Former NBA Greats Pippen, Rodman, Grant and Others Played in Taiwan on Sunday

A buddy of mine surprised me with these great photos from an exhibition game played in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. NBA legends Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, along with other popular retirees including Horace Grant, Jason Williams, Mitch Richmond and others, put on a show against the Taiwanese All-Star team this past Sunday, July 21st.

This team of old-timers looked great! The NBA Alumni team beat the locals by a score of 104 to 89 and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed the show! Rodman, who is now 51, played with gusto, according to my friend. In fact, he dove for a loose ball and ended up in some courtside seats. His effort was impressive. And of course, as you'll see below, he was as photogenic as ever.

Local Photographer Jonathan Stewart Captures Humpback Whales in Santa Barbara

On a recent whale watching trip to the Santa Barbara Channel via Channel Islands Packers (Condor Express also does whale watching trips) Conejo Valley based photographer Jonathan Stewart and others witnessed more humpback whales than could be counted, a solitary blue whale, an extraordinary number of dolphins and sea lions, and countless other sea creatures as they made their way towards the Channel Islands.

Stewart shares some fantastic shots below. For more of these, visit his website at www.jonathanstewartphotos.com or go directly to his Anacapa Island Whale Watching Album.

This is the head of one of the humpback whales they saw.

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

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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City of Thousand Oaks Announces Winners of 2012 City Photo Contest

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.

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

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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June Gloom, June Heat, June Cold, Back to June Gloom in the Conejo Valley

Weather patterns here in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County are consistently inconsistent in recent memory. Hot summer, cool summers and daily/weekly changes from hot to cold and sunny to overcast. Personally I prefer the cold to the heat because I enjoy local running when it is cool outside. This morning was perfect running weather...cool and overcast.

Overcast skies make it optimal to run up Boney Mountain. Whether you make it all the way up or not, you're bound to reach a point where you can look down at the cloud cover below towards Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.

On the way up Boney (no I didn't run to the very top this morning), I passed the Danielson Monument, dedicated to the man who donated much of his land to the National Park Service for all of us to enjoy.

And while dodging numerous massive spider webs on the trails going up the hill (I'm still imagining spiders crawling on me), I came upon this deer on the trail. Bambi? His body action told me he was a bit unnerved about my running toward him (or her).

Click here for more local trails and hiking throughout the area.