Feeling Orange, Feeling Blue

Here are some recent random Polaroids. Nothing spectacular. The orange photos were taken one minute before sunset, the blue photo taken one minute after. The sun sets quickly where we live. There are no trees or homes to obstruct our view, just the hard line of Point Loma's peninsula spread before our windows. I like observing the contrast in light just before and after a sunset. The warm, citrus light which illuminates every West-facing surface suddenly disappears into a blue dreamy calm. The B&W on the bottom is from Sofia Rose's baptism at Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church in La Jolla last week.

ArtNet Keeps Calling

How many times must I say my children's art is not for sale before the Getty, Gugenheim, Norton Simon and the Thomas Kinkade Galleries stop calling? Rather than restrict their enlightening and sometimes controversial pieces to the confines of a museum, we have opted to share their work with the unwashed masses through this blog. Erika's latest maestroverk entitled "Juliet; A Study in Contrasts No. 1" (abstract; medium - Hammermill 20 lb white and Crayola brand ink) evokes the anguish of middle surbubia and its relationship with the shaping of every infant's id.

Christian's "Indeanu Jon's" (photorealism; medium - Dunder Mifflin 24 lb cardstock and non-toxic Marks-A-Lot ink) implores the viewer to examine Hollywood's evolution of the 2 hour analog celluloid adventure into today's never ending 64 bit, self-involving digital gameplay.

If you dismiss these pieces as merely the musings of children, then let me speak to you in your own vernacular - "ya jus' don't git it and never you mind tryin." For the rest of you, send your donations to Erika and Christian's business manager (have you seen the price of paper lately?)

The First Holga 135BC Pics

Heather gave me a Holga 135 BC for Christmas. BC is for "Bent Corners", a mask on the interior which produces vignetting on the edges of the photograph. Its a minimalist plastic camera with no light meter, a poor viewfinder, light leaks, and two f-stops. It purposefully takes "bad photos" which are my favorite kind. I prefer my old peel-apart Polaroids (see below) for their instant gratification, but the Polaroid camera requires a degree of setup that the Holga does not. Just pick up the Holga, guess whether the light is right, try and frame the picture, and then shoot, shoot, and shoot again.

Not To Rub It In. . .

A few days ago I told my friends and family that Paradise Point was running a special - $99 a night for the next three months. It was 75 degrees this weekend so we booked a night. Mind you Paradise Point is only 5 minutes from our home but it seems a world away. We packed up the swim suits and firewood and trekked over to Mission Bay. Our room was between the pool and the bay. We lounged at the sandy pool until dark and then made smores over a bonfire on the bay. The perfect getaway without any of the hassles of travel. Photos shot with Land Camera on Polaroid BW 3000.

More Snow Than You Can Shake A Light Saber At

A good friend, Sabah Toma, happens to own San Diego's largest ice company, http://www.sandiegoiceco.com/. Times are slow during the winter so he generously offered to make it snow for Christian's 6th birthday. He brought in a ton of block ice, pulverized it, and blew it all over the cul de sac. It came out as fluffy as real snow. The neighborhood kids absolutely loved it. Heather had already planned a Star War's themed birthday for Christian so she added some snow flakes to the invitations and the kids pretended to visit the planet Hoth (Episode V) for a few hours. Perfect weather - 75 degrees - and a memorable birthday.

The Most Fattening Ornaments We Own

These tasty ornaments are the most expensive ornaments on our tree. They cost as much as 18 value meals at In-N-Out, and they're worth it. Blown glass, painted and bedazzled with sparkles. If only they made our tree smell like In-N-Out.

Juliet Smiles Upon Us

Juliet's features continue to develop just like Christian's. I doubt anyone could tell them apart if I posted photos of them at the same age. Juliet has been smiling too, sometimes randomly, sometimes induced by funny noises and tickling.