A Murder of Crows Above Thousand Oaks Boulevard

On a recent Sunday afternoon, we witnessed this large congregation of crows flying this way and that above Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Yes, this is next to the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall. We believe they were plotting an air bombardment over the new cars on display.

The Thousand Oaks Auto Mall consists of Rusnak BMW, Rusnak Westlake Audi, Rusnak Westlake Porche, Anderson Autos Acura of Thousand Oaks, DCH Ford of Thousand Oaks, DCH Suburu of Thousand Oaks, Anderson Autos Honda of Thousand Oaks, Infiniti of Thousand Oaks, Anderson Autos Jaguar of Thousand Oaks, Anderson Autos Land Rover of Thousand Oaks, Anderson Autos Lexus of Thousand Oaks, Neftin Westlake Mazda, Neftin Westlake Volkswagen, Alfa Romeo of Westlake, Bentley Westlake, Genesis of Westlake, Westlake Hyundai, Lamborghini Westlake, Maserati Westlake Village, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Westlake, Shaver Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram, Anderson Autos Mercedes-Benz Thousand Oaks, Anderson Autos Buick GMC Thousand Oaks, Anderson Autos Cadillac of Thousand Oaks and Anderson Autos Chevrolet of Thousand Oaks.

Dramatic Sunset Ends a Perfect Thanksgiving 2022 Weekend in Ventura County

Beautiful skies tonight, Sunday, November 27, 2022, at the end of the first weekend of holiday season shopping in Ventura County. Though it was such a beautiful weekend, many of us spent time outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle.

View from the camarillo Premium Outlets

View from near Thornhill Broome Beach in Point Mugu State Park (Photo Credit @bradli.mp3 Instagram)

Squawkless in Summerland? No! Check Out the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary

It was not a planned visit.

My son and I were cycling from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara for the first time, enjoying a relaxing ride on Via Real/Lillie Ave, paralleling the 101 on the north side.

We passed a sign that said "McLeod Parrot Menagerie" and I heard birds, squawking birds. I said, let's check this out! 

Little did I know that co-located at the Menagerie is the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary.

Squawkless in Summerland!? Heck no! Lots of squawking and talking going on at this place!

The Sanctuary is a non-profit organization founded by Jamie McLeod that rescues and rehabilitates parrots that are unwanted, abused and orphaned. The organization also finds homes for these beautiful animals. 

The Sanctuary is home to over 60 of birds, some of which are ready for adoption; others may have conditions that prevent adoption.

We got the chance to chat with Jamie, who is 1984 graduate from the America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. She showed us the Skylar Learning Center, where children can learn more about these interesting, long-lived, intelligent creatures.

And of course we visited with the birds and had meaningful conversations with many of them. We heard words and phrases like "hello," "knock knock," "how's it going," "I love you," and so on. Quite entertaining. And we caught a few cool head bobs too!

We also learned that the McLeod Parrot Menagerie provides grooming and boarding, toys and other parrot-related products and services.

The Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary is a must see and less than an hour from central Thousand Oaks. Walk-in visits are available 10 am to 3:30 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fees for non-docent tours are $10 for adults and $5 for 12 and under and 65+ seniors. Donations are welcomed (and tax deductible) as they help towards caring for and feeding the parrots. Docent-led personalized tours are also available with at least one week’s advance notice. You may observe the birds, but do not touch or feed them or their cages.

These fellows were quite entertaining.

To learn more, visit www.sbbird.org or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbbsbirds or call 805.565.1807. The street address is 2340 Lillie Avenue, Summerland.

Former Olympia Farms Property on the Rancho Potrero Open Space

The Rancho Potrero Open Space area is located in Newbury Park off of Lynn Road, just east of the intersection with Rancho Dos Vientos. The area includes an equestrian center where Rancho Potrero Community Equestrian Center is located and is adjacent to the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa area in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

On the west end of the space is a a property that used to be called Olympia Farms, which was owned by Greek immigrant, textile businessman and Arabian horse breeder George Patarias Huck. (Huck was tragically shot and killed in front of his home in Mt. Olympus in August 1984 at age 46.)

Huck's 638 acre property was sold to the Mountains Recreation and Conservancy, City of Thousand Oaks, Conejo Recreation and Park District and National Park Service for $4.2 million in 1993. 312 acres were carved out as an addition to Rancho Sierra Vista. The remainder is part of Rancho Potrero, which is maintained by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA).

In the 2021-2022 time frame, the Olympia Farms space was redeveloped and improved to include, pedestrian paths, a horse corral, drinking fountain for people and animals, picnic benches and a small amphitheater area. More info and footage at THIS LINK.

NOTE: THE SITE WAS REDEVELOPED IN 2021-2022 AND THE OLD RANCH BUILDING LUMBER DISCUSSED BELOW I BELIEVE IS IN STORAGE WITH THE CRPD.

These old ranch buildings are actually a Ventura County historical point of interest that was designated as such in May 1986. According to the City of Thousand Oaks, there were two large barns built in 1930 on the Dos Vientos Ranch. Joseph Lewis, business partner of City of Camarillo namesake Adolfo Camarillo, farmed 8,000 acres of land in this area. The barns were dismantled to make room for home development in Dos Vientos and the lumber currently resides here. The Conejo Recreation & Park District is working with the Conejo Valley Historical Society in finding other appropriate uses for these materials, such as displays at the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park.

Visit the Camarillo Ranch House for a Taste of Local Ventura County History

Built in 1892, the Camarillo Ranch House is a grand, three-story, 15-room home built by Adolfo Camarillo in the Queen Anne Victorian style. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in February 2003. The home features seven bedrooms, a grand staircase, tower bay, wooden refrigerator, wrap-around exterior balcony, hardwood floors and turrets.

The exterior and interior of the Camarillo Ranch House were restored by the City of Camarillo and Camarillo Ranch Foundation in 1999-2001.

The White Horse Stables were built in 1966 for the famed Camarillo White Horses. Breeding of the horses began in 1920 when Adolfo Camarillo acquired Sultan, a Spanish stallion, and bred him with a Morgan mare. The White Horses are now owned by members of the White Horse Association. Learn more about the White Horses at www.camarillowhitehorses.org.

Renovation of the historic 1905 Mule Barn at the Camarillo Ranch was completed in 2009.

Today the Camarillo Ranch is owned by the City of Camarillo and operated by the Camarillo Ranch Foundation. The Camarillo Ranch House operates as a museum, featuring rotating exhibits, along with historic home and school tours.

The 3 1/2 acre site is host to a number of community events each year and is available to private parties for weddings, parties, fundraisers and other events. It is a beautiful setting, shaded by historic trees planted before 1900.  You can't miss these trees as you drive by on the 101 freeway.

Docent-led tours of the house are currently (as of September 202) offered on Saturdays and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (last tour starts at 1:30 p.m.). House tour fees are $5 per person (cash only). Children 12 and under are free. The grounds are open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are open to the public.

The Camarillo Ranch House is located at 201 Camarillo Ranch Road.  Visit camarilloranchfoundation.com or call 805.389.8182 for more information.

The Story Behind Those Historic El Camino Real Bell Markers on the 101 Freeway

Like me, perhaps you've wondered about those unique bell markers seen frequently on the 101 Freeway with the sign that says "Historic El Camino Real."

One of those ubiquitous Historic El Camino Real bell markers we see along the 101 Freeway.

El Camino Real is Spanish for "The Royal Road" and in California is the name for the 700 mile historic California Mission Trail that connects 21 missions, 4 presidios (military forts) and several pueblos (towns) from Mission San Diego de Alcala in the south to Mission San Francisco Solano in Northern California. El Camino Real is designated as California Historical Landmark #784.

California State Assembly Bill 1707 defined the El Camino Real route, which includes portions of Routes 280, 82, 238, 101, 5, 72, 12, 37, 121, 87, 162, 185, 92, and 123 and connecting city streets and county roads in a continuous route from Sonoma southerly to the international border.

So what's up with those bell markers on the 101? According to the California Department of Transportation, the Mission Bell Marker system has existed on the historic El Camino Real route since 1906. The original marker system called for installation of bells one mile apart along the entire length of the El Camino Real. By 1913, over 450 markers were in place, but over the years the bells were removed due to damage, vandalism and theft. In 1959, the Division of Highways was legislatively mandated to maintain the marker system. Legislation in 1974 reiterated that responsibility.

Caltrans initiated a plan to maintain the system beginning in 1974, when less than 100 of the original Mission Bell Markers remained. The bells are exact copies of the original 1906 bells; in fact, the original bell molds were used to fabricate the new bells. Mission Bell Marker locations were chosen based on safety, constructability, visibility and scenic quality of the site. Spacing between marker locations varied based on existing site conditions and limitations. An average spacing of 1 to 2 miles was sought when identifying the locations.

The Caltrans Landscape Architecture Program began in 1996 to fulfill its vision to restore the historic El Camino Real Mission Bell Marker system from San Diego to Sonoma. The portion of the system from San Diego to Los Angeles was not addressed by the restoration project because those bells are mostly located on local streets outside of the State’s jurisdiction. The first phase of the restoration project, between Los Angeles to San Francisco, was completed in early 2005. The second and final phase of the restoration project was completed between San Francisco and Sonoma in late 2012. The Mission Bell Marker system as originally envisioned in the earlier part of the last century has finally been realized!

Caltrans received nearly $2 million in Transportation Enhancement grants to fund restoration of the Mission Bell Marker system on the El Camino Real from Orange County to Sonoma. Funding was received for the manufacture and placement of 585 Mission Bell Markers, placed approximately one to two miles apart along the roadside in the northbound and southbound directions of State Routes 101, 82, 37, 121, and 12. Mission Bell Markers located within the roadside of a state route are maintained by Caltrans. Maintenance of Markers located on local streets are the responsibility of the local entity.

So that explains why you see all of those interesting bell markers on the 101 Freeway! How would you like to have one of these authentic California El Camino Real Bell Markers in your own yard!? Visit the California Mission Bell company website at www.californiabell.com.

Older El Camino Real bell marker on display at the Old Mission Santa Barbara.

Pillowy Clouds in the Skies Above the Conejo Valley on Saturday, July 30th

We had several days of these pretty clouds blanketing our local skies last week. The view above is from the top of the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, looking towards Tarantula Hill. A beautiful sight.