Interesting and Amazing Facts and Tidbits About LEGO® Blocks

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My kids are LEGO® fanatics and I'm constantly being nagged for new LEGO sets. Our house must have thousands of dollars of them. So recently we visited the only LEGO store within an hour range of the Conejo Valley, at the Glendale Galleria. To make it a full day, we stopped by the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park for mini-train rides. Needless to say, they loved the LEGO store and we spent quite a bit of time exploring.

Some amazing facts about LEGO bricks and products (Source: Lego.com):

  • There are over 915 million ways to combine 6 8-stud LEGO bricks. Go try it for yourself! The exact number of combinations is 915,103,765.
  • The LEGO Group made over 31 billion LEGO elements in 2010, or 1,000 per second.
  • There are over 3,900 LEGO elements and 58 different LEGO colors.
  • Over 400 million children and adults will play with LEGO bricks this year.
  • Laid end to end, the LEGO bricks sold in one year would circle the earth 10 times.
  • With over 300 million tires produced each year, LEGO is the world's largest tire maker.
  • Nearly half a TRILLION LEGO elements have been manufactured over the years.
  • Over the years, an estimated 4 BILLION LEGO minifigures have been produced, making them the world's largest population group!
  • There are 4 LEGOLAND® parks in the world, including Denmark, England, California and Germany. A new LEGOLAND, the largest ever, will open in Florida (midway between Tampa and Orlando) in mid-October 2011! A 6th park is planned in Malaysia in 2012.
  • Our "local" LEGOLAND here in Carlsbad, California opened in 1999 using 35 million LEGO brocks in the park's 15,000 LEGO models.

The name LEGO originated in 1934 when Ole Kirk Kristiansen took the Danish words LEG GODT "play well" and created the name that has become a household word. The LEGO Group is very protective of its brand...they require the following:

  • LEGO should always be written in capital letters.
  • LEGO must not be used as a generic term or in the plural (e.g. LEGOs).
  • When used as part of a noun, LEGO must not appear on its own (e.g. LEGO bricks).

ROCK ON, LEGO!

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Latest Work of Camarillo Artist Chuck Trunks: "Signs"

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The latest work of Camarillo abstract artist Chuck Trunks (previous work posted here) juxtoposes scenes and experiences from his life with components of texts and emails. I think. Well, that's my interpretation of this interesting and unique piece :>

Speaking of texts and tweets and such, make sure to follow CVG for updates at www.twitter.com/ConejoJoe and www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide.

Looking for a job in and around Ventura County? Check out THIS LIST of over 200 local company job websites.

Go take a hike at some of these local trails and hiking venues.

Get involved at one of these 70 or so local service organizations.

6th Annual Amgen Tour of California Final Stage Will Finish in Thousand Oaks on Sunday, May 22nd

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Route details have been announced for Stage 8! Race starts in Santa Clarita at McBean Parkway and Magic Mountain Parkway to the 126 West through Piru/Fillmore. Then it cuts south to the hilly Balcom Canyon Road to Stockton Road, then east on Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark. From there it goes south on Tierra Rejada Road on to Moorpark Road and the Norwegian Grade...ouch! Up and over the top of the grade to Olsen Road west, then boy is it gonna be a blistering pace down Lynn Road! The cyclists will turn left (east) on Hillcrest to what looks to be Old Conejo School Road (adjacent to The Lakes), and from there it will be another 5 lap, 4 mile per lap circuit that includes Thousand Oaks Boulevard and ends at the T.O. Civic Arts Plaza (Thousand Oaks Blvd and Conejo School Road). There will be miles and miles of great race coverage in Thousand Oaks!

Amgen Tour Street Closure Map in Thousand Oaks this Sunday

View 2011 Amgen Tour City of Thousand Oaks Route with Street Closu­­res/­R­oad Blocks in a larger map

The 6th Annual Amgen Tour of California will take place over 8 days, from May 15-22, 2011. This year's event starts in a new location, South Lake Tahoe, on May 15th. From there it goes to North Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Auburn, Modesto, Livermore, San Jose, Seaside, Paso Robles, Solvang, Claremont, Mount Baldy, Santa Clarita...and, finally...THOUSAND OAKS once again in the 8th Stage finale on Sunday, May 22nd. Over 800 miles of riding. The Thousand Oaks final stage will finish at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Last year's final stage in Thousand Oaks had 128 cyclists and 63 finishers. Hopefully we will see many of the same from last year's top 5, winner Michael Rogers, 2nd place David Zabriskie, 3rd place Levi Leipheimer (winner of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 events), 4th place Christoper Horner and 5th place Ryder Hesjedal. Lance Armstrong rode in the 2010 event but had to bow out after a crash in Stage 5.

For more information, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com or the City of Thousand Oaks Stage 8 website at www.amgentourconejo.org.

Watching the Sun Set Down the Camarillo Grade by John B. Mueller

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Photographer John B. Mueller took this great shot of the sunset looking down the Camarillo grade. I've tried capturing this shot while driving down the grade but have never been successful. John did it right by actually getting out of the car at Camarillo Grove Park, climbing the hills and waiting for the right moment. Kudos and thanks to him for sharing it! Visit his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of his work.

Speaking of Camarillo. Here are some upcoming Camarillo events, things to do in Camarillo, fitness and sports activities in Camarillo and kids fun and activities in Camarillo.

Spring is Around the Corner Here in Ventura County!

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We are nearing that transition period between winter and summer, otherwise known as SPRING! Spring begins on March 20th and this latest work of Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks he calls "To My Surprise" captures some of the spirit of that transition. See his other work on Conejo Valley Guide by clicking here.

And with the coming of spring of course we have a lot of fun things to do around Ventura County. Here are some links for you to explore:

EASTER FUN

EARTH DAY (APRIL 22ND) EVENTS

FRESH PRODUCE AT 2 DOZEN LOCAL FARMERS' MARKETS

LACE UP FOR AN UPCOMING 5K OR 10K!

UPCOMING EVENTS WITH A COST OF $0

Local Thousand Oaks Moms Create Service-Learning Summer Camp That is Fun-Filled and Community Inspired

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Thousand Oaks locals, Meredith Madnick Cornelius and Anne Byer Marquart decided to create a summer camp focused on service-learning after they wanted to send their own children to one and realized there were none available for younger children.

From that realization, Camp Helping Hands™ (CHH) was born. CHH is a co-ed summer day camp for kids ages six to 13 with service-learning as its core theme.  Service-learning emphasizes both service and learning and requires participants to use their knowledge and skills to address real-life needs in their own communities.  

At Camp Helping Hands, campers will do just this by following the four phases of the service-learning process: investigation, planning, taking action, and reflection. When campers are led through this collaborative process, they share and invest their ideas and skills and feel truly committed to the project and to making a difference. Local organizations from the community will join as service partners, and local college students will lead the groups as CHH counselors.  

The theme for 2011 is “Living: Our Place in the World,” and the three-week session will be hosted at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.  During week one, CHH campers will work with Waste Management to see firsthand how a landfill can be transformed into a pollinator garden. After a brief facility tour, which includes an up-close visit with Avian Entertainment falconers and their bir

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30th Anniversary of Channel Islands National Park This Year

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So close, yet a world away, Channel Islands National Park marks its 30th anniversary as a National Park this year, but its isolation and the fact you can't drive to the park means it is one of the least visited parks in the national park system. Late summer and fall are great times to visit the park as temperatures are generally moderate and rain is not likely. 
 
A great location for hiking, camping and kayaking, the eight Channel Islands span 160 miles off the coast of Southern California. There are four northern islands - San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa, and four southern islands - San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina and San Clamente. Channel Islands National Park consists of the four northern islands along with Santa Barbara Island.
 
For more travel information on the islands or to book boat transportation to an island, check out Island Packer's website at www.islandpackers.com as the only licensed tour operator to the park. They visit all are five islands with seven destinations available for you to visit in the Channel Islands National Park, leaving out of Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard or Ventura Harbor in Ventura. Island Packers lands at Anacapa Island’s Landing Cove, and two destinations on Santa Cruz Island, Scorpion Anchorage and Prisoners’ Harbor, year round. During certain days of the year with very low tides, Frenchy’s Cove at Anacapa Island can be visited for tidepool exploration. They also offer trips to the more remote islands, referred to as the outer islands due to their increased distance from the mainland, these trips are seasonal. Trips to the outer islands, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and San Miguel, are scheduled when ocean conditions on the outer waters are likely to be optimal for traveling. Trips to Santa Barbara Island operate from April to October, landings at San Miguel are scheduled May to October, and on Santa Rosa from April to November.

The islands rose from the ocean millions of years ago and were born of plate tectonics, volcano activity and fluctuating sea levels. During the ice ages the northern four islands were once connected as the polar ice caps expanded. Also during this time, the islands were most accessible to the mainland’s flora and fauna. When the seas rose again it created the islands and isolated them to evolve separately from the mainland as well as one another. The Channel Islands are home to over 2,000 terrestrial plants and animals, of which 145 are found nowhere else in the world. A few good examples include the Island Fox, which appears half the size of a mainland fox and the Silver Lotus Plant, found only on Santa Cruz Island’s highest peaks.
 
Earlier this year, Greg Clure, a local nature photographer, went on a 16 mile weekend backpacking trip across Santa Cruz Island, landing at Prisoners’ Harbor and hiking to Scorpion Anchorage. A few of his images from this trip can be seen below and you can check out all of his images from this trip by visiting his Channel Islands Gallery at www.gregclurephotography.com/channelislands