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Friends and Heroes

I got to have lunch with a friend of mine this week, who I follow pretty closely, but due to our busy schedules, I rarely actually get to sit down with. As he and I shared our passions, pains, frustrations, joys and aspirations over a light meal at our favorite Taqueria, I told him how inspired I was by his knowledge and persistence in the living of his life and what to me is one of the strongest examples of selflessness I have experienced in my Community. Paul thanked me, and to my surprise told me that I was one

The Big Nevermind

The City of Ventura is my home. I have owned a house and various other properties and leases here for 30 years. Communities are pretty simple really. Generally they are composed of diverse components, all assembled in a willingness to live and work in a place that they find desirable. The willingness to contribute, is directly proportional to establishing a sense of forward motion. Effect must equal cause. Benefit is weighed against cost. So onward the ship sails with all of us aboard, planning, building, laughing, crying, fighting, healing, birthing, living, dying: together. For any of this to occur, the

Hybrid Vigor

n. Increased vigor or other superior qualities arising from the crossbreeding of genetically different plants or animals. Also called heterosis. Typically the term is reserved for describing the increased performance of a species. But in Ventura California we have been seeing our fair share of the above described noun more in the form of a verb. Verbs denote action. When a person and in turn a community, becomes insular, the processes of growth cease. Of course growth has many forms. But the one we all ought to be after, is sustainable personal and community growth. This sort provides a stable

Swell 4

The latest in our wave makers arrived innocuously enough with a soft and barely perceptible pulse arriving late in the evening. I had watched the shoulder high lines stacking up at California Street at last light, under yet another masterpiece sunset. Yet not much pulse showed on the weather buoys. The next morning at 3 am saw the East Channel buoy climb 3 feet in the interim before dawn. A straight West swell, and not too big. It was the proverbial Goldilocks and the Three Bears storybook combination of swell angle, size and weather for the Gold Coast’s multiple breaks.

A Fall Fantasy

Nothing deep to share. Or is there? The past weeks have allowed me a lot of time and effort to delve into what many consider to be my forte, which is shooting surfing, nature, beach culture and lifestyle. So this blog is devoted to showing a few of the sights seen this last several weeks of Fall. It is a teensy sampling of over 1200 final images collected. The culmination of a huge number of commercial, editorial and personal interest projects. Thanks to the beautiful place that I live in, and all my wonderful friends, commercial clients and publications for

Everyone Loves a Parade

The Boss says it best in this song. Old, yet still vital, for the memories it evokes and the poignant reminder it leaves us with. Ventura, or Ventucky as many of us fondly refer to this town, was considered a way station between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara for years. It has come into it’s own in recent times. It’s strong native American Indian, Mission, Agricultural and Oil historical foundation makes for a unique and diverse cultural cross section. A beautiful example of cultural diversity emerges today and promotes tolerance on many levels, in spite of the stress the little

Crazy Is

as crazy does. But sometimes it is really all just a part of the ebb and flow of the creative process. What appears to be madness on the surface or at the least, just a bad idea, is often the seed of something quite remarkable. I have learned to always have my ear to the wind. The song it sings may carry that which I seek. My friend Kara Block, who is about to receive her Master of Fine Arts degree from Brooks Institute, had stopped by for a visit and to contribute to the planning of an expedition that

Is That Real? An Authentic View

Maldivian Blue I get asked this question a lot. When I have finished answering in the affirmative, the second response which has been repeated with enough frequency that I no longer take offense comes: “Is that Photoshopped?” The line of query says a lot about our over stimulated, content crammed, media saturated world, as it exists today. If one were to slip into the dusty cobweb strewn dark recesses of what passes for my mind, you would hear the little bitch echo of a voice I spend a lifetime trying to stifle, saying in a soft clear tone: “Um, get

The Bodner

Ever have one of those friends who is just, well, there when you are together? They are always so present in the moment, that they perpetually gloss over tidbits you would really appreciate knowing about them. Everyone enjoys bragging on their pals and assorted loved ones. Some people truly are ignorant of their own genius and opt to not give us the chance. Their vocation is just what they are, so what could the big deal possibly be? A year ago I met Jessica Bodner and her boyfriend, Robert Catalusci. They had recently relocated from San Francisco to Ventura. Two

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