Vol. 14, No. 21 – July 14 – July 27, 2021 – Mailbox

To opinions

In the El Jardin courtyard on Main street near California street there was a 100 year old Fiddle leaf fig tree, Ficus Lyrata. Usually these are house plants. This bad boy was at least 40 ft tall and in the sun. Ficus trees are notorious for surface roots and this guy was right up against the building, I’m sure that’s why it’s gone, but gosh a hundred years?

John Gleason


Let me get straight to the point.  I miss living in Ventura
By Beverly Russell

I want to come back.  I have lived all over the world, New York, Chicago, London, Paris,
San Miguel de Allende, Mumbai, Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong.

So why am I telling you this. The bottom line is rents have gone sky high in my favorite community – so I am looking to share a house or rent something small and reasonably priced possibly in a private home. My references are impeccable, Check out my website Beverly Russell.com and other sources Amazon.com, Barnes  Noble.com.

I have been awarded two honorary doctorate degrees in fine arts from Parsons School and Kendall College for writing articles and books about architecture and design and also had the honor of receiving the most notable recognition by Mayor Koch of New York – Beverly Russell Day was designated August 26, 1986. This academic status led me to invitations from several colleges, I am an OLLI teacher at CSU Channel Islands.

Since then, I have written -a variety of 20 books, the latest works are 4 Maisie & Billy stories written during the Covid lockdown of 12 months.

What am I looking to recapture in irresistible Ventura?  Coming from a smogsville illiterate desert, I long to riffle through the books on the shelves at the Ventura Public Library, where the intelligent librarians introduced me to several exemplary fiction authors unknown to me then, Ruth Rendell, Charles Finch to name just a few. The library encouraged fund-raising and I was more than happy to pitch in.

The Ventura Art Museum took up my offer as a volunteer and fund raiser and in a day or so after brief but necessary training I was assigned to the front desk two or three times a week. Was it my British Accent that got me this prestigious job?  Well my gratitude to those who picked up on the value of the Alistair Cooke connection.

The official tourist brochure accurately describes Ventura  as a place of an artistic culture and enduring history, that checks stress and  pretense at the door.  The Rubicon Theater is a pivotal arena for artistic diversity, see www rubicon.com. And there is more…the harbor, fishing, the beach, Channel Islands, the scenic hikes, the Botanical Gardens, the Pier, the annual Music Festival which draws participants from international venues. No exaggeration to say Ventura is a privileged locale.

And thank my lucky stars (I was born a Sagittarius traveler) I am retreating to my true destination San Buenaventura Ventura. where the benevolent wind is at my back.

www.beverlyrussell.com


There is no security in life, only opportunity.
~ Mark Twain

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