Lady of Leisure Bug

Santa Barbara natives tend to be pretty laid back. I was fortunate enough to meet such a native on my first trip out there.

Can you spot her?

There she is!

What a life.

What the Muck?

Muck (verb) : to remove muck from

Muck (noun): filth, dirt, or slime

Self-proclaimed "Mother Mucker" Jenny Bray gets her son, Eli, involved in all the mucking business. As residents of Trabuco Canyon, the Brays board horses on their property and take time out to visit their neighbor's animals.

They say that who you hang out with is who you become.

Peek-a-boo.

I got to know all sides of Eli.

When good horses go bad.

Have an egg.

Ninja-horse sneak-attack.

Have you no decency, horse?

He actually wasn't scared of the sheep. He just wanted some of his food.

Please do not feed the animals.

The lil' muckers have an audience.

Bubbles and Billiards

Beach cities host a plethora of interesting characters. There's something about the water that draws the quirky and the unique. Newport Pier has one such character. Everyone know him as "The Bubble Man". He sells home-made bubble toys to passers by. He calls his work his "bubble ministry, ministry of happiness." Truth be told: he did bring a smile to my face. How does this relate to billiards? Well..they both start with a "B".

Consumed by his ministry.

The man was always smiling...except when I went to take his picture.

Note the shorts over the pants.

He called them all his children.

Son of a Beach

As a native Southern Californian it's obligatory that I have at least four-gagillion pictures of the ocean. It's like your first child, where every picture is exactly the same, yet you still think it's beautiful. However, every once in a while you capture something unique or unusual -a little spark of life that keeps you coming back and snapping shots like there's no tomorrow. Here are some of the more interesting ones. I'll try not to be like that friend and show you too many...

Newport Pier at dusk

One last wave before the sun went down.

A local marine teaches his youngest son to surf in Dana Point. "You've got to start young," he says.

Another Dana Point local checking out the surf after the Tsunami threats in April.

City of Angels?

Out and about in Los Angeles. Some of the sights were heavenly and some were...well....not. Which are which is up to you to decide.

I felt like this man's head was trying to tell me something.

Shake it.

The stuff of dreams.

The stuff of nightmares.

This building was in Die Hard. I met a famous building.

Luftballon!

She runs, birds scatter. And poop.

Everybody Loves a Chicken

Trabuco Canyon hosts a plethora of people who love their animals. Nicole loves her chickens Sunny, Batman, Mary Poppins, and Roberta.

Sunny stretches her wings as Nicole shows her off.

Batman and Mary Poppins get taken back to their home.

Roberta is stressed. Nicole soothes her with a song.

Roberta is pleased.

That's Not a Food Baby

Some good friends of mine made another. With family out of state, they needed proof. That's where I came in.

Exhibit A : A curiously large bump

Exhibit B: A sense of mirth

Exhibit C: They seem to like each other

School Daze

My school life is pretty typical. Nothing out of the ordinary for a college campus and, as a commuter student, I see very little of it anyway. Here are some of the more interesting sights I've seen and captured.

Note the hamburger in one hand and hamburger in the other.

Note the intensity with which each is devoured.

This guy's got a passion.

Our guest speaker discussing her photos via Skype.

If you don't have Skype, get it now and let's have a chat.

And It's free: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home/

Is that a serial killer waiting for me in my car?

No, it's just my cardboard cutout friend, Gerard Butler.

Hope for Cash

Hope International University asked me to take pictures of their campus. It was tough getting the buildings to pose for me, but it was well worth the money. If you're interested in what their university is all about, check 'em out at http://www.hiu.edu/

Who knows, you may see some of my work!