Across the country to LA

I haven't posted in a while. But I recently have been on the road or more accurately in the air. I flew from Albany, NY to Los Angeles, CA. As much as I hate the process of flying, I love flying itself. I sit with my face and camera glued to the window. Here is a photo essay of my trip across the country - and it is an amazing landscape. Whenever I fly, I am reminded of what a world we live in.

As a graphic designer - these irrigation fields are so beautiful. Look at the variety of subtle textures.

So what is this anyway - a volcano? I wish the pilot would provide commentary.

Moving from the heartland to the deserts and up into the Rockies. All in one trip.

Then down into the deserts. Look it is the Grand Canyon!! Finally the pilot

chimes in to confirm my findings.

Then back into the mountains and finally the outskirts of LA.

Can you see the Pacific Ocean out there?

The airport has a very cool, George Jetson Control Tour. And it was warm - about 70 degrees.

After dropping into my hotel room I looked out my window and behold. Many people were outside preping for the world premier of John Carter.

Our fancy hotel.

One thing we don't see in upstate New York is outdoor couch bar around a lovely fireplace.

On the other side of the hotel was the Staples Center and what they call LA Live. A large open air space with lots of big screen TVs, restaurants and stores. It isn't Time Square, but it was a nice day and a quiet place to walk.

Hey look - the premier begins. How exciting.

I really didn't know who any of these people were, but the whole red carpet process was interesting and stunningly superficial to watch.

I love a nice shower. I really liked the design of this shower.

Just a record of my room.

This is the quintessential LA photo. The weather was perfect every day. How lucky was that.

Interesting building in downtown LA.

My favorite architect. I never tire of Frank Ghery.  This is a performing arts building across from the Contemporary Art Museum. You can't take a bad photo.

Inside Ghery building.

Another quintessential LA shot.

We had dinner with a long lost friend. It was so wonderful to see a friend I haven't seen in 20+ years. For dessert we had the new hot LA item - Macaroons. Cupcakes are out, Macaroons are in. And they were very good.

No visit to LA is complete without a trip to the Santa Monica beaches. This is a private club we were invited to for lunch.

Across from our hotel these huge billboards were going up.

They were being painted by hand. How amazing is that. In three days they had these three buildings pretty much finished. I was impressed.

Back to LA Live - at night. Something was going on at the Staples Center. So the place was jumping. The night was warm and sitting out with a glass of wine was simply lovely.
The people watching was great.

The designer in me loved these chairs and the rug and the lamps.

The woman in me was amused and slightly saddened by this LA weather woman - so LA.

That dress does not speak "weather woman" to me.

So soon to be back at the Jetson style airport - LAX.

Love those Southwest colors against the Pacific Ocean.

One last moment of America Gone Wild - Los Vegas. The city has got to be one of the strangest

places on earth - as tacky as it can be, yet people flock to spend their hard earned money in these
bizarre buildings. I just don't get the attraction. We were barely there an hour - and that was
plenty of time for me.

If you didn't get enough gambling in, the airport provided last minute opportunities to lose more money!

Now I don't need to go to Egypt.

I think I have provided enough plane shots. But be assured that as the sun sank in the west, 

I continued to be glued to the window until the last drop of light faded away. 

THE END

Baltimore Aquarium

I am working on a new book and my favorite part of this process is the research. My current research is taking me to zoo's and aquariums. I was very lucky to find an enthusiastic aquarist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

I made a trip to the beautiful waterfront of Baltimore for a visit.  Though I can purchase photographs from many digital resources, it is much more fun to take my own. It is not always easy, but part of the adventure.

My enthusiastic aquarist went above and beyond. He let me come into the aquarium before the doors opened to the public. This was special because if you have ever been into one of the big aquariums, you now how crowded that get. And the creatures I was hoping to photograph are among the most popular - the Giant Pacific Octopus, the sea horses and the jellies.

Clearly the octopus was the pride and joy of this aquarist. I got an opportunity to photograph him both in the exhibit and behind the scenes - where I even got to shake the octopus's hand. When an octopus touches you with it's suction cups, it is sort of smelling you. It was really a wonderful creature. And they are very smart, so they have to be kept entertained with toys and challenges so they don't get into mischief. The aquarist gave the octopus a treat, which was in a jar with a screw top lid. The octopus easily unscrewed the  lid to retrieve his reward.

I was very intrigued by the behind the scenes spaces of the aquarium. We walked out over the shark tank on a cat walk. They would circle below us with the classic fin out of the water. We needed some JAWS music playing for the full effect.

So, my next trip is to the Bronx Zoo to find a few more interesting creatures.

Here is a photo of my new octopus friend:

Everyone enjoys a good fog

I just returned from our annual family vacation to the upper reaches of the Maine coast. The further up you go, the fewer tourists you find - except Bar Harbor of course. The Maine coast is for people who love rocks, solitude, kayaking, and really, really, cold water. It is the kind of water that if you take a swim, you feel there should be a podium with a big gold medal waiting for you when you get out.


Though there are not many things more wonderful than a crisp, sunny day in Maine, I would put fog ahead of sun any day. Fog is like snow. When it settles over the world, everything becomes quiet and mysterious. The ocean becomes very still. The  sound of the Mark Island fog horn is a bit louder, the engines of the Lobster Boats echo over the invisible ocean, and the seagulls appear out of the gloom and then disappear. All your senses become  heightened and you pay attention to the details of the world around you. Spiderwebs are thick with dew and the woods creates wonderful patterns. It is great.


Even though kayaking in the fog is a rather stupid thing to do, our cove is relatively safe if you hug the coastline. When you paddle out just a few yards, everything disappears and you really lose your sense of direction almost immediately. Then a breeze will blow and the cottage will briefly appear and then disappear. It is a wonderfully unnerving thing to do because you become completely disconnected from the world for a little while. It is like meditating.


So I love the fog. I wish I could have more fog in my life. I recommend it to everyone.

Who's at the Farmer's Market - EVERYONE

Two years ago, I was asked to design a logo for a new, local farmers market. It was a fun project which has become more than just a nice design piece.

The market has been going strong and just opened for it's third season. It has transformed the Delmar Saturday morning routine. From 9am-1pm, the market is open and everyone is there.The market has become not only a great place to get wonderful food, but the social center of the town. Who knew!

     Farmer's markets are popping up everywhere which is great for small, local farmers and our eating habits. But I think what brings people back week after week is the social scene. There are few opportunities in our busy, car centered lives to run into friends and neighbors for an informal chat. The chance meetings of friends on the street are rare. Just like play dates, we have to plan our casual get togethers. But everyone comes to the farmer's market and it has unknowingly provided the lost art of socializing. From the looks of things, this is an aspect of our lives that people have deeply missed. 

     One down side to this new found talk-fest is that you can't take a quick trip to the market. There is no way to run in for a pick of the fresh strawberries and snap peas and out. You have to slow down and plan at least an hour. But I tend to go at a fever pitch most days, so being required to put aside an hour or two to take part in a community ritual is probably the healthiest thing I take away from the market.

     So, the design of this logo has become much more meaningful to me than just a fun project. I am very proud to be part of this new phenomenon and I hope it stays around forever. If you don't have a farmer's market in your town - start one. I will throw in the logo - pro bono! Promise.

For market info: www.delmarmarket.org  (I did not design the website).