Views From Heaven at the Top of Mount Boney on an Overcast Summer Morning

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Yes, here in Newbury Park you can pretend you are in heaven on an overcast morning. All you need to do is find your way up Boney Mountain, up above the clouds that keep the air so cool below. The way to get there is a bit of a challenge but can be done if you're up for it. First make your way up to the Danielson Cabin Site. That alone is plenty challenging.

From there, the unofficial "Upper Canyon Trail" will get you up there. it is extremely steep and rocky in various sections, deep, challenging crevices that engulf the path, and tight, winding, spider web covered trails to the top. But trust me, once you make it to the top, it's all worthwhile. See for yourself in the video below.

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Birthday Wishes to Linda Ronstadt, Born 66 Years Ago on This Date

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One of my very favorite female recording artists, Linda Ronstadt, turns 66 years old today, July 15, 2012. Ronstadt, a top-selling artist in the 1970s-1980s, released 27 studio albums, 63 singles and has won 11 Grammy awards among accomplishments. She popularized many songs originally written and sung by others through her vocal talent, range and interpretation.

Five of my Ronstadt favorites are embedded below. Happy birthday Linda!

Perhaps my all-time favorite Linda Ronstadt song, this performance of "Long, Long Time" in 1970 makes me sit and watch over and over in awe of her voice and interpretation.

"When Will I Be Loved," written by Phil Everly and a 1960 hit by The Everly Brothers. Sung by Ronstadt, it reached #2 on the U.S. charts in 1975.

Here's a funky version of her #1 hit "You're No Good" that was originally written and performed in the early 1960s.

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City of Thousand Oaks Announces Winners of 2012 City Photo Contest

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Category People and Places (1st Place) Janss Marketplace Fountains by Desiree VidalThe City of Thousand Oaks has selected winners for its First Annual, "Faces, Places, & Open Spaces" Photo Contest.  Twelve winning photos were chosen out of over 100 entries from photographers of all ages and skill levels. Images best depicting the community in five categories: Environment, Architecture / Structure, People & Places, Business/Industry, and Mobile were awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

A panel of judges from the City's Public Information Team, Cultural Affairs Commission, Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, and Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce picked the winning shots. The photos were judged anonymously based on photographic quality, creativity, relevancy to category, and representation of Thousand Oaks. Some photographers won in multiple categories. 

Category: Architecture/Structure (1st Place) Dos Vientos Neighborhood by Shima Tshimanga

"The photo contest was a success and showcased resident’s skill in capturing the City’s beautiful landscapes, wildlife, events, parks, and community life in a great way,” said Public Information Analyst Rachel Wagner.  “We thank everyone who shared their images with us and hope to get even more entries next year.”  

Category Environment (1st Place) Horses in the Mist by Mike ShawThe first place winner in the Environment category, a photograph of “Horses in the Mist” near Hidden Valley, was submitted by Mike Shaw.  An aerial shot of the Dos Vientos neighborhood submitted by Shima Tshimanga won top prize in the Architecture category. Kelly Hammerslag entered the winning photo in the Mobile Phone category for her “Fourth of July Sunset” and also took third place in the Environment category for a line-up of oak trees on Los Padres Trail. Desiree Vidal not only came in a close second in the Architecture category, but her shots of a girl running through the Janss Marketplace Fountains and a woman jogging in Wildwood took both first and third place in the People and Places category.

Category Mobile (1st Place) 4th of July Sunset by Kelly Hammerslag

The winners will be honored at the Tuesday, July 10 City Council Meeting and their photos will be featured on the City’s Website and Summer Newsletter.  Visit www.toaks.org/photocontest to have a look at the winning photos.

Footage From Tonight's City of Agoura Hills Post-Concert Fireworks Show

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Every July in recent memory the cities of Moorpark and Agoura Hills have broken rank and hosted fireworks shows on days other than the 4th of July. Moorpark hosts its 3rd of July Extravaganza each year and Agoura Hills hosts fireworks shows after one of its free Sunday concerts in the park. We love this because it gives us the opportunity to see fireworks multiple times.

Tonight was no exception as the fireworks at Chumash Park in Agoura Hills started just after 9 p.m., about an hour after Platinum Groove provided musical entertainment to a massive crowd. The show seemed a bit short at about 7 to 8 minutes but apparently there may have been a glitch according to some fellow residents on the CVG Facebook Page. We watched the show from Kanan Road and, although my kids are somewhat, let's just say, annoying, in the background, it was enjoyable.

For scenes from the fireworks show in Thousand Oaks on July 4th, click here.

Thousand Oaks on Kiplinger Magazine's "10 Great Cities to Raise Your Kids"

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In its May 2012 issue, Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine published the article "10 Great Cities to Raise Your Kids." In this article Kiplinger selected 10 safe family-friendly cities using a two-step approach. The first step identified areas with high incomes relative to living costs, a larger percentage of families with kids under 18 and low crime rates. They basically were looking for nice places to raise kids where earnings potential was deemed more than adequate to cover the costs of raising a family.

The 2nd stop was to find specific cities within the top 10 metropolitan areas identified based on education quality, availability of local parks, playgrounds and libraries, and average incomes. Lo and behold, our very own Thousand Oaks made the list at #4!

And here is what Kiplingers said (in italics):

City population: 126,683
Average family income: $138,313
Percentage of families with children: 33.4%
Metro-area spending per student: $5,947
Public playgrounds: 40

Thousand Oaks started life as a planned communit

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Missed the 4th of July Fireworks? Scenes From the 2012 Thousand Oaks Show!

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We enjoyed the annual Conejo Recreation & Park District and City of Thousand Oaks annual 4th of July fireworks display last night as did tens of thousands of local residents! Kudos to CRPD for their tireless work each 4th of July, bringing residents fun activities from sunup to sundown, including a pancake breakfast, home run derby, free swimming at local pools, free concert and fireworks show!

Speaking of the fireworks show, if you missed it, here is some footage. The show is roughly 20 minutes long, so here is about a third of the show for your viewing pleasure.

Fun With the Kids Yesterday at the Glendale Galleria LEGO Store

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With two LEGO fans in my household, the selection at the local Target and Toys R Us gets old after awhile. So short of taking the trek down to LEGOLAND Park in Carlsbad, the best place to go within range of the Conejo Valley is the LEGO Store at the Glendale Galleria.

The selection at the store is amazing. Your kids will be in LEGO heaven.

Watch out though...you will come across high end LEGO sets like these $400 Star Wars sets with 3,000 to 4,000 pieces! Really cool!

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