The Dog Beach

A few weekends ago, we took dad out for some fun before he went in for surgery. It was an easy choice - lunch at Angelo's, followed by a trip to the dog beach. Naturally. :)

We just love it there. It's so relaxing, so gorgeous and seeing all the dogs ecstatically playing is good for the soul. That day was kind of hazy, but I couldn't resist shooting anyways.

Anja is so twitchy and still a puppy, so this was the only shot I could get of her looking at me!

It was only Anja's second time there, and she already does better in the water than Dante. Of course, it helps to have a thicker coat and weigh about 40 pounds more!

I can't say I blame him for wanting to stay out of the water, though, it's damn cold this time of year!

Dad is holy - who knew?

Yet another reason you gotta love living in SoCal - going to the dog beach while half the nation is being covered in snow. I really feel bad for you guys... ;)

xo

Can't Top This

{Duh nuh nuh nuh, nuh nuh nuh, nuh...okay, now that I have that song in my head until kingdom come...}

After a weekend like the one Mr. Same Same and I had, it feels like nothing can best it. Until our next amazing weekend, that is, because we seem to be doing very well at topping ourselves. (hehehe)

Anyways, it started out with a delicious family dinner Friday night, which included my uncle (as a guest, you naughty things, not actually for dinner), who had flown up from San Diego for the Chino Air Show the next day. It was so nice to see him and catch up!

Saturday morning we got a nice early start in order to cram in everything. Luckily that early start was made in order to have breakfast at the Brownstone Cafe, one of my favorite little restaurants! I had French toast with strawberries and whipped cream, the boy had a custom omelette and Dante had my sausage (along with the hearts of everyone there - that dog is such a little charmer).

We then proceeded to the dog beach. (Hooray! Checked off something from my Hot List!) On the way there and back Dante and Mr. Same Same took little naps together while I drove. If they weren't so damn cute I'd be jealous:

As it was, my heart exploded, just a little.

The weather was absolutely perfect. I let the boy be the photographer this time and loved these shots that he got:

I turned around, and Dante had managed to do this somehow. He was licking his face and grimacing at the taste of sand!

We proceeded to fall over laughing. Then I had to go get soaked up to the knees trying to rinse him off so he could see, so the joke's on me, right?

Not bad work, baby, not bad at all. :)

After dropping Dante off at the house and getting the sand out of our shoes, we headed up to an old industrial building just east of downtown LA to shoot some stills on the set of an independent film one of Mr. Same Same's friends is directing. It was so much fun! The location was amazing, gorgeous late afternoon light streaming in the dirty multi-paned windows.

Right?!? So inspiring. We couldn't help but shoot all over the place, not just their set. Once I have details on the film to share with you guys, I'll be back with a full post and our shots of the actors and crew.

And the view! Can I move in now, please?

After a jam packed day like that, we decided to stay in that night. Few things beat snuggling with him and catching up on Doctor Who. :)

Sunday morning we were up and at 'em again for the Faded & Blurred photo walk in old town Orange. Loved doing this with someone who had never been there before, as I've been going there constantly since I was in college! (And even lived there for six months.) We walked aaaaaall over the place. I'll be back to share all my favorites, but for now this one was jumping up and clamoring for attention:

Mr. Same Same already has his results up and posted on Flickr if you'd like to see.

After a lovely lunch with my photog buddy Paul, whom I met through the group (you must check out his work, he's brilliant), we headed home for some much-needed R&R on the couch.

What a weekend! I'm still not over it. Especially because I feel like my creative energies have only been boosted instead of sapped. What did you guys get up to?

xo

Cheryl's Visit

She arrived Friday afternoon, and promptly went grocery shopping so that she could help cook that night and make the whole dinner the next night. Gee, I wonder why we love her so much? She's seriously the best houseguest, ever!

Now I knew she'd made some real changes to her lifestyle and dropped eighty (yes, really) pounds in a year, but that still didn't prepare me for when I came home to find Half Cheryl!! And at sixty years old, no less! (She just turned 61 last month.) Here's Cheryl from her visit two years ago:

And now:

RIGHT?!? Half Cheryl! Mom and I spent the whole time pumping her for inside information, but really it boiled down to the same old adages - cutting calories, a strict regimen, good exercise, and willpower made of steel. The woman is a role model! And such a reminder that I have got to get my ass in gear.

So don't let it fool you when I say she made baked stuffed shrimp for dinner, we each only had 1 or 2!

We had that along with pesto salmon that mom made (double yum) and for dessert Cheryl brought this spice cake all the way from Sacramento because she liked it so much and wanted to share:

The next day we decided to go down to the Balboa Fun Zone (I know, not exactly the most imaginative name) to do a habor boat tour. I think we had the perfect weather that day - around 70 degrees, slightly breezy, chilly in the shade.

It was so much fun! I've been out around the habor on a boat before, but never with a tour guide pointing out celebrity homes and such. And since it's offseason there were hardly any people. Just lovely.

Of course we were super early (and you guys wonder where I get it from!), so we tooled around a bit:

And on the boat tour itself - it was nice to get out in the fresh air after being sick half the week, and someone brought their yellow lab so I was even happier! :) Plus it was that lovely light hour between 3-4 in the afternoon.

I think my favorite house is a tie between the one that my man Humphrey Bogart once owned:

Or the one that used to be John Wayne's:

I think either one would just about cover my requirements and house my entourage. What do you think?

That night Cheryl made Cornish game hens - kill me now, because I am complete:

Sunday was spent having a leisurely morning, then in the afternoon Cheryl, Lars, Sarah and I took Dante down to the dog beach in Huntington. It's so beautiful and relaxing down there, and seeing all the happy dogs is good for my chi. :) It was such a perfect afternoon, and low tide with fairly warm water so we spent a lot of time with our feet in - even Dante! He went all the way up to his knees - quite an improvement from the first time he went. He'll run in these great big circles, always coming back to check on us.

How could you not smile with that perfect combo of weather and setting?

I wish I had recorded Cheryl's laugh, because it really is the best; so infectious!

One of my favorites is the last square in this set, of Dante running to catch up with Lars and Sarah. :)

And my absolute fave for the day:

 

That night was spent having some yummy In-N-Out for dinner and watching Up. Perfect lazy Sunday!

Next morning, mom and I had already arranged for the day off of work, so we took Cheryl to Disneyland, since she hadn't been there in at least 15 years. It was so fun! Not crowded at all, no lines longer than 30 minutes, and nice cool weather. Unfortunately my camera's focus points were going all wonky so I just have a few shots mom took with my point & shoot:

Cheryl's favorites were Buzz Lightyear and the holiday version of Small World. :) We didn't have the energy to stay for the parade, but it was really the perfect day, and we hit all the rides we wanted to.

Unfortunately we had to go back to work the next day, but that night we all went and saw The Wizard of Oz in theaters (a special one-time-only thing for the 70th anniversary), which was great because how often do you actually sit and watch it all the way through? I can't remember the last time I did. What struck me most is that literally half the movie's lines are part of our culture and vernacular now. Like if I say "and your little dog, too!" you know exactly what I mean, or when I say "Lions and tigers and bears" someone is bound to say "Oh my!"

I'm so glad she was able to come down, and Cheryl I can't wait to see you in April!

xoxo