fort ross/california

A bit more of Fort Ross today. I know I don't have to explain why it is so good! Isn't it obvious from these images? I am one of those people that is a bit obsessed with "house" museums. (I know...what a revelation...) In my experience, there are different levels of house museum, or I guess history museum, in this case. The best of them are transporting and that is what some of the rooms at Fort Ross do for me. I cannot stop my brain from imagining what life would have been like when this fort was bustling. It remains relatively remote, which helps. The tool rooms are my favorites, though. Just beautiful.
Have a lovely and relaxing weekend friends!

fort ross/california

I returned to one of my very favorite places on my little road trip this past Sunday. Fort Ross, the old Russian Fort near Sea Ranch. I love the way the legs of the chairs turn out. They are invariably happy, don't you think? No idea what is going on with the teeth on the underside of the table but I am fascinated. I thought it was expandable, but can find no evidence where you would put another leaf in, so I don't think that is the case. does anyone know?

travel day/california bound

Just a quickie post today as I am jumping on a plane for California. Only to turn around and jump in a car to go for a shoot in the Redwoods this long weekend. Should be good!
This is a shot I never ran of one of the doors in Milano.

charles bello/people watching.nyt/outtakes

One more from Charles Bello's place to round out the week. This is the kitchen of his second house. Not a bad place to chop vegetables, huh? The "tree" to the left is a manzanita, that grows in abundance on his land.

On another note, I am writing this en route back to San Francisco after a pretty amazing trip to NY. Just a week away from continuing my work documenting design icons homes. This time in Europe! Seriously Cannot Wait!

Have a super great weekend you lovely people!

charles bello/people watching.nyt/outtakes

One of my favorite shots from Charles Bello's. This was during my last visit in late February. While making breakfast, I ran down to the Parabolic Glass House to grab my camera and this was the light. I had to shoot, no? It was breaking through some "river fog". More on Charles at the T Style website here.

charles bello/people watching.nyt/outtakes

Peeking through the dividing wall into Charles Bello's kitchen. Really pretty morning light in there. More on Charles here.

charles bello/people watching.nyt/outtakes

This might seem like a weird one to start with for the outtakes of Charles Bello. As I mentioned yesterday, my new NYTimes blog "People Watching" on Charles Bello was picked up in an abbreviated form for the NYT Sunday Styles section. See the entire blog post here. Anyhow, they ran the image of Bello's art gallery and I just wanted to show you all the plans. There it is - that one little drawing on the left. Noooo...I'm not kidding. One drawing and he builds it! Look at the NYT post to see the finished Art gallery. It is rather glorious!

waiting/

When you see an old abandoned house collapsing in on itself, don't you wonder about the lives lived in there? How does a house just get left until it falls apart? I swear, when I drive by houses in this condition I almost drive off the road. I just cannot look away. Why were they left? Where did the owners go? And even though they have been abandoned, there is a dignity in the house's insistence on standing. Waiting for a return that will never come.

dirt roads/

I have realized lately that I have been on more dirt roads  this past year than I have in my entire life. This is saying something because I am one of those people that tends to turn down dirt roads on a whim...just for the adventure.

This past weekend was another old logging road, but damn was it pretty...well worth the mud caked car that was a result.

scenes from the redwoods/adandoned cabin

An abandoned cabin up in the redwoods. Just one room but a lovely little spot in it's day. The afternoon light was rather pretty in there.

Trolling around in abandoned buildings gives me a taste for my life back in LA when I used to "explore" uninhabited (or I assumed they were uninhabited) homes and buildings all the time. Not sure if it is good or not to be nostalgic for my "trespassing" days, but frankly, I am.

I'm heading here/

Back to the redwoods today to continue shooting for my new project. Here is a little taste. Of course no reception of any kind up where I am going so this image will have to keep you until I return.

up in the woods/

a sweet little shot from my time in the redwoods last week. It really speaks to a simpler way of life, don't you think?

back from the redwoods/

Thought I would post a quickie iphone pic of where I have been for the past couple of days. Yes...it was heaven. More details to come.