In Ventura

So I'm in Ventura tonight because I will be speaking at a luncheon at the Ventura Four Points Sheraton tomorrow for the American Association of University Women. I'm close to downtown, full of quaint little shops. I was drawn into one in particular that had a lot of Faire Wear, clothing for Renaissance fairs, called Hearts Delight. I also stopped into the little downtown theatre to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...Part One, an absolutely incomprehensible and non-movie movie for those who haven't read the books. If you are a Harry Potter fan--which I am--you will like this one. The movie, as well as the book, is very different from the other ones and really gives you a chance to see the every day problems of three magical people just trying to stop the most evil wizard of all time. ("I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world..." Wait, wrong movie.)

Ventura is a cute little seaside town full of old Victorian houses, a revitalized downtown, and a central park filled with homeless people. It's a strange dichotomy, but it's also something endemic to seaside towns, at least in California. People flock here because of the weather, though it's fairly cold right now.

A few pictures:

 
Downtown theatre.

 
Downtown street.

 
Just an interesting brick house.

 
Something called the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living, looking like some Aztec temple. 

Did I forget to mention the very loud trains passing through?

Tomorrow, I will be on the speaking menu with Sheila Lowe, a forensic handwriting expert and author of the Claudia Rose mystery series; Robert Fate, who writes the Baby Shark mystery series;and Reyna Grande, an American Book Award winner, who wrote “Across a Hundred Mountains” and “Dancing with Butterflies.”

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find something for dinner.      

Comments

[Violette]

I love the architecture of the homes. I have never been there. I is gorgeous.