LA, CA, USA

In mid February Devon and I took a road trip to visit friends in the Los Angeles area. We want to continue getting more familiar and comfortable with the area as I work towards expanding my wedding repetoire to include Destination and West Coast weddings (more on that soon!). Plus we have friends we don't get to see enough all over the place, so we are trying to get better at going to visit them.



I forget sometimes that the drive is only a few hundred miles. LA and Southern California always seemed like a different state to me, but more and more I am growing to love it. The martian landscape of the mountains and 12 lane freeways; millions of people in every direction hoping for fame, wealth or just to be noticed. There is a lot of natural beauty there that I love - the oceans, Griffith Park, and those strange craggy mountains all around. It's fun to keep your camera shutter open for a bit longer than normal to get an abstract painting type of photo. I did that towards hour 6 on I5.




Of course, there is also smog, insane traffic at all hours, and a cutthroat industry scene. But there's something so exciting to me about Hollywood - not so much the glamour in front of the cameras, but the thousands of people behind the scenes who do the artistic creation to bring the television, movies, and music to life.



Anyway. It was a very short trip (down on Friday, up on Monday) and we mostly visited with friends so I didn't take many photos cause we just couldn't stop gabbing! But here are a few shots of the drive down, our friend Daniel and Devon in their awesome sunglasses getting ready for Venice Beach, Daniel's apartment, and the drive back up with a million bugs across the windshield. Our trip involved Magic Mountain/ 6 Flags, seeing snow on the mountains, walking for hours around Venice Beach and Santa Monica in perfect 80 degree weather, staying with my cousins in Yorba Linda the last night (birthplace of Richard M. Nixon, they also have a Jessamine Park!), eating amazing Italian Food at a hole in the wall in a strip mall, and lots of catching up and chit chat. Oh and I squeezed a client meeting in there somewhere too. Phew!

Santa Rosa - through the East Bay - to the I5 - down to Burbank - Hollywood - Downtown LA - Orange County - and home. The still-green hills of Sonoma and Marin counties were like a crazy beacon calling us home after the parched mountains of the LA area and the boring, flat I5 drive.

I can't wait to go again!

Even during visiting, the boys have to be on their computers in separate rooms for a few minutes:


What on earth is this flower?!



Anyway, here's the slideshow, although I just watched it and realized there are no actual photos of the city of LA other than through my friend's loft window.




Imagine that - I actually took a weekend off (almost) from taking photos!

Well, almost.


It's a strange place but I love my state.