Ventura County Agriculture Museum Visit

Ventura County Agriculture Museum Visit

         I have always had a desire to learn the history about where I live.  Temporarily uprooting from Maryland where I have been since 1977 - now retired, I began this journey by visiting Ventura Agriculture Museum on March 29, 2014 as part of my unyielding curiosity about life.  The sweeping panorama view of green field along the Highway 101 VISTA ride on my weekend escapade and the farm workers in the strawberry field at Oxnard Valley off Rose Avenue where I drove by on weekly COSTCO errand pushed the trigger for this visit.   In a sense, I must know Ventura today by looking back how it has been before.

Ventura County Agriculture Museum - The Red Mill

         Ventura County has 10 incorporated cities – Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and city of Ventura.  It’s 60 miles north of Los Angeles and considers being a part of Greater Los Angeles Area.  I have visited or passed by some of them except Moorpark, Ojai and Simi Valley.  All the towns are very similar to what we called in Maryland as part of Greater Washington area.  I found it a bit inconvenient to land at Los Angeles Airport (LAX) every time when I visit.  It took me about 3+ hours with the shuttle at one time from LAX to Ventura.  The notorious traffic on its busy Highways may eclipse the best weather among U.S. cities.   You either love it or hate it.  I am just trying to enjoy it while I can.

The Mill

The Museum Entrance

Santa Paula Train Station with the approaching train 

         The Museum, a.k.a. The Mill is the old red wooden warehouse, located at 926 Railroad Avenue in downtown Santa Paula, next to the railroad tracks and across from the Train Depot.  It’s a stone’s throw away from the bus stop – Santa Paula’s City Hall.  It was built in 1888 to house many of the railroad operations and equipment.  It’s now the official Ventura County Agriculture Museum filled with many antique and rustic farm memorabilia of yesteryears.

Spring Wagon - A Part of CA & backhoes & pitchforks

Once CA's Leading Producer - Walnut, Apricot, Lemon & Calavo Packing Boxes/Crates 

They had their own cook wagon besides bean threshing operations
there was a kitchen on wheels

         To understand why agriculture is the backbone of America’s economy and the important role Ventura County played, I have to take you back hundreds of years back in history.  The Valley is new territory for me, quite unfamiliar.  The museum provided me, the outsider from east coast, the history with exhibits and document all related in Agriculture from 18^th century to the modern days.  The self-guided tour took me about three hours including the video film about “the 4^th Generation Farmer, Robert Pfeiler – 1908 – 2002.”  The farmers in the video are rotated monthly.

1.  The First Inhabitants – Chumash Indians – Before 1769

Chumash Bowls & Pestles

Cooking Kettle for Chumash Laborers - Ruins of Mission Aqueduct on the wall

         The area was originally inhabited by the Chumash Native Americans beginning about 7,000 years ago, prior to the arrival of Europeans in California.  I took four shots from Mural #2 on my way to the museum on the 8^th St. and Santa Barbara St.  There are nine of them on a number of Santa Paula downtown buildings, brilliantly painted by the nations most accomplished muralists.  I will probably use another field trip to study all of them.   I couldn’t possibly do it in one day.  The murals’ vivid introduction to this multicultural back-story in Ventura County portrays elements of the town’s history.  The people and the economy are so attractive and interesting to me.  It’s just like the millennium time capsule of the unique history through the special genius and talent of individual artists.

Mural #5 - Santa Paula Main St. - late 1800s - See the building & street lamp

Santa Paula Main St now - March 29, 2014

Mural #5 - Santa Paula School Children & teacher - early 1900s

Mural #5 - Detailed Santa Paula Main St. late 1800s

         Look at the incredible details, depicting the first inhabitants in the area; the idyllic scenes of tribe living.  I paid special attention to the mother holding the baby by the creek and a silver-haired grandma look-like with the child on the rock over the hill.  Interesting! Huh?  I am dreaming for the land of utopia.  The local Chumash Indians, or “shell bead people” made a peaceful living hunting, gathering, fishing and trading shell bead money with nearby tribes.  From the document, some scholars have suggested that Chumash population may have declined substantially when the arrivals of Spanish ships in late 18^th century, that brought disease to which they had no immunological resistance.

Mural #2 - Chumash - The 1st Inhabitants in Ventura County

Mural #2 - Detailed Chumash NativeAmicans

Mural #2 - Detailed Chumash - 1st Inhabitants in Ventura County 

        

Chumash Grandma with a child on the hill & Mom with the baby by the creek 

2. The Spanish Period, 1769 – 1821

         The Spanish ruled California and built missions expanded to the Ventura River with a prolific garden of fruits, vegetables and herbs.  Thanks to the sunny weather, the fertile soil and with Chumash labor, suited to ranching and farming.  They built water system, a reservoir and a seven-mile aqueduct.  San Buenaventura Mission in downtown Ventura was one of the most prosperous of all the California missions.  The Spanish missionaries also converted native tribes to Christianity and prepare them for life in a Spanish society.  The language, the skills such as brick making and construction, cattle and horse raising and weaving were taught.

San Buenaventura Mission - Downtown Ventura

3. The Mexican Period, 1821 – 1848

         After winning the independence from Spain (1821), Mexicans took over the California Spanish Missions.  It marked as the beginning era of Mexican ruling.  Cattle rancheros, grape vineyard were the major development for open trade during this period.  The 1821 brought not only the Independence, but also the hides and leather trades to Yankee sailors and merchants who were seeking new goods and new markets.  Some of the lands converted from dry-land farming of wheat and citrus into cattle grazing.  Spanish and Chumash Native Indians, who were not assimilated into Mexican culture, were increasingly marginalized and relieved of their land titles.  Gradually, they were drawn into debts and alcohol.

4. The U. S. period, 1853 – current

         California was acquired by the United States under the terms of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the defeat of Mexico in the Mexican American War.  I have probably seen quite a few spaghetti western movies during my school days without ever knowing the details in history. 

         To early settlers, like the video I watched in Calavo Hall, the 4^th generation farmer, Bob Pfeiler of Oxnard, the American West provided ample land for agricultural development from dry-land farming to underground water and solar-powered irrigation during modern time era.  Early farmers, Bob’s grandfather – Louis Pfeiler in 1865 grew crops or raised livestock that were familiar to them, such as wheat, corn, hog and sheep.  Then, his parents, Albert and Lydia in early 1900s found out the dry climate of this region required new, and large-scale farming methods to make a profit.  They began to try the diversity of crops, such as walnuts, apricots, corns, citrus, lima beans and vegetables.  With the swift growth of the farm equipment industry, which, in turn, brought more land under cultivation.  Between 1870 and 1900, the era of American frontier came to a close. 

Harvesting Green Beans - 1965

Harvesting Tomatoes - 1965

Irrigation then - Ventura River

Irrigation now - underground pipe

         The contribution from the homestead citizens, like Bob Pfeiler, during the first two decades of the twentieth century became the golden age of agriculture in California.  

         One of the halls that housed the early agricultural artifacts is Limoneira which grew from its 1893 founding as a Santa Paula-based citrus industry pioneer, producing lemons, avocados, oranges, pistachios, plums, apricots, pluots, a.k.a. dinosaur eggs, and cherries, into one of California’s biggest agribusiness. 

         The second hall – Calavo, started as avocado growers to serve Limoneira’s packinghouse and eventually developed into an international consumer goods and farm products company - served as the education center from the active bee colony - actually produce honeycomb - to plant lima beans and strawberry and lemon picking for students to learn how food is grown in the region and let them climb onboard the antique tractor to appreciate the farmers’ life.  The children’s poems, artwork station at the corner makes it a hands-on-science program for schools.  I wouldn’t be surprised that baby Forest will one day leave his masterpiece right up on the wall. 

These Kansas City Mules & Bolivar came from Missouri
as did some of the employed teamsters to drive them.
They were good combinations.

Hands-on-Science Program

     

         From the exhibit, in 1913, Ventura County farmers were producing three fourths of the world’s lima beans.  I purchased a souvenir bag of “Celebrating The Historic Lima Bean Capital of the World” with the recipes from Margaret Pfeiler Borchard – the descendent from the farmer Bob Pfeiler.  There was a lifelike replica of two mules in the center.  The spacious area with the whitewashed walls and the original hardwood floor was also used as the vintage wedding site.  I happened to take a few pictures of one special event on my way out the museum.  Congratulation!  Lucky couple!

         I am the lucky one as well -  $1.70 round trip VISTA fare and $3.00 admission for seniors.  I absorbed the Ventura agricultural heritage information like the dry sponge on the generosity of farmers like Bob Pfeiler and many volunteers from the museum.  

         On my way home in VISTA bus, Santa Paula’s landscape, the rolling hills and rugged mountain with “SP” carved on the peaks was on my window view.  From sugar beets and lima beans to lemon orchards, avocado ranches, strawberry patches and the “Citrus Capital of the World”,  I am definitely the beneficiary of generations’ hard work from Ventura County local residents, no matter where they are from, Mexicans, Chinese, Filipino and many other immigrants. Today, there’s a profound appreciation in me for having a museum that’s dedicated to telling me the story of the 
agriculture in California.

         I have the feelings for the land.  My father was a hard-working farmer, whose story in Taiwan is forever remembered deep in my heart.  And thanks to California’s tax payers.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Farewell visit to Joyce – My College Classmate

Saturday, 3/22/2014

Farewell visit to Joyce – College Classmate

            I decide to bid my farewell to Joyce, my college classmate, class of ’71 at National Cheng Kung University.  After nearly 25 years in Newbury Park, California where her husband, Robert, gave her the fondest memory, she made up her mind – with her never-ending internal conflict – to pack up for Taiwan to retire there temporarily for a couple of years at least.  She has been in a world of despair ever since Robert passed away on February 23, 2012. 

VISTA Highway 101 – The Oaks

            I took VISTA Highway 101/Conejo Connection instead of driving to Newbury Park this time.  I told Joyce, “I will arrive around 11:00 a.m. at The Oaks.  The bus stop should be across from Macy.  We will have a simple lunch with fresh local Oxnard strawberries from Whole Food.  I have the home made desert you like – peanuts with red dates, goji berries and Chinese white wood ears-白木耳.”  With low and soft voice, she responded, ‘be safe! I will be there to pick you up.  I’m in a mess.  I had trouble sleeping last night.  There are so many thing I need to tidy up before I leave next week.”   

            I made it to Ventura Bus Transfer Center- the wacky architecture, with 25 minutes’ walk. I remembered it took me about 17 minutes in January.  Maybe being nervous the first time without knowing the exact location of the bus stop made me walk faster.  The lady with the cute dog and the poster for animal protection was still there across from Target parking lot.  The homeless wanderer who greeted me “good morning” was no longer there.  Instead, there was one, bundling up in layers of clothes sleeping behind the bush of Sears.  I dared not to take the picture as my blog document.  It would be interesting to know his story of why he ended up there as the only option.  My soft side to help others, capable of not, is still in me.

Skateboarders

            A few helmet-less teenagers were performing the daring tricks on the bike loops and seating cement where people seat to wait for the bus.  Thrilling and cool, I wondered if their parents ever told them or themselves knew the risks involved.  I know it’s a trendy and funky looks to show who they are as teenagers, but, at least put some safety equipments to protect your head.  Kido!  Oh, well, I have enough grand parenting to worry about.  If Forest becomes like that, it’s his part of growing up process.  Let them learn the lesson themselves.

Camarillo Outlets

            I noticed the bus loaded more young teenagers with mixed ethnic groups.   However, The Latinos are still the majority.  The bus driver, the Filipino looks with dark skin, friendly called out ‘Thousand Oaks, Camarillo Outlets!”  Now, I realized why there were so many weekend shoppers on this bus.  This route doesn’t run on Sundays. 

Oxnard Plain            

It still amazed me to see the expansive view of the lush green valley extended as far as I could see to the foothills.  I gasped the first time when I saw the big machines operated by farm workers, and portable toilets dotted in the green fields on both side of Highway 101.  I did not take for granted in seeing the beauty of the nature.  My mind popped out the questions - can the machine pick the strawberries?  There must be hard laborers who harvested the bright red and luscious strawberries I brought to Joyce’s today. 

Arrival of spring

            I have not sensed the arrival of spring until my son-in-law purchased the seedlings for the backyard garden this week.  To me, southern California has always been warm and sunny since I got here.  All of sudden, I did see the mountain hills turn a bit green, some of the trees and shrubs, if not having leaves or flowers before my arrival, did put out new foliage.  It’s nice to see the un-noticeable changes from the field trip.  I have been confined to a sheltered environment. Lucky me!  The manicured gardens with all kinds of blooming flowers in the nice neighborhood can fool me with the changing seasons.  

Strawberry Pickers

            I found the answers when I saw rows and rows of workers bent and stooped their backs in the fields.  It’s not only one ranch, it’s several of them passing from my window view.  But, it’s only a glimpse.  I could not see them up close.  One of the zoom-in pictures showed.  Who are all these farm workers?  Are they migrants or local residents? And where are they from?  The bus ran fast past along acres and acres of green land with only visible dots lined up in furrows of strawberry beds.  John Steinbeck’s book/movie – The Grapes of Wrath I read and watched Henry Fonda as “Tom Joad,” during my school years, detailing the bleak lives of migrant workers in search for opportunities and work in California still haunted my thoughts years later.  In the distance, many ranches had red colors edging out of the plastic covers if I looked closely.  Since it’s spring, the peak season of Strawberry, some of the fields had already re-plowed to totally flat brown dirt for rotating different crops - I believe.  I will use another field trip to visit Ventura Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula.   Being a temporary local now, I should know better that Oxnard is America’s agriculture center of strawberry.

Cesar Chavez Drive - Oxnard     

      

            I took Rose Avenue every Saturday to do my weekend grocery chores.  Cesar Chavez Drive is there to remind me of the icon figure, Cesar Chavez, who became best known as Latino American civil rights activist.  I had remembered that Jane Fonda, the anti-war activist, spoke at a rally with him, the founder of the United States Union Farm Workers in 1970s.  I also heard about it in the news that President Obama proclaimed March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day. He was born in Arizona on March 31,1927.  It’s an official state holiday in California.   The Oxnard Historic Farm Park and Museum sign is visible when I drive by weekly.  But, I never find the time to learn how important Oxnard’s fertile Plain played in American agriculture.  Shame one me!  I will definitely do it one day.   He, as a local Oxnard labor must have made a historical impact organized the striking California grape pickers, mostly Latinos and Filipinos, on a 340 miles march by foot to California’s capital.  The newspaper Ventura Star reported the town will have series of marches in Oxnard about half mile as a symbolic gesture to honor his would have been 85^th birthday, as well as the 50^thanniversary of the United Farm Workers that he co- founded.  

Joyce – My Classmate

            Class of ’71 Foreign Language and Literature Department, National Cheng Kung University is a very unique mixture of students from everywhere in Taiwan.   Despite the fact that the University is often considered to be among the most prestigious universities in Taiwan.  The students, rich or poor, commuters or live on/off campus were mostly intellectually engaged and wanted to get the most out of the college for a better life.   The cutthroat college entrance examination was as competitive and stressful as you could imagine.  Joyce, the outstanding senior from the Provincial Tainan Girls’ Senior High School ranked the first with the highest examination scores among our class.  At that time, the commuter students, especially the folks from Tainan tended to be less likely to mingle with other students who lived in the dorms.  It would be stereotypical without looking into the facts of their commuting time and family commitments. But, traditionally Tainan is considered to be more conservative, culture wise, than the folks from other cities.  Joyce, the commuter student and I, the live-in-dorm student were set apart because of this reason.  It’s not until the senior years, she and I hung out at my best friend, Gloria’s off-campus residence at University Road.   We sat back after the whole day class or after her noontime napping to discuss about the future life planning after graduation.  I got to know her more than the rest of the live-in-campus students in our class.   

The 1^st Chapter – Life in Taiwan

            She stayed on in Tainan, her hometown, with her mother after graduation – Taught English in Middle school for 15 years, married and the son, Jeff was born.  He is 40-year-old now. I was introduced to meet him during one of my visit in 2013.  After graduation, we have all lost the contact since then.  Just like all my classmates spread out everywhere to chase the professional goals without any context to keep in touch.  I was led to believe that the journey of that part of her life was something she would like to keep herself.  

The 2^nd Chapter – Life in America

            In 2007, when Judy and I initiated the project of Class Album I, 《外文內美 - 第一集》 our mission was to re-connect all 48 classmates from ’71 Foreign Language and Literature Department at National Cheng Kung University.  Painstakingly, through e-mails, phone calls, we were able to track 37 of them.  There was one who was unfortunate to be listed as ‘diseased’; and the rest of 10 were at the columns of MIA – Missing in Action.  I was surprised that Joyce was one of them. Thanks to the world alumni connection, in 2008, I was able to get hold of her.   Ben and I attended National Cheng Kung University’s Carnival, World Class Reunion event in Pacific Palms Resort, Los Angeles.  Joyce re-appeared with her beloved husband, Robert Culvert, 78-year-old at the lobby to greet Ben and me.  This was 37 years after our graduation.  We have been transformed from sweet and demure ladies into golden girls with empty nests.  I based my home in Maryland while Joyce, as an audiologist from her master degree in Brigham Young University,Utah, staying in Newbury Park, still working at her Husband’s ‘Hearing Aid’ company. From then on, I have always kept close contact with her when I had the opportunity to visit my daughter in Ventura.  The distance is actually not far – 20 miles.   The love story- impressive and touching, she shared with me ‘a dedicated and devoted employee and an appreciative boss, and loving husband’ was her 2^nd chapter - life in America.

Joyce’s Husband – Robert Culvert

            Look at the pictures taken on the Memorial weekend in 2011.  Robert, 80-year-old, was such a humorous guy.  I teased him for his James Coburn’s look and height.  Joyce is also a rare breed of close to 6 feet in height.  When he found out that my son, Eric works for MITRE in air safety control division; he shared with us his fearless act of flying airplane in the flight school in 1972.  He flew into President Nixon’s “Western White House” air space without knowing he had violated the air traffic rules.  We, Eric especially, all got a kick out of his fun jokes and adventurous nature of personality when he was young.    

            When Robert passed away, pumping iron in the gym and knocking the head on the floor, Joyce was tending her hospitalized mother in Taiwan.  Rushing back home in Newbury Park and taking care of Robert’s funeral proved to be sapping her strength physically and mentally.  To cope with the grief and loss, she prayed, played the hymns on the piano and talked to Robert a lot afterwards.  

Generation Gap

            My retirement in January 2014 from Montgomery County Government started my journey to temporarily settle in Ventura California as a grandmother.  Joyce happened to play the same role with different degree of grand parenting to her son.  Jeff, a newly wed last year in Taiwan, had a healthy boy 2 month younger than my grandson.  Joyce was excited to be a grandmother wanting to be helpful.  My situation with my daughter’s family and grandbaby Forest prompted a lot of discussion between us.  We both were trapped in the unavoidable conflict of giving the unconditional love to our children and also being rejected or neglected by the children unintentionally.  Time and time, we both reminiscenced about our good old days in the campus and shared how our parents instilled us the traditional value of Confucius’s filial piety doctrine.  At the end, we both empty nesters, could only blame us for expecting too much than they should.  There is really no one’s fault.   We both posed at the Chinese restaurant as the lone customer in November, 2013. The relunctant smile was forced after a good cry.

    

Home Bound to Heal

            She took me to her Mormon church where she and Robert belong to one week when I visited her.  I dozed off in the middle of a long confession service.  On the way out in the parking lot, we both encouraged each other to try to comprehend that our children are now independent human beings and not the hapless creatures, who depend on us entirely a long time ago.  It’s time for her to heal both physical and mental strength. 

            As I reflected our talks during many gatherings since I got here.  The whole journey of our life begins to unfold.  Taiwan is a beautiful place where our roots are.  She wanted to go there to be surrounded with the familiar voices and faces.  Eventually, the end of her exploration will be to arrive where she started.  No matter how the world changes according to the way people see it.  She wanted to see the place again.

            At lunch, I cooked the chicken with lettuce from Oxnard, California.  The sweet and plump strawberry was scrumptious.  Joyce loved my desert with her favorite goji berries.  There was no celebrating; instead there was intense sadness in me when Joyce bowed her head to pray before lunch. 

Closure

            I found myself as well.  At the end of every road I took I meet myself.  

            I asked Joyce to pose a few pictures for my blog to her.  She chose the backyard hyacinth Robert planted.    

            This Journal is for Joyce and it happens to be the Cesar Chavez Day to honor him in California.