The Gardens of Berkeley

A recent trip to the Bay Area brought us to our favorite backyard farm: Uncle Rich's in Berkeley. Corn, beans, tomatoes (red and yellow, big and small), onions (sweet as candy when grilled), leeks, lettuce, strawberries (Nusia definitely picked and ate those), pears, apples, asparagus, kiwi fruit (that's right), sweet peppers, hot peppers, potatoes. And more.
Rich's backyard breadbasket was/is one of the key inspirations for me to try growing food. But whereas my novice attempts are sometimes successful, in small ways, Rich brings about some serious YIELDS. Dinners at Karen and Rich's are full of the tastiest veggies you could hope for.
You might like to make fun of Berkeley. And, don't get me wrong, it's fun. They do wear their hearts on their bumper stickers up there. Is there dramatic segregation and inequality, as in all American cities? Yes. But they also have beautiful flower gardens instead of lawns, and vegetables growing in what seems to be every other yard. Big old grand trees line the streets. The early-20th century houses are the anti-Irvine.
And bikes. Bicycles are just part of life in Berkeley. Normal people (not bike geeks) ride bicycles to get from point A to point B. Bike geeks abound. Bike paths abound. Signs indicating bike-friendly streets abound. It ain't L.A.
So make fun of Berkeley. I might, too. But we sophisticated Angelenos have a couple of things to learn from our statemates.

Road Trip

More pictures and words when we wake up and recover. (It was fun.)

Julius Shulman and the Fujica GX617

Recently I've been fortunate on two counts: I heard Julius Shulman speak in person and I had a job that required the use of a Fujica GX617. Shulman spoke about a lot of things—none of which touched upon the questions put to him. If you're 97 and still working and your images define Modernism in LA, maybe even define the photography of architecture, you don't have to answer questions. One of the things he said that I enjoyed hearing is that the camera is the least important part of the equation. True. His brilliance is in being able to see the essence of things, physical things, built structures, lines, volumes, masses, spaces. I often wonder if people really see that in his work, since so often we get caught up with dropping names ("NOOOTRA") or thinking about architectural history. Shulman's work is very important historically, but as someone who tries to do what he did (I just said "tries"), I see the value in his work less in its historical context and more in its teaching how to see and interpret and present.
So the connection between this great photographer and this camera? Whether he ever used it or not, I couldn't say. He said it's not about the camera, and it isn't. But sometimes a camera is so fun to use and so helpful in getting the user to see in a different way, that well, it is about the camera.

Volunteerism Begins at Home

If you know me, you know I enjoy composting. Here's one of many reasons why: We have this enormous primeval gourd-producing plant taking up acreage in our backyard, and we didn't plant it. Spread compost around to replenish and enrich your soil and seeds plant themselves. That's what they do. Then we have gourds.

The Kid

Happy 5th from Abe Lincoln

This somewhat historically accurate Krispy bust had extensive bullet damage in back. I ate the cupcakes instead. And the chocolate chip cookies.

Sharon

I'm busy and these pictures are rad, so I'll hand it over to Sharon.

First Tomato

This is either of the Early Red variety or Caro Rich. I forgot to label them after transplanting the seedlings into the garden. I won't make that mistake again.

German Chamomile and Death

Three things:
1. I am not a big fan of flower photography, but I am guilty of doing it sometimes because I photograph my garden a lot and my garden has flowers. Forgive me.

2. German Chamomile is very rewarding to grow. If you like to drink chamomile tea, that is. For the past two months I have harvested 20-30 flowers every few days. Until this week, the plant kept growing new flowers. A great system.

3. You may be able to see a very young grasshopper in this photo. The reality of growing your own food and herbs is that you must kill sometimes in order to harvest what you grow. It is a harsh reality; but no less real.

Kid With Compost Fork

Nusia in front of the Japanese eggplant and German chamomile; our Axis garden.

Food Garden

For anyone who hasn't been following this story, Nusia and I have been working on a vegetable garden in our backyard for the past year. It's humble but ambitious. We grow a variety of different vegetables and lots of herbs, too. We've had plenty of dramatic failures, but they've made the minor successes that much sweeter. One of the best things about being new to this vegetable gardening thing is experiencing the recognition of a familiar food item—sweet pepper in this instance—that I've seen countless times in markets and refrigerators and on tables, but never as it grows on a plant. It's a simple thing, but quite powerful. The closeup image here shows the first recognizable pepper of six plants we're currently growing from seed (Purple Beauty is the type). Whether or not we'll see these all the way through to harvest time is still a large question mark, but we're enjoying them in a way right now.

More From Trade Tech

I like the tiles.

LA Trade Tech

Urban Homestead @ Eco Village

This Thursday, June 26, if you're in the LA area you might want to go see and listen to these folks.

Hot, pt. 2

It's Hot in L.A.

This is an old image, but I find it refreshing. I hope you do, too.

Lighting My Social Imagination

This has absolutely nothing to do with the mainstay of this here blog: pictures with short captions. I like to post personal photos—snapshots—here that may not have any other home. But I heard the quote below on a podcast of Bill Moyers Journal and it seemed to put the matter in a light I hadn't previously seen. Photography is all about lighting to reveal, too, so it's sort of germane. Sort of.
"What consumer culture does is to privatize people. They see in acquisition of material goods a kind of self-liberation... To the degree that consumer culture captures your imagination you lose a social imagination; you no longer see yourself as part of a social collective."
-Steve Fraser
I'm pretty certain I like to see myself as part of a social collective. I also covet everything in the latest Patagonia catalog. This is the quandary.

Husker Du?

LA River Ride

For the past eight years the LA County Bicycle Coalition has been organizing the LA River Ride as the organization's primary annual fundraising event, which also works to familiarize cycling Angelenos with the river around which our city was built. It's a great event for beginning to advanced riders (this year featured the ride's first-ever century option), and family friendly, too, with a handful of ride-length options.
I took photos for the LACBC during the ride's first two years, and helped edit the newsletter back then, too. I'd been less involved in recent years, but this year my friend Erik presented me with the opportunity to go out the day before the ride and help mark the route. Excluding an unfortunate misunderstanding with a couple of the Vernon PD's overly zealous officers, it was a great day preriding the course, and I hope to bring my daughter to participate in the River Ride next year.
This image was taken at the Slauson bridge, where the river leaves Vernon—always a good thing—and enters Maywood.

Sunflower Fixated

at the moment. We have eight in various stages; waiting for ripe seeds on one and a new bloom on another.

Russian Mammoths

I agree that photos of flowers are a lot less interesting than flowers, but these photos are here to tell a story. The story is of Russian Mammoth seeds purchased from Seeds of Change with the promise of 9- to 12-foot tall stalks with flowers up to 14 inches across. A friend just sent us a photo of us planting the seedlings in the ground just a few months ago. Well, the tallest so far is up about 9 feet. Next summer we'll make sure to stake them a little better, as they seem to lean toward the sun and just lean in general when they hit the higher elevations. Of all the plants we've started from seed in our garden this year, this is perhaps the most satisfying because its rapid growth is so fun to follow. The slow blooming of the flowers is pretty grand, too.
Also, we choose this variety so that we'll be able to collect, dry and eat the large seeds. Will post on that soon.

Sharon Montrose

We're fortunate to have a wonderful cousin who's also an amazing photographer. Sharon and Spencer visited us last week, and now we have some beautiful Polaroids of the kid.

The Urban Homestead

This is Nusia holding garlic she just picked from Kelly and Erik's garden. It was my first time eating fresh garlic--roasted and spread on bread--and it was, of course, delicious.
Kelly and Erik's book, The Urban Homestead was just released. It's "Your guide to self-sufficient living in the city," and I could easily go on all day singing this wonderful book's praises, but I'll keep it brief. The book is positive and encouraging and easy to read and fun and it will teach you how to grow lettuce and preserve food and make beer and start a compost pile and clean your house with homemade nontoxic cleaners and live a little more engaged with the world and people around you.

Chocolate Cake

We appreciated its beauty for a moment, and then devoured it. The kid insisted.

Yes We Will Miss Polaroid

Russian Mammoth

Sunflower anticipation is building in our garden. This is the first of eight Russian Mammoths in the early stages of blooming. The seed packet told us to expect a plant that could grow up to 12 feet high. It looks more likely to top out at about 7 feet, which is still quite a sight. It's already about half a foot taller than me, and the first hints of yellow were spotted just yesterday.

Sparkling Wine

The man in the photo in this photo is toasting you/me/us with a glass of sparkling wine. What that says to me is, "I'm going to make so much money off of you, I'll be drinking sparkling wine." I wouldn't want to say that to my clients. Maybe I'd pose with some Odwalla Strawberry Lemonade Seasonal, but nothing fancier than that. I think lifting a glass of bubbly in this context is somewhat off-putting. It's at odds with the surrounding shrubs, too. Additionally, the real estate market being what it is at the moment, perhaps it's not an appropriate time for toasts. You have to stay positive, of course, but with a little restraint and propriety. Don't you think?

Happy Mothers Day

"I don't like the clown."

Post-birthday party car nap.

Width of a Circle

Toddler Motion

Poppies

Pizza

"This One."

More Banality

Or at least pictures in that theme.

Nusia

Banality Series

So, no one really needs another series, but sometimes we start taking pictures and they become a series and then we have another series.
Welcome to the banality series. All of these photos have been and will be taken in a specific place, which I'd rather not identify for a number of reasons. More posts from this project here, here and here. And many more to come. I hope to post every day for a bit, so please visit again soon.
Thank you.

Pride

This Kid

This is the kid.

You Be the Monkey

Photo Booth #2

Jed set me up with another photo booth opportunity, this time at a CD release party for Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys. With foredrops created by David Barlia, we recreated Coney Island at the Steve Allen Theater.
Sort of. This unsavory character wouldn't give his name, but did share knowledge of this with us, and for that we are grateful.
More photos from this fun event coming soon.

Another Picture(s)