Just another day at the beach...

Boy, Liz, you sure do go to the beach a lot, don't you? Actually, not really, but when I do get the chance, I always take pictures. I can't help it. I feel so lucky to live near this gorgeous coast. These photos are actually from about a month ago, but it took me some time to remember to develop the film. I can be lazy like that sometimes.




These three of the tide coming in I am especially proud of. I love how the light plays tricks on us sometimes. It looks almost like it is night and the moon is shining on the sand, when in reality it was midday.

The Watts Towers

Hi everybody! If I still have any readers left, I would like to apologize for disappearing for a while there. Here are some photos that I took on my recent trip to Los Angeles. We visited the Watts Towers, a place which Gabe has been chomping at the bit to see for a long time. They are these incredible structures built by a man named Simon Rodia over a period of 33 years, from 1921 to 1954. He just wanted to build something, so he turned his property into a great big piece of art. It is now owned by the city and operates as a park and art center. The whole structure is made out of rebar, concrete, and basically, trash. He used broken dishes, shells, bottles, cans, etc. to create incredible mosaics all over the structures. First, the details:










Now, the structures themselves. Sorry for so many photos of the same thing in a row. I was having a hard time deciding which ones to leave out. These towers are so awesome I could have spent a week photographing every inch of them!

Extended family

Last weekend, Gabe, our friend Bonnie, and I went down to L.A. to visit some of our oldest and dearest friends. Becky and Nick just had a baby four months ago and this was our first time meeting him. We also were excited to see Deirdre, who is in the Peace Corps and has been living on the island of St. Lucia for the past year and a half. I love all these people so much, and I really do consider them family, so we thought it would be great to do a family portrait as we don't all get to be together that much. We went to Griffith park first and were forced out by the grumpy carousel man who accused me of being a commercial photographer and trying to steal from him (?!&%@!!! I almost hit him over the head with my tripod.), but then settled on Echo Park instead.

Top to bottom, left to right we are: Gabe, Bonnie, Me, Becky, Nick, Deirdre, baby Ari, Shaughn, Kevin, and Geralyn.





I also took some portraits of the happy new family. Here's one of pretty Becky by herself.
And the whole family.






How could you not love this baby?

Proud papa.
I know this one is a little out of focus, but I had to include it. Bonnie is notoriously uncomfortable with babies, but look at her smiling! Ari has that effect on everyone.

Extension tube test

When I got my Mamiya medium format, it came with three extension tubes. They are just these rings that you attach to the lens that basically extends the focal length of the lens allowing for closer than normal (or "macro") focusing. The results can be pretty cool, but they didn't come with instructions and I still don't really understand how I have to adjust the exposure. My photos keep coming out kinda dark. I think I am getting a little better, though. These are the results of my latest test.

My lemon tree finally has lemons on it!
I love how the light comes through our office window just before sunset.

A few days ago Gabe and I spent the day with my Mom, her brother Peter, his son (my cousin) Jon, and his wife Marina. Peter was visiting from Des Moines and it's been awhile, so it was nice to see him. We went to Petaluma where my Mom lives and spent the afternoon having lunch, looking at boats, and visiting the Dia de los Muertos exhibit at the local museum. All of those things sound great, right? Did I take pictures of any of them? Nope. Instead I took pictures of pretty floweres and succulents. Give me a break, I was sick. And the photos came out pretty well: