The last week had me shooting in San Francisco (Joe Jonas) and Colorado Springs (air show). 

It was a gorgeous day in S.F. and verging on hot.  I had left my house early in case of unforeseen traffic problems, so I had a lot of time to chill.  I had been wanting to check out Building REsources since I found them online while searching for tumbled glass. They make their own using recycled bottles.  They also have tumbled tile, of which I bought about 10lbs of.  It is a super cool place filled with all kinds of great stuff.  I wish I'd taken some photos!

One of the guys working at REsources suggested a vegan restaurant on Mission named Gracias Madre.  I sat outside sipping cucumber Agua Fresca while people watching until my food came. I had a delicious assortment of tacos (sauteed mushrooms, fresh greens, and pablamo chillies with onions).  They make a creamy "cheese" out of cashews that was SO good. 

Then I walked around Market, found out that the venue had changed, lost my car, panicked, found my car, then jammed to The Regency Ballroom.  It was a smallish but beautiful old place that would be a great spot to see a good performance. 

I took Bay street back to the freeway and was shocked to see how much it had changed.  The freeway had been there before the earthquake and the area had been a mess for a long time.  Now it looks like the French Riviera with beautiful landscaping and restaurants with patios on both sides of the road. 

I flew into Colorado Springs on Friday and stayed in the biggest maze of a hotel ever.  The place had at least 3000 rooms and two pools (indoor and outdoor).  There were so many events going on there including weddings, balls, Bikers against Child Abuse and ladies mud wrestling.  I certainly worked off the calories of my nightly glass of Fat Tire walking to and from the bar! 

The air show was held at Butt's Field Army base.  It was another beautiful day at the smallish show.  UFC's Shane Carwin was at the Air Force Reserves site chatting with folks and and taking pictures with them.  He is a really nice fellow and a BIG softie!

A 15 minute flight from Colorado Springs to Denver (yeah, crazy) then an almost 4 hour layover in the enormous terminal and I was heading home.  Now I'm home and wondering where my next gig is!

Yesterday

Bought a wooden bird with no eyes at a yard sale to add to my collection.

Returned a box turtle to it's creek before it became part of the road.

Ate a delicious al fresco meal at PF Changs with the honey.

Had a meltdown at a local camera shop. Was it the toxins that had been released after seeing a chiropractor after nearly 30 years?  Was it the WTF of being in two camera stores recently that weren't even a distant match to how awesome our shop was and yet they are still in business? Was it the customers who so obviously weren't going to buy there but online and somehow feel entitled to take up sales people's time with no clue or care of how they affect our local economy?  That perhaps if more folks would buy locally that our police department would have to recources to do their job and investigate cases and maybe we'd still be around?

It was all of the above and more. Geez, I needed a serious Chill Pill! 

Bitter-Sweet

Today is the official last day of me taking care of my elderly neighbor, Madeline.  I have had the job for nearly 3 years and my commute is wonderfully short.  I needed a place to cocoon myself after the shop closed.  I needed to not be around many people.  I needed a place so small and familiar and away from the ugly.  At times I didn't even want to get in the car and drive anywhere as I was too raw to protect myself from the aggressive drivers, rude people and sad faces.  Like my garden, taking care of Madeline gave me me confirmation that I was doing something right in my life.  The more I put in, the more I got back and I just wasn't finding that in the "real" world.

Slowly but surely, I have found myself needing more.  Not just more money, as working for the county sucks, but more in the way of utilizing my talents and getting "out there" again.  Taking care of another human being is one of the most incredible things I have ever done but I need to take care of me now. Am I starting to sound a bit too Oprah?  But, it's true! 

I will always be there for Madeline but it is time for her family to step in and be there for her.  I am excited about the new experiences ahead of me and, believe it or not, meeting people along the way!

The Capitol Air Show

This weekend I photographed the air show here in Sacramento.  No planes, just a short drive but it was exhausting non the less as it was a huge space to traverse and pretty dang hot.  By mid afternoon, most folks were crowded together under whatever shade they could find. I had never been to an air show before and was a bit surprised that the people attending were so diverse.  I will probably be shooting alot of these, the trick will be to find the "smaller" moments along with the action in the sky.

 

Misc Photos from Here and There

I think it would be a No No for me to post the photos I shot of the celebrities at the Meet and Greets so I will just put up the few images I managed to squeeze in when I was on my own.

The best part of travelling for me is meeting new people and catching up with old friends.  I met so many folks on this trip who were wonderful and interesting and sometimes a bit tragic.  Everyone has a story and you just can't make assumptions and judgements. 

Deb in Boston, who worked at the airport, opened her heart to me about the death and loss of her husband a few years ago.  He was her high-school sweetheart, her everything.  She has just begun to let another in after meeting a wonderful man who adores her.

I met Carolyn and Joe and baby Jack at my hotel in Worcester.  They were out for the first time since the baby was born 3 months before.  Joe is an out of work welder who is trying to get a job in Maine working in a ship yard.  I invited them up to my room for a family photo shoot.  Carolyn hadn't put on any make up since Jack was born and was thrilled to dig into my stuff and get herself dolled up, although she didn't need it, being a natural beauty.  Joe tried to slip me some money, of which he had little.  We had a good old time.

Alex was very late in picking me up from my hotel in Baltimore.  He had only just started driving a taxi and I had to give him directions to Ft. Meade base.  He had been a contractor for years but the economy had extinguished his ability to make a living and provide for his 3 sons.  His wife had recently died of cancer and he was struggling to get by.  I gave him a big tip!

I spent the last day with Scott's folks in Houston.  Had hot meals, rather than 7eleven snacks, checked out cool shops and galleries and got to see their new house.  They are really great people who have really great taste!  I love them lots!

I look forward to meeting so many more people in my future travels.




                                                  Worcester, Massachusetts Train Station

Worcester Commons, statue with questionable hobby

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnside_Fountain

                                                 Adrian with Cartoon Hands Calizones

Carolyn, Joe and Jack

 Kid Rock Concert, Houston, Texas

Christina, AF Recruiter

Gayle and Phil's New House