Turkey TaleFrom Thousand Oaks to Ojai, churches...

Turkey Tale

From Thousand Oaks to Ojai, churches and charities opened their doors Thursday to the elderly and the needy as they hosted traditional Thanksgiving Day dinners (B1). . . . At Hillcrest Royale retirement home in Thousand Oaks, about 50 senior citizens shared a midday meal of turkey, yams and cranberry sauce. . . . “I thank the good Lord for being alive and eating the good food we have,” said Mary Esik, 66.

Posh Place

Spanish Hills in Camarillo was originally planned as an ultra-exclusive country club community with million-dollar homes (B1). . . . The recession dulled that vision. The upscale neighborhood now has houses selling for between $600,000 and $830,000--still far above the city’s average home price of $216,100.

Beyond the Law

Carol Nelson traded in a career with the Ventura County district attorney’s office for a life of teaching, winemaking and fiction writing (B1). And she doesn’t regret it one bit. . . . Retirement allows her to do the things she loves. “Ultimately, it obviously has been a blessing to me,” she said. “Isn’t that funny how things work out?”

Aftershock

Your next earthquake-related problem will probably be a higher home insurance bill (B3). . . . Not only have premiums soared after the Northridge earthquake, but many underwriters now charge rates based on a property’s total appraised value even though the policies do not cover a home’s garage, fences, patios and ramps.