Recently found photo of Jack during his 60s flower power days.

The last Sunday in April, is always the opening weekend for Conejo Valley Days. So yesterday, I went to Conejo Creek Park South in Thousand Oaks. And yes there was a hugh crowd gathering for the Chili Cook-Off. Yea.

But it wasn't Conejo Valley Days.

It looked like Conejo Valley Days. It smelled like Conejo Valley Days. The crowds looked like Conejo Valley Days. The tents,badges, rides, food, music, cops, cops and more cops, were all there, but it was something called 2009 Conejo Valley Family Fun Fest.

Huh, What????

What I missed was the announcement last September. For various reasons, the annual Thousand Oaks community celebration had to be cancelled for 2009. Link to story in Ventura County Star.

Actually the reasons for cancellation for one year are valid. The main ones seem to be volunteer burnout, on- going construction at Conejo Creek Park South, rising security costs, and the economy.

But many non-profit organizations depend upon Conejo Valley Days for fundraising. The Thousand Oaks Rotary Club, stepped forward to help fill the gap by enlarging the traditional Chili Cook-Off into a two day event named 2009 Conejo Valley Family Fun Fest. Based on my visit Sunday afternoon, this two day version of the traditional opening of Conejo Valley Days was a major success.

Great crowd, I suspect over 5,000 were in attendance. I arrived about 1 pm and it took over 30 minutes to get parked. Traffic was backed up off Janss Road onto the 23 Freeway.

In additional to this successful butt not-CVD event, a real mini Conejo Valley Days is happening in a week. On April 3rd, the Conejo Valley Activities Corporation, voted to put on the mini CVD days at Conejo Creek Park South on May 6th through 10th. Yea. Link to Acorn story.

While there is no parade this year, at least there will be the carnival - with reduced prices. Moms get in free in Sunday, May 10th. Check out the CVD web site.

On a personal note. Conejo Valley Days has been a major part of my life in Thousand Oaks since moving here in 1982. Yesterday former Thousand Oaks resident, Steve Halub. said it best "CVD is great for the community, it gives TO that small town feel."

CVD is important to the Conejo Valley. Maybe it is time to slim it down to manageable levels. But keep it going!

Enjoy the photos.

Randy Eli Grothe was let go recently from the Dallas Morning News. His long farewell piece is a must read for anyone who needs a reminder of why we got into this profession. As one on the comments following the piece noted "Who Says Photographers Can't Write."

Whenever a Monkey Screams, Think of Me

I always wanted to be a writer, but somewhere in the sixties I got sidetracked by a Polaroid Swinger.

Now, being a writer seemed to be an admirable profession, but being a photographer seemed to be just plain cool. And being a newspaper photojournalist with a Nikon dangling from your neck as well as a press pass opening doors, whoa, that was tres cool.

read on.....

As I process photos through Lightroom 2, I am always looking for candidates for using alternative interpretations of the image. Followers of my blog know that in recent months I have been putting Topaz Simplify through its paces. These two examples are from the last week.

Above is from last Tuesday in San Diego, another photo of the "Unconditional Surrender" statue. Below is a photo shot last night in downtown Los Angeles.

The photo below is a good example of the workflow I am currently using. After import into Lightroom, I go into the Develop module, crop and do basic enhancements. This hotel photo was a candidate for a grayscale gritty look. I used a Lightroom preset to remove color, over-sharpen and tone down edges. A simple Lightroom command E on the keyboard moves a copy of the image into Photoshop. In the bottom version, I first went into grayscale mode and used the saturation sponge tool to add contrast around the sign. Then I went back to RGB and used Topaz Simplify BuzzSim preset to make the top version.

I liked both versions enough to post both.


Sign on 4th Street building in downtown Los Angeles advertising rooms for one dollar. After given a gritty look, the above version was run through Topaz simplify.


The version before use of Topaz Simplify.

PS: Sorry about the headline. Try saying "Two Topaz Simplify Pics" five times.

Two weeks ago I took a Sunday afternoon ride on the Fillmore & Western Railroad. Very relaxing. The train left Fillmore at noon and took about 45 minutes to reach Santa Paula, traveling at a slow clip of about 15 miles per hour. The train stays in downtown Santa Paula, then returns with one stop for shoppers at the Loose Caboose Garden and Gift Emporium on the east side of Santa Paula. Arrival back in Fillmore is about 3;30 p.m..

I had over an hour to walk around downtown Santa Paula getting some lunch and plenty of photos.

The train runs most Saturdays and Sundays from downtown Fillmore. You must check the schedule on their web site to confirm they are running on the day you want to go. This Weekend Scenic Excursion trip that I took is just one of many trips Fillmore & Western run. The company also is involved in movie, TV and video production, so some rail equipment may not be available.

Cost is $24 for adults with discounts for seniors and children. Fillmore & Western Railroad web site www.fwry.com.

Check out the 35 images posted in my flash photo gallery.



Fillmore & Western Railroad engine given antique look. I shot the engine with my Oktomat camera, took one of the eight frames and converted to a grainy toned image.

Here are some more Jack antenna balls from my small collection. Some really show their age.

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Hugo Tringali, of Thousand Oaks heads his small flock of sheep back to his Agoura Ranch after Sunrise Easter Services at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California. 1984 photo by Scott Harrison/The News Chronicle.

Photo from a walk this evening in downtown Los Angeles.

I got a chance to use the Oktomat camera this last week. Here are two photos from the cheap film camera. Above is the Fillmore Train Station. Below is another Los Angeles City Hall pic.

Last month the Los Angeles Times had another round of layoffs. Two co-workers in the photo department were let go. I survived, but now I work five nights a week instead of two. With the new hours, I am spending my lunch, now dinner break, going for walks in downtown Los Angeles. Thus a new category for my photo blog. Enjoy the photos, I enjoy the walks.

Above: Exterior walkway at the CalTrans building. Left, popular restaurant with the LA Times night workers. Below, Second Street looking toward Disney Hall.