Colorful Sunset Tonight This Last Saturday Before Thanksgiving 2013

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Suzy Demeter of Suzy Demeter Photography found tonight's sunset at the Ventura County Line a worthy subject and I would agree with that assessment. You can see part of the Channel Islands in the right center of the image.

We also enjoyed the oranged-hued sunset here in the Conejo Valley. This one was taken from the top of Tarantula Hill in the heart of Thousand Oaks.

Scattered clouds always seem to make epic sunsets here in Ventura County.

Jupiter-Like Sun Over the Pacific Ocean at Sunset Tonight in Malibu

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Suzy Demeter of Suzy Demeter Photography captured this photo of the sunset tonight in Malibu. The overlay of clouds across the sun gave it a Jupiter-like appearance. The cropped closer-up image of the sun below shows seagulls taking part in the end-of-day activities.

The real Jupiter for comparative purposes

To Tweet or Not to Tweet? That is the Question for Conejo Valley Residents

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I have been an active Twitter user under the name @ConejoJoe since November 21, 2008. Twiiter users are also referred to as Twitterers and Tweeters. Are you on Twitter yet? Should you be?

As an active user in both Twitter as well as Facebook (www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide) my observation is that Facebook users are more interactive and engaged. Facebook allows for more organized, easy to follow dialogues among users, while Twitter is geared towards brief interactions. With over 1.1 billion registered users, Facebook has over double the number of users as Twitter.

That said, Twitter can be a great source for breaking news and other items of interest. Whether or not you Tweet, consider creating a Twitter account and following some of these local Twitter accounts (as well as @ConejoJoe but of course):

I've discovered that many people are confused about Twitter and its lingo, so how about a little refresher course for those still considering taking the plunge.

  • Twitter allows users to post short messages up to 140 characters long, called "Tweets."
  • Like Facebook, you don't actually have to sign up with Twitter to read a Tweet. However, if you do sign up and start "following" others, their Tweets will show up on your Twitter home page.
  • Unlike Facebook where only a small fraction of posts from your followers are shown on your wall, all Tweets will be shown on your Twitter page. All Tweets are treated equal.
  • But...not all Tweets are created equal...they range from mindless babble and utterings, information sharing, news, communicating with others, humor, promoting yourself, etc.

Here's an example of an information sharing Tweet about local wedding reception venues in Ventura County with a link back to the posting here on Conejo Valley Guide

  • When you enjoy a Tweet and want to share it with your followers, you can click "Retweet" and it will be shared. Retweet is basically the equivalent of the "Share" feature in
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Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs Around Ventura County

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The Five Man Electrical Band said it best in their 1970 song "Sign" - Sign, sign, everywhere a sign; Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind; Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign. Some signs provide more comic relief than others around Ventura County.

The Community Pool at Samuelson Aquatics Center is a pristine, 82 degree heated community pool at Cal Lutheran University that is located adjacent to the George "Sparky" Anderson Field & Ullman Stadium. As a result, flying baseballs can be an issue for poolgoers who dare to swim during CLU home games!

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Dos Vientos Community Park in Newbury Park is popular with local soccer, baseball and other sports teams. The sign below indicates that perhaps too many local sports enthusiasts were using the walls of the snack bar/restroom facility at the park in their ball playing endeavors.

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According to City of Oxnard Ordinance 2708, section 7-86(A), "It shall be unlawful for any person to have in his or her possession any adhesive sticker, etching tool, indelible marker, paint stick, or graffiti stick while in or upon any public facility, park, playground, swimming pool, beach, recreational facility, or other public building owned or operated by the city where signs forbidding such possession without valid authorization are displayed in a reasonable location or locations." So watch your stickers in public facilities in Oxnard! It is unlawful to have one in your possession!

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Thousand Oaks, Other Ventura County Cities Rank Among Safest in the Nation in 2012

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Each year the FBI releases its annual Uniform Crime Report that compiles crime data from law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The data includes violent crimes, consisting of murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and property crimes such as burglaries and thefts. Overall, the data has shown continuous improvement since 1993, with a violent crime rate that has dropped by nearly 50% in 20 years (3.87 incidents per 1,000 people last year) and property crime rate drop of 40% (28.59 incidents per 1,000 people in 2012).

Based on this FBI data, the City of Thousand Oaks recently announced that for 2012, the City was ranked the #1 safest city in California and the 4th safest city in the United States out of 279 cities with a population over 100,000. Great news! Simi Valley ranked 3rd in California (Irvine was 2nd) and 7th in the U.S. Oxnard was the 34th safest large city in the country! Nice!

But WAIT! The FBI published 2012 crime data for nearly 9,500 cities throughout the U.S. and, guess what...there are other cities in Ventura County with crime rates that are even lower than Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley!*

  • Moorpark: 10.57 (total crimes per 1,000 residents)

  • Fillmore: 14.51

  • Camarillo: 15.28

  • Thousand Oaks: 15.44

  • Simi Valley: 16.24

  • Santa Paula: 22.78

  • Ojai: 23.01

  • Oxnard: 23.16

  • Port Hueneme: 24.03

  • Ventura: 38.66

Overall, in 2012 the 10 cities of Ventura County had an average of 21.43 total crimes for every 1,000 residents, which is about 33% lower than California and U.S. rates. And in 2012, violent crimes stood at 2.03 occurrences for every 1,000 residents, roughly half the California and national rates. Always room for improvement but, way to go, Ventura County!

Nearby cities of Calabasas (10.71 crimes per 1,000 residents), Agoura Hills (12.00) and Westlake Village (the L.A. County side) (18.68) also fared well. Interestingly, in 2012 Santa Barbara was higher than the national average for both violent crime and property crime rates perhaps because it is such a popular tourist destination.

* The FBI cautions comparative use of this data for drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Keep this in mind when reviewing this data, which is summed up here for informational purposes only.

The Coast Was Clear on Saturday From the Rancho Potrero Open Space in Newbury Park

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The Rancho Potrero Open Space area is located in Newbury Park off of Lynn Road, just east of the intersection with Rancho Dos Vientos. A short walk up the hill on a clear day like this past Saturday gets you stunning views looking towards Camarillo, Oxnard Plain and the Channel Islands. Bring your lunch, sit on this bench and enjoy the view.

The Pumpkin Chucker at the Pumpkin Patch at Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula

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A trebuchet is a catapult that works by using the energy of a raised counterweight to throw a projectile. It was popular in medieval times for hurling large stones and missiles. It became obsolete in the 15th century with the introduction of gunpowder.

However, in recent years, the Pumpkin Chucker at the Faulkner Farm Pumpkin Patch in Santa Paula has brought this ancient projectile thrower back into the spotlight!

For $5 (or 3 for $10), visitors to the pumpkin patch can select a small pumpkin that is carefully placed into a launch position on the Pumpkin Chucker, ring the Pumpkin Chucker bell, then pull the rope that triggers a 500 lb counterweight that projects the pumpkin 200 feet away towards a target.

In our recent visit, I was surprised to experience about a 45 minute wait for the Pumpkin Chucker! But that didn't seem to bother anyone, as everyone enjoyed watching the airborne pumpkins and cheering as they came close to the target. It was so popular in fact that I think this could be a great year-round business opportunity...flinging pumpkins, watermelons, canteloupes and other worthy produce!

Pumpkin commencing its 200 foot flight from the Pumpkin Chucker

The Faulkner Farm Pumpkin Patch, run by the Rotary Club of Santa Paula since 2007, is typically open on weekends in October each year. Learn more at www.faulknerfarmpumpkinpatch.com.

Pumpkin Chucker target area and post-flight remnants of pumpkins at Faulkner Farm