No Ho-Hum Holiday for Some

Fred and Michelle Simanek’s Thanksgiving treat doesn’t have a name yet. But they are working on it.

With smiles brighter than polished holiday silver, the Thousand Oaks couple cradled their newborn daughter Thursday and prepared to take her home.

“I’ve got a turkey at home,” said the 35-year-old father, who had ordered a special Thanksgiving meal to celebrate the new arrival.

The Simaneks joined residents across Ventura County on Thursday in finding special meaning behind the holiday.

Michelle Simanek, 30, wasn’t due to give birth until next Monday, when her doctor planned to induce labor at Los Robles Regional Medical Center.

But late Tuesday night the contractions hit. Twelve hours later, the couple were holding a 7-pound, 7-ounce baby girl.

“We were surprised,” said Michelle Simanek, sitting upright in a hospital bed in the maternity ward. “We didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl.”

As a result, the couple are still searching for a name.

“She looks like an Emily,” said her husband.

“I think Jeanette,” mom corrected.

Down the hall, Teresa and Bob Baumann got ready to take their second child home for the holiday weekend, an 8-pound baby boy named Nicholas. The Agoura couple were flanked by their first son, 6-year-old Corey, and Teresa’s parents.

“When they say Thanksgiving is a blessing, they mean it,” Teresa Baumann said. “It is such a blessing for us.”

Across town, 3-year-old Briana Tucker found something unusual to be thankful for this year: ice skates.

Sporting mittens and a pair of navy blue blades, Briana was among the first skaters to take a spin around the outdoor rink next to the Civic Arts Plaza.

Nestled under an oak grove and measuring 40 by 60 feet, the rink will operate Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., until Jan. 3. Skating sessions last one hour and cost $6 for adults, $3 for children.

“This place is going to go just nuts,” predicted David Tucker, Briana’s dad, standing outside the rink--in dress shoes, not skates.

“I’m the one with the bad back,” he explained.

Tucker was shopping Thursday morning when he noticed the green stadium bleachers outside the plaza. When he realized an outdoor rink similar to the one in Central Park was now in their midst, he went home and loaded up the family.

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Watching his wife, Lori, and 7-year-old son, Kyle, glide across the ice with Christmas carols and orchestral music filling the air, Tucker said they would likely become regulars before the holiday season is over.

“I am going to have to buy a pass because if we do it individually, it will kill me,” he said. “I’ll have to make payments and fill out a credit application.”

Across the county, vacationers celebrated the holiday in a more typical Southern California setting--the beach.

That was the case for Tracy Cook, who used Thanksgiving as a chance to escape.

Although he had the option of spending the holiday with family and football, the 30-year-old “temporary” Agoura resident decided to spend it on a roadway romp with his most trusted friend CJ, a quiet black and brown dog.

With that notion, he loaded up his bicycle with tent, sleeping bag and supplies--complete with CJ in a small trailer--and headed out. Ultimate destination: a shady campsite at Sycamore Canyon.

“We’re just going to kick back and relax,” he said, during a brief stop along Pacific Coast Highway. “I got some ribs, beans and beer. . . . Should be pretty cool.”

Cook said he planned to stay until Sunday or “maybe a little longer.” After that it’s back on the bike for a trip down the Baja Peninsula.

“Hey, I’m free,” he said. “I got no bills, no warrants and no worries.”

Nearby, at Thornhill Broom State Beach, John and Leslie Lindstrom were preparing for a more traditional Thanksgiving, or at least one that included a bird.

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While her husband poked the capon--or rooster--and tri-tip sizzling on a charcoal grill, Leslie Lindstrom sliced red potatoes.

“My grandmother used to make these,” she said. “They’re roasted with butter and herbs and they’re real yummy.”

The Lindstroms and their two young children, Peter and Claire, arrived at the beach campground from their Riverside home early Thanksgiving Day and planned to stay the weekend.

“We’ve never done this before,” said Leslie Lindstrom. “We’ve always been pretty traditional, but we just got this RV and wanted to do something a little different.”

As his children frolicked on the beach, each kicking sand at the other, John Lindstrom closed the barbecue cover and sipped a beer.

“I don’t really have a clue how to cook this thing, but don’t tell anybody,” he said, referring to the capon. “I’d hate to ruin this.”

Judy Parna and her fiance, Jim Freehs, ate a traditional holiday meal at their Ventura home, then headed out with binoculars to do some bird-watching.

“I think the only turkey we’re going to see today is the one we ate,” Freehs said as the two scanned the lagoon near Point Mugu.

“Way things are going it’ll be the only bird we see at all,” she replied.

Other than flocks of gulls and other common sea birds, the two didn’t spot much. Not that they were disappointed--being together was what mattered.

“This is our first holiday together, not counting the Fourth of July and Halloween,” Parna said. “So it’s kind of special.”