everywhere.

- swim league championship '09
- three best times
- 50 points for his team
- 2nd, 3rd, & 3rd place
- 3rd highest 13/14 boy scorer
- in the whole damn league
- happy boy
- proud mama
- yay!

photo by riley

...that starts out with the need to accomplish a single simple task and then evolves into one-awesome-spontaneous-thing-stumbling-into-another until all of a sudden it is late? And dark outside? And then as you finally drag your happy tired butt home there's nothing left to do but wear a big fat smile on your face until you collapse into your cozy bed? Even if your answer is "yes!" the next words out of your mouth are probably much like mine, "but not nearly often enough"...last Friday, that is exactly what happened.


photo by riley...that small blur of red is the golden gate bridge :)

It started with me agreeing to drive into the city to let someone test drive Pearl, then an invitation to shop and have lunch in the Mission with dear friends Beth and Maggie who coincidentally were heading to the exact same part of town, Riley throwing his hat in the ring and joining me. He had control of the camera, clicking our way into town...


photo by riley


photo by riley


photo by riley

we then arrived at the address and suddenly realized that the interested party was the new downstairs neighbor to my other dear friend Paula. DANG if the guy wasn't ready to buy Pearl but couldn't get her to fit in his garage! The sale was off but the fun wasn't. I am so sorry that we didn't take pictures of the Valencia Street part of our excursion...Vietnamese lunch, thrift shopping and a quick visit to The Curiosity Shoppe where the Little Pink Houses show by Lisa Congdon and Mati Rose McDonough had just that very moment finished being hung (I could still smell paint on the pieces)!

After that, a quick call to Paula and she insisted Ri and I turn around for a visit with she and her girls...


photo of paula by bianca


photo of bianca by me


photo of olivia by me

some wine opened...


and then, why not, a Summer dinner that she whipped up...her fresh green salsa, home made fajitas beautifully delivered to the table in just moments...



and, really, we didn't have any fun at all...



nope, not one bit.

One of the many things I did this lovely holiday weekend was cut PickleBoy's hair my very first time. Goodness. Just another way to catapult this boy several years closer to the man he is becoming...whatever was I thinking?

Makes me all happy/melancholy/proud at once...sigh.

before.


And how was your weekend?

a happy fun-filled 4th to you :)

mama's busy shooting things 'n' doin' stuff...

back soon!

PickleBoy took me to lunch this week for my long-promised Mother's Day gift. He SO had me at fried chicken and waffles. If you have never tried this, you must.

Little Skillet is a walk-up window affair in a little alleyway of San Francisco.


A quick friendly order, some vintage-y sodas, we took our seat on milk crates and waited for bliss.


Just spicy/crunchy/salty enough with fluffy/crispy/mapley waffles and the best date a girl could ask for...


and...um...

we kinda liked it.

I will begin by saying that although this post might seem photo heavy this is the whole shebang. Turns out my camera rested even more than I did on this little three day vacation. Just what I needed :)
And away we go...

Waiting for the rental car...right under their bellies


A quick stop at Trader Joe's and off to Coronado Island to find this awaiting us...the view from the sixth floor...glass walls that slid all the way open - most with no railings - to the sea


when you stood on the little balcony and faced far right, you saw the hotel del coronado...the owners get bonus points for placing a mirror on that column!


the luscious living room


no shot of the four post bed placed so you awoke with a view of the sea between your toes but here is some of the Japanese soaking tub with the sink carved from a boulder


there were boardwalk bikes to rent


toasted pb&j and champagne lunches to eat (seriously. try this.)


a quick visit to Balboa Park


many bench Monday shots to take, but the best parts have no photo...accidentally stumbling into a Richard Avedon exhibit at SDMA...hot stone massages...baskets of warm handmade tortillas...the very BEST moment, though, was when I happened to look up and witness a stunning display of multiple pods of dolphins right in front of me. All sizes and ages of them frolicking, leaping in the air, chasing each other (I am certain they were feeding). The binoculars allowed me to see their faces. And I would have flown down there just for that.

bench mondays.

this represents my third installation of four,
the last of which was taken on my vacation...

more on that soooon...

After madly overbooking my time and working myself into a state of utter exhaustion I bid you a fond adieu...three days of warm sand, salty waves, sun dappled naps and perhaps a fruity cocktail or two are in my immediate future. See you on the flip side, my dears :)

love is everywhere.

PickleBoy has been juggling plenty as of late. Studies, finals, growing like a weed (just shy of six feet at fourteen), friends, and sports...



He is a longtime competitive swimmer, he started seven years ago. But back a few months he found a new love. With the start of his freshman year came water polo. He loves it enough that he decided to pursue the new sport in the off season and is duking it out with a club team four nights a week.

This decision has been, however, a tough one to make because it meant letting go of club swimming. His former swimming coach was oh-so-sad. She asked him to please make three of the seven season meets this Summer so that he could swim for her at Champs. He agreed and this past Saturday was unbelievable.



He was excited getting there but the day just grew bigger and bigger for him...best times in every one of his events, first place every time,



and as I stood at the end of his lane watching and heard people around me saying "who is THAT kid?!" I vowed to help him find time to fit both of his sports into his life. Because, honestly, I have never seen this kid so HIGH on life,



and that makes me one happy mama :)

for my weekend to look like this...







with a dash of this thrown in...



what delights do you have planned for yours?

holding his budding photographer 41 years ago...


and just as handsome today...


happy birthday, dad, i love you so :)

flowers speak.

- bruce w. currie

A year? Really? A whole year since I threw my hat in photobooth friday pool? Ridiculous. It was clearly past time so I went straight to the hat rack at Wasteland and picked out my favorite four, plunked my butt down and came out with this.



Yessirree. And this one? Would you have left without this hat?



Nope, me neither.



Happy PBF, people. I'm apparently off to the Arctic.

...please let me explain. It all started with a phone call about Pearl. A delightfully thick German accent inquiring after her. Fabrizio grew up in the Bavarian countryside. His grandfather had owned a nearly identical car, same color and shape. Seeing Pearl had flooded him with memories of his boyhood. Could he please come test drive her? Why, of course! He loved her, drove her so well and agonized over the decision. Alas, he opted to hold out for the 1950 Nash he has always wanted but "won't you please join us at my restaurant's anniversary party?" And how could a girl say no to that? especially when the restaurant in question was Suppenküche. I will leave it to you to do your research on how fabulous this famous little German restaurant perched on a corner in San Francisco really is. The plentiful reviews say it all...but here's a little peek at some of the very VERY cool interior...

metal swallows soaring across the ceiling...


butterflies and pine trees stenciled on the walls...


bier specials and branches and laminated leaf photos and skulls...


And here is where the story gets more interesting..."it is a costume party!" - do you have the accent in your head? - "everyone please come dressed as a gnome".

Um...ok...but...fresh out of gnome costumes around here. So I put on my green boots and fairy crown (dude, fairies and gnomes TOTALLY hang out together, right?), packed my favorite bier frau...


into Pearl and headed into the city. And just look what we found! Boy gnomes...


girl gnomes...


bier drinking, lederhosen clad gnomes...


and to my GREAT delight, my very favorite...one tattooed, gun-toting lederhosen clad gnome...


See you next year, meine freunde!

B.elinda, B.eautiful, B.rave, B.right, B.adass, B.eloved, B.rilliant, B.est friend, and

B.ook maker!


I am so very proud to blog about this beautiful labor of love. This book one woman's journey told in Quilts written and created by Belinda Maurer Fernandez about her mother Betty Elaine Maurer's inspirational journey through life thus far as seen through her amazing and inspired quilts. Shot by her talented lifelong Photographer dad, Kurt Maurer...this is a beautiful inspiration of a book.


#19 Japanese Pattern by Betty Elaine Maurer

I am no quilter but this book tugs my hearts strings and makes my fingers itch to learn. Not a 'how-to' book - there are plenty of those out there - more a coffee table book of brilliant inspiration and joy and beauty. Do yourself, or someone you love, a favor and pick one up right here, right now.


Colors of Cozumel (section) by Betty Elaine Maurer

and a happy, happy weekend to you all!

I made the cut!

This photo was chosen as a finalist for the May photo contest over at Greeblemonkey... I drooled over the lenses I could have rented with that $250 prize from ProPhotoRental but, alas, it was not meant to be. I take being nominated amongst such talent as the highest of compliments and heartily congratulate the winner, Sarah Long :)

bench mondays.

it has now been another four weeks.

yay!

on the inside.

These promo/postcards are the fruits of a tremendous labor for Belinda and I. Three months, ten photo shoots, a series of eight final images by yours truly. All concepted, expertly designed and executed by the lovely B. Along with the cards, there are eight posters and a website explaining the iWALK program far better than I can.

I lost track of the hours we put in long ago but I will tell you that I have never been more proud of anything I have worked on before. And it's not just the product we've created of which I am proud. It is also this wonderful project.

Sonoma County in Northern California is determined to help their community get healthy and this is just the beginning...if you live there, please join up and get walking!

The full set of images can be viewed here.

and felt like this:


and tasted like this:


and although I barely had a moment to sit down, I enjoyed every minute of it.
hope yours was all kinds of lovely as well.

(oh, and that coconut cake? total success.)

our weekend will be filled with hot sunny days
very important swim finals (go, riley go!)
john hughes movies (can you believe he's never seen sixteen candles?!)
and homemade coconut cake at gramma's house.

may yours be just as rad.

dude.

love l.

...who will you be someday?

You do not know.
No hard, fast rules.
No lofty goals.
You are beautiful right now.
And will be a whole new kind of beautiful later.
One that will spread intricately patterned wings and take flight.
Flight with purpose and delight.

Just like me.

And everyone.

No matter.

...to let go of Pearl. She has so many great stories and has been a dear to me. I can longer justify being a two-car owner and I do believe she and I really have come full circle now.

The short and sweet details are these:
$4300.00
1966 230S Mercedes Sedan
4 speed manual column shift
located in the San Francisco Bay Area
Really great Sunday driver with a few signs of age...

The story of how she came to be mine can be read here.
And howzabout a little spin?


Check out the full set of detailed photos and information on her over at my Flickr. After checking those out, please contact me at lesophie @ comcast.net or 415.388.3998.

Feel free to spread the word for me so some lucky someone has a chance to love her up as much as I have!

Thanks all :)

Nothing comes to birth


As without light
Nothing flowers." - May Sarton


I have spent much of my recent time pondering things as such.

Also, how differently, essentially and from how many different perceptions any one thing might be interpreted. My grass series, all taken on one day, from the same spot, with the same camera and lens...maybe the only thing that changed was the light but they have begun to represent more to me. This is some of what has been rolling around inside my head, presenting in my dreams, inspiring me lately...

What is in your head right now?
Do tell.