Little Red Riding Hood Run Towards Boney Mountain in Rancho Sierra Vista

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Dianne Avery of local Dianne Avery Photography captured this photo of "Little Red Riding Hood" running in the direction of Boney Mountain from Rancho Sierra Vista section of the Santa Monica Mountains in Newbury Park.

While Little Red Riding Hood has issues with Big Bad Wolf in the fairy tale, it is mostly coyotes she has to deal with back there, and most of them are too busy chasing rabbits to mess with her. Love the juxtaposition of the red cape with the natural colored surrounds. Thanks for sharing, Dianne!

Incredible Color Photos from 1939 to 1943 From the Library of Congress

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Bound for Glory: America in Color was a 2006 exhibit of little known color images taken by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information. The exhibit included 70 prints made from color transparencies taken from 1939 to 1943, capturing post-Depresssion and pre-World War II America. These are downright incredible shots. I've selected 3 of my favorites from the bunch below. View them all at myloc.gov/Exhibitions/boundforglory. Thanks to the Library of Congress for making these available.

Russell Lee Shepherd with his horse and dog on Gravelly Range Madison County, Montana, August 1942. Reproduction from color slide. LC-USW36-847B. LC-DIG-fsac-1a35022. FSA/OWI Collection. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (2)

John Vachon. Grand Grocery Company. Lincoln, Nebraska, 1942. Reproduction from color slide. LC-USF351-268. LC-DIG-fsac-1a34273. FSA/OWI Collection. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (5)Jack Delano. Connecticut town on the sea. Stonington, Connecticut, November 1940. Reproduction from color slide. LC-USF351-31. LC-DIG-fsac-1a33831. FSA/OWI Collection. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (40)

Today Was Just Another Typical Mid-Winter Day in Southern California

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OK not quite mid-winter yet but we're several weeks into it. But we've seen nothing but clear, sunny skies most of this winter 2011-2012 so far. Just another sunny, perfect day in Southern California. We enjoyed outdoor activities all around town this weekend, culminating at the beach adjacent to the Mugu Rock. As we hiked and played around the rocks and beach, I'm thinking, did winter decide to take a break this year?

I was impressed by the two fishermen shown above. They were in the same spot on the beach for several hours. I never saw them move, nor did I see them catch a fish in the time we were there. And they were still there when we left. Patience is a virtue.

Full Service Delis in the Conejo Valley

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THIS OUTDATED LIST HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE CONEJO VALLEY SANDWICH PLACES LIST AT THIS LINK.

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There's a lot of places where you can buy a roast beef sandwich, but there's only a handful of delis in town that make it that really THICK deli style way.  You know, thick enough to feed two people, thick enough take out half the meat, bring it home, and make 2 more sandwiches out of it.  Price references below were current as of January 2009.

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Brent's Deli, established in Northridge in 1967, opened its second location at 2799 Townsgate Road, Westlake Village (in front of the Westlake Hyatt) in Summer 2006.  Phone is 805.557.1882.  Their website at www.brentsdeli.com contains a menu.  This place was immediately popular.  Big, beautiful, well-appointed restaurant.  Great place to have breakfast!    A roast beef sandwich with a side order and pickles is $11.95.  Sounds pricey, but when you see the size of the sandwich you'll understand.  The only minor complaint I have about Brent's is that they don't have a kids' menu.  I've never been disappointed here.

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Agoura's Famous Deli is located at 5915 Kanan Road, Agoura Hills.  It was opened in 1997 by the Lovi family.  Though I don't get over there often, I have enjoyed the food there when I have.  This deli doesn't have the ambience of Brent's or Roxy's, but they serve excellent, New York style food  In fact, I believe the food at Agoura's Famous Deli is better than at Roxy's...just my humble opinion.  Same $11.95 price here for a roast beef sandwich.  Website picklesdeli.com and phone 818.889.9113.

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A friend of mine loves the soup at Pickles Deli in Newbury Park, located in the Kohl's Center at 1940 Newbury Road.  My 5 year old loves the chicken strips and hot dogs there.  My 2 year old loves the eggs.  So you can't go too wrong there.  Pickles was opened by the Lovis (see Agoura's Famous Deli) in 1996.  Once again, $11.95 for a rare roast beef sandwich.  Staff are always very pleasant.  Website picklesdeli.com and phone 805.480.4800.

Jack's Deli WAS located at 966 Westlake Boulevard in Westlake Village, but it was announced that they closed their doors on Sunday, November 20th, 2011.

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The Old New York Deli & Bakery Co. has been in business in Camarillo (4972 Verdugo Way 805.484.DELI) since 1994.  On 11/18/08 they opened a new location at 2700 Teller Road, Newbury Park (805.375.DELI) in the new Loehmann's Shopping Plaza (Loehmann’s is no longer there.) The Newbury Park Old New York Deli closed its doors in the summer of 2019.

Feel free to submit additions to us or add comments to this post!

Child Car Booster Seat Laws in California are Changing on January 1, 2012

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Something to be aware of for next year. Earlier this month Governor Brown signed into law SB 929 to change child booster seat requirements and align them with National Highway Transportation Safety Administration standards effective January 1, 2012.

Current law requires children in the State of California under age 6 or under 60 pounds to be seated in a child restraint seat (e.g. booster seat).

The new law changes this requirement to children under 8 years of age, unless they are 4' 9" or taller.

As a father of kids in this age range, I do think this new law makes sense. The lap belt is supposed to cross the hip area, not lie across the tummy, while the shoulder belt should lie across the chest, not hike up the neck. We've experimented and without the booster seats my kids are simply not fully protected and the belt could do some major damage to their small bodies if not situated correctly.

This law is interesting in that it takes away the weight parameter and replaces it with height. Your kid is "off the hook" if they are 4' 9" or taller before the age of 8. Jersey Shore "celebrity" Snooki Polizzi is 4' 9" tall at the age of 23. If she were just slightly shorter perhaps it would be in her interest to use a booster seat in her car.

I digress. It is interesting how laws vary state by state on this issue. The majority of states require kids 7 and under to sit in booster seats, yet it is currently perfectly legal for a 4 year old to use an adult seat belt in the state of Florida, while Arizona and South Dakota allows 5 year olds to wear adult seat belts. At the other extreme, kids under age 9 in Wyoming all must be in kid seats.

Check out www.iihs.org/laws/mapchildrestraintagerequirements.aspx for well organized information regarding child seat belt laws by state.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Conejo Valley - An Ode to 2011

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"A Visit From St. Nicholas," more popularly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," was first published in 1823. This poem was used as a basis to remind us of many of changes we have seen here in the Conejo Valley and other parts of Ventura County in 2011.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, in Conejo Valley

Not a person was stirring, not one Hooters rally;

Roxy’s and Jack’s Delis closed down this past year,

Yet new restaurants have been quick to appear.


In August Red Robin came to The Oaks Mall,

Two weeks ago Red Lobster opened for all;

Buddha’s Belly Asian food in October,

And Olive Garden next month. Let’s stay sober!

 

But wait, not so fast, have a beer, hold your knees,

There’s Tipsy Goat, Ladyface Ale and Cr

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High Dividend-Yielding Stocks Can Reap Solid Returns for Cautious Investors

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In April 2010 and March 2009 I highlighted some stocks that pay decent dividends, as an alternative to low yielding bank CDs and bonds. The market was up a nice 40% from March 2009 to April 2009. Throw in a 4 to 5% dividend and you were looking pretty good!

From April 2010 to today (December 2011), the market was fairly flat overall. While the Dow Jones Industrials were up 5.5%, the broader S&P 500 index was flat. Given the volatility of the market with the European debt crisis, ongoing U. S. economy concerns and other current events, investing in the stock market can make you sick to your stomach. But other low-risk investments like bank CDs yield practically nothing.

As an alternative, check out some of these high-yielding stocks. While there were a couple duds, overall these stocks were up nearly 6% over the last 18 months, beating the S&P 500. Plus, they paid investors between 4 and 5% in cold, hard cash! Here's an update.

  • Altria (Symbol: MO) Stock was $21 in April 2010 and is $29 today ($17 in March 2009). With a current yield of 5.6%, why not profit on someone else's vice (hopefully not yours...lung cancer will cost you plenty long-term).
  • BP plc (BP) BP was one of only 2 duds in this line-up but only because of the Gulf oil spill in May 2010. It is at $40 today, down from $60 in April 2010 (t
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