Submitted by Coach Cindy Blatt

FHS Swim Team hosted its first home meet on Wednesday, March 13th. Varsity Girls were defeated by Malibu – 109-56. Kat Furness swam to a win in the 200 yd. individual medley in a time of 2:18.29, and a win in the 100 yd. butterfly in a time of 1:02.59. Both times are new school records and CIF Div. 3 Consideration times. Karen Trujillo placed second in the 100 yd. backstroke in a time of 1:22.27.

Varsity Boys were defeated by Malibu – 123-29. Sam Guzman had two second place finishes in the 100 yd. butterfly and 100 yd. backstroke. Eddy Rodriguez placed second in the 50 yd. freestyle with a PR time of 26.08.

Jr. Varsity Girls defeated Malibu – 89-29. Olivia Palazuelos was a two time winner in the 200 yd. freestyle and the 100 yd. freestyle – both were personal records. Isabela Regalado won the 50 yd. backstroke. Zoe Avila won the 50 yd. breaststroke.

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

United Water Conservation District and its contractor, Parks Management Company, are happy to report Lake Piru is at its highest level in over a decade. United Water’s Lake Piru is now at 73% full, compared to only 15% full last October.

The Reasoner Cove launch area at Lake Piru has now been reopened. The Juan Fernandez Day Use Area and launch area will also reopen by May 1, 2019, with sand being brought in to develop a quality swim beach.

“This is great news for recreation and water enthusiasts. We encourage people to come and enjoy the day, boating, fishing water skiing, jet skiing, swimming and evenings under the stars camping at Lake Piru,” commented Mauricio Guardado, General Manager for United Water Conservation District.

Advance reservations are encouraged and can be made for pontoon boats, fishing boats, kayaks and paddle boards, which are available for full-day or half-day rentals.

Please reserve online at: www.campone.com or www.camplakepiru.com, or by calling Lake Piru Recreation Area at 805-521-1500. Lake Piru is located at: 4780 Piru Canyon Road, Piru, CA 93040.

About the United Water Conservation District
Who we are, what we do and why it matters:
Since 1927 United Water Conservation District has served as a leader among water agencies by managing, protecting, enhancing and securing the water resources of the Santa Clara River and Oxnard Coastal Plain. The District works to protect the environment’s natural attributes and conserves runoff from all major tributaries of the Santa Clara River including Piru, Hopper, Sespe and Santa Paula Creeks.
United Water Conservation District is committed to managing the area’s water supplies through groundwater replenishment and construction and operation of efficient water supply and delivery systems. The District serves as the conservator of groundwater resources that are utilized by the cities of Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Santa Paula and Fillmore, as well as several mutual water districts, farms and individual pumpers. United Water also provides surface water for agricultural irrigation and treated drinking water to the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme. UnitedWater.org.

Enlarge Photo

Submitted by Jan Lee

Spring has arrived. All around us flowers are beginning to bloom. Time to look around your yard to choose which flowers, potted plants or dish garden you want to enter in the Fillmore Flower Show this year.

Besides single stem cut flowers, there are other divisions for flowers. Division III is Bouquets. Arrange in a vase, cut stem or stems of the same flower variety or mixed colors or type of the same variety, but with no filler. Or, you can enter Division V, Arrangements. Flower displays up to 20” X 20” in your own container that may include items appropriate to the scene. Class A is traditional, Class B is Oriental Manner, Class C is Modern Abstract. Division VI, Miniature Arrangements and Bouquets. Class A not to exceed 4” X 4”, Class B, Not to exceed 10” X 10”.

The theme this year is “100 Years Celebrating Flowers.” The Flower Show has been a fun event since at least 1919. The Fillmore 2020—Civic Pride Committee has planned some special activities for the show this year. There will be live music, a plant boutique, children’s projects, displays from past Flower Shows and other interesting things to see and do. Plan to enter and/or visit.

See you at the Active Adult Center, 533 Santa Clara Street, Fillmore on April 13 and 14, 2019. For more information go to fillmoreflowershow.org.

Bob Crum

I received 391 replies regarding last week's mystery tree contest, but not one correct answer. So I win a scoop of scrumptious Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

The photo presented itself about three weeks ago when I went to Sespe Creek to shoot the muddy torrent. Clouds offered a dramatic background. After the photo shoot, I began to walk back to my vehicle. On the way, I passed a large rainwater puddle. Without thought mind you, I noticed a tree reflection in the puddle.

I instantly recognized the tree reflection on the puddle as a photo op. I didn't think: “Oh, how lucky can I get? Look at this phenomenal photo op. Wait, I must stop and take a picture. Click! Got it! OK, nothing else to see so must hurry back to the vehicle.”

The photographic process involved a series of shots before I got the desired composition I envisioned. This creative aspect of photography is extremely satisfying and immensely gratifying. And addictive!

In the previous column, I wrote: Regardless of the destination, a mindfulness phenomenon is unavoidable. Mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of the surroundings on a moment-to-moment basis. Try it!

Seeing the tree reflection in the puddle is a typical example of awareness moment to moment. After years of photography, mindful awareness has become mostly an automatic function. Don't confuse this with thinking. It's not a thinking process. Thinking is a deleterious and pernicious habit. Worse, the instant the mind starts 'thinking,' awareness dissipates. Secret: Walk without deliberately thinking! You'll be amazed at the photo ops you'll 'see' that seem to appear magically.

At the scene, it took considerable maneuvering to get the desired composition. Move here, move there, up, back, ah, this will work - click! I made several photos before I got the money shot.

Keep in mind that I am seeing the top of the tree at the bottom of the puddle, the end of the puddle nearest me. I left a little of the dirt around the puddle in the composition.
Back home, I post-processed the image by first cropping slightly. Notice all the little white objects around the tree? They are stones in the puddle but in the reflection, they create a surreal image of the cosmos, IMO. But also in the puddle were some large stones that ruined the overall cosmos effect. I removed them using Lightroom's (LR) content aware tool.

Done in LR, I exported the image to Photoshop Elements for a few minor exposure adjustments with NIK. And executed one last but essential function: flip the image 180°. This created an image with the tree now upright. The dirt that was at the top of the puddle in the original image is now the ground at the bottom for the tree. Voila! A magnificent tree reflected in the rainwater puddle. So much fun!

The photo of the week is a flock of, I think, western snowy plovers. I was at a favorite beach location hoping for a glorious sunset. Didn't happen. But as I was shooting back-lit waves with the sun on the horizon, a speedy flock of the little birds flew by. I had only a second to capture a photo of these fast-flying birds before they were out of range; proof that there's always something interesting to photograph on the coast. Just saying.

Last Saturday, the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Foundation and the Parks & Recreation Department sponsored a 5K run & walk event and a cornhole tournament. See my photo/video of the event on youtube here: https://youtu.be/2K_97KjFN-U

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Enlarge Photo

Two severely injured animals, a cat called “William” and a Chihuahua named “Viola” arrived at Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center, (SPARC) this week after being hit by cars. Both were sent by SPARC to VMSG Animal Hospital for emergency care. Due to Sparc’s Facebook page being down all day on Wednesday, not enough funds were raised to cover costs of their medical care.

Tabby cat, William’s, eye was dislodged from the socket and he has a broken pelvis and several other fractured bones. Viola, a chihuahua, has severe bruising of her abdomen and kidney and liver issues, in addition to pneumonia.

SPARC’s executive director, Nicky Gore-Jones says, “Raising the necessary medical funds to care for sick or injured animals arriving at SPARC, weekly, is an ongoing challenge, as medical costs are over $300K annually.”

In addition to saving lives, community education plays a large role in SPARC’s mission.

Sharing information about the care of animals to students in kindergarten through high school is important to build a better future for animals by raising awareness at an early age.

It also allows children the chance to give back to their community.

Gore-Jones says, “We urgently need the support of the wider community of Ventura County to help us continue our no kill mission. People who would like to volunteer, donate, adopt and foster are all super important to our continued success,”

Donations for animals’ medical care can be made on the shelter’s website at http://www.santapaulaarc.org/donate.html, or called in to SPARC’s main number at 805-525-8609.

SPARC is a 501C3, no kill, city shelter in Santa Paula, Ventura County, whose mission is to give every animal arriving healthy, sick or injured, a second chance at life.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) has notified seller’s permit holders that new sales and use tax rates will take effect beginning April 1, 2019. The new rates are the result of voter-approved initiatives.

To find the correct rate for your home or business location, visit www.cdtfa.ca.gov and click the Tax & Fee Rates button. Please note that the new rates will not be available online until April 1, 2019, when they take effect.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) administers California’s sales and use, fuel, tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis taxes, as well as a variety of other taxes and fees that fund specific state programs. CDTFA-administered programs account for over 25 percent of all state revenue. California’s essential services, such as public safety, transportation, health, libraries, schools, social services, and natural resource management programs, are directly supported by these taxes and fees.

Note: This news release may discuss complex tax laws and concepts. It may not address every situation, and is not considered written advice under Revenue and Taxation Code sections 6596 and 55045. Changes in law or regulations may have occurred since the time this news release was written. If there is a conflict between the text of this news release and the law, decisions will be based upon the law and not this news release. For specific help, please contact the CDTFA at 1-800-400-7115.

As severe weather continues to beat up much of the country, U.S. blood centers are struggling to maintain adequate supplies. Wednesday’s historic bomb cyclone in Colorado, which reached as far south as New Mexico and Texas, caused sustained hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions. Vitalant closed multiple donation centers and canceled blood drives in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota resulting in a loss of nearly 1,000 blood donations. Additional Vitalant locations were unable to transport blood samples to our laboratory for testing, delaying the release of units to hospitals, due to extreme high winds and canceled flights.

Other parts of the country are now experiencing or bracing for dangerous conditions from Winter Storm Ulmer—tornadoes, snow, flooding and impassable roads are impacting an estimated 105 million people.

Donors are strongly encouraged to give blood today through next week to immediately rebuild the community blood supply. To schedule an appointment to give blood, go to vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825. Walk-in donors are always welcome.

“We’re strongly urging our donors here in the Central Coast to give blood now in support of those areas severely impacted by this storm and to rebuild the blood supply,” said Susan Noone, Regional Director at Vitalant. “The severity of this issue has the potential to negatively impact patient care. It’s imperative that every person who feels healthy and is eligible gives blood now.”

There is a critical need for all blood types. Locally, Vitalant needs to collect approximately 1,225 donations of all types per week to replenish the supply and meet the needs of area patients. Our team can assist you in determining the most optimal donation based on your blood type and other factors.

Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health. Additional height/weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 and 17 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian.

About Vitalant
Vitalant is the nation’s second largest community blood service provider, supplying comprehensive transfusion medicine services for nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care partners for patients in need across 40 states. Vitalant inspires local communities to serve the needs of others and transform lives through the selfless act of donating blood. Every day, almost 5,000 blood donations are needed to meet the needs of people throughout the country, and Vitalant’s 780,000 donors supply 1.8 million donations a year. In addition to blood products, Vitalant offers customers transfusion services, medical consulting, quality guidance, ongoing education, research and more. For more information and to schedule a donation, visit vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825 (877-25VITAL). Join the conversation about impacting the lives of others on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.