Suburban World marquee

Another shot from Uptown Minneapolis April, 2006
I have been back in California now for four months now, and in Palm Springs for about six weeks. I know it sounds surprising, but I am really homesick, especially since I have found some blogs from people back home and seeing all their pics and videos about all the familiar places to me. It will be good to get home for Christmas!

phone sax

Street musician in Uptown, Minneapolis April, 2006

old in, new out

This is a shot from a couple years ago from someplace in Minneapolis. The image appeared to me while on an aimless photojournalistic wandering... the kind that I have frequently. Can you guess where it is?

Stealth fighter

After a few passes from the three prop-engine fighters, the crowd at the Palm Springs Veterans Day parade witnessed another flyover from what I believe was an F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. Another link to the F117A.

USAF Flyover

I am not in any way an advocate of the military, war, or weapons of mass destruction. But I do resonate with many of the principles on which our country was founded. I am just trying to understand what the hell is happening to this country nowadays, like so many other people. At any rate, I found myself hanging out at the Coffee Bean in downtown Palm Springs on Sunday afternoon, just prior to the start of the Veterans Day parade. I had not completely decided if I was going to even watch the parade, as I am torn inside about all the pomp and circumstance that emanates from such attention to this sort of public celebration of military and war. And, at the same time, I feel a great deal of gratitude and loyalty to those who gave their lives so that I may live in a free country (even it is a false sense of freedom). Well, I got the camera out (just in case, as a good photographer will do) and had it standing by as I worked on some photoshop files while I sat outside on the sidewalk. All of a sudden, these WWII fighter planes came zipping out of nowhere. Luckily, they made a few more passes and I was able to click off a few frames. I remember always being fascinated with planes as a kid, and I guess I still am today. I am in awe of their raw power and sleek lines. I just don't like what these planes represent and stand for in today's world. But then, it's still a cool picture. So much contradiction in my life!

meep meep

I usually only see this guy in the mornings when I am leaving for work. He's usually just poking around here and there, scavenging for bugs and lizards and whatever he can dig outta the dumpster. And, I wanna tell you, the roadrunner cartoon was not an exaggeration... these guys can fly! I even heard this guy make that sort of plugging raspberry sound that the cartoon roadrunner would make just as he is about to speed off, as he stuck out his tongue mocking poor 'ol Wile E. Coyote. I think they make the sound by flapping their wings quickly as they start to run off. See more about roadrunners.

Still unsettled...

I have been trying to get more settled in my new surroundings here in Palm Springs. It’s been an adjustment, in so many ways, since uprooting again from home in Minneapolis, then to Los Angeles, and two months later again to the desert. For the most part, it’s been interesting and cool. But now that I’ve been here for a month, I am starting to feel the restlessness once again.

My new job as a studio manager, photographer, and assistant keeps me very busy. Maybe too busy, as I still have much unpacking to do at home. But maybe I have been a bit lazy about that, also. My new boss and coworkers are all pretty cool. There have been only a few of those awkward, stick-my-foot-in-my-mouth moments. Some days I work from 8 AM until 8 PM, but then I can usually sleep in the next day if there aren’t any shoots scheduled in the morning. My boss gives me a lot of room to work in my own way and puts a lot of trust in my abilities and work ethic. But, at the same time, I can get a bit overwhelmed with all the responsibility, and begin getting burned out even when there are a lot of exciting things going on around me. All in all, the new job is pretty cool. It’s just that I have been so busy working that I have little energy left over to use on the home and social fronts.

There are many hiking trails here, but I have only been out on two occasions. I have found some internet resources and picked up a book on the local trails, so I am hoping that I will eventually be able to get out there. I guess I have been a bit reluctant also because I am so out of shape. But I am tired of making so many excuses. I really just need to get out there!

Today's pic is the view facing my backyard. I stepped out onto the street to avoid the obstruction of the lovely pink cinder-block walls encircling the camp. What you are looking at is Mt. San Jacinto, the second highest peak in California at 10,834 feet above sea level (my apartment is at about 350 feet above sea level). I took the tram up to the top and spent the day hiking around a couple weeks ago. It was quite impressive, to say the least.

Am I coming or going?

I have been a bit remiss in my blogging. My apologies. But I do have a good excuse. I moved, again. Almost three weeks ago I relocated from L.A. to Palm Springs. I found a good gig working as a studio manager and photographer/assistant. I have been extremely busy since I landed back in L.A. a few months ago, and now the busy-ness has evolved to a whole new level. But I am starting to get settled into my new apartment and better acquainted with my surroundings, so I expect I will be able to devote more time to my blogs, photography, and maybe even some hiking.

A week after I moved, I was off to Flagstaff for a shoot at a golf resort. The weather change made me feel like I was back home in Minneapolis! It was a successful trip, but long and weary, as I was (and still am) quite unsettled in many different ways. Just imagine leaving Minneapolis on about a week’s notice back in July, drive to Los Angeles in two days in scorching 100+ degree heat, looking for an apartment and work in L.A., then uprooting again two months later and moving to an even hotter climate! Whew! Thankfully, now my biggest concerns are cable or directv, and if the cockroaches will turn up again after a major infestation upon my initial arrival.

Holy Mackerel, part 5

This is the view of Pacific Park, from the observation deck at the western-most end of the Santa Monica Pier.

Check out more about the pier's history at:
http://www.santamonicapier.org/
http://www.westland.net/piercam/

Holy Mackerel, part 4

There was a huge stack of white smoke, billowing upward, and then out to sea. I didn't see any flames, and I couldn't tell if it was a brush fire, or if some structure was ablaze. Some people on the pier noticed the smoke, and others only did as they saw the others pointing and talking and exclaiming Oh My!. I kinda chuckled at this too, because I was probably one of the first ones to see the smoke, but didn't carry on too much, as I was more interested in the fishermen I had been observing and shooting.

Then, I heard the sirens screaming up the PCH. The firemen were dousing the flames just moments later, as a huge water canon drenched the fire. I suddenly felt very tired and decided it was time to head home.

Holy Mackerel, part 3

Most everyone from the fishing group had sat down for a late lunch, or early dinner... I couldn't tell. I was impressed with their spread because I remember the colorful salad they were all munching on. No sooner had my mouth started salivating when one of the baited pole's reel began dragging, as something big had taken the bait. I saw the pole bend and fidget under the weight of the fish at the other end of the line. Everyone in the fishing party dropped their meal and grabbed a rod around the pole that had the fish on, so as to keep the lines from tangling. The man who had grabbed the pole with the fish on readied himself to set the hook. There was a sense of urgency in the air, as it was apparent that there may not be much time to land the fish. He decided to set the hook after momentarily sizing up the situation, even while everyone was still frantically reeling in their lines.

As he was setting the hook, I maneuvered in closer to the rail, to see if I could get a shot of the fish as it surfaced, and sure enough, there it was... a big, nasty-looking brown thing! I had no idea what it was... I thought it might be a shark, but it was shaped funny, like an arrow. Maybe it was a halibut... same sorta color? No, too warm here. I didn't know! I determined that I would ask later, because by this time, the fisherman was hoisting the flailing fish from the water and up the eighty feet or so, to the deck of the pier. Everything was happening so fast! I snapped the shutter a few more times as they brought the catch onto the pier and slammed him down on the deck, to stun him and keep him from flopping around and hurting someone. The crowd that had gathered all exclaimed with oooh's and aaaah's in an almost naive surprise at the sight. I chuckled at this, even though I was a bit naive myself.

I chatted with the man from the group that seemed to be kind of the father figure. He was very nice, and I showed him a few of the shots from the back of my 10D. He told me that it was a shovel-nose shark that they had caught, and I asked him if it was edible, even though I figured it was, since his daughter had run off to clean the shark. He told me it was a delicacy, very sweet tasting meat... better than crab! We chatted a little more and I let him get back to his dinner once his daughter had returned with what looked to be about twenty pounds of meat. Some other people were still milling about, trying to guess what kind of fish it was, rather than just come out and ask someone. Too much!

I poked around a little while longer, but felt it was time to mosey on down the road. I scanned the pier again for anything I may have missed, when I caught sight of a huge plume of smoke coming from up the coast.

Holy Mackerel, part 2

One of the members of this latino group that were fishing the Santa Monica Pier told me he was from Palmdale. They were down for two days of fishing and spending time with family and friends. They were planning on spending the night on the pier and fish all night. I took many shots of them and they didn't seem to mind at all. They even caught a decent sized shovel-head shark while I was there!

Holy Mackerel, part 1

I spent some time in Venice and Santa Monica today. It was so hot in the Valley... I just needed to get away. Halfway over the hill, on the 405, I realized it was Labor Day Weekend and I immediately started crabbing about how busy it was gonna be at the beach. I calmed down after a few moments, figuring it would be better than sitting in 100-degree heat!

I roller-bladed from Pico, off Ocean, all the way to the Venice pier, and then back. I decided to get the camera from the truck and take a walk, to see what photo opps I could find, or create. It is in this process of spontaneous, unassigned, and just-for-fun shooting that I really get in touch with my creative soul. I feel inspired from within, seeing light and vibrant colors that speak to me, evoking a spiritual sense of poetic license. I guess what I am really trying to say is that it was a great day!

I walked west, or north, (depending on your Angeleeno-displacement) on the beach, toward the Santa Monica Pier. I took in the sun and surf and wind... watching all the kids digging tide-pools in the sand. I saw some white roses washed-up in the foam and seaweed. I studied a few for a short time, and, determining my frustratin with the scene, I continued on toward the pier. Once I got on the pier, I focused on all the people that were present. Families walking by, boyfriend/girlfriend's, park employes, and street performers. I started seeing the light giving form to everything around me. All the sharp contrasts, subtle shades, and colorful energies were presenting a palette of life surrounding me.

I found a group of people fishing on the end of the pier, a family with some friends perhaps. They were having a great time, the men baiting their hooks, a few women watching after the kids. They had an arsenal of fishing rods, bait, tackle, ice-chests with food and sodas. They were definitely fishing! And having a blast, even while the rest of the world were watching them all as if they were street entertainment. It was pretty cool to observe.