Poolyard

A couple of weeks back, I got to shoot the band Poolyard in action down in Santa Monica. They put on a pretty great show, and I couldn't escape the feeling that the set was too short. They're an LA-based band that somewhat defies categorization. If you like good grooves and a high-energy frontman, they're your game! Here are some choice shots.

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Phoenix

A lot of bad stuff happened over the summer. I was hospitalized in early June, I was recovering until mid July, my husband and close friends got diagnosed with Lyme Disease after a trip to Yosemite, and fires burned hundreds of thousands of acres of the Angeles Forest.

Needless to say, it was rough going this summer. I was feeling kind of low last weekend when I went into Petco to buy our little Gizmo some Petromalt. Then the most incredible thing happened! -- I saw all of the kitties from Happy Strays who were up for adoption. There were so many adorable little mews! One little kitty instantly caught my eye, but she was already being removed from her cage by other prospective parents, so I asked to hold her brother, an orange tabby named Simba. He was so completely intoxicating that he was all I talked about over lunch with Eric.

Eric agreed that we could head back to the Petco and see if Simba was still available for adoption. Sadly, when we got there we learned that he had been adopted earlier that day. I was pretty bummed about it, until they told me that his sister was still available. Wouldn't you know it? -- His sister was the first kitty that had caught my eye. No one had adopted her. She's a splotchy little Torti cat with a tongue of flame running up the right side of her face. When I got a hold of her, I just couldn't let go. She was the sweetest, warmest, most affectionate little purr monster ever! So, we adopted her. She has added so much to our family. She's rambunctious and erratic, totally curious, and an absolutely adorable little firebird. For this reason, we named her Phoenix.

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Phoenix, stalking

She looks like such a queen!

Pheonix, at play

I'm so happy that we adopted her. She single-handedly burst my funk, and I've been pretty happy about her (and life) ever since.

State of Emergency

Eric and I live in La Crescenta, and it's been a truly surreal few days with all of the fires. We watched as flames appeared on the ridge above our house, and continued to watch as they descended toward La Cañada and us. Yesterday, I went driving around the immediate area and couldn't believe how low the fire had gotten in multiple places. It's almost as if rivulets of fire have been flowing down any available canyon towards the city.

Ash is snowing all around us. The sky looks like a CGI effect from a Star Trek episode. It's unrecognizable as Earth's atmosphere. Our lungs are heavy from three days of breathing smoke.

Mostly, my thoughts are with those on the front lines. I've watched as tens of planes and helicopters have battled the blaze in at least five locations, and it's still only 5% contained. I think about how harrowing it must be to fly under those conditions. I think about the men and women on the ground, who are the only line of defense after nightfall. To be honest, I feel almost guilty that they're out there risking life and limb while I sleep. I think about their families' concern.

Right now, I hope for whatever conditions necessary to abate this inferno. I hope no one has to lose their home, and more importantly that no one loses their life.

View from Flanders & Encinas on Thursday night.

An example of the height of the flames. This was taken from the La Cañada movie theatre parking lot.

Valiant pilot.

Self-explanatory.


View of the Tujunga area fire mushroom cloud.

The next time there's a ballot measure asking for increased taxation to support our fire department, I'm voting for it. I've always done so anyway, but it seems all the more urgent now.

Abbandonato

I had a photo date yesterday with a student of mine. We had originally planned to drive out to Red Rock, but given the fires and scorching temperatures we opted for heading towards the coast. As we were cruising over the hills of Las Virgenes, we spotted an evocative set of seemingly abandoned structures and decided to go exploring. They didn't disappoint. For my part, I felt half like I was walking into the real life version of Blair Witch and have like I was violating the sanctity of someone else's past, seeing into things that I shouldn't be seeing. Ultimately, however, it was peaceful there, and solemn.

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Kitchen.

Bathroom.

Entryway into the living room.

Bedroom windows.

Falling ceiling.

After the abandoned houses, we continued on to Matador Beach. Sadly, the tide was coming in and we didn't have enough beach left to walk upon. As a result, we ended up with very sloshy feet, but we still had a good time.

Here's Gabi at Matador Beach.

Our wet feet.

There's my girl doing her thing.

Exploring Beau Rivage

I'll be shooting a wedding at Beau Rivage, Malibu, in early October, and I recently did a site visit with the bride. It was an opportunity to explore the restaurant's Old World vibe and play photographically.

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I really do love mandalas, and I can hardly resist an opportunity to photograph a naturally occurring one. This is an underbelly shot of the chandelier and dome in the reception hall.

I adore this shot. I love how the bride-to-be is flanked by paintings and how she's glowing! Lovely... I'm looking forward to the big day!

Yosemite!

Recently took a trip to Yosemite with my husband and a couple of friends. I spent most of the trip battling a rare breed of altitude sickness or something, but we still had an amazing time. We scaled Pothole Dome, lounged at Lake Tenaya, and challenged Eric's acrophobia at Glacier & Taft Points. The highlight for me, however, was our sunset/stargazing hike to the top of Sentinel dome. It was glorious to watch the sunset from there, and equally glorious to worship the night's stars with the Milky Way arched overhead. Of course, that meant a rather frightening mile hike down in the dark, during which we encountered "The Deerbear." Fortunately, we made it out alive! After four days in the park, we booked a pair of rooms at the old Ruby Inn, Bridgeport, because dining at Casa Michaela was must and sipping wine in a hottub is good.

Here are some beautiful moments (click image to view larger):

Bridalveil Falls
We hiked up to the pool at the base and enjoyed this amazing view for a while.

Grazing Deer outside of Curry Village
There were three of them, and they were within five feet of a crowd of people, completely undisturbed. It was amazing.

Lake Tenaya
(Eric was providing soundtrack!)

Sunset, Sentinel Dome

Stars, Sentinel Dome

The best Mexican food to be had in the State of California is to be had at Casa Michaela's about one mile south of Bridgeport. It's been family owned and operated for decades, and the recipes date back to the days of the Californios.

Poetry on the railing of the Mono Lake Vista Point.

Did I mention we went to Bodie? -- and honest-to-goodness Ghost Town!
I have a soft spot for that Old Western feel.

Bodie's Geometry

For some reason, I really took a liking to this house.

Birthday Nephew

Went to my nephew's birthday party yesterday, and it was uber cute! -- Held at Kidspace in Pasadena. For those of you who don't know, Kidspace is a cool museum/exploratorium-type place. They introduced the kids to a tortoise and a Madagascar cockroach the size of palm! (Ew!) There was pizza, arts & crafts, and much rejoicing. My nephew looked joyful throughout...

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Just before meeting Señor Tortuga

Playing with present ribbon

Diggin' on the TOYS!!!

It was a multi-themed event ... a little Batman, some Star Wars, some Galactic Heroes. I particularly enjoyed the decorating of paper Batman ensignias while the Star Wars score loomed in the background. Made everything very synchretic and epic!