Ken McAlpine
Ken McAlpine is the author of eight books, a collection of fiction, non-fiction, and essays. His most recent novel, "Juncture," is a cerebral "Jaws"; a suspense-filled thriller, a story of primal love and our changing oceans and, perhaps, a final fork in the road. "West is Eden: Reflections on this Gift Called Life," is a collection of his KCET essays. He lives in Ventura.
From the busy intersections of Ventura to the quiet islands just off its coast, a story of what matters.
You can find Piru's new skateboard park near the community center, and here's the very cool part. The neighbors not only acceded to it, they welcomed it.
I closed my eyes and thought of sails carrying a breeze, but when I opened my eyes and looked above the heads of the playing children it looked more like an apocalyptic snowfall.
Although I miss many moments in this life, I have tried very hard to pay close attention to sunsets.
Although confessing this publicly will now cheat me out of gifts forever, these holiday cards are my favorite gift. They remind me of a bigger picture and a broader season.
There are piles of colorful bounty, and retirees with walkers, and young mothers with strollers, and small children who have escaped said strollers and now have rings of various colors around their mouth. There is also something soothingly pleasant tha...
If you are reading this somewhere else in the country, no doubt you are finding this mildly amusing. But there are still important issues to think about.
I have a hard time imagining my father bopping a stranger in the nose while the two of them grappled over a beanie baby. Sometimes I wonder what kind of holiday shopping experience our sons' children will have.
What to leave in and what to leave out? It is up to us to decide, and it is those decisions that make a life.
We need to know where we came from. And we need to be reminded in the bright light of day. The Ventura Pier offers a reason why.
The critics have the right to their words. They just don't have the right to take the words out of your hands.
Bottle Village is a fascinating place with an equally fascinating history. Although unknown in Kansas, it is well known in the 4500 block of Cochran Street in Simi Valley. Bottle Village is testimony to ingenuity, and the stamina and attention to detai...