Bob Crum

Alas, wet, juicy rain from on high. Except for a leaky umbrella, I'm not complaining. Nosireebob! The much-needed water is greatly appreciated. However, the dainty Sespe Creek mermaids don't enjoy frolicking in a muddy torrent. A text told me they left for calmer, and clearer, Ventura Harbor waters. But I digress.

Sespe Creek, with headwaters at Potrero Seco at 5,280 feet in the eastern Sierra Madre Mountain, is approximately 61 miles long. From beginning to end, more than thirty tributary streams of the Sierra Madre and Topatopa Mountains feed the unrestrained free-flowing Sespe.

The sprawling territory of the watershed encompasses 260 square miles. If my math is correct, that's 166,499.294 acres. That's a large area for rain to dump on and run down to the creek. Since hills are covered with soil, the runoff is, well, you know, muddy.

Streams, creeks and rivers - each with unique and fascinating personalities - are interesting bodies of water as well as exciting photo ops. From any vantage point, observe any flowing body of water at any time of the year and you will see unique characteristics. Two weeks later, from the same place, you'll often find that it's different. A month ago there wasn't a drop of water flowing in Sespe Creek. It's now a raging torrent.

During a break in the weather last Saturday afternoon, the Sespe beckoned. I first made several photos from the bank north of the railroad bridge. As dusk drew nigh, time for plan B: Sunset photo on the bank of the roaring Sespe. As you might guess, good photos don't just happen. They require four things: planning, composition, appropriate camera programming and some post-processing. Oh, and one other thing: Patience. Planning and composition meant I needed to skedaddle over to a location south of Old Telegraph road.

Now on the eastern bank (location!), I was greeted with an exposure dilemma. The sun was very bright. If I set exposure settings for the brightness, the muddy water was too dark. Expose for the dark muddy water and the sky was blown out. Bountiful clouds off on the horizon. Hmmm. I waited. And waited. Patience, remember? As hoped, the sun began dipping behind some clouds. Hallelujah! Now, with the right aperture and shutter speed, I could balance the light of the sky and on the water. Bingo! Whoa! Not one and done! It's never a good idea to merely make one photo and skadoo thinking that you've got the best possible photo! Varying the composition can produce entirely different images. Equally important, various combinations of aperture and shutter speed produce different exposures, one of which will ultimately be the best. As the sun steadily descended, and ISO on auto, I continued to shoot varying the aperture and shutter speed. The tally? A scant 38 photos. I hope that I was legally allowed to have so much fun!

In case you're wondering, I did consider shooting the scene in HDR (high dynamic range) mode, bracketing the exposure in 5 successive frames. But when the sun ducked behind the clouds, I was confident I could achieve a relatively balanced and correct exposure without HDR. HDR processing sometimes produces artifacts that degrade the image.

Later at home, I sorted the photos selecting one to post process. I further tweaked the exposure with my computer darkroom using Adobe Lightroom (LR). The graduated filter in LR is an awesome aid for fine-tuning exposure balance. I polished the image with NIK plugins in Photoshop Elements. Bingo! Photo of the week! Happy photoing!

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

Exercise Citadel Shield / Solid Curtain 2019 (SC/SC-19) will be conducted on naval installations within the continental United States, 4 - 15 February, 2019.

This annual exercise is designed to enhance the training and readiness of Navy Security Forces. Exercise CS/SC-19 is not in response to any specific threat, but a regularly scheduled exercise.

Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions within local communities and to normal base operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access. Area residents may also see or hear security activities associated with the exercise.

During the Citadel Shield / Solid Curtain 2019 exercise, the Visitor Control Center hours will remain the same; Monday-Friday 0645-1445.

For more information, follow us on Facebook @NavalBaseVenturaCounty, or call NBVC Public Affairs at 805-989-9234.

On 12/24/2018, at approximately 9:30 PM, deputies with the Fillmore Police Department responded to a shooting that occurred in the 800 block of4thStreet in Fillmore.Two adult male victims were shot by unknown suspect(s).The suspect(s) are believed to be associated with a white sedan. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Bureau is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect(s).If you have any information regardingthis crime, please contact DetectiveBeau Rodriguez at 805-384-4723 or at Beau.Rodriguez@ventura.org.Prepared by:Detective Beau Rodriguez #3591NewsRelease Date:01/30/2019Media Follow-Up Contact:Detective Beau Rodriguez805-290-0645/ Beau.Rodriguez@ventura.orgApproved by:Captain Jeff MillerVentura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The call may remain anonymous. The caller is not recorded.
Call Crimestoppers at 888-222-8477.

The Sweetheart Hop is the first big occurrence in the "Raise the Roof" Fundraiser series with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Fillmore Post 9637 & the Fillmore-Piru Veterans Memorial District benefiting the Veterans Memorial Building!

Our wonderful community building needs a new roof & a few other renovations, so why not have fun while we "Raise the Roof" on February 16th 2019 at the Veterans Memorial Building.

Come out for a night of dinner, dessert & dancing... Music Performance by Studio C Band, Cash bar, photo-op + silent auction!
Ticket options are as follows:

5:30pm entrance:
- $45 a person , ticket includes dinner
- $350 8 person table, ticket includes dinner

7:00pm entrance:
- $25 a person, ticket does not include dinner

Purchase tickets at Fillmore City Hall, 250 Central Avenue downstairs at the finance window.

** To purchase an 8 person table, contact the Parks and Recreation department to see if a table is still available to reserve. 524-1500 ext 713 (upstairs, 2nd floor of City Hall)

*** To sponsor a table, call 524-1500 ext 713

Submitted by Sue Zeider On Tuesday, January 22, the Fillmore Historical Museum presented a program on the 155 years of Rancho Sespe to the Fillmore Middle School. In conjunction with the presentation, the students can participate in an essay contest on Rancho Sespe sponsored by the Museum. There are separate categories for fiction and non-fiction. Students are encouraged to interview friends and family who have memories of living or working at the Rancho.

Supervisor Kelly Long announced today she is accepting applications for volunteer positions on the Bardsdale Cemetery District Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees formulates rules, regulations and policies as well as management of the land, buildings and equipment necessary to run the Cemetery. Trustees must reside within the Cemetery District boundaries.

The Bardsdale Cemetery District serves the City of Fillmore and surrounding area. The Bardsdale Cemetery Association was formed in 1895 and operated as an association until 1914 when it became a public cemetery district. The District owns and operates a cemetery located in Bardsdale at 1698 South Sespe Street. The cemetery and related District owned property is approximately 14.4 acres in size. The District provides burial and related services to residents and property owners in the District boundaries.

The District’s operations are overseen by a five-member Board of Trustees serving four-year terms. The two vacant Trustee positions will fulfill a term that will expire on January 4th, 2021. The trustee positions are appointed at large by the Board of Supervisors upon recommendation of 3rd District Supervisor Kelly Long.

Public cemeteries in California are among the earliest and oldest public facilities in the state and were in existence prior to the enactment of the first public cemetery law in 1909. Today, there are 253 public cemetery districts in California, including three districts in Ventura County: Bardsdale Cemetery District, Piru Cemetery District & El Rancho Simi Cemetery District. Public cemetery districts are special districts that are legally separate from any other unit of local government. Each district’s board of trustees is solely responsible for all aspects of district operations. Trustees must reside within the cemetery district boundaries and be registered voters within the district.

For more information, please contact Manuel Minjares in Supervisor Kelly Long’s office at 805-654-2276.