Ojai: Talk of the Town

The Ojai that renowned architect Marc Whitman grew up in is very different than it is now. And in the ways that it is better, Marc can take some of the credit, through his prolific career with residential and commercial buildings, such as Saddle Mountain and the Iguana Hotels.

Recently, Marc proposed a plan to convert the 7.5 acres in downtown Ojai to an arts academy and live-work space, literally building on Ojai's reputation as an arts destination. We talk about that project and other concepts, before bridging into a wide range of topics, including his love for Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, being mentored by Zelma Wilson, his artist mother fostering her children's creativity, as well as future projects and plans.

We did not talk about sniper rifles, Soviet-era social organizations or the muskie fishing in southern Ontario.

You can learn more about Marc at www.whitman-architect.com.

This episode we're joined by Besant Hill's Head of School Portia Johnson, and senior Eden Munster to talk about this weekend's Spring Arts Festival (April 19-20).

This event showcases the students' projects but also the legendary school's focus on creativity. With its motto, "Aun Auprendo" - Always Learning - Besant Hill School stays true to its conception as a place where arts and creativity are tightly woven into the fabric of the school's curriculum and life.

We talked about the forces that are shaping education today - from social media's culture of narcissism to the ever-evolving economy. We also talked about alumni and their brilliant post-Besant careers.

Eden and Portia also shared reminiscences about the early days of the pandemic and the challenges of learning remotely, when so much of the student body at the 100-student school lived overseas, and how they managed to create and sustain a sense of community. The memorable Thanksgiving dinner on campus in 2020, when the teachers prepared the dinner for the students, will be a cherished memory, for example.

Johnson, who grew up in Ojai and attended Besant Hill, talked about her experiences at the school, and how it inspired her to pursue a career in education, which, after a college sojourn in West Virginia, led back to where it all started.

We did not talk about modern uses of the abacus, glacial melt or the solstice.

https://www.besanthill.org/upcoming-events/

Cary Odes has been a standup comic for 45 years, coming up through the ranks at the legendary Comedy Store in Los Angeles, sharing the stage with David Letterman, Richard Pryor and Robin Williams, under the tutelage of Mitzi Shore, where he was the very first paid regular.

More importantly to Ojai, he's been teaching standup comedy here in Ojai for more than 20 years, turning a bunch of boring schlubs into comic dynamos, presenting their "tight fives" to adoring crowds. On Sunday, April 14th, his latest batch of comics will perform to a sold-out audience at Kim Maxwell Studios, with another show planned for Friday, April 18th.

We talked about how Cary got into comedy as an extension of him and a friend entertaining themselves, then realizing in college that he had a special talent for making people laugh. After studying in Chicago with the improvisational great Del Close, Cary nearly got his big break on the show "Bosom Buddies," and had his role snatched by a then-unknown Tom Hanks, and has steadily worked every since, touring the country, and now teaching his eight-week master classes in which students learn the components and craft of a joke (the premise, the setup, the act out, the turn) and perform the alchemy in which they take their pain and vulnerabilities and turn into the healing balm of laughter.

We talked about how his style has evolved over the years, the joys of teaching, anecdotes from the trenches of the standup circuit, how to bomb on stage gracefully, and how comedy might be the Next Big Thing in the healing arts.

We did not talk about kitchen knife-sharpening techniques, wolverine-trimmed parkas or the voyages of the HMS Beagle.

Check out more about Cary at his website, thestandupworkshop.com where you can sign up for a class, or private lessons, or enter a joke contest.

And here for some of his vintage work and fashion stylings ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41jjW4KPUWc

When not raising children, horses and rabbits at her home in our city, Ojai Police Chief Trina Newman runs the Ojai substation with its 25 Ventura County Sheriff's Deputies, patrolling the Ojai and Lockwood Valleys.

Capt. Newman is a 26-year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and has held several positions in her tenure with the Sheriff’s Office including as a school resource officer, backgrounds investigator, mounted unit supervisor, and as a critical incident review supervisor. 

With her characteristic understated affability, Capt. Newman talked about the community she loves, raising her daughter here, and her decades behind the badge. She explained the value of social media such as Facebook, Next Door and Instagram in keeping track of crime and residents' complaints as an extension of community policing.

We also talked about changes in policing over the years, "Broken Windows Theory," the challenges unique to Ojai, property crimes, homelessness and drug abuse.

We did not talk about Shoshei Ohtani's healing process, her favorite "food 'tubers" or "Shogun."

Check out more about Ojai's police at:

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/392229252/ojai-police-department/

And Broken Windows at ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory

Explorer, conservationist, mountaineer and author Rick Ridgeway has lived a life that is best summed up in the subhead of his seventh book, "Life Lived Wild:" Adventures at the Edge of the Map." Each chapter of this book covers a different adventure, all of them told in Rick's compelling style. 

These adventures included climbing uncharted peaks in the Himalayas, searching the rivers of eastern Siberia for tigers, crossing the remote fastnesses of the Chang Tang Plateau in Tibet in search of the calving grounds of the enigmatic and endangered chiru - an antelope-like goat prized for its fur and now protected, and returning to the site of a tragic avalanche to bring closure and comfort to a grieving daughter. He also talks about his efforts helping two CEOs tackle the formidable Seven Summits, climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents. Rick served the expedition leader for perhaps the most grueling climb - summitting Antarctica's Mount Vinson. Rick also talks about the death of his close friend Doug Tompkins, founder of North Face and a visionary conservationist, on a kayak trip which nearly claimed Rick's life as well.

Part of a legendary group of adventurers, "the Do Boys," which includes Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Tompkins, Ridgeway's love of the outdoors and testing himself in the most extreme situations came to him at an early age and has never let up.

Besides his incredible life of extreme adventure, we talk about his beautiful Ojai home which he shared with his recently deceased wife Jennifer, which was built by famed black architect Paul Revere Williams. We also talk about Ojai's backcountry, what he would say were he to run into Elon Musk, and how man is not the only species with an exploratory urge.

A long-time Ojai resident, he serves on the board of the Ojai Turtle Conservancy as well as the Tompkins Conservancy, carrying on the work of Tompkins with Doug's widow Kris. We did not talk about Boethius' imprisonment, worm holes or Japanese wood block prints.

(This is a repost of our conversation from 2021)

Few people, perhaps no one, has been more involved in pushing for the removal of Matilija Dam than Paul Jenkin, campaign coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation and founder of Matilija Watch. Paul was there in 2000 when U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt climbed on top of a giant crane and removed a 16,000 pound chunk of the dam.

He's still there now, guiding and directing the process through innumerable delays and complications, including rebuilding bridges and levees, all designed to handle the release of 9 million cubic feet of sediments behind the dam. The dam was built in 1947 and quickly filled because of bad design.

The dam prevents the once flourishing runs of southern steelhead trout from migrating upstream to their ancestral spawning grounds and the sands for replenishing Ventura County's beaches from migrating downstream.

We talked about why it's taking so long and costing so much (est. $200 million) to remove this chunk of aging infrastructure, why it's so important to the region and the entire country to let this river return to its natural state, and the amount of effort it takes to do big things. We also talked about Paul's background, his careers and perspective.

We did not talk about Shohei Ohtani's interpreter's gambling problems, the Reddit IPO or the Benin Bronzes.

You can keep up to date with the status of the dam, and other local environmental issues at VenturaRiver.org where Paul posts frequently.

The prolific writer Catherine Ann Jones recently published her seventh book, "East & West: Stories of India." She has also written 12 plays and numerous television scripts. She came on the podcast to talk about the most recent book, a collection of stories about the subcontinent, where she explores the lingering effects of colonialism, people enduring and thriving, and the magic and mystique of India.

Jones grew up in New York City, but her Texas roots has informed her life as well. Her play, "The Women of Cedar Creek" won the New York Drama League award. And "On the Edge: The Final Years of Virginia Woolf" won a National Endowment of the Arts award. "The Way of Story" won the Nautilus Award in 2014.

We talked about how she got into writing after finding the challenging roles she craved as an actor so hard to find. As well as her influences, including her years living in India, her marriage to Raja Rao, how she came to Ojai and why she's stayed.

We did not talk about Adelié penguins, continental drift or the coming NFL draft.

You can learn more about Catherine at her website, WayofStory.com where you can check out her books as well.

Ojai's own Casey Roddick is coming out in the NFL draft (end of April) this year. The 6'5" 304-pound offensive lineman just came off a 13-0 regular season as an anchor of the No. 6 Florida Seminoles. He also played at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and is expected to be much-sought after in the NFL draft.

Casey grew up in Ojai, starting out with Eagles Football, and advancing to St. Bonaventure before becoming a starter at the highest level of college football. But he hasn't forgotten the lessons of Ojai; everyone is looking out for each other, information travels fast, and community service is the glue that holds everything together.

Baseball was his first love, though. He was feared and respected for his long-ball exploits, and also for his defensive versatility, playing virtually every position, especially pitcher.

We talk about the process of being recruited, how an agent puts together a team to help draftees with finances, negotiations, housing, and how to build wealth to serve them beyond their playing years. They want Casey to put his focus on the field. We also spent a fair bit of time talking about the bonds between teammates, the lifelong friendships and locker room camaraderie.

We did not talk about clipper ships, Sweden's entry into NATO or South African delicacies.

Check out Casey's Instagram at @casedogg1.

The cover story of the Spring OQ celebrates the Krotona Institute for Theosophy Center's 100th anniversary with a fascinating interview with Dr. Pablo Sender, Maria Parisen and Elena Dovalsantos. The story was written by Kate Fernandez based on this podcast .

The event will be celebrated April 15th through April 26 at the august institution that stands on the hillside in the center of the Ojai Valley, often called "the navel of Ojai." The Krotona Center was founded by the Theosophical Society as it outgrew its facilities in Hollywood. Annie Besant raised the money for the Theosophists to purchase the 175 acres on which Krotona stands, as well as another 465 acres in Upper Ojai, which she called "Happy Valley," and which houses both Besant Hill School and the Ojai Foundation.

Theosophical Society luminaries will be gathering from all over the world to teach, learn and celebrate. "We focus more on living the teachings, rather than just teaching and trying to spread it," said Dovalsantos.

Annie Besant herself visited Ojai for several months in 1927 to check on the facility. She called Ojai "this smiling vale" and foresaw Ojai as an important place in the evolution of humanity.

We talked about why Theosophy speaks clearly to a troubled world, its role in Ojai's culture, the beauty of its grounds, how the public can get involved or at least satisfy their curiosity and more. We did not talk about blue whale migrations, the tragic death of the Central Park owl or ancient aliens.

Check out KrotonaInstitute.org for more information on this important local landmark and their long and colorful history and future plans.

The cover of the Spring OQ features an original artwork by our creative director, Uta Ritke.

Heather Stobo and Lisa Casoni, owner and operators of Beato Chocolates, moved to Ojai in 2010. They opened Porch Gallery in 2013 with the goal of pairing up artists of different genres and mediums to "see what happens."

They came to Ojai with open minds and hearts and quickly became integral to the community. The Sunday morning impromptu gatherings on the famous porch became an accelerator for the unexpected and incidental encounters that lead to interesting relationships and creative partnerships.

Their often odd and always interesting juxtapositions brought an exciting new energy and inspiration to Ojai's arts scene. Some of these artists were regional and even national favorites, like Shana Mubari and Ojai's own Dennis Mukai, others brought a more local sensibility but all of them created something new, vital and bigger than the sum of their parts.

Beato Chocolates grew out their shared affinity and admiration for the pioneering ceramicist and "Mama of Dada," whose relationship with Marcel Duchamp and Henri Pierre-Roché was integral to a revolution in the art world.

Lisa and Heather discussed the arts scene in Ojai and where and how it's likely to change and evolve in the future, their experiences adapting themselves to Ojai and their journeys here. We did not talk about giant squid, Helen Frankenthaler or Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Learn more at BeatoChocolates.com.

Ojai CARES (Cancer Awareness, Resources, Education & Support) was founded in 2013 by Susan Kapadia after her own bout with breast cancer. After volunteering with cancer support groups in Santa Barbara she realized that Ojai residents needed/deserved their own.

In the decade-plus since, Ojai CARES has built a sense of community of the people afflicted by this dread disease, while also advocating for patient care, and working with oncologists and other doctors. Since its inception, Ojai CARES has served 900 people.

Susan talked about her years running the popular World Flavor Cafe, using recipes adapted from her years in the food business, the stresses of receiving her diagnosis while running the restaurant, and her quest to find support for herself, and to support others in turn. She also talked movingly about some of the memorable people whose lives touched hers.

We did not talk about Don Larsen's perfect World Series no-hitter, Jane Smiley's upbringing, or Prince Harry's memoir.

You can learn more about OjaiCARES at https://ojaicares.org/

California Treasurer Fiona Ma's husband Jason Hodge is a Ventura County resident and firefighter. Consequently she has a long history with Ojai and so stopped by the studio for a chat on a recent visit.

Surprisingly, Ma is only the second CPA to hold the position of the state's chief accountant, managing California's $310 billion budget in the state's $3.8 trillion economy, which, depending on how Germany is doing at the moment, is the world's fifth or sixth largest. Fiona Ma graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and received her master's from Pepperdine.

Fiona was first elected to the state Assembly in 2006 and was the first female to hold the Speaker Pro Tempore position, the second-highest ranking office in the body. She was also elected to the state Board of Equalization before being elected to the Treasurer post in 2018.

We talked about the daily challenges of running the finances of such a giant state with her staff of 500, the current deficit estimated at $38 billion or more, tackling the problems of homelessness and climate change, her run for Lieutenant Governor this fall, and much more. We did not talk about Arthur Bentley's 1908 classic, "The Process of Government," Hiram Johnson, or the Mayan writing system.

You can learn more about her at FionaMa.com.

Matt Henriksen grew up in Ojai and witnessed many changes throughout the years, but one constant remained for the committed bibliophile, Bart's Books, founded in 1964.

Working at the time for an insurance agency, Matt found the work a little drab for his taste, and to supplement his income began doing odd jobs around the bookstore he - and hundreds of thousands of other people - love. When manager Dave Ray pulled up stakes to move to Pueblo, Colorado, Matt was offered his dream job. His extensive knowledge of books comes in handy as Ojai's resident recommender of literature. He also collects and sells vintage and valuable books, including some incredible finds.

Among many assorted topics, we talked about growing up Ojai, how his tastes in literature have, and have not, changed and what he thinks the future of this "smiling vale" will bring. We did not talk about geo-fencing, the Great Australian Emu War of 1932 (spoiler: the emus won) or tips and tactics for topwater bass.

Check out more at BartsBooksOjai.com

Hall of Fame Skater Chris Miller is still winning championships in his 50s with his iconically smooth, fluid style and precision against other legends like Tony "Birdman" Hawk. Growing up near the famous Pipeline Skate Park in Upland, California, Chris turned pro while still a high-schooler. He's since gone on to win about every competition on the circuit.

Miller found an outlet for his prodigious and prolific artistic talents designing his own decks at an early age. He moved into the clothing side of the business through several iterations with partners and on his own, including the coveted Planet Earth brand. While living in north San Diego County, he partnered up with fellow entrepreneur Joe Kudla to create Vuori in 2014. The company made yoga and comfort wear for men, and was successful early. Nothing prepared them for the pandemic, which Miller describes as a scary time of uncertainty, but it didn't take long before home-bound people found Vuori's versatile and comfortable clothes irresistible. It is now valued at $4 billion.

Chris Miller talks over the rise and fall and rise again of skating culture, how important it has become to youth all over, his early heroes Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva, how he came to Ojai and much, much more. He is married to Lauren Dollie Duke, another friend of the pod, whose book "Shithouse" has become a surprise hit.

We did not talk about the Copper River sockeye salmon runs, the NFL playoffs or parcheesi.

Check out one of the many magazine profiles of Chris Miller ...

https://welcomeskateboards.com/blogs/news/chris-miller-the-chromeball-interview

Chef Robin Goldstein has written "A Taste of Ojai," "A Taste of Santa Barbara," and "Wine Country," as well as catering many high-profile events in and around the area. She also travels to Europe each year to sample local cuisines and returns freshly inspired to expand her culinary repertoire.

A long-time Ojai resident, Chef Robin grew up in the restaurant business in Washington, D.C. and was fascinated from the jump, delighting in the sensations of smell, taste and touch, the hurly-burly and hustle bustle of her grandparents' busy, three-story landmark restaurant. She attended the other CIA - Culinary Institute of America, and moved to Los Angeles in 1984. After earning her stripes with several famous restaurateurs she branched out on her own, living in Spain and developing a love for Mediterranean cuisine. She has carved a niche for herself for focusing on fresh, local flavors and unusual combinations, which we talk about. We also talk about why restaurant culture is so important, how even the most modest kitchen experimenters can have success, and the future of food.

We did not talk about extinct primates, post-fire chaparral regrowth or hand-lining for tuna.

You can learn more about her, or book her for your event (or buy one of her four books) at PrivateChefRobin.com.

In this reprise edition, writer and frequent OQ contributor Kit Stolz talks about his epic walkabout, covering every one of the 2,560-miles of Pacific Crest Trail, from the deserts along the border with Mexico, to touching the fence that separates the U.S. from its northern neighbor in Washington State's foggy pine forests.

We talk about this epic journey, the lessons learned along the way, and the enduring friendships formed in the crucible of personal challenge and hardship. We also talk about Ojai's increasing aridification, the new wave of migrants to our "smiling vale" and the high-quality education and conservation that defines our community. Plus lots of other things.

Kit and I did not talk about the William Barents' explorations, intermittent fasting or the rise of Generation Z.

You can check out more of Kit's writings at https://achangeinthewind.com/

Welcome to this episode with guest George S. Stuart. This 95-year-old marvel has created more than 400 meticulously detailed figures at 1/4 scale of many of history's most important figures - including Louis XIV, Catherine the Great, Abraham Lincoln and many more. Around 200 of these historical figures are exhibited in a special gallery at the Ventura County Museum. It is widely regarded as the most historically accurate of its kind, with figures exhibited in the Clinton Presidential Library and Smithsonian.

Through his miniature masterpieces, Stuart not only captured the physical details but also the essence of each historical figure, offering a unique perspective on the past.

Stuart talks about his challenging upbringing in Altadena, battling with a then-undiagnosed dyslexia, his years in Washington D.C. preparing to be a foreign service officer, his extensive travels, his career at the Smithsonian Institution, where he sculpted models of inventors to accompany their patent applications, and mastered the craft of creating figures. He spent years as a public speaker, lecturing and giving talks about his creations, weaving narratives that brought history to life. His commitment to educating and entertaining through art is a testament to his love for the stories embedded in our collective past.

Join us as we uncover the fascinating journey of George S. Stuart, following his relocation to Ojai in 1959, where he established the renowned Gallery of Historical Figures. Learn about the impact of this artistic haven on the community and how Stuart's legacy continues to resonate, reminding us of the power of art to bridge the gap between the present and the rich tapestry of our shared history.

We did not talk about tenkara fly fishing, Ojai's earthquake fault lines or the voyages of the Kon-Tiki.

For more on Stuart's incredible legacy, visit the Ventura Museum at venturamuseum.org.

From the vault: Malcolm McDowell joins the podcast to talk about "A Clockwork Orange" on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. He goes deep on his complicated relationship with director Stanley Kubrick, the strange sequence of events that led to him being picked for the role, his close working relationship with other great directors, including Lindsay Anderson, Kubrick's passion project, "Napoleon," and the wan simulacrum which Ridley Scott just released, as well as tales of life in front of the camera, raising kids Ojai and much more.

We did not talk about the Ankithera, rugby or Brazilian emeralds.

Here's an insightful interview with McDowell from Slash Films. https://www.slashfilm.com/760908/how-a-clockwork-orange-changed-malcolm-mcdowell-forever/#:~:text=Much%20like%20Burgess'%20evolving%20emotions,saw%20onscreen%20was%20very%20real.

Sophie Ward Koren has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen, and has published two books with a third on the way. She also has a busy blog and Instagram account chronicling her essays, poetry and stories about raising children in Ojai. Her work has been published in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, V Magazine and others.

Born and raised in Perth in Western Australia, the oldest of four children, she went on to a successful career in modeling (her sister Gemma Ward is a well-known model as well) before meeting fellow Aussie Isaac Koren (the accomplished vocalist with The Kin and the Koren Brothers), having a son and moving to Ojai. Now they have a newborn and Sophie uses her writing to share her struggles, triumphs and helpful life lessons along the way.

We talked about Perth's exotic wildlife (quokka anyone?), creative community, cooking, international fashion modeling, finding a purpose through dark clouds of doubt and fear, Ojai's exceptionalism and much more. We did not talk about Shark Week, Australian Rules Football or Genghis Khan.

For more on this fascinating Ojai neighbor, check out SophieWardKoren.com, where you can find further links to her books, blogs, recipes and more.

Jim Bailey, founder and director of Rock, Tree, Sky - an immersive school located in upper Ojai, has been a key participant in an exciting new approach to education, called Education Reimagined. Jim was among the invitees of distinguished educators who attended a seminal conference in Rhode Island earlier this year, called "Exploring Ecosystems in Community: Insights, Questions, and Collaborative Learning."

Bailey, who came to Ojai several decades ago as a science teacher and who has also taught at Oak Grove School, is known as an influential, transformative teacher, so he was exactly the kind of educator we need reimagining education for the modern era. He said the approach is to "work for the many, for all learners, not just some; we need to bring in more student agency and self-determination."

We talked about the many lessons he's learned as a caring, thoughtful teacher, and how it's possible to ignite a love of lifelong learning in unexpected ways. The wide-ranging discussion touched on key issues that confront Ojai and a society at large. We did not talk about pickerel mating habits, Japanese salt cures or the shifts in ocean currents.

Learn more about Bailey and his innovative school at https://www.rocktreesky.org/

Janelle Kandziora of Janelle's Interiors is featured on the cover of this Winter issue of Ojai Quarterly with her lead designer Erin Bernthal. She talks about how she brought her varied experiences to the range of residential and commercial properties on which they ply their trade.

As Ojai has long been a laboratory in the art of living, this timely and relevant conversation hits home. She shares insights in what brings happiness to your environment, the mix of materials, textures, surfaces and colors that form the palette of design. Kandziora talks about her journey from an art student, dreaming of a career in teaching, to a chance encounter with her husband's hotel designer that led the flourishing career in, first Minnesota, then Palm Springs, then Ojai.

We also talked about feng shui, Marie Kondo's Magic Art of Tidying, architectural styles, being "house therapists" and raising kids in Ojai. We did not talk about candlemaking, the Balfour Declaration or the Holodomor.

Check out Janelle's and Erin's work at ...

https://www.janelleinteriors.com/

A well-known artist and illustrator, Darren brings his distinctive pen to many recognizable places around Ojai for his hundreds of thousands of followers. Darren talks about growing up on the frozen tundra of Buffalo, New York and how he lucked into a graphic design course in high school that gave him the idea he could create a career for himself doing what he'd be doing anyway — drawing.

We re-release this wide-ranging and fascinating talk with this enigmatic artist who has left his Ojai-inflected distinctive stamp all around the world. We talk about plant medicine, public schools, Buffalo's surprisingly vibrant arts scene and much, much more. We did not talk about Plains Indians and their kinship with the millions of bison that once roamed through our country, flint-knapping or counting coup.

This is a re-release of an episode from 2021. Check out Darren's prolific and talented art on IG @RealFunWow or the cover of the OQ he drew in Spring 2021 on Issuu.com.

T.C. Boyle has written 19 novels and hundreds of short stories, and is a winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award. In the Fall issue of Ojai Quarterly, Kit Stolz reviewed his latest, "Blue Skies," the comically dystopian misadventures of a family on the brink of catastrophes, both environmental and personal.

Boyle covers a wide range of topics on the podcast, including growing up in impoverished circumstances, his musical career, the way his characters live on and off the page, doing the deep research that goes into his work, especially "Blue Skies," and how he came to the Ojai-Santa Barbara area. He also talked about living in Frank Lloyd Wright's final "Prairie Style" house, insect cuisine, and a Filipino billionaire's (fictional) scheme to cool down the planet with sulphur dioxide. And a ghost.

We did not talk about Mars travel, tire tread wear or the Battle of Marathon.

Check out more on T.C. Boyle on his website at tcboyle.com or his comically inspired twitter (X?) account at @tcboyle.

Author and screenwriter Mark Frost grew up in a show business family, worked at famous Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, before heading to Hollywood to work for Steven Bochco, who revolutionized television with "Hill Street Blues," where Mark as on the writing crew with David Milch and also worked with another Ojai resident, Mimi Leder.

Not long after he joined David Lynch to co-create "Twin Peaks," the show that attained cult status as soon it was aired. Frost has also written and/or directed "Storyville," "The Fantastic Four," and "Greatest Game Every Played." Among his popular books on golf and baseball are "Game 6," about the Reds-Red Sox World Series that captivated the world and marked a moment when baseball became a big business. He also wrote the golf classic, "The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever."

We talk about the WGA strike, since settled, and Mark's history with previous strikes, as well as Ojai environmental issues (Mark is a key leader with the Ojai Defense Fund, founded by our mutual friend John Broesamle, who just passed," and his new projects, including a book on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from whom an uncle worked as his press agent.

We did not talk about "Seven Samurai," Harvard admission policies or the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Ojai Storytellers Festival takes place October 26-29 with a full lineup of events from the nation's top practitioners of this ancient art form. We are joined by Kara, the festival's executive director and Antonio, one of the key storytellers.

Kara gives us the rundown on how the festival works, its place in our community and how it is integrated with local schools, and also, new this year, a Story Slam in which six local spoken word poets will compete.

Antonio talks about his upbringing in Miami and Boston as the son of a Cuban father and an Irish mother, and how those cultures, both renowned for their storytelling prowess, influences his own career. He talks about starting in public schools as an unpaid full-time puppeteer and theater director, then gradually building up his repertoire of fascinating stories from his colorful childhood, and becoming an actor, writer, and working the storytelling festival with the legends of the form. Among the stories he shared are how his dad considered him the "9th best storyteller in the family."

We did not talk about trout fishing with tenkara rods, heli-skiing or the textile industry in Nímes, France.

For more about the Storytelling Festival, and this year's schedule, check out OjaiStoryFest.org

Rick Ridgeway is a well-known adventurer, explorer, climber, naturalist, one of the original "Do Boys" with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and North Face founder Doug Tompkins.

In this reprise from several years ago, he joins the podcast to talk about his latest book of 25 adventure, "Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map" as well as the climate crisis, extinction events and the many issues facing Ojai.

We did not talk about Papua New Guinea, deep-sea creatures from the Barents Sea or millennial uptalk and vocal fry.

Ojai's foremost serial entrepreneur and angel investor Bill Moses drops in for a spirited discussion about a range of issues facing Ojai, including the local economy, dealing with national companies when you own a local company, the Thomas Fire, his background growing up in rural Pennsylvania, moving and shaking on Wall Street, making the move to Ojai and the future of the world.

Bill is the co-founder, chairman/CEO for KeVita Probiotic Drinks, which was acquired by PepsiCo. He is also a leading strategist and innovator for companies in the food and beverage and skin-care industries.

We talked about his harrowing experience with Covid-19, founding Casa Barranca winery, the first certified organic vineyard in California, building an entrepreneurs' incubator in Ojai and much, much more. We did not talk about Emiliano Zapata, salmon farming or the value of Siberian sable pelts.

Check out more about Bill at FlyingEmbers.com.

Rebecca Simon, PhD, teaches at Oak Grove School and is the author of two popular books on the public's fascination with pirates. The first is "Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How it Changed Piracy Forever," and the second, just released this summer, is "The Pirate's Code: Life and Laws Aboard Ship."

She writes both for general audiences and as an academic, specializing in maritime law and how it has evolved and adapted, especially through the tumultuous period in the late 1600s and early 1700s, when popular conceptions of pirates, as seen in "Pirates of the Caribbean" were created.

We talk about the often-surprisingly egalitarian codes and laws under which pirates governed themselves, the differences between the reality and fantasy, the spark that pirates provided to oppressed people everywhere, including the American colonies, and much more. So strap on your flintlock pistol and cutlass and come onboard.

We did not talk about Shohei Ohtani's dream team, crayon color schemes, or competitive chess.

You can learn more about Dr. Simon on her website, rebecca-simon.com.

Welcome to another exciting episode of Ojai's podcast. Just in time for October's Adopt-A-Dog Month, we have a very special guest with us, Eric Knight, the executive director of the Humane Society of Ventura County. Eric is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, and he joins us to shed light on the incredible work being done at the shelter in Ojai.

Eric takes us on a journey through the Humane Society of Ventura County, sharing heartwarming stories of rescue, rehabilitation, and the commitment of his dedicated team. We explore the challenges and triumphs of running a shelter, discuss the importance of adoption, and discover the many ways in which this organization has made a profound impact on the lives of animals and the community it serves.

We also talk about the serendipitous twists and turns of his varied career, including his many years in the entertainment industry, and what brought him to Ojai. We did not talk about Arctic Tern migrations, the German concept of Fingerspitzengefühl, or the pigments of Renaissance-era paints.

Scott Johnson is one of California's leading architects and designers. He joins the podcast to talk about his first commission in California, the Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, which, before it opened, served as a major character itself in "Die Hard," one of the most successful action films of all time.

We also talk about his background, getting his undergraduate degree from Stanford and his Master's from Harvard, the place of architecture and design in defining our world, the Ojai Music Festival and his work as an abstract painter, and his recent publication of the book, "Uncommon Ground," about the conjunction of visual arts and architecture.

We did not talk about the explosion of Krakatoa, Thom Browne's latest collection or New York vs. Los Angeles as the food capital of the world. The episode is a re-release from 2021.

Here's a reboot of a fan favorite: Noel Paul Stookey, the Paul of Peter, Paul & Mary.

He not only rode the folk wave of the early 1960s with such indelible songs like "Puff the Magic Dragon," "If I Had a Hammer" and helping popularize a young Minnesotan bard who went by the stage name of Bob Dylan, but helped created it. He shares the iconic trio's origin story as well as his own, and the many memories of a life, well lived, in music. Peter, Paul & Mary's long, legendary career was cut short with Mary Travers' tragic death in 2009, but their place in the cultural zeitgeist is eternal. Noel, a part-time Ojai resident, joins us to talk about his new album, "Fazz: Now & Then" and to reflect on the experience of collaborating with fellow musicians during the pandemic to create this nuanced, wide-ranging collection of 20 original songs with talented musicians such as Kent Palmer, Paul Winter, Paul Sullivan, David LaPlante and Edward Mottau. Fazz, as Noel explains, was christened by Paul Desmond of the Dave Brubeck Quartet to explain Peter, Paul & Mary's distinct fusion of jazz and folk. Noel picks up the resident Ojai podcast guitar (be still, my heart) to explain the shadings of alternate chord structures that inform much of the color of the album, as illustrated by the A Major, and the A Major 7th, its "smoky, mysterious cousin." Noel talks about writing "The Wedding Song: There is Love" - for Peter Yarrow's wedding, and his reluctance to perform it again until urged by Peter, and how it has made many, if not most, of the lists of most beautiful songs of all time, right up there with fellow Ojai resident Amanda McBroom's "The Rose." He also discusses his Christian faith and the epiphany he had at age 30 after a decade of fame, and the toll it took on his well-being. There’s relevant folk music news: Noel’s good friend John McCutcheon just released “Ukraine Now.” We did not talk about Ron DeSantis' fading aspirations, the Buffalo Bills abysmal overtime record or the enduring mystery of who ordered the hit on Tupac Shakur.

"The Morning Show," starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, is Apple TV's flagship show this fall with its lightning-quick writing, superb acting and tense, plot-driven examinations of the cultural landscape. It is the brainchild of director and executive producer Leder, the latest project in her brilliant career.

Season Three debuts September 13th, and brings in a new featured actor (Jon Hamm) and several gripping storylines.

We talk about her growing up in New York and Los Angeles, her big breaks that got her and her talented pen into the industry, some of her mentors and the many obstacles she had to overcome, as a woman, to reach the success she has today.

The wide-ranging conversation also includes our favorite films and television shows, best directors, actors, the studio system and, with the writers/actors strike, missing the camaraderie of the promotional tours for the show. We also talk about the many twists and turns of the Morning Show plot, how "legacy media" is a great prism for looking at the schisms in American politics, the threat of Big Tech and the interpersonal dramas that afflict everyone from the lowest to the highest pinnacles of society.

Mimi's film "On the Basis of Sex" about the early career of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also came in for discussion, as well as the connection to Ojai through "friend of the pod" Judith Hale Norris, the supervising attorney for the 10th District Court of Appeals, and the momentous shift of the Dobbs decision and its likely implications for years to come.

We did not talk about bottlenose dolphin migrations, the Chinese Warring States period or the latest fashion-forward shoe designs.

Check out "The Morning Show" below (the first episode is free).

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-morning-show/umc.cmc.25tn3v8ku4b39tr6ccgb8nl6m?mttn3pid=Google%20AdWords&mttnagencyid=a5e&mttncc=US&mttnsiteid=143238&mttnsubad=OUS2019800_1-670311437945-c&mttnsubkw=122311402254__Hvgufltl_&mttnsubplmnt=_adext_

Dave Spanbock has been both an artist and gallerist in his extensive career, mostly as an abstract artist, drawing geometrical shapes, mostly squares, freehand and experimenting with colors and the moods and emotion they evoke.

On a walk along Ojai Avenue, going past the derelict hulk of what was once the flourishing community that was the bowling alley, he had an inspiration that Ojai, for all its incredible natural beauty, lacks an inside perspective equal to its exterior. We talk about how it might look to have a museum and arts center in Ojai, one more aligned with modern art movements and artists, residency programs, internships, master classes, visiting scholars and much more. Spending decades in Los Angeles, he's seen how a museum or exhibit space can transform a neighborhood. In Ojai, such a place could potentially transform the region.

Spanbock has lived in and amid art most of his life, growing up in New Jersey, moving to Santa Barbara for college, where he moved from fine arts photography and writing into abstract painting. He was mentored by several prominent artists and teachers in college, influenced by the Black Mountain College model, in which all disciplines of art are integrated into a fluid whole (listen to Episode 103 with the American Modern Opera Company for more insight on Black Mountain College's outsize influence on modern culture).

Spanbock is known for his "365 Day Project" in which he painted a self portrait every day for a year. At first it was a discipline, but it revealed greater connections between the brain, identity and how they flow through the brush.

We talked about various arts movements, personalities like Warhol and gallerist Larry Gagosian and Ojai's potential as a modern-day Athens. Dave's fascinating development of an artist, his influences and the history of paints and pigments. We did not talk about the Såmi people of Finland, the McCloud River strain of rainbow trout or the provenance of the mud which umpires use to treat baseballs.

Mark Lewis talks about his research and epic OQ story about the House Un-American Affairs Committee and the defiant screenwriters who put their livelihoods at risk. Many of the Hollywood 19 lived in Ojai, including Michael Wilson, Paul Jarrico and Dalton Trumbo. From the vault of our podcast conversation in 2021.

With recent testimony from a whistleblowing intelligence officer and bipartisan calls for disclosure of the government's extensive reporting of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (the government's new phrase of art for UFOs), and information revealed about the possession of alien technology, few people are better place to comment on these startling developments than Ojai resident Bob Salas.

In 1967, Salas, then an Air Force missile officer, witnessed a bizarre incident, in which a hovering UFO over the gates near a missile launch facility on Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana coincided with the disabling of the 10 nuclear missiles under Salas' watch. He learned much later that two other UFO-associated shutdowns of nuclear missile facilities occurred within the past six months of 1966 and 1967, including one a mere eight days prior, also at Malmstrom. A quarter-century later, he realized that the Air Force did not hold up their end of the non-disclosure bargain, and so Salas felt free to talk about his experiences, writing "Faded Giants" and "Unidentified," revealing details of his encounters, those of many other people, as well as behind-the-scenes coverups and secrecy.

We talked about his books, the implications of these startling recent developments as well as their profound implications. We did not talk about Shohei Ohtani trade rumors, pixie tangerines or the Nazca Lines.

You can read more about Salas' account and his research in "Faded Giants" and "Unidentified: The UFO Phenomenon."

Jeremy B. Cohen took over the reins as Artistic Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference from the legendary Robert Egan, who led the conference through the past 23 years into its status as one of the leading new play development forums in the world.

Cohen will call upon his multitude of contacts in the field to help this year's eight chosen playwrights realize their vision through the intensive workshop process. It all leads up to the final weekend of staged readings (July 24th through August 6th). This year, The Thacher School will be hosting the workshops and stagings.

The playwrights work with dedicated teams of the dramaturges, actors, directors, producers and peers to bring out the best of their work in this highly coveted program. Cohen said hundreds of plays are read for every one selected.

Cohen is seeing striking artistic ideas coming out of the pandemic isolation, and is thrilled to help bring those visions come to life. Expecting to find a "lot of two-handers, figuring those are easier to get produced," instead he's noticing that "some of the best plays I'm reading right now are speaking to the idea of a quiet grief that many people haven't been able to articulate yet ... I'm sensing joy and freedom as well."

According to the OPC announcement, Cohen comes with decades of experiences as a nationally renowned director, playwright and leader in the field of theatre. He continues to serve as artistic director at Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, where he's led for 13 years. He will continue in that role until 2024. Previously he served as associate artistic director/director of new work at Hartford Stage (2003-2010), where he also directed several premieres. As founding artistic director of Naked Eye Theatre Company in Chicago, Cohen developed/directed more than 15 plays, including several premieres.

We talked about the writing life, the balance of isolation and collaboration that is key to art, and his plans for integrating the conference into a year-round institution, as well as integrating it into the Ojai community. We did not talk about hired clappers (clappeurs), the Battle of Marathon or recent UFO revelations.

Check out the OPC's website at OjaiPlays.org for current information and schedules of the stagings for this year's plays.

The Ojai Film Society opens their free summer series in Libbey Bowl on July 28th with "Going Varsity in Mariachi" about the world of competitive high school mariachi in south Texas. The film is fresh off its warm reception at the Sundance Film Festival.

Filmmakers Alejandro Vasquez and Sam Osborn bring this vibrant world to life through the highs and lows of the Edinburgh North High School's mariachi team as they vie for the state championship. Coach Abel Acuña molds his musicians not just in the repertoire but through life's challenges as these students prepare for the next stages of their lives.

"Going Varsity in Mariachi is a testament to their ability to explore identity, cultural roots, and pressing social issues with a nuance that foregrounds frankness, boldness, and joy," reads one review.

Vasquez and Osborn will be on hand at the screening. Joining us is the OFS's Nick Weissman, who shares his own stories about the challenges of documentary filmmaking, and teases his next project. We talked about how they got interested in this project, working with these poised and authentic teenagers, Covid protocols, the kids' personal challenges and much more.

We did not talk about piranha feeding frenzies, hyperbaric chambers or Canada's wildfires.

With the Emmy nominees released this week, it's a good time to post up our interview with Mike Milano, whose film "137 Shots" about a tragic police killing of two motorists in Cleveland was one of last year's nominees.

We talk about a wide range of topics, focusing on the racial environment of his hometown in Cleveland, the hurdles to getting this hard-hitting project done, and the fallout after the verdicts.

Matt LaVere is Ventura County's First District Supervisor, representing much of Ojai and Ventura with more than 160,000 constituents. He is also former mayor of Ventura and replaced Steve Bennett, now California State Assemblyman.

Elected to office just as the pandemic swept through the world, LaVere was on the front lines of the local response, working closely with Ojai city and hospital officials to disburse resources for hospitals, testing stations, health information, vaccines and more. He was elected in March 2020 and took office in December.

Not to mention the water litigation issues that took the valley by storm when he was Ventura' mayor.

Locally Matt has been working diligently on housing issues, including with Brad Parziale of Mesa Farms, the transition housing in Ojai for children aging out of the foster system with no other assistance to rely on. He is also focusing on the drug issues, specifically with the shocking number of local overdoses from fentanyl, the new killer opiate that's replaced oxycontin as public enemy no. 1.

We talked about his early years being raised in Ojai and attending Villanova Preparatory Academy, of the joys and not-so-joys of raising young children, what it was like to be a kid himself in Ojai, the changes in our population, what the future holds for Ojai and Ventura County, plus much more. We did not talk about Ken Jennings replacing Alex Trebek, the New York Jets with Aaron Rodgers as QB or the Barbenheimer phenomenon.

With his height, flowing blond hair and most often being barefoot, Dennis Shives is among the most singular, and representative, of Ojai's citizens.

Ojai born and raised, Dennis has made his living as an artist - both musician and visual artist - ever since. He claims inspiration from his grandmother, who taught art until age 91. His career was honored with a very memorable retrospective of his seven decades in art at the Ojai Valley Museum in 2017. (See Mark Lewis article, OQ Fall 2017). His life may be his greatest work of art.

He's worked with sculpture, silver and gold smithing, painting and "whatever else intrigued him," according to the feature, including memorable 4th of July parade floats. His most recent project was to recreate the solar system for Earth Day celebrations, with schoolchildren acting out the part of the planets, asteroids, comets and sun.

We talked about Ojai's essential identity as a haven for experimentation and discovery, making a living as an artist, his lifelong fascination with bears and the changes that have overtaken Ojai in the past few years. We did not talk about Major League Baseball's new rules, the expeditions of Fridtjof Nansen or the famous yellow ceramic glaze of Otto Heino.

Check out Dennis' work at DennisShivesArt.wordpress.com.

John Broesamle, professor, author, historian, ardent conservationist and Ojai Living Treasure, has passed away, leaving behind an enduring legacy of open space and environmental awareness. His awakening happened early in his life when he watched the farm fields of Long Beach give way to the cookie-cutter developments of post-War II southern California. He did not want that to happen to Ojai.

Born in 1941, John received his BA from the University of the Pacific and his Master's and Ph.D. from Columbia University. John was a professor of history at California State University, Northridge from 1968 to 2000, where he received the university's Distinguished Teaching Award. He is the author of "Reform and Reaction in 20th Century American Politics" as well as other works. John was President of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy from 1997 to 2000. He was also founder of the Ojai Valley Defense Fund.

John joined the podcast in October 2020 to discuss a wide range of issues, including his current book project on the WPA and Yosemite National Park. We talked about his abiding love for Ojai, history, his family and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Peter Strauss burst on to the scene in the wildly popular 1976 miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man" as successful entrepreneur Rudy Jordache, alongside Nick Nolte as the hard luck brother, Tom. He went to a prolific career on film, television and stage. His most recent role was headlining "Love Amid the Ruins" with JoBeth Williams at the Laguna Playhouse, and he also recently starred in "The Outgoing Tide" here for the Ojai Performing Arts Theater nonprofit group.

He won an Emmy in 1979 for "The Jericho Mile" about a prison lifer who trains for the Olympics. It was Michael Mann's first directing credit. In a sign of his range, Strauss also played the President of the United States opposite Ice Cube in "XXX: State of the Union." We talk about his wide-ranging career with hundreds of acting credits.

He has called Ojai home for more than 35 years and is deeply involved with horticulture, and was the spokesperson for Miracle-Gro for years. He travels widely collecting plants, specializing in succulents.

We talk about Ojai and climate change, how the town has changed over the decades and what we need to do to secure the future. We did not talk about the transmigration of souls, Ernie Kovacs or summer homes in Nantucket.

The American Association of Retired Persons is the largest nonprofit group in the world with 38 million members. And it all began right here in Ojai in 1957 over dinner for six people at the Ojai Valley Inn. One of the persons was Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a formidably tall redhead who changed the way the nation thought about aging.

Craig Walker joins the podcast to talk about his recently published book, "The Dignity They Deserve" which he co-authored with Mark Lewis. As the title explains, Dr. Andrus, perhaps the first female high school principal in California, grew up in Chicago during the height of the Progressive Era, where she volunteered at Jane Addams' Hull House, before embarking on a career in education. She retired to Ojai and bought the Grey Gables and converted it into a residential facility for retired teachers. Her mission was to show that retired people had much to contribute to their world and communities.

The lore is that she found a retired teacher living in abject poverty in a chicken coop. In her anger, she got organized. The AARP was founded to provide health insurance to retired teachers through the American Retired Teachers Association, which Dr. Andrus also established. It proved so wildly successful that the insurance broker, Leonard Davis, who helped set up the underwriting, soon became one of the 400 richest men in America. Dr. Andrus never personally profited off her organization.

We talked about the Dr. Andrus' background, and her illustrious career at Lincoln High School, where she revolutionized the way high school was taught. Walker, a retired teacher himself, also talked about his father, the famous architect Rodney Walker, builder of several of the Case Study homes that helped house millions of people.

We did not talk about Sumerian cuneiform, great Moghul empire warriors or the sketch comedy of Tim Robinson.

Dr. Nomi Prins, the author, former Goldman Sachs executive and Ojai resident joins the podcast to talk about her work explaining the world of high finance and how bankers continue to rig the system for their benefit. Her latest work, "Permanent Distortion," came out last year and dives deep into the trillions of dollars of fiat currency pumped into the global financial system during the pandemic, and how it is being use to further divide Wall Street from Main Street, and how little of the money the governments printed was actually put to productive use.

"Quantitative Easing" is the term of art used to describe the emergency response during the 2008 banking crisis which has since became an addiction for the Federal Reserve. Most of the trillions of dollars since the pandemic continues to sit on banks' asset sheets without being loaned out, as was the intent.

Dr. Prins' is famous for her deep research, lively writing, and ability to break down complex and abstract topics into easily understood concepts.

We also talk about her other books, including "All the Presidents' Bankers" and how a very small group of elite financiers and politicians, who came from the same families and attended the same schools, have been pulling the strings for the world since JP Morgan organized a 1907 meeting at his resort in Jekyll Island, Georgia that led to the founding of the Federal Reserve system in 1913. We also talked about the 2008 financial crash and how much of it was blamed on reckless homeowners rather than the vast amounts of money leveraged by bankers for stock buybacks and other contrivances to boost their own wealth at the cost of productive use of capital for infrastructure and employment projects.

Dr. Prins and I did not talk about Japanese ceramic glazes, left-handed cricketers or Aston Villa's greatest moments. Check out her works - "Collusion," "All the Presidents's Bankers," "Black Tuesday," "It Takes a Pillage," "Jacked," and "Other People's Money."

In a reprise of Episode 64, we bring back Chumash elder and lifelong Ojai native Julie Tumamait-Stenslie to talk about her diverse tribe, their tragic history and hopeful future. Julie grew up in Ojai with an idyllic childhood as the youngest of seven children, playing in the Ventura river bottom. Her father, Vincent, was a revered Chumash elder and keeper of the traditional folkways. Julie apprenticed herself to him, learning the old songs, stories and folkways of this ancient and fascinating people.

She now has taken his place, performing ceremonies along from Malibu to San Luis Obispo, teaching children the songs and stories by which Chumash peoples passed on information through the generations and making sure that her people are represented. Besides archeological surveys on construction projects to make sure that cultural treasures are not destroyed, she founded the Barbareño/Ventureño band of Mission Indians, on which she serves as tribal chair. 

She paints a vivid picture of pre-contact life in the Ojai Valley, where the bands of Chumash traveled from village site to village site to take advantage of the changing seasons for food crops like acorns, piñon nuts and the bounty of the nearby sea. Before the Spanish arrived, the state's native population was estimated at 310,000, which dwindled to a few tens of thousands by the 1870s after the massive disruption of the gold rush - with pestilence and genocide nearly wiping out a diverse and fascinating peoples.

Julie's keen insight and humor give her a peerless view of the area's history and the near-extinction which happened twice - when the Spanish friars arrived in the 1770s and again when the American flag first flew over California in 1846. We talk a lot about Benjamin Hadley's book, "American Genocide" about the nearly successful effort to wipe out California thriving native people between 1846 and 1873 (the Modoc War). We also talk about Ojai and how it's changed over the years, and how she and others are striving to find a balance through a more integrated approach to the environment and respect of Ojai's first residents. Julie also tells us about her husband Bruce, who runs the county's Economic Development Collaborative and it's shepherding of the county's pandemic-stricken businesses.

We did not talk about Chief Cornplanter's legacy, the first or third Punic Wars or the Dutch tulip craze of the early 1600s.

Quail Springs farm is a 450-acre permaculture project in the Lockwood Valley north of Ojai, where they farm, herd, build and teach in as sustainable manner as possible. Ashwin and Alexx, the co-directors, join the podcast to talk about sustainability, the growth of their on-line courses, and the successes of their buildings in withstanding severe heat and receiving top certifications.

The ranch was a bleak and barren over-grazed rangeland when it was founded in 2004 and now the namesake springs flow again and the gardens produce abundant food without irrigation. The techniques developed for building and farming have been taught to thousands of people and Quail Springs has partnered with Patagonia and other businesses and nonprofit organizations.

We talked about WWOOFs (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), cob buildings standing strong against raging infernos, the camaraderie of communal life, the resonance of Quail Springs in the tech-stressed digital age and much more. We also talked about Ashwin and Alexx's journey to Quail Springs, German high literature, film recommendations and important books. We did not talk about Spey casting for Atlantic salmon, life cycle of locusts or gang tattoos.

Learn more about Ojai's northern neighbor at QuailSprings.org.

Beth Pratt, head of the National Wildlife Federation for California, attracted national attention recently when the beloved mountain lion, P-22, died in Los Angeles and she arranged for an inspiring funeral ceremony. P-22 became a media sensation when he crossed the 101 and 405 freeways more than 10 years ago to carve out a territory for himself in Griffith Park. She came to Ojai recently to give a lecture about co-existing with wildlife, after several mountain lions encounters and a lion being euthanized, and her friendship with Ojai resident Molly Jordan Koch.

Her conservation work has been featured by the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC World Service, CBS This Morning, the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and NPR. She is the author of the novel The Idea of Forever and the official Junior Ranger Handbook for Yosemite, and her new book, When Mountain Lions are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out In California, was published by Heyday Books in 2016. She has given a TEDx talk about coexisting with wildlife called, “How a Lonely Cougar in Los Angeles Inspired the World,” and is featured in the new documentary, “The Cat that Changed America.”

We talked about her experiences growing up in Massachusetts that set her on present path, wildlife reintroductions in the West, the wandering wolf who made it from Oregon down the coast to Ventura County, and her major project of having a wildlife corridor built over US 101 in Liberty Canyon. We did not talk about barramundi recipes, ancient mariners or comedic stylings of Abbot & Costello.

You can learn more about Beth Pratt and her important work at her website, bethpratt.com, or through the National Wildlife Federation, nwf.org

Ingrid Boulting was raised primarily by her grandparents in South Africa as her parents went to pursue careers in England and France. Her mother was a model and actress, and her father was a writer and director. She herself moved to London when she was 7, and she herself went to "a show-biz school" before being selected for the Royal Ballet School. It was a rough adjustment, as Afrikaans was her first language. She landed her first of many magazine covers ("Queen Magazine") when she was 12 years and the rest is history.

Through it all, her first love was and remains painting. She has (had) an exhibit at the Ojai Art Center through the end of April, and has focused mostly on still life. Another lifelong love has been yoga, she is the owner of Sacred Space studio, where she integrates her spirituality and love of nature into her practice.

Ingrid was a favorite muse of French photographer Sarah Moon and was known for her delicate features and ethereal air. Ford Models founder Eileen Ford herself recruited Ingrid, though she resisted modeling as a full-time career, giving priority to acting on the stage and screen, as well as painting. She flourished in the 1970s and 1980s, co-starring with Robert DeNiro in Elia Kazan-directed "The Last Tycoon," and was the "Biba Girl" with the English cosmetics company.

She has family all over the world, but has lived in Ojai since the mid-1980s, introduced by Guy and Leone Webster. "It either won't let you leave, or it kicks you out," she said. Ingrid's various moves between theater, film and modeling continued, but Ojai has always been home base. Among her many careers, Ingrid also learned from White Lotus owner Frank White, the renowned yoga teacher, who started when he was 68 and trained several generations of teachers. He mentored Ingrid into teaching yoga, which she continues at Sacred Space Studio. We also talked about our shared love of Ojai, its distinct aroma, its resemblance to the south of France, her pets, the perils of poor city planning and the constant threats Ojai faces.

We did not talk about IRS forms, baseball's new rules or allergy season.

You can check out more about Ingrid and her art at her website, IngridBoulting.com. Her yoga class schedule is posted at SacredSpaceStudio.com (the only studio in Ojai with Earth Mats.)