Carmel part deux

At the end of my extravagant weekend getaway I went to go visit some family members. One of them, my great aunt, unfortunately did not remember me. However, she still chose to tell me her life stories as a complete stranger in her eyes.

She's an artist, poet, and collector of all things. So many things that she stacks her art one on top of the other on the walls. Stores her poetry by her bedside and leaves little room for herself. She saves all room for her words.

Once she modeled for Salvador Dali and is still beautiful. I will always remember her as the woman who would visit with a trunk full of magical trinkets. Who would flap her wings down to Mexico to play the flute while her dog sings by her side. I will always keep this image of her, regardless if she remembers me.

Carmel

This past weekend I was spoiled rotten. I met up with my dad in Carmel to have a restaurant dining experience of a lifetime. See, my father is in the wine business and in the wine business there are certain perks. Such as getting free exquisite dinners at amazing restaurants or going to cool car sporting events such as The Quail in Carmel. The Quail is basically an annual event where all the rich come and gather to show off their top notch vehicles. It's a $400 dollar entry and tickets are sold out a year prior. So you can imagine, I felt pretty freakin' special. 

I did take some car photos at the event but none satisfied my standards due to the cloudy/misty day that fell before us (I found out later that all those crazy car photos you see in magazines are all just computer animated!). All the people swarming around the cars didn't exactly make a photogenic piece of mechanical beauty.  All the cars pictured below are taken at a different event that I was lucky enough to go to at one of Aston Martin's estates. That was probably the best party I have EVER been to in my life... 

Platters of Crystal and 50 dollar chocolates were consumed like it was nothing. I on the other hand tended to go in the corner and savor every moment. 

Well, here is my weekend full of wine, feasting, art galleries, billionaire homes, and more!

 

L.A.

Last week I was in Studio City to visit my best friend of four years who recently moved back there. I had the weekend of my life but unfortunately took NO pictures. Between going to a concert, bars, shopping, and restaurants... I found myself not wanting to haul my camera around. Before going down to L.A. I imaged myself getting lotsa good material. However, I find the best way to enjoy oneself and photography on vacation is to not have any expectations and let the days roll by how they are supposed to. My last night there I made Andra take me on a romantic drive through the hilly valley so that I could get a moonlit view of downtown L.A.. However, my body limited my expectations because the car ride made me incredibly nauseated and I had to go back home after taking this shot. 

Besides that, I freaking love my friend and am permanently tied to L.A. because of her existence. Therefore, I will have a more thorough post of L.A. next time I visit. With no expectations. 

Santa Barbara

Stopped by a little beach near Santa Barbara to soak up some rays on my way down to L.A.. Can't you just feel that sunshine?

Tahoe

Ever since I was a child I've gone to Tahoe twice a year. Every summer and winter Tahoe was my home away from home and it will always resurrect fond childhood memories. As I get older the more and more I appreciate its natural beauty. Sometimes I think I could retire in Tahoe and be happy for the rest of my life. I'll have to make a Tahoe trip again this winter because I miss the winding ski slopes that wrap around the lake. 

This time I was lucky enough to stay at my friend Cayla's beautiful house in South Lake. We went hiking (where we were eaten alive by mosquitos), sunbathed, climbed a rocky hill in the pitch black of night to get a view of the lake, and went kayaking during sunset. God I love this place... 

If you look carefully, you can see all the colors of the rainbow:

Monterey Bay Aquarium

This past summer I worked for a program called ECI or Educational Consortium Institute which was basically the best job I've ever had. I got the opportunity to be a conversation partner for middle school and high school students from China, Japan, Italy, and Spain. I was given the privilege to be paid while hanging out with kids from different countries to do cool new and amazing things. Not to mentions that the kids were so wonderful and that I really loved spending time with them. I was the luckiest girl in the world... missing the kids who already went home.. 

Here are some shots I took when getting to chaperone a Monterey Bay Aquarium trip! This place made me infatuated with seahorses and jellyfish.

Boardwalk

A couple of weeks ago I ventured to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz for Dollar night rides and to wail Ke$ha at Karaoke. I was shaking for twenty minutes before riding the Big Dipper (a ride thats been around since the early thirties I believe) but had a freaking blast. I tried to scream but nothing came out except exhilarating horror (I feel bad for my comforting friend Tatiana whom I was gripping onto for dear life). 

Once it came to waiting in line for Fireball I decided to roam around aimlessly and take photos. These are two that I liked... 

More late postings to come! I have some from Monterey and Tahoe.