed for several hours, listening to them rehearse the play, and being regaled by fascinating stories…

BOTTOM LEFT: Doug Lewis. A very dear old friend who lived in Upper Ojai for a few years, before moving back to the Bay area. While I was visiting him at his mom’s house, he asked me to shoot some portraits of her. She insisted I shoot some of him also. I shot this portrait of him, sitting in an armchair in the living room. It wasn’t planned but there is a comfort level between us that made the atmosphere very relaxed, and the result very honest.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Jack. My children have been the target of my lens since they were born. While Tomas was always a reluctant subject, Jack every so often indulged me when I wanted to try new things — equipment, lighting, etc. I had just bought my first DSLR and was getting to grips with all the settings, excited at finally having a ‘grown up’ digital camera, and not just a point and shoot. We were living in a house with a very large bay window in the front room, which provided wonderful lighting opportunities. I stood him at a 90-degree angle to the larger part of the window, the rest wrapping around behind him. I cropped square to lose the light behind him to the right of the frame, which added a bit of drama to his already intense expression.

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mention?

BLP: Dorothea Lange, Eve Arnold, Diane Arbus, Saul Leiter, Lillian Bassman, Erwin Blumenfeld, Terence Donovan, Vivian Maier, Richard Avedon, David Bailey… the list is really too long but I would say high on the list is Irving Penn. Not only a phenomenal portrait photographer but a true artist in every genre of photography — still life, fashion, beauty, black and white, colour. Extraordinary.

And another personal favourite is Elliott Erwitt, who is not only one of the greats with a career spanning over seven decades, but also a dear personal friend. He’s delightfully charming and has a great sense of humour which translates into how he sees and captures the world around him...

OQ: Have you worked in other mediums?

and I worked in film and television production for several years before moving to America and starting a family. With regards to photography, I started using analogue — and still love using Polaroid and medium format film — but have progressed to digital for convenience and immediacy of results, and of course affordability.

OQ: Tell us a little about yourself. Where’d you grow up?

How’d you end up in Ojai?

BLP: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I lived until I was 8. My family moved to Europe where I went to school and worked until I got married and moved to the East Coast.

My boys were born in East Hampton and after nine years, and too many long cold winters, we decided to try California. We found Ojai through friends and after visiting, we decided to settle there. That was in July 2004.

BLP: I did a year of art school and three years of drama school OQ: What’s next? Are you focusing on social media? Gallery shows? Journalism? All of the above?

BELOW: Steph. I went to a party at Guy Webster’s then-motorcycle ‘museum’ in Bryant Circle with one of my dearest friends, Stephanie Thomas. It was a big social event and I walked around, taking photos of people there. Some time into the evening I spotted Steph standing outside in conversation. She was quite far away, but as soon as I lifted the lens in her direction, she sensed it and turned to look straight at me and I pressed the shutter more out of guilty reaction to getting caught. The next frame she was grinning.

BLP: All of the above. Well, maybe not journalism. I love portraiture and the interaction I have with the people I have the privilege to shoot, so that will be my focus. Gallery shows are definitely on the horizon, as well as working more on film productions. I have been on a couple of sets as a still photographer and love the atmosphere and camaraderie. It also affords a photographer lots of opportunity to grab candid portraits. And social media has been a good friend so far.As my accounts are public, I use them strictly for uploading my work, and so far I have not needed to advertise — all my commissions so far have come from either word of mouth or people finding me on social media.

OQ: What’s your approach? What makes your work distinct

RIGHT: Sisters. These amazing girls have quickly become favourite subjects of mine to shoot. They are all easy-going, up to try anything, have fun doing it, and are able to be completely relaxed in the presence of the camera. They can also turn off the smiles and just be. We had been looking for different locations around the house to take photos and one of them suggested the hammock. For a while there was pandemonium as the girls tried to get comfortable within the hammock’s confines and the dogs and cats got involved, thinking it was a game. We went with it and got photos of all the action. Then the animals lost interest (or maybe the parents helped divert their interest!), and the girls were left alone in the hammock. I simply asked them to hold still and simply look into the camera exactly as they were.

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from others?

BLP: Engaging with the subject in any way that brings down ‘barriers’ on both sides of the camera is key to getting something special, for me. Whether I know the subject well or I’m meeting them for the first time, I like to take a little time, when I can, to break the ice. This is particularly helpful to me with people I’ve never met, as it gives me time to study their features and their body language, and for ideas to start to form. For the most part, I take the lead from the subject, rather than choreograph the shoot. And grabbing those unscripted moments when they present themselves … those can be the real

gems. As far as what makes my work distinct from others, I’m not sure. I do hope that there is an honesty to the portraits that resonates with the viewer.

When I shoot, I seldom go in with a firm pre-conceived idea or a definitive shooting plan. It can lead to disappointment if you don’t get what exactly what you were aiming for. While I usually have a “brief” when shooting for a client, I’ve learned that allowing the shoot to develop organically actually yields some of the best photos, whether they are posed portraits or stolen candid frames during the session.

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OJAI ART CENTER THEATER SEASON — 80th ANNIVERSARY

BY RICHARD CAMP

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What’s coming in 2019 to the Ojai Art Center Theater?

A revival of the first show ever produced at the theater!

A brilliant take on money, greed and sexual politics, from a 17th century satirist!

One of the most joyous, foot-stomping musicals in Broadway history!

An original play about religion, evolution and Elvis!

The best-loved characters from Dr. Seuss, singing their way into your hearts!

And, sound the trumpets…new chairs!

Illustration by Jules Weissman

T

he OACT is very pleased to announce its 2019 season, which will be a year-long celebration of its 80th Anniversary. What better way to celebrate than to find out the Art Center’s very first offering and perhaps revive that show? This idea would not work if the first show had been a review type of play, the kind very popular back in 1939 (Busby Berkeley anyone?) No, it had to be a legitimate play. A disappointing search through the Art Center’s files turned up nothing from 1939, a problem that’s currently being remedied for the future by the creation of an archives committee dedicated to documenting the history of the theater and the Art Center. By the end of the 80th Anniversary Season we will have an archive, both digital and analog, so that people can re-live some of the best moments of the Center’s vivid and memorable past.

Meanwhile, I needed information immediately, so I turned to the Ojai Museum. President Mark Lewis helped set me up in the archives room where I spent a couple of hours looking

through various folders and binders filled with Ojai’s history, several being exclusive to the Art Center. The pickings were slim, indeed, for anything pre-1940 and it wasn’t until I looked through the carefully preserved Ojai Valley News from 1939 that I hit the jackpot: a small article from December of that year announcing the first play, “Night Must Fall,” by Emlyn Williams. Eureka! It was an actual play! It premiered in London in 1937 and was later made into a movie with Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell and Dame May Whitty.

(Google them.) This “Agatha Christie type” whodunit sports

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to make it easy for you! It’s the story of a young woman about to be married, who invites her three possible fathers to the wedding, unbeknownst to her mother, who clearly did a little playful dabbling in her youth. Delicious complications ensue, filled with some of the most popular songs in pop music history. Runs from June 14th to July 14th.

a mysterious intruder in an old manor house in the English countryside, a cranky, meddling matriarch with a penchant for sweet chocolates and tart put-downs, and her longsuffering and politely prim niece who fancies herself a poet.

The decidedly unpoetic charm of the mysterious intruder provokes her to let down her hair and dabble in danger. It’s a delicious send-up that’ll keep you guessing ‘til the very end, and runs from February 15th – March 10th.

Our second show of the season will be “The Miser,” from the brilliant 17th century satirist, Molière. This updated version

by David Chambers brings us the story of an old, pontificating patriarch who feverishly, fervidly and lustfully hoards his money, and confounds everyone by announcing that he wants to marry his son’s girlfriend. His son is aghast, and so is his girlfriend.

Paul Sulzman This outrageously funny classic holds up a mirror to today’s chaotic world regarding greed, humanity and sexual politics. Directed by actor/director Paul Sulzman, this biting farce runs from April 5th to April 28th.

Right around tax time!

The summer musical will be the joyous, no-reason-for-it-toexist-but-to-have-fun musical, “Mama Mia!” directed by Tracey Williams Sutton. Written by Catherine Johnson and based on the ABBA songs of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulaeus, this is an energy-filled paean to good-time musicals! As the title song goes, “my, my how can I resist ya?” It’s one of those musicals that’ll keep you dancing in your seat (or out of it) and you may find yourself singing along. Strongly encouraged, and we plan to pass out lyric sheets for some of the performances 56

Tracey Williams Sutton

The fourth show will be an original play, “Bless Your Heart” written by playwright Richard Camp (yours truly) and directed by veteran Tom Eubanks. It’s a hilarious, but touching, look at religion, evolution and Elvis, as a teacher of evolutionary biology returns home to North Carolina to try to stop his 17-year-old brother from marrying the 18-year-old preacher’s daughter, then clashes with his born-again, evangelical mother. Why the brother wants to marry at so young an age is the crux of this story and the revelation may leave you reeling and “all shook up.” Each side of the religion/evolution coin is given its full due, as mother and son realize that the mysteries of the universe Tom Eubanks are not easy to solve, no matter the complexity of your schooling or the simplicity of your beliefs.

Confounding everyone is the teacher’s 11-times-married, bourbon-fueled devil of an aunt with an Elvis fetish! “Butter my butt and call me a biscuit,” she’ll be saying on weekends from September 6th to September 29th.

The holiday show brings us “Suessical, the Musical,” based on the books of Dr. Seuss, written

by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and directed by the queen of the intergenerational shows, Gai Jones. This musical lovingly brings to life some of Dr. Seuss’ favorite characters including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and a little

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Gai Jones

you would pay if you bought individual tickets. That’s like getting the summer musical for free! (General Admission price is $30). Art Center members and Seniors pay $85, a savings of $20 over the individual ticket prices. That gives those patrons virtually one play for free. In addition, each season subscriber’s name will be entered into a drawing for one of two very significant prizes: A portrait painted by the awardwinning and highly esteemed Ojai artist Duane Eels, or dinner for two at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. Subscribers will also gain admission to any opening night gala that we may have throughout the year. The first will be for “Night Must Fall” on February 15th where patrons can party like it’s 1939 by wearing costumes of the era (optional).

boy with a big imagination, Jojo. Adults and kids alike and will be thrilled and filled with laughter and holiday spirit.

This runs November 22nd – December 15th, making it the perfect show to bring the whole family to over Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season.

Come join the festivities and celebrate the Art Center Theater’s eight decades of quality plays and musicals! www.ojaiact.org

In addition, because of the proliferation of talent in the Ojai Valley, there will be readings of more original plays throughout the year, including at least two by Ojai writers.

Now, about those chairs. The theater season is getting a later-than-usual start because of the very exciting news that in January the old, run-down, broken-spring seats will be retired to the Old Seats Home and replaced by brand-new, extremely comfortable replacements that’ll allow audiences to celebrate the 80th anniversary and beyond in comfort and style. Because the current seats are more than 30 years old, the administrators of the theater launched a very successful “Chairs Campaign” this past summer and fall which brought in enough funding to renovate the interior of the theater.

FEBRUARY 15 - MARCH 10 Night Must Fall Written by Emlyn Williams Directed by Richard Camp

APRIL 5 - APRIL 28 The Miser Written by Molière Adapted by David Chambers Directed by Paul Sulzman

Not only will there be new chairs, but a new light and sound booth as well, after removing the eyesore that’s been in place on floor level for months now. Thanks to all who donated to this campaign! Those who donated at a certain level will have their names inscribed on plates attached to the chair arms.

JUNE 14 - JULY 14 Mama Mia!

We also thank everyone who supported the 2018 season, which has proven to be one of the most successful seasons in the history of the Art Center Theater. We could not have done this without the support of our subscribers and individual patrons who devotedly attended “On Golden Pond,” “Macbeth,” “Bakersfield Mist, “33 Variations,” and “Man of La Mancha” which became a phenomenon by selling out every single performance of its five-weekend run. An exhilarating, hilarious, outrageous, crowd-pleasing, kid-friendly English panto version of “Cinderella” runs November 30th through December 16th and big crowds are expected for that as well.

SEPTEMBER 6 - SEPTEMBER 29 Bless Your Heart

Written by Catherine Johnson Directed by Tracey Williams Sutton

Written by Richard Camp Directed by Tom Eubanks

NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 15 Seussical the Musical Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flahert Directed by Gai Jones

Heartfelt thanks also go to the Ojai Arts Commission, the Edgerton Foundation, the Rotary Club of Ojai and to individual donors for their generosity in helping to make the season such a success.

We look forward to seeing you throughout the coming year to celebrate our 80th Anniversary. Season tickets are on sale now. General admission tickets are $100, $30 less than what

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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. 323-806-7995

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

JOYCE HUNTINGTON

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.

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SUSAN STINSMUEHLEN AMEND Paints on clear

glass with kiln-fired enamels, mapping unpredictable rhythms of thought.

Custom commissions welcome. susanamend@pobox.com, or call 805-844-8595. She is also on Facebook.

TOM HARDCASTLE

Rich oils and lush pastel paintings from Nationally awarded local artist 805-895-9642

KAREN K. LEWIS

Oil paintings, monoprints, etchings, drawings; figures, faces, landscapes, still lifes. www.ojaistudioartists. org/karen_lewis; lewisojai@mac.com.

805-646-8877 karenklewis.com

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.

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CINDY PITOU BURTON

Photojournalist and editorial photographer, specializing in portraits, western landscapes and travel.

805-646-6263 798-1026 cell www.ojaistudioartists.org

ELISSE POGOFSKY-HARRIS

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

LISA SKYHEART MARSHALL Colorful botanical original paintings with birds and insects, prints and cards.

SkyheartArt.com. shahsi27@gmail.com 805-256-4209 LisaSkyheartMarshall. etsy.com

NANCY WHITMAN

Nancy keeps the surface of the paintings interesting and alive. Influences have been Matisse, Jawlensky, Picasso and Bonnard. You can reach her at 805-525-3551 or email jnwhitman@live. com Studio is at 12615 Koenigstein Road.

ART GALLERIES

Fea & A turi rtis ng t ts o he A f O rt jai OVA ARTS

40+ LOCAL artists with a unique selection of contemporary fine arts, jewelry and crafts.

238 East Ojai Ave 805-646-5682 Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. ojaivalleyartists.com

FIRESTICK GALLERY

Firestick Pottery provides classes, studio/ kiln space and a gallery abundant with fine ceramics. Located at 1804 Ojai Avenue, we are open from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. every day but Tuesday. 805-2728760.

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

HUMAN ARTS GALLERY

An arts destination for 43 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

TARTAGLIA FINE ARTS

Original art with a focus on Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County artists.

307 East Ojai Avenue 805-646-0967 tartgaliafineart.com

ANCA COLBERT

Art Advisory and Appraisal. Experienced, guidance with art collections, documentation, insurance valuations, etc.

By appointment TheColorOfLight.com 805-624-5757

PORCH GALLERY

Contemporary Art in a Historic House.

310 East Matilija Avenue, Ojai 805-620-7589 porchgalleryojai.com instagram/Porchgirl1

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LATITUDES FINE ART GALLERY

Ventura’s only fine art gallery exclusively dedicated to showcasing the beauty of Ventura County in fine art photography.

401 East Main Street, Ventura. 805-642-5257 latitudefineart.com

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

STUDIO SAUVAGEAU

Exquisitely handcrafted bags 305-G East Ojai Avenue New Location! studiosauvageau.com 805-798-2221

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WEDDINGS

•

HOLIDAY PARTIES

•

CORPORATE EVENTS

EVENTS@OLDCREEKRANCH.COM | (805) 649-4132 | OLDCREEKRANCH.COM TASTING ROOM OPEN AT 11 AM, FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY @oldcreekranchwinery

Ask us about our Honey Clu b!

Visit our Honey Tasting Room 206 East Ojai Avenue, in the Arcade, downtown Ojai www.heavenlyhoneycompany.com | 805-633-9103 60

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OJAI WINE & DINE

64 Food & Drink

Beato Inspires Chocolatiers

71 Waste Naught

Interview With Food Storage Innovator Jan Randolph-Rem

76 Wine Map

Finding, Enjoying Top Vintners

Photo of Beatrice Wood

by Tony Cunha

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food & drink

(in-a-dada-da-vida)

BY ILONA SAARI 64

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Heather Stobo, Emily Burson & Lisa Casoni, founders of Beato Chocolate

B

ackstory: I first learned about the Dada movement when I was in Mrs. Brandenberg’s art school. I was ten. My fellow students and I giggled. We envisioned babies crawling around a floor calling to their fathers, “Dada, dada.” We were all ten, studying “drawing” and just learning how to sketch and paint traditional still lifes and landscapes.

So why was Mrs. Brandenberg telling us about an avant-garde art movement some guy started in 1916 Zurich during World War I? She went into great pains to explain to us that after we learned the rudimentary skills of drawing and painting, we had to expand our minds and break the rules of art. She passionately told us that the Dada movement had begun as a way to protest and help end the war by showing its horror and folly as interpreted by painters, writers, actors, performance artists, et al. Art was used to vent their frustration with the nationalists and the bourgeois. The art could be dark, nonsensical or satirical.

As the movement spread through Europe and hit New York, a community of artists began to push the art envelope in opposition to cultural values with whimsy, humor and anger. It was anti-authoritarian. We listened wide-eyed, but really had no clue what she was talking about other than we were now allowed to color outside the lines. We were ten!

OK, what about food? Isn’t this a food & drink column? Well, according to Tristan Tzara’s 1918 “Dada Manifesto,” thought is made in the mouth.

So hang in there...

I eventually learned that Dada is French for “hobby horse,” but also suggests absurdity (the babies babbling and crawling on the floor thing).

I began to understand that Dada was the first conceptual art movement (yes, you can blame Dada for the Kipper Kids). So, when I moved to Ojai and discovered that Beatrice Wood, the “Mama of Dada” had lived and worked in Ojai from 1948 till her death, I was over-the-moon. I rushed to her home, now the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, to see her mementoes, library and lusterware. I also discovered her famous explanation for her longevity (she lived ‘til 105!): “I owe it all to chocolate and young men.”

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An artist makes molds from Beatrice Wood’s ceramics 65

Photo of Beatrice Wood by Donna Granata Chocolate!

Fast forward: Last winter Heather Stobo and Lisa Casoni (owners of the Porch Gallery, our town’s wonderfully eclectic, contemporary art gallery) were enjoying some hot chocolate, musing about art and food with dietician/ cookbook writer, Emily Burson, when Beatrice Wood’s name came up. Light bulbs popped on over their heads…

Beatrice Wood! Chocolate! A perfect marriage!

They contacted Kevin Wallace the Director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts who gave his blessing to the wedding. Heather, Lisa and Emily chose a Beatrice “moon face” sculpture, had a mold created and began creating Beato (Beatrice’s nickname) Chocolates made from local ingredients, as a way of honoring her. This inspired creation deliciously re-imagines the Dada movement by blending 72 percent dark chocolate with fleur de sel, French salt. The taste is so very Dada.

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These Beato Chocolates creators aren’t stopping with Beatrice. They plan to make more chocolates in collaboration with other contemporary artists.

Their next Beato concoction will be a chocolate knot representing fiber artist, Sally England. They’re also cooking up some Christmas bark and reimagining other holiday truffle and caramel treats to bring some food fun and whimsy into these troubled times.

Epilogue: With new ideas come new opportunities, as well. Not only will the Porch Gallery, in its historic Ojai home, continue to present shows with cutting edge artists who define art their own Dada way, but the Gallery will now have a sales/showroom for its tasty treats, offering the perfect holiday host/hostess gift or a guilty pleasure for yourself.

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Stop by the Porch Gallery to feed your imagination and your sweet tooth. See how the creators of Beato Chocolates are interpreting art through chocolate. So very Dada-esque. *** Cookbook trivia: Alan Hooker, the original owner of Ojai’s famous “destination” restaurant, published a cookbook of his recipes in 1966, titled: “Alan Hooker’s NEW Approach to COOKING as featured at his Ranch House Restaurant in Ojai, California.”

The cookbook was illustrated by Beatrice Wood. beatochocolates.com Anti-established in Ojai, CA 2018 Photo courtesy of Beato Chocolates

Beato Chocolate Lounge located at Porch Gallery in Downtown Ojai, 310 East Matilija Street

Ojai Valley’s Original Mexican Restaurant

• Margarita Mondays 2 for 1 House Margaritas • Voted Best Salsa • Taco Tuesdays • Family owned since 1985 891 Ventura Ave., Oak View (805) 649-9595 68

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715 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai (805) 640-1577

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Ojai Cafe Emporium Ojai’s favorite gathering and eating place for over 30 years.

Voted Best Bakery, Breakfast & Lunch Place ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16

805 646 2723

108 S. Montgomery Street / off Ojai Ave www.ojaicafeemporium.com BREAKFAST Served All Day Every Day LUNCH Served Daily11am-3pm BAKERY & COFFEE BAR Open Daily 6:30am-3pm

Saving Money, Produce the Planet The Ambrosia Bag Story

BY BRET BRADIGAN

I

keep vegetables hydrated and fresh longer … and later, with dehydration to keep mushrooms from sliming and berries to resist mold.”

n the summer of 2013, Jan Randolph-Rem’s gardening took a huge leap forward. Using the debris from her koi pond filters, along with chicken droppings, as a fertilizer exponentially increased her vegetable harvest.

Now, what to do with all the lettuce, spinach and other produce? She also did not want to use plastic bags. That’s when she recalled how her grandmother, born in the year 1900, would wrap fresh produce in linen. She would marvel at how long the vegetables stayed fresh and crisp.

“Not wasting things was huge for me as I grew up,” she said.

She studied the history of linen, which dates back to 3,500 B.C., how it is milled, the earth-friendly farming practices of growing linen and its many beneficial qualities. The next step was finding a linen mill that would fit her philosophy of doing business. She visited the linen mills in Scotland, the Netherlands and Belgium looking for high-quality eco-friendly mills.

The Ambrosia Bags product line includes four different types, for produce, herbs, berries and mushrooms.

Since the age of 19, she became interested in the work of Dr. Rudolph Steiner, who developed in the 1920s a holistic approach to gardening, called “bio-dynamic gardening,” which integrates the science of agriculture with a spiritual approach to the land and its rhythms.

Since she was a child, Jan has had a long love for the feel and quality of linen. She designs and sews her own clothes from the closet full of her collection of linen. After her “Aha!” moment in the garden, and remembering her family’s linen secret for storing produce, she set out to create a zippered linen bag that could extend the life of vegetables and would be easy to use.

Five years later, Jan has the same thrill of finding her veggies fresh after weeks of storage in her Flax Linen Ambrosia Hydrating and Dehydrating Storage Bag Refrigerator System.

“It’s been a process of learning. I started experimenting with different linen weights and weaves for linen’s inherent ability to better hold and retain the moisture in order to 72

When she returned from that trip, it was time to start developing the company. “I drew up a provisional patent but with the reality of many patent challenges, I had to get over my ego and fear of getting knocked-off so I set out to develop my bag brand.” In 2015, she and husband Norman Rem began test marketing at the Ojai Farmers’ Market. They agreed that “customers were beyond satisfied, saving more than their veggies.”

A year later she and Norman hired Thomson Dawson, founder of White Hot Center, a brand strategist and friend to develop a name and packaging from a mom-and-pop look to developing a market-ready brand. “He had me digging deep into the soul of it,” she said. “Early slogans included ‘Stop the Rot,’ ‘Reduce the Guilt,’ and ‘Add Life.’

As husband Norman Rem sums up, “An Ojai entrepreneur has figured out how to extend the life of produce, get rid of using plastic bags and do her little bit to save the planet … I love it when customers at the farmers’ markets stop by our booth to give their testimony to the people standing talking with us …

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Jan at Rainbow Bridge

Jan and Norman Rem at a Farmers’ Market

they literally sell the bags for us!”

One unsolicited testimonial came from a Thomas Fire victim, who told them that they evacuated their home on short notice, “and when they came back weeks later, the produce in the Ambrosia bags was still fresh. It’s heart-breaking that they had lost their homes but at the same time it made me realize how people valued our product,” she said.

Sales are steadily increasing and production is ramping us. The AmbrosiaBag.com sells online around the world, doing business across the the country, as well as Spain, France, Canada, Australia, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

They have standing orders from local stores — Rainbow Bridge and Farmer & The Cook, as well as the Erewhon grocery chain in Los Angeles. Bristol Farms and Lazy Acres are on the horizon.

Jan Rudolph-Rem’s interest in food’s “sell by date” began in 1976, when she took a summer journey with an elder companion, her son and “Sylvia, the only white woman trapper in the Yukon Territory, with two of her six kids, which she raised in the ‘bush.’ We were given permission to dumpster dive behind the large market chains to make meals for the dogs that would accompany us on a hundred-mile journey on horseback … I could hardly believe the waste of perfectly good food!”

“The forecast for next year is exciting,” she said. “We are expanding our produce bag line with different styles that will retail for less. Our goal is to saturate the market, both brickand-mortar, high-end kitchenware stores like Sur le Table and Williams-Sonoma … and I am working on a prototype for a simple line that will appeal to the top box stores like Target, Costco and Whole Foods,” she said.

“It’s an enlightened product that’s riding the top of the wave,” she says, “because it solves two major problems at once; reducing plastic bag-pollution and the enormous percentage of food — as much as 50 percent, about 300 pounds per person, per year — that’s thrown away.”

And in addition to building the brand through social media, Randolph-Rem wants to spread the word through shopping channels QVC and HSN, “and many people have told me they think I should go on Shark Tank.”

Randolph-Rem has 30 years of experience working management in Ojai’s fine dining restaurants, L’Auberge, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and Azu, and recounts memories of the huge amount of food waste. Jan believes her life experiences has led her to discovering this simple bag that fills a niche to help people save not only their precious produce, but save money and, most importantly, save resources.

The bottom line is, “produce is only getting more expensive and awareness of protecting the planet against plastic pollution is growing. I love solving problems and being a positive influence for the environment. Ambrosia Bags save time, money and changes the way people buy produce, all for the betterment of life.” (Portions of this story are reprinted from the November issue of Ojai Monthly.)

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Pizza,Pasta Wings, Salads Sandwiches We deliver

Open daily

646-7878 Mon - Thu 13 Happy hour

331 E. Ojai Ave. Downtown Ojai

on draft

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Delicatessen and

Art Gallery Plein Air Oils from the Painting Chef

espresso | breakfast | lunch

ESPRESSO • PASTRIES • CHEESE • WINE • SANDWICHES • SALADS • SOUPS

SOCIAL CAFE

205 N. Signal, Ojai | 805.646.1540

Great Sandwiches & Weekly Specials!

Vegetarian, Vegan & Gluten-Free Options!

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www.MarcheGourmetDeli.com

Open daily 7am - 5pm 74

133 E. Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA OQ / WINTER 2018-19

805•646•1133

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CASA BARRANCA ORGANIC WINERY & TASTING ROOM Historic Downtown Arcade. Stop by and relax in Casa Barranca’s Craftsman style-designed tasting room. Taste our award-winning wines made with organically grown grapes, also our USDA certified wines containing no added sulfites! Join our Wine Club!.

208 East Ojai Avenue, 805-640-1255. OPEN DAILY: Sunday — Thursday 1 to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday until 1-7 p.m. CasaBarranca.com or facebook.com/casabarranca VENTURA SPIRITS Ventura Spirits is a California Craft Distillery specializing in distilled spirits inspired by the native and cultivated flora of California’s Central Coast. We offer distillery tours and tastings of our award winning spirits in our new onsite tasting room. For more information or to contact us please visit: venturaspirits.com, email to: info@ venturaspirits.com or call us at: (805) 232-4313

TOPA MOUNTAIN WINERY Topa Mountain Winery offers handcrafted wines made from grapes grown on its estate in upper Ojai and sourced from other premium vineyards in the region. Located on two acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, Topa Mountain Winery has been voted Ventura County’s best Tasting Room two years in a row, is family and dog friendly and offers live music every Saturday and Sunday.

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.

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 at Boccali Ranch. 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.

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OLD CREEK RANCH WINERY Old Creek Ranch Winery is Ventura County’s only rural winery situated on an 850-acre ranch in the Ojai Valley. A tasting room as well as lawns and guest areas with handcrafted chairs and couches, surrounded by lush landscaping, have been designed for relaxing and enjoying fine wines. Pack a picnic, gather up the kids and dog, and head to the Ranch! A selection of 25+ red and white varietals are available for wine tastings and purchase. Check oldcreekranch.com for a schedule of live music and food trucks. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Located at 10024 Old Creek Road, Ventura, CA 93001. 805-649-4132. OldCreekRanch.com OQ / WINTER 2018-19

OJAI OLIVE OIL Ojai’s no. 1 rated visitor experience, our Olive Mill & Tasting Room is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for free tastings and shopping. We also offer free guided tours on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Visit an organic family permaculture farm and learn everything about extra virgin oil. We also have balsamic vinegars, olive trees, skin care products and more. No reservations required, pets welcome. 1811 Ladera Road , 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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Ojai Valley’s Original Mexican Restaurant

t .BSHBSJUB .POEBZT GPS )PVTF .BSHBSJUBT t 7PUFE #FTU 4BMTB t 5BDP 5VFTEBZT t 'BNJMZ PXOFE TJODF 891 Ventura Ave., Oak View (805) 649-9595 78 68

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715 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai (805) 640-1577

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Follow us on Instagram!

Ojai’s locally owned and operated magazines.

By nationally award-winning writers and photographers.

DISCOVER

OJAI

#OJAI STRONG, OJAI STRONGER

On the Firing Line with Travis Escalante

u ary 2 01

8

J

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MONTHLY Lifestyle & Visitor Information

Ojai by Design:

book spotlights famous architects

Ojai’s toy story: The barthelemys have more in store

Cover Sponsored by Oak Grove School “Where the World is Our Classroom • See More On Page 19 Visitor Information • Hikes • Events • Activities • Lifestyle Tips & Tactics - December 2017 See More AtOMTheOjai.net

Ojai Quarterly & Ojai Monthly @ OjaiHub.com

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(805) 646-4478

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337 E. Ojai Ave.

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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

GEM QUEST 18 karat yellow and white gold with yellow sapphire and diamonds. Hand made at Gem Quest Jewelers 324 E Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA 93023 Phone: (805) 633-4666

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

The Hoff Group

— UPSCALE HOME IN OJAI’S EAST END — Enjoy an upscale lifestyle in this country-style, two-story Craftsman home with attached guest suite in Ojai, just minutes from downtown, with a light and open kitchen. High ceilings and fireplace in the living room with two sets of Milgard dual-paned sliders lead to serene garden in front and back. Attached guest unit, complete with kitchen and living room.

Offered at $1,599,000 www.507Gridley.com.

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805-290-6907

Kathy@KathyHoff.com www.TheHoffGroup.com

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We’llOjai,get you there!

Meiners Oaks and Mira Monte From and to: For Just $1.50!

ADA and Medicare Card Holders .75¢, Seniors 65 and up .75¢, Children under 45” tall FREE

The Ojai Trolley Service

Photo: Michael Ojai Trolley Route Legend

Transfer Locations/ Punto de transbordar Transfer to and from Gold Coast Transit at this location

McFadden

Trolley A Services

Whispering Oaks & East End

The Ojai Trolley Service, established in 1989, is owned and operated by the City of Ojai. The Trolley provides daily fixed-route transportation to approximately 9,000 riders per month throughout Ojai, Meiners Oaks, and Mira Monte.

The Trolley is a well-known feature in the Ojai Valley, and in addition to the daily fixed-route services, participates in many local community events, fund raising activities, community service, and educational functions.

W

Trolley B Services

408 South Signal Street, Ojai, CA 93024 • Phone: (805) 272-3383 • E-mail: trolley@ojaitrolley.com • www.ojaitrolley.com trolley Stops/ Paradas

Ojai Valley Inn

(805)272-3883 trolley@ojaitrolley.com WWW.OJAITROLLEY.COM

El servicio de Ojai Trolley opera diariamente, excluyendo los siguientes días feriados: Día de Año Nuevo, Día de Conmemoración de los Caídos, Día de Independencia, Día del Trabajador, Día de Acción de Gracias, y Navidad.

Effective 1/1/18 www.Ojaitrolley.com

The Ojai Trolley is a Service of the City of Ojai & the County of Ventura

Timed Trolley Stops/ Paradas Mayores

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Custom Residential and Commercial

Specialty Coatings. Fine Finishes. Wood Graining.

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TITUS PAINTING OJAI (805) 646-1373 info@titus-painting.com

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HOLISTIC, REGENERATIVE GARDENS Organically improving soil water holding capacity and vitality through water catchment systems, applications of active compost, soil injections and foliar spraying compost teas & extracts and mulching

Native and Mediterranean garden specialists

805-640-1827 • www.greengoddessojai.com 86

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YOUR LOCAL REALTOR OJAI AND VENTURA COUNTY CALBRE LICENSE | 02038823

DIRECT: 805.746.8424 | EMAIL: LISALYNCH@KW.COM

OJAI

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OJAI DOOR & WINDOW 942 E. OJAI AVE OJAI, CA 93023 P (805) 646 5032 F (805) 646 1708

www.ojaidoorandwindow.com

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My Father’s Home

BY CRAIG WALKER

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

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It was during his time “in overalls on the job� that he felt he really worked out his designs.

Photo above by Felix Barlow. Opposite page, Rodney and Dorothea Walker photo by John Engstead.

Construction photos by Rodney Walker 90

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R

odney Walker was one of America’s leading mid-century architects, at a time of great flourishing in the art of living, but he was much more — a photographer, musician, restaurateur, and newspaperman.

He was also my father.

Rodney Walker never wanted to be a licensed architect. On construction documents, he would often sign his name: “Rodney Walker — not an architect.”

Professional architects, after all, dressed in suits and ties; they worked in air-conditioned offices drawing plans that others would build.

For my father, the drawings were just the first step in the creative process. The essence of building lay in construction: experimenting with new materials, inventing new structural systems, solving problems, harmonizing the building with its natural setting.

At heart, Rodney Walker was a builder — an engineer, an inventor, and an entrepreneur.

It was during his time “in overalls on the job” that he felt he really worked out his designs, not only the exterior beauty of the house, but the inner structural elements and the financial details of the job.

Later in his career, when the AIA (American Institute of Architects) offered to license him as an architect despite his lacking required education and training, he refused.

He preferred to remain a designerbuilder, though his work was so innovative, professional, and artistically creative that today it is hard not to think of him as an “architect.”

On a bicycle trip in 1955, at the height

of his career as one of Los Angeles’ most celebrated and sought-after homebuilders, my father and mother discovered the remote little town of Ojai.

They fell in love with the place, and saw in the town the ideal environment for raising their five children. They soon left their big-city Los Angeles life behind and became active participants in the Ojai community.

My father continued to design homes for another few years, including our family’s spectacular home in the West Hills, but he gradually moved on to more local, community-oriented pursuits.

But in all he did, with my mother as his partner, he approached his new projects with the same self-confident, rational, problemsolving creativity that defined him as a homebuilder. When he died in 1986, he left behind a legacy of architecture, business and community activism that had a lasting impact on the character of our community.

THE SALOON KEEPER’S SON Rodney Walker was born Sept. 15, 1910, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up in the small mining town of Ely, Nevada, living at various

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times in the nearby communities of Ruth and McGill. His father owned the B.E. Walker Mercantile and his mother The Vogue dress shop. His father also owned and ran two saloons — The Ruth Club in nearby Ruth, Nevada, and The McGill Club in nearby McGill. His father had uneven success as a businessman and young Rodney learned as much from his father’s failures as he did his successes.

Rodney’s grandfather, Jefferson Asbury Walker, was likely more of an influence on Rodney than his father. Jeff Walker was a successful brick-maker and builder in California, constructing many important buildings in Woodbridge, Santa Ana, and Chico during the late 1800s. To celebrate Rodney’s birth, his grandfather gave him a bank account with $20 in it. Young Rodney took great pride in seeing this account grow over the years and he used it to fund several business projects in Ely while in high school and college. While a high school student he ran his own taxi business and while in college he funded his education using the profits of a restaurant he owned in Ely called the Blue and White Café. So successful were these businesses that his own father worked for him when he attended high school and later when he was away at college.

In high school, Rodney loved acting in school plays, running track, and enjoying classical music. But in his heart he longed to attend CalTech and become an aeronautical engineer. He lacked a course in chemistry, however, so he applied to a Pasadena City College engineering program, which allowed

91

students to transfer to CalTech as a Junior.

At PCC he ran track and cross country and excelled in his engineering classes; however, he found the higher math classes too difficult.

After taking a year off to run his restaurant in Ely, he returned to Los Angeles to study at UCLA. He graduated from UCLA in 1937 with a degree in art.

One of his art professors, Annita Delano, took an interest in him and introduced him to many of the top architects and designers in Southern California.

It was also at UCLA that he met his future wife, Dorothea Worsley of Fullerton. He met her on a blind date that was supposed to be with Zelma Gussin (Wilson), the future Ojai architect, but she couldn’t make the date and Dorothea stepped in. They married in 1937, bought a lot in Beverly Glen, and proceeded to build their own contemporary house.

My father found the process so satisfying he decided to become a designer-builder. In 1938 he took a draftsman job working for the well-known modern architect Rudolph Schindler.

After a few months, he left Schindler’s office and began designing and building houses on his own. In spite of the slow construction market at the end of the Depression, Rodney

found steady work through both commissions and spec homes he financed and sold.

When the United States entered World War II, all residential construction ended, and most architects and builders were enlisted in the war effort designing and building warplanes. During the war years, my father worked at Douglas Aircraft designing, among other things, the door on the DC-6 airplane.

When the war ended in 1945, he went back to designing and building homes, assembling his own crew of builders who would stay with him for the next 15 years. His head carpenter, Ernie Kazmar, had been his supervisor at Douglas Aircraft.

One of his first building projects was a new family home on Beverly Grove Drive.

The small spur of land he and my mother purchased overlooked Los Angeles, near the home of Katherine Hepburn. Howard Hughes gave my older brother, Bruce, a ride to school on occasion after leaving Hepburn’s home.

Materials and building supplies were difficult to find after the war, but Rodney was adept at locating and storing scarce materials.

His use of plywood was pioneering. He even received an award from a plywood association for his innovative use of the now-ubiqituous material. He also perfected a method of

Rodney Walker loved experimenting with new materials, inventing new structural systems, solving problems and harmonizing the building with its natural setting.

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staining interior polished concrete floors that kept the color vibrant over the years.

THE MAKING OF A CASE STUDY MASTER Because of the pent-up demand for new, contemporary housing in Los Angeles and the difficulty in finding building materials, my father’s house on Beverly Grove, completed in 1946, drew a lot of attention. It was published in the Los Angeles Times Home Magazine, which advertised an open house there the following weekend. Over 4,000 people walked up Beverly Grove Drive to tour the innovative, new house.

The house showcased the new midcentury modern architecture as well as the talents of the young home-builder, Rodney Walker. Mid-century modern architecture is typically characterized by an open floor plan, low-profile rectilinear forms, floating roof planes, indoor-outdoor living spaces, minimal ornamentation, and the innovative use of industrial materials such as concrete, fiberglass, plywood, steel, formica, and glass. In addition, Walker’s designs featured light shelves, skylights, double-sided brick fireplaces, indoor planters, indoor patios and gardens, exterior plywood, built-in shelving,

exposed pantries, and carports.

Attending the Walkers’ open house that weekend was John Entenza, publisher of Arts & Architecture magazine. The year before, Entenza had launched his Case Study House program, which showcased designs by some of the nation’s top young modern architects.

The program was intended to create model designs for affordable homes that would house America’s returning soldiers.

Entenza had enlisted the contributions of such notable architects as Richard Neutra, Pierre Koenig, J.R. Davidson, William Wurster, Charles and Ray Eames, Whitney Smith, Craig Ellwood, and others.

Several of the designs were unbuilt because of the scarcity of building materials following the war. Rodney Walker’s new house met all the criteria of the program and was already built, so John Entenza invited my father into the program.

Walker’s Beverly Grove house became Case Study House #16. He went on to design two more houses for the iconic program, which would influence American architecture over the next 20 years. It should be noted that midcentury modern architecture fell out of favor between 1970 and 2000, but there has been a resurgence of interest in the style since the

turn of the millennium. Today, mid-century modern architecture and furnishings are more popular than ever. As a side note, it is interesting that Ojai features several works by three of the Case Study House architects: two

by Neutra, three by Davidson, and seven by Walker.

One of the goals of the Arts & Architecture Case Study House program was to create custom homes that were both attractive and affordable. This was a goal my father took seriously, as it defined his style of building as well as his style of business and his approach to life. Being a child of the Depression, he took great satisfaction in saving his clients’ money while also delivering a superior product. To accomplish this, he developed a modular

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building system based on a 3’ structural module.

Today, when we think of a modular house, we think of pre-fab walls and units that are transported to, and assembled, on-site. His was a system with the modules fabricated on the job site. He would pour a standard concrete slab or raised foundation with lag bolts embedded into the concrete with a screw every three feet. He then would use a 4” square drill chuck powered by a large electric drill to screw down 8’ posts (4” x 4”).

At the top of each post he would use a router to notch a header every 3’ to hold the top of the posts, which were joined to the post by a hardwood dowel.

The space between the posts were braced with a fire block halfway, and diagonal bracing (see illustration).

Basic units of the house were always 30’ on one dimension, with multiples of 3’ on the other. He could vary the size and look of the house by joining multiple units.

After installing the plumbing, electrical, and insulation, he would attach laminated plywood panels on both the interior and exterior of the house, creating additional shear strength.

Rodney Walker’s modular system allowed

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Guests attending a concert sponsored by the Ojai Festival.

him to create an endless variety of designs using the same basic modular construction, which meant the client saved money on design services. He always employed the same crew of four workmen who were familiar with the system, so houses were assembled quickly.

This lowered both design and construction costs considerably.

In addition, he usually built two houses at the same time — one commissioned and one a spec house which he would market and sell on his own. When his crew’s work on a commissioned house was paused to allow plumbers or electricians to work, his crew would work on the spec house, eliminating waste of both materials and time. His innovative construction system was written up in several magazines for its practical benefits and cost savings.

In the late 1940s, Walker’s former UCLA art professor, Annita Delano, organized a groundbreaking exhibit on modern architecture at UCLA that featured some of my father’s designs. This exhibit drew even more attention to his work and elevated him 94

onto a level with architects as noted as Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, and Harwell Hamilton Harris.

By 1951 the Walker family had grown to five children and Case Study House #16 proved too small to contain them. The Walkers then built a new home off Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles. This spectacular home consisted of two modular units connected by a tall, 16’ gabled garden room with indooroutdoor planters.

The house drew the attention of Elizabeth Gordon, editor of House Beautiful magazine.

She sent photographers Maynard Parker and Julius Shulman to photograph the house.

Because the home’s designer and his large family lived in the house, which was designed specifically for them, she decided to publish a 38-page spread that covered both the house and the family — the first time this had been done. Hollywood photographer John Engstead took the family photos. The feature appeared in the September 1952, edition of House Beautiful. It also initiated a long relationship OQ / WINTER 2018-19

between Elizabeth Gordon and the Walkers.

House Beautiful published several articles over the next few years written by my mother with photography by my father.

These House Beautiful articles featured Walker family trips, family activities, and other family-related topics. About five or six articles appeared in all.

In 1956 the Walkers sold their Los Angeles home and moved to Ojai. They purchased an old two-story Victorian home at 308 North Signal Street, which my father expanded by adding a modernistic wing. Today, such an addition on an historic home would be considered an abomination, but in 1956 it won my father a prize for second-best remodeled home in America.

During this time my parents were active in the Southern California Recorder Society, which my parents helped found while living in Los Angeles. Recorder-playing was a family affair, with each child playing a different instrument. When we arrived in Ojai, my parents opened their house on Signal Street

to anyone wanting to join in and play. Our family — all seven of us — would perform at events around the County. We were like the von Trapp family from the “Sound of Music.”

In fact, one summer my parents and older siblings traveled to Vermont to the Trapp Family camp where they joined with the Trapp family in playing recorder music.

The Signal Street house was only a temporary stop, as was another old Craftsman house where we lived in 1957 and 1958. In 1958, my father designed and built what he always considered to be his masterpiece — a 4,400 square foot house on a high ridge on Rancho Drive with 270-degree views.”

This was the same ridge where Edward Drummond Libbey intended to build his dream home, though he died in 1925 with only the estate’s stables completed. I recall my father asking everyone in the family to design what they wanted in a new house.

After studying the drawings while standing on the building pad, he set to work. My father wrote, “With just the size and orientation of

the building pad in front of me, in one sitting, with no preconceived ideas of what the house would be, I designed the house which was my architectural masterpiece. If I have any claim to architectural fame it would, above all my work, rest with this house. “ Unlike the modular wooden homes my father had built in Los Angeles, the family home on Rancho Drive was completely new and different. The structure of the house was made of steel, with dual steel supports every 10 feet. All exterior walls were 10’ sheets of glass. This gave the large steel house a light, delicate look. The I-beams for the roof formed a triangle sitting on the octagonal glass shell.

The floor was a 4,400 sq. ft. slab of stained, polished concrete containing copper radiant heat tubing. Interior rooms were formed by arranging non-structural interior walls covered with teak, mahogany, and other paneling.

The ceiling was made of Celotex panels that created a remarkable acoustic environment.

Large 10’ x 10’ sliding glass doors opened the interior of the house to terraces outside with OQ / WINTER 2018-19

incredible views of the Ojai Valley.

The house was spectacular, and gained him and his design work a lot of attention.

Though it was an unusual design for Ojai, with its signature Spanish and Craftsman style architecture, people came from far and wide to see it. Often we would hear a knock on the door and find some stranger asking to come inside for a look. My parents hosted many parties and social gatherings to accommodate all those who wanted to experience the house and its amazing views of the Ojai Valley.

My mother, active on the Ojai Festival’s Women’s Committee, offered up the house for numerous fundraisers and concerts sponsored by the Festival. The house remained in the family for more than 40 years, until my mother passed away in 1999. After my father died in 1986, my wife Debi and I lived there, raising our two children in the home.

MANNING THE BARRICADES After Rodney Walker completed the house in 1958, he and my mother decided to take 95

Rodney’s home was completed in 1958.

Photos by Scott Mayoral / Central Meridian Photography

their five children on a year-long trip around the world. They rented the house to a writer and we traveled to more than 50 countries, leaving on May 29, 1959 and returning on May 29, 1960. Before we left, my father decided to retire from building and disbanded his construction crew. After we returned, he designed six additional homes in Ojai, but he only supervised their construction, leaving the actual construction to a contractor. These homes included a house on Grand Avenue for Dr. David Harvey, (see sidebar on page 102) another home on Grand for Dr. Kurt Semel, a home on Thacher for Elsa Pehrson, a home on Thacher for Barbara McCann, a home on Feliz for Keith Lloyd, and a home on Besant Road for Austin Bee. He also designed a home for his sister’s family in Walnut Creek. None of these homes, however, were built using his 3’ module.

Even though the homes he designed in the early 1960s were among his most creative and beautiful, he started getting interested in other things and by 1965 he had ended his career as a designer-builder.

His interests began to shift toward community affairs. Upon his return from the family trip around the world he joined a newly-formed community group called The Voice of the Valley, which was alarmed at the 96

worrisome growth that the Ojai Valley was experiencing at the time.

Several new housing developments had sprung up around the valley, along with several new mobile home parks and shopping centers. Voice of the Valley conducted the first valley-wide survey to help the group promote sensible, slow-growth policies. I remember when I was 12 going door-to-door, filling out survey forms while talking with residents. The group was angered at then-publisher of the Ojai Valley News, J. Frank Knebel, who was pro-growth. His pro-growth views colored news articles and he often refused to print anti-growth letters to the editor.

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To counter the Ojai Valley News, the Voice of the Valley purchased a small Oak View newspaper and founded the Press-Sentinel.

My father immersed himself in the Voice of the Valley, while helping to manage the dayto-day operation of the newspaper. He was the paper’s primary photographer and wrote many of its articles and editorials.

The Voice of the Valley group fought numerous developments and construction projects — including a new shopping center proposed for the large open space across from Nordhoff High School. They worked with the planning department at both the City and County to keep polluting industries out and craft sensible zoning laws and planning protocols.

One of their key projects was the creation of a master plan for the City of Ojai, designed to control growth and preserve Ojai’s rural character. The group also engaged in several community improvement projects, such as an Arcade renovation. As part of that project, my father designed the holiday lanterns that still hang in the Arcade arches every Christmas season.

This Voice of the Valley and Press-Sentinel occupied him for at least two years, until 1962, when the Sentinel was sold to a new publisher of the Ojai Valley News — Fred

Volz — whose editorial outlook more closely matched that of the Voice of the Valley.

In the early 1960s, my father worked with fellow Voice of the Valley member Ed Wenig to fight the first proposed freeway into the valley … a four-lane, “scenic highway” that would have replaced Highway 150 from Carpinteria into Mira Monte. (The four lanes seen today in front of Nordhoff High School were created by CalTrans in preparation for this new highway.)

At the Y, the freeway would have crossed the intersection and plunged down the hill to Creek Road where it would have travelled along Black Mountain to the Upper Ojai and then on to Santa Paula. Other proposed routes would have bisected the Ojai Valley Inn’s historic golf course and then made its way through the center of town. Because the community mobilized, Caltrans’ freeway initiative was shelved, though it was revived nearly a decade later when it was defeated by Citizens to Preserve the Ojai.

My father’s projects were not always supported by the Ojai City Council. In 1963 he owned 30 acres of rolling hills at the top of Cañada Street, which extended from Cañada nearly to Signal Street. He was into golf at the time and wanted a Par-3 golf course on his property with a restaurant and golf club in

(until recently the World University) where it was located for several years before it moved to its current location on the Smith-Hobson estate. Like his par-3 golf course proposal, his city hall proposal got no traction at City Hall.

the middle. Some of the residents along North Signal Street objected and the Council voted it down. Another project he proposed was to move Ojai’s City Hall from a building at the East End of the Arcade to South Montgomery Street where Los Arboles is now located. His plan included closing down Ojai Avenue in front of the Arcade to create a mall, routing traffic along Matilija Street and along the railroad right of way south of the park. New parking would be created at the front of the park behind the Pergola arches. He felt this configuration would encourage shopping downtown and offer a better location for the City Hall than the old Baptist Church site OQ / WINTER 2018-19

HOTEL DAYS From 1964 to 1965, my father turned his attention to inventing an automatic pool cleaner. He experimented with many different schemes for propelling the unit around the pool to allow hoses to push sediment toward the drain. He had almost perfected his design when the pool sweep was patented by Ventura-based Jordan Laby and sold millions.

During the early 1960s the Oaks Hotel in downtown Ojai had earned the nickname “Heartbreak Hotel” because it was frequently bought and sold by owners who couldn’t make it succeed. My father decided to team up with his friend, Jerald Peterson, to form a business they named the “El Roblar Corporation.” They sold $100 shares of stock to over 250 community members, each of whom owned from 1 to 30 shares.

As president of the corporation, my father negotiated the purchase of the hotel, renovated it, and opened it for business.

Because it was owned by the community, residents patronized the dining room, bar, 97

Photo: Scott Mayoral Central Meridian Photography 98

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99

banquet room, and pool. The hotel, for the first time in years, made money and became a successful operation. My mother ran a gift shop and lunch counter located along the front of the hotel, which was also a success. My father, calling on his experience at his Blue and White Cafe in Ely, Nevada, developed recipes for the dining room and lunch counter. One reviewer said his macadamia pie was worth the trip to Ojai.

The hotel thrived for six or seven years under the direction of my father, Jerald Peterson, and manager Keith Lloyd.

Unfortunately, the corporation had a board of directors that according to my father began meddling in the operation of the hotel, forcing the three out. At the same time, the 1973 oil embargo and subsequent recession impacted tourism. The hotel began losing money and, once again, fell on hard times. It was later purchased by the Cluff family, who turned it into a successful health spa.

During this period of his life, Rodney Walker began cooking as a hobby. At first he would just cook for family gatherings, but during his years overseeing the Oaks Hotel he created recipes for the dining room that included everything from main dishes to dinner rolls and desserts.

He approached cooking like he did building. He would seek to create gourmet 100

meals at low cost by cutting expenses where it didn’t matter and spending a little more on gourmet elements. He prided himself on cutting costs while increasing quality. I can say without question that his spaghetti Bolognese and his cheesecake were the best I have ever eaten. (Recipes available upon request.) His passion for cooking continued for the rest of his life.

During the Oaks Hotel years, my mother had thoroughly enjoyed running the gift store in the hotel. She was also an amateur cellist who played in the Ventura County Symphony Orchestra and several trios and quartets around town. She and my father realized that fine cellos, like violins, grew more valuable every year. They started buying and selling rare old cellos, but needed a commercial location for the business.

My father had also developed his interest in fine wines while overseeing the dining room at the Oaks Hotel. They decided to combine their interests by opening their own gift shop in Ojai. They named their new business “The Cello Collection.” My mother specialized in the cellos, books, furniture, gifts, and bric-a-brac. My father specialized in buying and selling fine wines and jewelry. Soon after the store opened, he began making his own jewelry and selling it at the store, which eventually became his OQ / WINTER 2018-19

main contribution to the business. He gained quite a reputation throughout the valley for his attractive designer jewelry. Eventually, Rodney and Dorothea opened a second store in Montecito. One of their customers was Julia Child, who would drop by to talk gourmet cooking with my father. One day I walked into the store to find him arguing with Julia over some detail of cooking.

At the same time they started The Cello Collection, around 1975, my parents traveled back to Hawaii where they had spent their honeymoon and fell in love with it all over again. They began buying and selling condominiums on the North Shore of Oahu.

In one beachfront condominium building near Haaula, they owned 12 condos. They would remodel and furnish these condos themselves, purchasing furnishings at estate sales around the island. They would spend up to 3 months at a time living at the condos while employees ran their Ojai and Montecito stores.

In 1980 my father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. During the final five years of his life, while battling cancer, he continued to work at his two stores making jewelry and selling wines.

But he took on two final projects…a cookbook and an autobiography. He was not able to complete either one, but he left

us with a wonderful collection of his finest recipes and the fascinating story of his life from birth to age 27. On June 18, 1986, he passed away at the home he considered to be his masterpiece, the Walker residence in Ojai.

His wife, Dorothea, and I were by his side as he peacefully departed this life.

In his autobiography, my father discusses some central attributes of his personality that originated in his early childhood. One of those is his love of capitalism and the satisfaction he experienced in saving money, watching it grow, and then using that money for occasional luxuries or to invest in new.

This would become a defining feature of his work, hobbies, and life.

It began, as mentioned before, with the bank account given to him by his grandfather with $20. When he was five, he would buy newspapers from a distributor and go stand by the saloon and sell them, depositing his profits in the account. By 1917 he had enough money in the account to purchase a few war bonds, which gave him a great deal of satisfaction.

While in high school he used the money to invest in a car which he used for a taxi service. This money allowed him to enroll at Pasadena City College. His restaurant in Ely, where he worked during a gap year in college, allowed him to enroll at UCLA.

While running his restaurant, he hired his father to help with the business, but his father was not good at saving money. So, my father would steal from him and deposit the money in an account in his name. A time came when his father needed some money, so my father revealed the account. Instead of gratitude, his father berated him for secretly saving the money.

All through his life he took great pride in cutting costs and then having it available for some new venture or some luxury. In his architecture, he worked hard to eliminate waste so there would be leftover money to build some luxury item onto the house, such as a large garden room or loggia. In our family life, he would insist we order the cheapest thing on the menu, or wear hand-me-downs, yet he would use the money saved to fund a year-long trip around the world for the whole family or a large house on a hill.

As his children, we never appreciated the cost-cutting measures, but then we really liked the trips and nice houses that resulted.

By the way, I never learned any of the “value of money” he tried to teach his children. I think I picked up more of my grandfather’s outlook on money and finances.

For most of my adult life I thought it was strange that I never acquired many of my father’s interests or personality. It’s not that I OQ / WINTER 2018-19

rebelled against who he was or what he stood for, as he always supported me in whatever I did in life.

In spite of my spending time on his job sites and learning from him how to use various tools, I never developed any mechanical ability or desire to build much of anything. Math is my worst subject. I’m also a terrible cook, and I’m not much of a craftsman or photographer.

Through much of my adult life, I never took any interest in community affairs, though that changed after my father died, and I’ve since been involved in many community projects and organizations.

Except for his family, my father loved the Ojai Valley above all else. Not long ago I was researching the Baker family, which lived in the large Victorian home where the Porch Gallery is located. The Bakers were a well-todo family that moved to the valley in 1886 for Mr. Baker’s health and to raise their large family.

Helen Baker, the youngest daughter, wrote a wonderful book about growing up in Ojai at the turn of the century. She recalled that her father would often stand on their large front porch, take a deep breath, scan the little town and the Topa Topas, and say to whoever was listening, “Yes, sir, the Ojai Valley is the best place in the world.”

That was my father, too.

101

Rebuilding for the Next Mid-Century

BY BRET BRADIGAN

Photos by Jim Bartsch

T

he 8 million soldiers returning after World War II posed many challenges to America’s economy as it made the transition to a peacetime footing.

Among those challenges were finding places for all these vets to live.

The Serviceman Readjustment Act of 1944 (better known as the GI Bill), provided cheap financing for housing as well as free college. So, with the social structures in place, those same engineers applied the same know-how that defeated fascism to building millions of homes cheaply and efficiently.

Many of these homes were cookie-cutter assembly jobs, but some were not. The midcentury modern style was popularized in this era; what was called the “architecture of ideas,” signified by lots of glass and open floor plans and a thoughtful integration into the outdoors.

For example, plywood was invented during the war effort, and mass-produced steel brought the prices down and raised the sense of style upward. Formica counters, concrete floors and redwood panels could not only be inexpensive, but bright and 102

beautiful.

The homes would require periodic renovation as the materials, not built necessarily for endurance but for speed and efficiency, deteriorated over time. Plywood especially was notorious for warping.

Rodney Walker was among the best and brightest of that generation of innovators, taking pride in designing homes that were beautiful and affordable, elevating quality of life.

One of those homes was Suzanne Harvey’s house on Grand Avenue in Ojai, built for her parents by Walker in 1959. Her parents were friends of the Walkers, through their avid membership in the American Recorder Society.

When her home needed a renovation she OQ / WINTER 2018-19

hired the firm that has rebuilt three Rodney Walker-designed homes in Ojai in the recent years. Allen Construction project manager Matt Caligiure said it was a pleasure to work with Harvey “because she was familiar with the design style and you really have to know the defining characteristics when you start on the job.”

The home had Walker’s characteristic triangular ceiling and roof layout, which had to be redone. “It was very interesting, with the open interior platform and the vegetable motif and those beautiful hand-troweled floors,” Caligiure said.

The Homosote ceiling panels, for example, are known for their insulating properties and fire resistance. As project manager, Caligiure said every day on the job was an education.

Caligiure said there was a clear path when they began: “To stay true to the original intent.” Our team “felt immersed in Rodney Walker’s work. By the third project, we were beginning to feel like experts. We were really happy with how the project turned out,” he said.

“Allen Construction completed the work true to the original design. As far as I’m concerned, it’s perfect,” Harvey said. “I wanted to return as much as possible to the integrity of the design and it was possible.”

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Erle Webster, AIA The Wade Residence, 1939 4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths, pool, 3,208 s.f. $ 3,000,000, Los Feliz Oaks

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A. Quincy Jones & Whitney R. Smith, Architects Crestwood Hills Lease, 1950 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths $ 6,550/month, Brentwood Crosby Doe 310.428.6755

Michael Rotondi, FAIA The Carlson-Reges Residence, 1922 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 4-car garage, 4,407 s.f. $ 7,350,000, 1/2-acre in the Brewery Arts District Christopher Pomeroy 917.838.4692

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ou are invited to Call or visit our site today to get more details on these or other architectdesigned properties available now, as well as how to connect with specialists in architecture in the Ojai and Santa Barbara vicinities. www.crosbydoe.com/now Richard Neutra, Architect The Robert Sale Residence, 1960 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 1632 s.f. $ 3,000,000, Los Angeles

Richard Neutra, Architect The Bonnet House, 1941 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths $8,000/month Lease, Los Angeles Ilana Gafni 310.779.7497 Crosby Doe 310.428.6755 Exclusively Representing

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GOING THE DISTANCE Ojai is a long way from the big-city boxing rings where world championships are decided. But once upon a time, champions and contenders regularly would trek out here to the boondocks to tune up for their next bout at Pop Soper’s rustic training camp along the Ventura River. It all started in the spring of 1927, when the most famous man in America came to Ojai seeking redemption.

BY MARK LEWIS Clarence “Pop” Soper

Pop Soper’s Ranch was located on Highway 33 about 5 miles north of Ojai, near the confluence of the forks of Matilija Creek.

R

anger Bill Burris was driving north toward Wheeler Hot Springs on the brand-new Maricopa Highway to investigate reports that the recent heavy rains had damaged a perched bridge over a creek in the National Forest. Along the way, he encountered an unexpected sight: a big man jogging along the highway pushing a wheelbarrow in which a smaller man sat upon a pile of rocks.

“And I thought, ‘What are those crazy guys up to?’ ” Burris recalled years later.

“So I drove up there slowly and parked on the other side and walked back and introduced myself, Forest Service, and the man said, ‘I’m Jack Dempsey and this is my manager, Wilson, and for exercise we were building up that perch.’ ” It was April 1927, and Dempsey, “the Manassa Mauler,” was the greatest hero of America’s so-called Golden Age of Sports. After winning the heavyweight crown in 1919, Dempsey inaugurated the new era in 1921 when he defended his title against Georges Carpentier in front of 91,000 spectators, who paid a combined $1.7 million to see the fight – boxing’s first million-dollar gate.

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Another 400,000 people tuned in on their newfangled radio sets to hear history’s first live sports broadcast, and millions more read about the fight in newspaper columns written by the likes of Grantland Rice and Damon Runyon, master wordsmiths whose prose turned Dempsey and his peers into legends.

Not that he had many peers. Babe Ruth and Red Grange were national heroes too, but they played team sports, baseball and football. Dempsey stood alone when he fought, like a Roman gladiator fighting for his life in the arena.

Every title defense was a huge national event. After knocking Carpentier out, Dempsey next took on the powerful Argentine contender Luis Firpo, “the Wild Bull of the Pampas,” who punched the champ clear out of the ring in the first round. Dempsey climbed back in and knocked Firpo out in the next round to retain his title, and create another touchstone memory for the Jazz Age. “More than any other individual, Jack Dempsey created big-time sports in America,” noted sportswriter Roger Kahn wrote in his book “A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring ‘20s.”

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“Dempsey was more prominent that any of his great sporting contemporaries — Bill Tilden, Red Grange, Bobby Jones, Babe Ruth.”

But in 1926, out of shape after a long layoff, Dempsey was out-boxed by Gene Tunney and lost his title by unanimous decision. “Honey, I forgot to duck,” Dempsey explained to his wife, a line Ronald Reagan would repeat to his own wife 55 years later after being shot by a would-be assassin.

Dempsey retreated to his Los Angeles home to lick his wounds and ponder his future. At first, he rejected the idea of a rematch with Tunney.

“I was beat like no man should be beat,” Dempsey recalled years later. “I just didn’t think I had enough left in my legs to catch a real boxer anymore. And I had doubts about what I could do if I did catch him.”

To find out whether he still had what it took, Dempsey decided to set up a training camp in an out-of-the-way location, far from the distractions of Hollywood — and far from his wife,

movie actress Estelle Taylor, who disapproved of boxing. He reunited with his old trainer Gus Wilson, and they came to Ojai together to check out Wheeler Hot Springs, where the flyweight champion Fidel LaBarba had trained in 1925. But Wheeler was a fairly large resort, with distractions of its own.

Instead, Dempsey cast his eye on a much smaller resort called Soper’s Ranch, located near the mouth of Matilija Canyon, at the point where the two forks of Matilija Creek converge to form the Ventura River.

out how much money Pop could make selling tickets and beer and food to the many spectators who would come to watch the ex-champ spar in the ring.

“His manager said that Jack wanted a place to train where he could feel at home,” Soper said. “So I fixed some quarters for him and then built the fight ring in which he trained for 96 days in preparation for the contest with

The proprietor, Clarence Anthony “Pop” Soper, was an Ojai native, born on the family ranch in 1881. His parents, Philander and Sarah Soper, had homesteaded the property in 1874, at a time when tourists were beating a path to the Ojai Valley to visit the new hot springs resorts in Matilija Canyon.

Clarence left the valley as a young man to work for Wells Fargo Express — a railroad job, essentially. But about a decade later, he fell ill, and his doctors told him there was no hope.

“I came back to Matilija to die,” Soper told an interviewer years later. “But when it seemed like my time was not as close to being up as the doctors estimated, I packed up some grub and camping gear and took off for the back country, where I stayed for a year without seeing another living soul.”

Finally deciding that the doctors had been wrong, Soper packed back up and returned to civilization: “When I came back I felt fine and took a job as [assistant] manager at Wheeler Hot Springs for three years before buying the 700-acre ranch from my father’s estate.”

Despite having no hot springs on his property, around 1920 Pop put up a cluster of cabins just west of the river and opened his own resort, which with stunning originality he called Soper’s Ranch. He was the smallest player among the area’s spring-fed resorts, but evidently that was just what brought Dempsey and Wilson to his door seven years later. Here was a place they could take over and reshape as they saw fit.

Soper was happy to go along with the transformation, after Dempsey pointed

Jack Dempsey Tunney.”

Initially, Dempsey had no fight to train for; he was just testing himself, trying to get back in shape. A few weeks of pushing wheelbarrows and chopping down trees at Pop Soper’s place gave him the answer.

“My workouts here have convinced me that I can get back into real fighting form,” he informed the press on April 28.

“Soper’s Ranch” became a frequent dateline in the national press that spring, as reporters flocked to the little Ojai resort to receive updates from Dempsey’s camp about the negotiations for a rematch with Tunney. As Dempsey had predicted, thousands of fight fans flocked there too, providing large audiences when he worked in the ring with his sparring partners. (Among these visitors was the Chicago crime lord Al Capone, a big Dempsey fan.)

But it was not Gene Tunney whom Dempsey was training for; it was Jack OQ / WINTER 2018-19

Sharkey, another top heavyweight contender. Boxing promoter Tex Rickard had decreed that Dempsey and Sharkey should meet in an elimination round, with the winner earning a shot at Tunney for the title. And so, after three months at Soper’s Ranch, Dempsey headed east to meet Sharkey in Yankee Stadium in front of 85,000 spectators.

Sharkey, a future champion, was well ahead on points in the seventh round when Dempsey stopped him cold with a devastating left hook.

Two months later, he met Tunney in Chicago’s Soldier Field before 105,000 fans, while millions more listened to the radio broadcast. Once again, Dempsey entered the seventh round trailing badly on points, and once again he dropped his opponent with a left hook, part of a devastating seven-punch combination that seemed to have ended the fight.

But then Dempsey stood over Tunney instead of going to a neutral corner as required by the rules. The referee delayed the count until Dempsey finally walked away, giving Tunney an estimated 14 seconds to recover from Dempsey’s onslaught and get back on his feet. Did the extra four seconds make a difference? Fight fans have been debating that question for 91 years, but there is no answer. All we know is that Tunney won the famous “Long Count Fight” by unanimous decision to retain the title.

Dempsey announced his retirement, but few believed him.

“Dempsey Launches Comeback Campaign,” the Los Angeles Times blared in March 1928. “Jack Orders Camp Alterations/Ex-Champion Plans Extensive Improvements at Ojai/Former King to Fix Up Soper Ranch Training Quarters.”

The source for this story was none other than Pop Soper, who told the Times that Dempsey would start training there in April. If that really was Dempsey’s plan, he quickly changed his mind. “I’m through for all time,” he said, and he was as good as his word. The Tunney rematch turned out to be Dempsey’s swan song; he never fought again, except in exhibitions, and if he ever returned to 113

Dempsey spars at Soper’s Ranch, 1927.

Soper’s Ranch, history does not record it.

B

ut other fighters did come to the Ojai Valley to train at Soper’s. Lots of them.

“Soper’s Ranch, one of the famous canyon resorts of Ojai, has been coming in for an unusual amount of visitation for even so popular a holiday center,” one Ventura County newspaper reported in October 1929. “The past week or two, since Mickey Walker, the world’s middleweight champion, established training quarters there for his approaching battle with Ace Hudkins in Los Angeles on Oct. 24. Fight fans from all over the county are making Soper’s their Mecca, and on the weekends, sportswriters, trainers, fashionable patrons of the arts fistic and just plain curiosity seekers have been flocking in by the car loads.”

In addition to Walker (who won that fight with Hudkins), other world champions who trained at Soper’s in the 1920s and ‘30s included the flyweight Fidel LaBarba (who had switched from Wheeler Hot Springs), the junior 116

welterweight Mushy Callahan and the middleweight Ceferino Garcia, inventor of the bolo punch. Pop’s regular clients also included locally bred fighters such as the future Ventura County rancher A.E. “Bud” Sloan. Billed in the ring as Haystack Bud Sloan, he achieved national renown in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s for his patented ice tongs punch, which involved using both hands to simultaneously punch his opponent on both sides of the head.

“I was a young buck from a ranch,” Sloan would recall to an interviewer. “Pop took me under his wing, took to me like he was my dad.”

The facility where Sloan trained was not the one where Dempsey had trained. In 1932, Pop had moved his boxing operation east across the river to another part of his ranch, bordering on the highway. He built new cabins there to accommodate his boxing clientele, and eventually added a store, a gas station and a restaurant, which he decorated with boxing memorabilia and with his collection of mounted fish and stuffed reptiles, including a very OQ / WINTER 2018-19

large boa constrictor. Soper also collected coin-operated music boxes, player pianos and nickelodeons, which were on display.

His original camp, west of the river, went back to being a small, rustic resort for vacationers. Pop had married a widow from Santa Barbara, Jessie Catlett Kellogg, but they did not get along very well, so she lived at the original resort and managed it, while he lived at the relocated boxing camp. Even with a river between them, the couple still could not get along, and eventually Jessie moved away. (They had no children.) In 1939, Pop sold the original resort to Rick and Eugenia Everett, who renamed it Ojala and operated it for many years.

Pop continued to run the relocated boxing camp, where he endured the great flood of 1938, which washed away five of his cabins, and the great fire of 1948, during which firefighters used his camp as their headquarters. At one point, as the flames closed in, Pop was told to evacuate. He refused.

“I’ve been here a long time, and I’m going to stay right here,” he said, and continued

nickels in Pop’s music machines, which did not necessarily make beautiful music together.

to pump gas into the fire trucks.

The camp survived the fire and by 1954 was enjoying a revival, boosted by the frequent presence of Art “Golden Boy” Aragon, the most popular boxing attraction in Southern California.

“Within the glass cases of these machines of yesteryear are mechanical contraptions which play violins, pound pianos, blow flutes, tinkle tambourines, ring bells, clash castanets and bang on xylophones to make a weird hodgepodge of sound,” The Ojai newspaper noted in a story about Soper’s 73rd birthday party in May 1954. Pop was a beloved local character, and his birthdays were community events. But he professed to be unimpressed with his status as an Ojai celebrity.

“Old Pop Soper, who’s been around boxing as long as the glove, is currently enjoying a rebirth of big-league activity at his ancient little muscle resort in the Ojai hills,” Los Angeles Mirror columnist John Hall wrote. “It seems that a few fighters have rediscovered the fact that rugged country, fresh air, good food and hard work form the perfect combination for getting into peak shape.”

Soper was a familiar presence in the town of Ojai, where he often was seen driving his distinctive 1929 Packard convertible and letting local children ride in the rumble seat. They loved to visit his camp, although less for the boxing than for the other amusements Pop provided.

Jack Dempsey with Pop Soper “I used to go up there on my horse when I was just a kid,” Dwayne Bower recalls.

“We’d ride up and have lunch.”

Bower and his friends enjoyed putting

“I don’t give a damn, as long as I have a little money, three square meals a day and a good bed,” he told the newspaper.

He died in that bed three years later, at the age of 76. His younger brother Lennie tried to keep the camp going, but Lennie was a beekeeper by profession rather than a boxing camp operator, and Soper’s Ranch did not long outlive its creator. It

A crowd enjoys a sparring match at Soper’s

OQ / WINTER 2018-19

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closed for good later in 1957, and most of its buildings were demolished in January 1963, inspiring area newspapers to run “end of an era” elegies.

“An old Quonset hut once used for storage, several deserted cabins and piles of splintered lumber are all that remain of the camp where once some of the greatest prizefighters in ring history trained,” one paper noted. “The gym and the ring have been dismantled and carted away. … A smashed jukebox stands bleakly by the roadside, and nearby is the stained and scuffed café counter where once sat boxing moguls with their fighters.”

That café counter is still propping up elbows at Cold Spring Tavern near Santa Barbara, where it serves as the bar. (The Tavern also boasts among its

outbuildings the original Ojai Jail from 1874.) Pop’s 1929 Packard ended up in the hands of Dwayne Bower — his first car, and still today a prominent part of his “Ojai Vintage Vehicles” collection.

The car was the star of the Ojai Valley Museum’s 1995 history exhibit devoted to Soper’s legendary training camp, which was the first exhibit the museum mounted after moving into its present home in the former St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel. The exhibit noted that about 550 boxers trained at Soper’s Ranch from 1927 to 1957, including several world champions and one genuine legend: Jack Dempsey.

The last remaining cabins from Soper’s roadside training camp survived in

Pop Soper’s 1929 Packard, now owned by Dwayne Bower. Photo by Logan Hall All other photos courtesy of Ojai Valley Museum

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obscurity until last December, when the Thomas Fire destroyed them. The fire also swept through nearby Ojala, on the other side of the river, and destroyed most of its structures, possibly including the one where Dempsey stayed in the spring of 1927, when he came to the Ojai Valley seeking answers to certain questions he had about himself. He found those answers here, and even though he never regained his title, and lost most of his prize-money millions in the 1929 stock market crash, he got back on his feet, as good fighters do, and lived on until the age of 87, a beloved icon of a cherished era.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

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Sustainable Style

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1. Azu Restaurant & Ojai Valley Brewery 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. Ojai Music Festival 201 South Signal 646-2094

6

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

2

8. OVA Arts 238 East Ojai Avenue 646-5682 18

9. Knead Baking Co. 469 East Ojai Ave. 310-770-3282

14 8

10. Ojai Art Center 113 South Montgomery Street 646-0117

18

4

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11. Nutmeg’s Ojai House 304 North Montgomery St. 640-1656 12. Ojai Café Emporium 108 South Montgomery Street 646-2723

e Oliv Ojai

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13. Ojai Valley Electronics & Hobby 307-A East Matilija Street 646-7585 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

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17. Studio Sauvageau 332-B East Ojai Ave. (Inner Arcade) 646-0117

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18. Treasures of Ojai 110 North Signal St. 646-2852

13 8 7

3

17

STAY ON HWY 150 for about 2.2 miles 1

10

9

16

5

19. Porch Gallery 310 East Matilija St. 213-321-3919 20. Ojai Olive Oil 1811 Ladera Ridge Road (off Hermitage) 646-5964

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Warmest Holiday Wishes from all of us at Gables of Ojai!

Come celebrate with us!

701 N. Montgomery Ojai, CA 93023 805.646.1446 www.GablesofOjai.com lic.#

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FIrst drAFt to FIrst sAle

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• •w

editor@ojaiquarterly.com • 805-798-0177 • ojaihub.com

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(wrItIng

editor@

OJAI HEALTH & OUTDOORS 116

Healers of Ojai

Outside In

Climber Keeps the Old Guard on Guard

148

Calendar of Events

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Retreats of Ojai

Nocturnal Submissions

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Tami Puts a Lid On It

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Photo by Bennett Barthelemy

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Developing Your Taste For Health

Ask Dr. Beth

Cancer, DNA and Food as Medicine

Hiking

Top Seven Ways to Get Lost

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A Sensational More Confident YOU!

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RETREAT PAGE

MEDITATION MOUNT

10340 Reeves Road, Ojai • (805) 646-5508 meditationmount.org Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to Sunset A center for sacred events and ceremonies.

View our community calendar online for programs and full moon meditations. Meditation Mount and our community gardens are entirely supported by your donations.

PEPPER TREE RETREAT

Perched atop a hill in the center of the Ojai Valley, Ojai Retreat offers stunning scenery, tranquil surroundings and welcoming staff.

OJAI RETREAT

160 Besant Road, Ojai • (805) 646-2536 ojairetreat.com The Ojai Retreat has 12 cozy guestrooms, most with stunning views.

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Priced between $90 and $250, many guestrooms have private patios and all have free wireless internet, a refrigerator and a microwave. A delicious European-style breakfast buffet with many organic choices is included. Yoga classes and massages are available on request.

The first floor of the Main House offers a spacious and bright Great Room with picture windows and a library, while guests can enjoy reading, writing and meditation in the Reading Room on the second floor.

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A past guest called The Ojai Retreat “one of the most beautiful places in the world,” while a visitor from Europe said “I would come back to California just to stay at The Ojai Retreat again.” The Los Angeles Times placed The Ojai Retreat at the top of its list of places to stay in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and The Ojai Retreat is the only place in the Ojai Valley with a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor.

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.

OJAI LOVE CENTER

OjaiLoveCenter@gmail.com • (323) 854-5182 ojailovecenter.com Welcome to the Ojai Love Center! Located 10 walking minutes to quaint, historic downtown, on one of the most private, prestigious lanes in Ojai, nestled within majestic ancient oak trees on two acres. We have a unique floor plan that’s perfect for retreats and family gatherings with stunning views of the Topa Topas to enjoy the famous Pink Moment.

HEALING ARTS

THE HEALING POWER OF THE SUN

By Khabir Southwick khabirsouthwick.com Nutritionist, Ayurdeva Consultant

As the days grow shorter as the Ojai Valley enters the winter season, it becomes more important to make sure we get sunlight. Here’s a reminder, reprinted from the Winter 2013 issue of Ojai Quarterly.

A healthy lifestyle along with a nutritious diet, sunlight offers tremendous protection against all types of diseases. The good news is that the exposure to ultraviolet light is one of the most impressive healing methods available. We are naturally attracted to being in the sun, because it’s our body’s’ instinct to heal and cleanse through the power of sunlight. Our cells are bundles of sun energy since the glucose and oxygen are products of the sun.

We have been conditioned that being

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a sun worshipper is bad for us. In fact, more recent studies have revealed that exposing patients to controlled amounts of sunlight significantly lowered elevated blood pressure, decreases cholesterol in the bloodstream, stabilized blood sugar levels and increased white blood cells which are needed to resist infection and disease.

Being in sunlight is a great way to provide your body with sufficient Vitamin D which is essential for good health and a strong immune system. Sunlight is a vital nutrient which gives us energy and disinfects our skin from harmful germs. The

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Ultraviolet rays are necessary for normal cell division and the lack of ultraviolet light disturbs normal cell growth. The use of sunglasses and even contact lenses are co-responsible for certain degenerative eye diseases. By regularly blocking UV light, the eyes are unable to properly repair themselves and replace worn out eye cells.

Furthermore, use of sunscreen lotions block out most Ultra Violet rays and the health benefits of sunlight.

To improve your health and to support the recovery from illnesses, spend some time outside daily preferably before 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m. with as much skin exposed as possible. Forget the sunscreen, sunglasses and the fear of sun exposure — embrace the healing power of the sun!

ASHLEY BERRY

Offering whole-being healing through Holistic Health Coaching, Reiki, Breathwork, AromaTouch, and Intuitive Card Readings.

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LIVING LUCID

Healthy living information and advice blog focused on healing through plant-based nutrition, meditation, and lifestyle changes. We post frequently on a variety of topics and offer consultations with Dr. Beth Prinz, M.D. for personalized guidance. Visit www. livinglucid.org

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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

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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.

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ASK DR. BETH

DNA AND CANCER: Finding Plant-Powered Protection About To Get Easier in the ‘Little Orange’

DNA, the biological code inside our cells, is damaged and repaired constantly starting from birth.

UV radiation, pollution, tobacco smoke, and environmental toxins break and nick the precious DNA strands - which our cell proteins repair when possible. Most of us do our best to avoid overexposure to these external factors.

Internal damaging factors, however, are unavoidable — the byproduct of living.

Breaking down food to make energy requires oxygen. The byproducts of this process (called oxidative phosphorylation) are highly reactive, (unstable) molecules collectively called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).

ROS knock around inside the cells, damaging DNA, cell proteins, and membranes until they get absorbed or neutralized by antioxidants.

Immune-cell activity creates another damaging byproduct called Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS).

Reactive nitrogen can react with reactive oxygen to form highly reactive peroxynitrite, implicated in conditions such as stroke, heart attack, diabetes, chronic inflammatory disease and, when cell proteins are damaged, neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer’s.

DNA damage is the precursor to all types of cancer. Random breaks in DNA can create abnormal cells.

Tumor suppressor genes detect and 130

destroy abnormal cells (by turning on self-destructive pathways). Randomly, usually over decades, the tumor suppressor genes themselves become damaged and unable to terminate the cell if it becomes further damaged, resulting in an “immortal” cell, with unregulated growth: a cancer cell.

About 50 percent of adult carcinomas are associated with damage to a tumor suppressor gene called p53.

Antioxidants play a very important role in preventing DNA and cell damage from both ROS and RNS. Our body makes several very potent antioxidants such as glutathione, CoQ10, and superoxide dismutase.

But three major antioxidants Vitamin C, E, and beta carotene (precursor to Vitamin A) must come from foods we eat.

It’s important to obtain antioxidants from foods, rather than supplements, because supplements can be harmful.

For example a study of vitamin E supplementation in patients with lung cancer was associated with worse outcomes. This is likely because mega dose vitamin E prevented further DNA damage which would have activated other tumor suppressor genes (of which there are many) from doing their job — killing cancer cells. It gets complicated.

Good dietary sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, avocados and peanuts. Vitamin C is abundant in all fruits and vegetables.

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DR. BETH PRINZ Contact: doctorbeth@ojaiquarterly.com 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.

Beta carotene gives yellow and orange plants their color.

According to the USDA, most Americans are not getting sufficient amounts of Vitamins A, C, and E, (three of the top seven nutritional deficiencies). This is a shame considering cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US. It doesn’t have to be this way. Cancer is one of our most preventable diseases.

According to a recent study 90-95 percent of cancers have their roots in the environment and lifestyle. Diet alone accounts for 30-35 percent of this number.

In fact just two weeks of eating plant-based was shown to inhibit breast cancer cells in a petri dish eight times better than a standard diet. Volunteers’ blood was applied to cancer cells at baseline and after 14 days on a plant-based diet. The plantbased blood stopped breast cancer in its tracks, compared to standard diet blood. Which type of blood would you prefer to have in your body? The type that stops cancer cells, or the type that doesn’t?

The best ordinary fruits for fighting cancer are berries. Wild blueberries, usually found in the freezer section of the grocery store, are the most potent.

There are several studies currently in which berries are being used to treat certain cancers with promising results.

There are hundreds and thousands of cancer fighting chemicals in plants

besides Vitamin A,C, and E. Sulforaphane in broccoli and cruciferous vegetables for example. Animal derived foods by comparison contain only trace levels of antioxidants, and in fact some animal foods such as processed meats, have been designated carcinogenic.

RE-JUVE

E

ating plant-based on the go is challenging. In Ojai, it’s about to get a little easier. The much beloved and missed, Hip Vegn (the missing “a” is intentional) restaurant will be reopening on Matilija Street in the next two months. A collaboration between Ben and Marisa Dichiacchio, owners and chefs at Hip Vegn, and Aubrey Balkind, developer of the Sane Center, a new venue for wellness and lifestyle classes.

The Hip Vegn will have more indoor/outdoor seating and the same healthy and delicious 100 percent plantbased offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Here’s what Ben and Marisa have to say about the grand re-opening: Dr. Beth: When the Hip Vegan closed, it was sorely missed. Why did you close?

Ben & Marisa: We lost our lease after staying open as long as possible. We took the time off to travel to India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan, where we derive much of our inspiration for food.

Dr. Beth: Why did you decide to open a restaurant that caters to vegan cooking?

B & M: Marisa has been a vegetarian for 15 years and Ben for 21 years. After living in Japan for many years and loving the presentation and thoughtful preparation of food, we looked for that here but felt limited in our choices because menus were lacking the plant-based options that we prefer. This challenged us to cook for ourselves a lot — hunting herbs, spices, vegetables, and experimenting with techniques in our tiny kitchen at home.

Dr. Beth: How did the collaboration with Aubrey at The Sane Center come about?

B & M: Aubrey was one of our good customers. He mentioned that he had space in a building downtown that would include a restaurant. We love it. It’s open kitchen with big skylights and expansive patio seating.

We are excited about our bar seating and draught beer on offer.

Dr. Beth: What new menu items can customers look forward to?

B & M: We will be updating the entire menu and adding breakfast items. We will still be committed t belongs to the world to organic and local ingredients, and in collaboration helpthe you getseasonal It out there with Sane Farm,et willus deliver freshest fruits and vegetables available, to our customers.

Dr. Beth: What makes Ojai a good place to do business?

B & M: Ojai is such a wonderful community and we are so grateful to be a part of it. We did not expect to be missed by so many and are continuously surprised by how often our customers still check in with us. We editor@ojaiquarterly.com • 805-798-0177 • ojaihub.com have been overwhelmed with all of the support we have gotten since closing our first location.

Live younger from your inside out.

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OUTSIDE IN

RITA ROSE NEARS THE SUMMIT OF BIGCONE BUTTRESS

Not Letting the Old Guard Let Down Their Guard

Conversations with local adventurer, wilderness advocate and ground up first ascentionist — Alex Bury WORDS & IMAGES

BY BENNETT BARTHELEMY & RITA ROSE

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“There are definitely some ‘no fall’ spots on this route.”

Alex’s words (and good-hearted, but bordering on slightly maniacal, laugh) echoed in my cortisol-slammed brain as I eyed my first protection bolt some 20 feet further on the 300 foot face — the missing link that would keep me from hitting the ground.

Alex and Rita were still safely on the ground while I was bringing the rope to the first of three anchors on our way to the summit. We were deep in the Los Padres in a canyon recently “discovered” by Alex.

He has put up dozens of climbs in what might be called an “old school” or “traditional” style placing gear/protection bolts on lead from the ground up*. I wouldn’t call the climbing on this particular route difficult but it commanded perfect attention because the rock had lichen, some loose chunks of sandstone, and probably one way to make it “relaxed” and a dozen ways to make it harder or even deadly.

This style of climbing was a different sport entirely – something many climbers will never experience. This certainly was not like gym climbing or even sport climbing that has a plethora of safety bolts to clip. This was true adventure climbing and a route authored in “Fair Means style.”

I first met Alex when he was just 16. He was carrying a rope and hitchhiking with a friend on Highway 33 because they didn’t have licenses or cars yet and wanted to climb at Wheeler Gorge, then a new but increasingly popular local venue for sport climbing. More than 15 years later Alex would be helping steward the area and work on fostering a sense of community.

Perhaps curiously, with his actively philosophical focus on fair means,

balance, and sharing but protecting what he calls sacred areas, he has managed to alienate some climbers.

Fair means for Alex Bury means the rock has a say in what can happen, and the rock often wins.

When a climber establishes a route from the top down, (not going from the ground up) and rehearses the moves dozens of time and then hammers in tons of bolts to keep it totally safe it becomes a sport climb. The rock doesn’t have a say and this is out of balance and lacks respect for wilderness and what he sees as sacred. The better and more respectful style would be to engage it from the ground up.

Perhaps there is something to be gained and appreciated still from the pioneers of the pursuit of American climbing, Robbins, Chouinard, etc and fair means philosophy and this currently slightly different approach to what is sa-

ALEX BURY RAPPELING 140

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cred and sustainable. Laws and ethics play a part as well and often fly in the face of the cliquey tribal relationships that can, and have, polarized and even ended friendships.

These backwoods are where Alex spends the bulk of his time, makes his living as a guide and sustains his own well being by exploring. He knows and will share who the landowners are, has researched the Wilderness Act and its amendments, and can quickly offer a deeper glimpse into the local inhabitants of flora and fauna.

Finally at the summit the three of us paused a while to enjoy the incredible late afternoon views as the sunlight and deep shadows gave strong relief to Chorro Grande and the long ridgeline of Pine Mountain and the Sespe Wilderness. Alex began to read all the new paragraphs that had appeared in the summit register since his last ascent quite a few months ago.

A dozen parties had now braved the thistles, the downed trees in the tight drainage and found their way through extremely dense chaparral to Bigcone Rock. Alex was unmistakably elated and electric with the proof that so many people had engaged and been so moved by the adventure of this climb he had authored by fair means.

Alex in his own words…

That shows you how serious we take it – we don’t just call it etiquette like in surfing, this is ethics. There are some golden rule ethics in climbing that through eras get pretty much maintained and even the cowboys know them. One of them is, you don’t mess with other people’s routes. Only if there is a major concern that involves the local community and the first ascentionist then maybe you can modify

people’s routes as a group. Also, land managers generally have specific expectations that will differ from area to area; for example ‘no power drills in wilderness’, ‘no brush cutting or trail making’ etc. It’s important we not flaunt the rules.

I have a knack for randomly showing up at the wrong time. I’m in our hills every day; climbing, guiding, trail running, and backpacking. Because I’m

the community here is small, so invariably these are people I know personally. I always speak my mind when I feel its important, which has led to some conflicts. But especially these days, wilderness is more important than ever. So I have no qualms about standing up for our most sacred backcountry spaces. To even experience them is a privilege. As climbers, it’s critical that we interact with these places in a

ALEX BURY ASCENDING out there so much, I occasionally come across climbers acting outside of the bounds of what we might call ‘appropriate conduct’. Often this includes actual crimes like using power drills and installing heavily bolted sport routes in protected wilderness settings. But

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respectful and legal way.

The old guard fades, and a new era begins unchecked — The Ojai backcountry has always been very much a backwater in terms of climbing. While California has world famous and immensely strong scenes in places like Joshua Tree and Yosemite, the Los Padres has always been a footnote in the larger story.

The ‘70s were the heyday

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here. Yvon Chouinard was the prime mover, opening many new routes himself while pointing the way for his highly skilled comrades. Local cliffs like Sespe Gorge and Foothill Crag were put on the map, and a strong climbing tradition and ethic was established. In the 1980s, things waned however. Chouinard’s last local first ascent was Wadka, at Sespe Gorge.

With things largely dormant into the 1990s, the gate was wide open for the latest trend of heavily bolted sport routes. Other California areas had their old guard and stalwart veterans to push back and achieve balance, but locally things went largely unchecked. That’s how we ended up here, with dozens of illegal, high-impact sport routes installed throughout the Sespe Wilderness. And climbers thumbing their noses at rules meant to preserve our most precious local spaces.

Impact can be both immediate and indirect — Establishing new technical rock climbs is very exciting, and can be a service when done right. And the importance of our impact as climbers is an ongoing discussion in the community.

Less discussed, however, is the secondary impact we have as pioneers. We are setting the precedent of tomorrow. If we flaunt the rules and modify the landscape with heavy hands, we are telling the next generation that our wild places can be treated without regard for law or even basic respect. I feel that not only is it very important to operate within our legal obligations as climbers, but to make sure our work in the mountains harmonizes with those areas. In some places, high impact routes are both appropriate and legal. But our most magical and protected spaces deserve more. The bottom line: wild places deserve wild climbing.

The ground up ethic makes sense in these places. That discretion, willingness to say no, I am not going to do it that

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ALONG POTRERO JOHN TRAIL

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makes the difference. If it feels too unsafe I go home. The landscape wins all the time.

If you have respect for the history of climbing then you understand the power of ground up ascents versus top down. Ground up was serious and is. The first ascent of Half Dome with Royal Robbins in Yosemite was ground up — and full commitment — in 1957.

Without enough gear to retreat and no rescue team, they had to go up. Top down climbing is not like that. If you rappel from the top and put protection in you turn it into a gym-style route; the climb is installed, rather than actually climbed. The route itself leaves a greater mark on the landscape, and its safer and engineered nature encourage high levels of traffic which compounds future impact.

Going from the ground up means a deeper and more sensitive approach and it introduces a reverence for the terrain. But it takes everyone, the young ignorant shredder, the seasoned veteran... It takes everybody.

To the future — After years of exploring the Los Padres backcountry for 144

TOP LEFT: LOCAL HANGING OUT. TOP RIGHT: ALEX BURY ON ONE OF THE PITCHES HE HAS AUTHORED IN LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST.

*To get a deeper sense of Alex Bury and his process check out these links: MOUNTAIN PROJECT:

wild and untouched terrain, I’m still amazed at how much is waiting out there. There are some pretty incredible objectives still waiting in the Sespe Wilderness, but some will require a multi-day approach. Wilderness means hand drills only, but our local sandstone actually drills by hand super fast.

I’m pretty excited about what the next few seasons bring.

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mountainproject.com/ area/114364746/bigconeand-ladybug-canyons THE ACCESS FUND: accessfund.org/opengate-blog/what-the-newnps-wilderness-climbingpolicy-means-for-climbersbolting

RE-JUVE Live younger from your inside out.

SELF-HEAL Rely on nature’s system to do the work of healing.

S PA C E

Sane Living Center offers Ojai’s most sophis3cated tech auditorium and workshop spaces to rent for your event.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS NOVEMBER “Do You Hear What I Hear” Date: November 24 and 25 Times: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

Location: Ojai Art Center Theater, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 805-646-0117 ojaiartcenter.org “Agora Foundation Great Book Seminar — The Feminine, Part II” Date: December 8 Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Ojai Unified School District 414 East Ojai Avenue Contact: greatbooksojai@gmail.com “Agora Foundation’s Series Readings” Dates: November 29 — U.S. Constitution, Amendments II, December 6 — Dred Scott vs. Sandford I, December 20 — Dred Scott vs. Sandford II, Location: The Ojai Library 111 East Ojai Avenue November 30 to December 16, theater production of Cinderella, Fri & Sat at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

DECEMBER “Wine Tasting “ 148

DECEMBER 1: Libbey Bowl will be the venue for a Thomas Fire Remembrance concert featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Karl Hunter pictured) among other others.

Date: December 1 Time: 12 noon to 8 p.m.

Location: Old Creek Ranch Winery, 10024 Old Creek Road “Great Books Seminar – The Book of Genesis” Date: December 1 Time: 9:30 to 3 p.m.

Location: Thomas Aquinas College, 1000 Ojai-Santa Paula Road Contact: 805-231-5974 agorafoundation.org “Thomas Fire Remembrance” — A celebration of community and perseverance featuring the swinging sounds of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the roots-rocking Charles Law Band, blues virtuoso Guy Martin and folk contemporaries Todd Hannigan and Sleeping Chief.

Date: December 1 Time: Starts at 12:30 p.m.

Location: Libbey Bowl Ojai Community Chorus: “The Spirit of the Season” Date: December 1 and 2 Time: 7 p.m. Dec. 1 and 2 p.m. Dec. 2 Location: Ojai Methodist Church, 120 Church Rd. OQ / WINTER 2018-19

Contact: 805-640-0468 ojaichorus.wordpress.com ojaichorus.brownpapertickets.com “Gallery Exhibit — A Feast for the Eyes” Dates: November 30 to January 3rd.

Reception on December 8 Time: 4 to 6 p.m.

Location: Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: ojaiartcenter.org, 805-646-0117 “Licity Live - Invitational Live Taping” Date: December 8 Time: 2 to 4 p.m.

Location: Underground Exchange, 1014 West Ojai Avenue Contact: 805-340-7893 undergroundartsexchange.com “Ugly Sweater Party — Ojai Youth Entertainers Studio Event” Date: December 13 Time: 5 to 9 p.m.

Location: Topa Mountain Winery 821 West Ojai Avenue “Purrs & Paws — Holiday Marketplace”

Date: December 15 Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Chaparral Auditorium, 414 East Ojai Avenue Contact: 805-646-6505 HSVC.org “Cinderella” Dates: Through December 16 Times: Fridays, 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Location: Ojai Art Center Theater, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 805-646-0117 ojaiartcenter.org

Certified Farmers Market

“The Belle of Amherst” DECEMBER 1: The Agora FoundaDates: Dec. 21-23, 28-30 tion’s Great Books Seminars will Times: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. discuss the Book of Genesis.

Location: Ojai Art Center Theater, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 805-646-0117 ojaiartcenter.org

JANUARY “The Masks We Wear” Dates: January 10 to 17 Times: Varies.

Location: Porch Gallery, 310 East Matilija Street Contact: (805) 620-7589 porchgalleryofojai.com “Structural Anthropology with Claude Levi-Strauss” Dates: January 26 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, 1000 Ojai-Santa Paula Road Contact: 805-231-5974 agorafoundation.org

Historical Walking Tours of Ojai Date: Every Saturday, October through May 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

FEBRUARY 10 TO MARCH 10: The Art Center Theater will re-present the classic “Night Must Fall.”

“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

“Vie d’Art with OSA Artist Valerie Freeman” February 1 to 28 Reception: February 23, 2 to 4 p.m.

Location: Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street Times: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Fridays to Sundays, 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Contact: 760-855-2441, freemanart.com “Night Must Fall” Dates: February 15 to March 10 (weekends) Times: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

Location: Ojai Art Center Theater, 113 South Montgomery Street Contact: 805-646-0117, ojaiartcenter.org

Dates: To be announced. Check website. Location: Meditation Mount, 10340 Reeves Road Contact: 646-5508 ext.103, meditationmount.org Open meditation at the Full Moon.

‘Eating Ojai’ Food Tour

FEBRUARY

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.

Ojai Seeker’s Bike Tour

THROUGH FEBRUARY 28: Artist Valerie Freeman is showing art work at the Ojai Art Center to raise money for local nonprofits.

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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.

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‘Masks We Wear’ show looks beneath the surface Celebrity Photographer Turns Lens on Ojai Oscar Wilde said that “Man is least himself when he talks in person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.”

That’s the premise behind a new show going up at Porch Gallery with world-renowned photographer Guy Webster.

Webster, in his legendary career taking some of the most recognizable photographs of rock stars and other celebrities, trains his lens much closer to home for this week-long show January 10 to 17. (See opposite page for a selection from the show).

The photos include present or former Ojai residents collected by Webster in recent weeks at his studio on Bryant Circle. Webster made his name with iconic album covers by the Mamas and the Papas, Byrds, The Rolling Stones, Doors and Simon & Garfunkel. The new series comes after Webster has battled back from health issues to resume his life work, as chronicled in the Fall 2016 OQ cover story by Mark Lewis.

Webster, besides being featured on the cover of the OQ, has shot them as well, including of Ted Danson.

Porch Gallery is located at 310 East Matilija Street and online at porchgalleryojai.com.

Explore Ojai Valley’s History, Art and Culture 130 West Ojai Avenue (805) 640-1390 www.OjaiValleyMuseum.org

NOCTURNAL SUBMISSIONS

BY SAMI ZAHRINGER

Tami Puts A Lid On It. (Mira Monte Gris (Like Noir But Less So)) It was a dark night in Mira Monte, a suburb that knew how to keep its curtains closed and mind its own goddamned business. If you want to know how dark it was, picture being inside the stomach of a black rabbit hopping through the tunnels of a midnight warren with tear-streaked mascara and murder on her mind. It was a bit darker than that.

And, unusually, about the same wetness, for a slight moistening, breathlessly billed on the news as a “major winter storm” had just mildly lashed the parched neighborhood with all the viciousness of a baby flailing his first spaghetti.

Tami Lahringer, Private Investigator, was working late again in her office at 221b Roaster St. (Go around the back, past the bins. The buzzer is broken but shouting usually works.) She was known as the favored PI to the sorts of plumbers who are the favored plumbers to the rich and famous of Mira Monte. It had been an unusually busy period for extra-marital affairs and tax-avoidance scams in the plumbing world — something to do with a flush of extra cash due to plunger futures soaring on the international markets with the rise of indoor plumbing in the Third World and parts of Wales — and she was getting mighty tired of the work. If she had to stake out one more utility room, she told herself as she wearily packed up to go home, if she had to bug one more cistern or pretend to have one more case of air in her pipes, she was going to give it all up, follow her heart, and take up the fulfilling life of a Laura Ingalls Wilder impersonator. This she vowed.

Her mother, after inflicting a tortuous teenage-hood of instruction in the home-arts had long since given up hoping her daughter would get married. Tami’s cooking mostly

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resulted in the culinary equivalent of the Chernobyl disaster and was about as tasteless as that comment. But all the foods a Laura Ingalls Wilder impersonator had to worry about were wax fruit and plastic johnny cakes. With make-up on she had a face like a shattered rainbow but wherefore the lipstick on the 19th century prairie? She was the sort of woman who, at the age of 5, was already irritating people with difficult questions like “Why is it spelt “fiery” and not “firey”? In short, she was what people used to call “a caution.” (In shorts, she was like what an unkind person once called “a badly packed sleeping bag.” She punched that person.) She was born out of time, a person not meant for this world of seedy plumbing angst but one ideally suited to spending her life under a bonnet, being encyclopedic about her heroine.

Somebody shouted from a binward direction. She opened the door and met the frank and correctly spelt fiery gaze of a clearly enraged woman whose nostrils were busily flaring magnificently, like a racehorse in a huff.

The dame was tall and boobular with curves as dangerous and improbable as an Alpine road after a Chanel “Allure” spill.

She had a violently orange fake tan and the sort of expression people who have violently orange tans habitually wear, giving her head the overall impression of a half-sucked mango.

“My name is Chardonnay Feathers I won’t take a seat I prefer to stand (She spoke like that. With no punctuation.) I want you to investigate my lover’s wife she (here Chardonnay took a furious breath and, with a face like an interrupted sneeze, spat the word “she” again with more contempt than a woman who has made it perfectly clear she doesn’t like eggs but has just been offered four.)

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“SHE is having an affair I’m convinced of it which doesn’t suit me at all because the LAST thing we want is for her to leave Howard because she is his main business customer and how in hell anybody would have an affair with that mousey little dish-mop anyway is a mystery for the ages because she has a face like an old man’s knee teeth like wonky cornflakes and a chest like two Tic-Tacs on a plate (at which point Chardonnay smugly adjusted her own rather frightening bosom, which was heaving in her leather dress as if she were trying to smuggle two Tibetan monks into a disco) “She dresses in double-denim and she has 12 percent of the personality of a lobotomized pony IF we’re being generous.”

She was angry. Boy, was she angry.

She was as angrier than the rabbit in the opening paragraph after finding out she is only getting 75 percent of the grass-nibbling allowance that her male counterparts are getting for doing the exact same amount of being adorable.

“Howard here completely agrees with me don’t you Howard.”

Whereupon Chardonnay wafted angrily to one side like a an outraged goldfish, and Tami was startled to realize that, standing behind her, previously hidden by her expensively sculpted body was a small, beige man with the most solemn mustache she had ever seen in her life. It was the sort of mustache that sucked all the joy out of rooms and made people feel cold and unsettled and like they’d quite like to call their mothers. He was preternaturally still, moving only his mouth as he started to speak. Tami had seen more animated lichen.

“Chardonnay is. As you see.

Immensely annoyed. (He spoke like that. With all the extra punctuation Chardonnay wasn’t using). I. By the way. Am Howard Fawcett. My wife.

Maude. Is a blameless. Woman. Aside from the affair. But we. Have never really. Been compatible. We have a marriage of. Convenience.

That. Suits. Both of us. Financially. Speaking. And I would.

Very much. Like to. Remain married. And keep the channels.

Between. Our respective. Businesses. Open. I cannot risk.

Maude running away. With Another. Man. Therefore. The affair. Must be. Crushed in its. Infancy. Turned off at. The Mains. As it Were.The whole business. Flushed from her. Life. I trust you follow. The Flow. Of My. Reasoning” He had an unsettlingly precise whispery, papery voice

which sounded uncannily like what the footsteps of undernourished rats would sound like if they were line-dancing in the attic. Indeed, people in supermarkets and car-washes and wherever Mira Monteans gather often remarked darkly on the unsettling line-dancing attic rat nature of his voice. Tami shuddered involuntarily. She hated this job, but more than that, something familiar was gnawing insistently at the very edge of her thoughts. Something not good.

“He means nipped in the ballcock, lady!” said Chardonnay, her powers of punctuation apparently restored. Howard winced a little at this vulgarity, looking as crestfallen as a greater crested grebe with sudden onset crest droop but one who knew enough to expect this very thing.

Tami was unexpectedly moved by this strange little man’s discomfort and, out of nowhere, genuinely wanted to help him.

But then?…Wait a moment!

Her mind raced, as mental pipes connected and cognitive spigots gushed: “Flushed?” “The Mains?” “ Flow?” “Convenience?”

Bleakly, Tami asked the question she already knew the answer to.

“Tell me, Howard. Are you and your wife, by any chance, in the plumbing business?

“Why yes, we are!” said Howard, blinking in amazement and probably the most adrenalized he’d been since he first imagined the possibilities of lo-flo technology.

“Maude is heir to a Santa Paula plumbing empire and I am big in downspouts!”

At the latter part of Howard’s ejaculation*, Chardonnay tilted her head, touched her hair lightly, and smiled a secret smile.

2 Weeks Later.

The birds sang and the morning dew glistened around Tami like her grandpa’s nose hair after a sneeze, as she walked up the path to work at Rocky Ridge Farm, Missouri. She touched her bonnet, discreetly adjusted her bloomers and, heading towards the historically accurate 1896 outhouse, she laughed the laugh of the blissfully unplumbed. One of God’s truly free. *It’s an old-fashioned exclamation. Honest. Look it up.

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Patty Waltcher 25 ye a r s o f e x p e r i e n ce m a tc h i n g

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