...sits The Bandstand, [below] a structure that would look very much at home in Disneyland's Main Street USA. In fact, the staff was gearing up for their first Summer Jazz Concert Series.

Down the hill from the Bandstand sits The English garden [below], which was filled with hundreds of rose bushes, most of which seemed to be in full bloom. Colorful and fragrant, we would have stayed longer in this garden, just to see if we could provide some world peace, but we really started to feel wilted.

Or maybe we were hallucinating. It was getting hotter. We needed shade. We needed some food and drink. We needed Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, one of favorite eateries just a half block away.

Serving the City of Thousand Oaks since 1947, Lupe's [below] offers great Mexican food, at very reasonable prices in a setting that is low-tech and comfortable. The interior is small and dark, with maroon and black as the accent colors. Old velvet pictures hang on the walls, and chairs and tables are standard banquet fare. Lupe's even has counter service, adding to the down home feel. It's very cozy.

Last year we had Mexican at one of those peculiar haute cuisine places, that features watercress enchiladas, grilled cactus tacos, and spicy mango chutney salsa.

Not at Lupe's. The concentration here is to create really good old school Mexican food. You want a chicken burrito with beans and cheese, served wet? Got that. How about some ground beef tacos? Got those too. The homemade chips are served hot and fresh, along side of some excellent homemade salsa.

Soft drinks are served in the can, with a glass of ice, beer and wine is also available, and the staff is fast, efficient, helpful, attentive, if not overly friendly.

The prices are great too. Dianne and I each had a chicken burrito, Megan had a beef taco. Each came with rice and beans, and we all had soft drinks, for a total cost $22.00 including tip. Not bad.

'Gardens of the World' is a nice little park. If you happen to be in the area, perhaps to see James Taylor at the Civic Arts Plaza, stop over and check it out. And go to Lupe's. If you need more sightseeing information for Thousand Oaks, maybe ask a local.

As mentioned earlier, I haven't been a resident of Thousand Oaks since 1985, but still consider it my hometown. Even today, there's a real spirit in the Conejo Valley, those who live in Thousand Oaks are a proud group who really enjoy their lifestyle.

Perhaps summed up by Gladys the Docent. 'You live in Thousand Oaks?' she asked.

'No,' I said, 'I grew up here, but we live in Pasadena now.'

'Oh, really?' She looked like she had taken a bite of koi fish food. She was not pleased.

But that's Thousand Oaks.

A place that in the early days was known for majestic oak trees, ranches owned by Joel MacRae, Jungleland, and a filming location for 'Gunsmoke,' it is now known for suburban living, expensive homes, and celebrity residents like Heather Locklear, Sparky Anderson and Virginia Mayo.

That's cool. It's safe, it's secure, it's a great looking little town. And now it has 'Gardens of the World.'

If that isn't reason to feel a bit more superior than the rest of us, what is?