By Tim Pompey After a 2020 Christmas season that was spoiled by COVID, the holiday celebrations for 2021 in Camarillo are back. The music, the lights, the decorations, even a brisk “polar plunge.” Like treats on a family table, they...
By Marina Dunbar  |  Photo courtesy of SEEAG November is the month in which the United States celebrates Thanksgiving, and thus it is imbued with an attitude of gratitude. It is a time when many recognize that we are beholden...
By Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer  |  nshaffer@timespublications.com Exploring a picturesque maze of canals and bridges via gondola, a charming gondolier in boater hat and striped shirt at the stern, is probably the single most enduring image of Venice — and...
By Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer | Photos by Mathew Broughton This is my favorite view,” says Jill Cox, standing on the porch just off her living room and gesturing toward Sulfur Mountain in the distance. “This is what sold me...
by Alex Wilson Perched atop a mountain promontory on the eastern edge of the Ojai Valley, commanding nearly unbelievable views, Meditation Mount welcomes people of all faiths seeking peace, personal growth and healing. Since its founding in 1971, Meditation Mount has...
by Karen Lindell Milt and Arlene Larsen have worked their magical touch on Montecito. Milt, co-founder of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, and Arlene, a costume designer, have brought their love of magic, old-school entertainment and show-biz memorabilia to a new...
By Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer While the California beer boom has been going strong for decades — San Francisco’s Anchor Steam showed up on the scene in 1971, long before the term “craft brewing” had been coined — ciders are...
By Mike Nelson At the Wilson family farm in Rochester, New Hampshire, 9-year-old Kay, one of six children, watches her mother feed, for the umpteenth time, “hobos,” men hungry and without homes. As they sit on the back step of the...
By Alex Wilson  |  Photos by Luis Chavez journey to England provided inspiration for an Oxnard family to replace their backyard lawn with a more natural and seasonal meadow-style garden. Catherine Lewis and her husband Wayne joined a garden tour with...
By Leslie A. Westbrook  |  photos by Luis Chavez he Hopi carve and paint Kachina dolls that are given to children to learn the spiritual and religious significance attached to them. Any sensitive person who has encountered these emblems can...