Californication Day 1

During the flight from IAD to LAX I turned to take in a view of the US southwest and took this pic. I'm excited to drive through it later in the trip.

After landing in LAX I picked up the rental car and called Ruben. It was 2PM and he was working till 5ish so he suggested that I go check out Venice Beach, so I did. I was a cold day at the beach so no one was out - which presented a unique opportunity for photography on a Cali beach. The shot of the lifeguard stand and the sand blowing looked a bit post-apocalyptic.

The second shot shows the ripples in the sand from the wind. I was in Cairo one time but really didn't see ripples this prevalent because it was a calm day.



After a relaxing lunch and a walk around I drive up to Encino to meet Ruben. Turns out Ruben is living in a mansion - this dude always impresses me with how he lives his life. It was great to catch up and see him in LA. It seemed like he was really enjoying his time under the sun and in the midst of so much creative energy. We have a great evening bbq'ing american-style (when in Rome...) and making a fire in a chiminea in his backyard. Dinner with Ruben's housemate was cool - he was a local from LA and shared stories. Ruben and I shared stories about Amsterdam and Europe, and all was well. Sleeping that night was probably the best crashing situation I've ever had. I was in the front room on a mattress next to a gas fireplace, under a few thick blankets. Slept like a baby.