Holly Day

Had another beautiful Christmas at my mother's house on the hill in SB. I love how she still has stockings for us. It's Christmas night now and I'm packing for a drive to Mexico in the morning. This will commence round 2 of the studio project at Punta del Burro. We have the truck loaded with a bunch of gear for the space, along with rugs, fabrics, lamps, stools, and all kinds of decor to make the studio look and feel complete. We scored a Herman Miller modular storage unit on wheels to hold cables, sheet music, knick knacks, etc. The colors are fun. A cool gray body with yellow, cream and orange drawers. I'm also bringing down some large photographs of past creative moments at the casa, to sort of create an warm and personal environment there. I'm looking forward to teaming up with Alicia to make some cool curtains with the poppy fabric I'm bringing down.

We have Simone, Mark, Michelle, Leslie, Mary Rozzi and friends...joining in for a New Year's beach hang. Another chapter at Casa Rincon.

We will drive back to SB via Marfa, around January 13 or so. Can't wait to see our new house there. Adrian had Heidi at the Thunderbird make us a little bedroom area in so we can sleep there for the first time with a touch of class. YES!

Up to the Bay and Back Again

We found out it was Amy B's birthday so we hit the road a day early to suprise her. Sam Flax made these posters and had them all over the house. There was one really big version in the living room that was super sweet.

Birthday Amy

Bart was djing and played a bunch of incredible 45s from Spain. Los Brincos sounded like the Kinks in Spanish.

We ended up sleeping in the back of the truck that night for the first time. With a foam mattress, some down pillows, and tinted windows you can insta bedroom anywhere. When I popped out of the back of the truck in the morning, we were ouside Cafe Fanny in Berkeley.
I love how small this cafe is. Simple, french, cute and fresh.

Poached eggs, country bread, and proscuitto is one of my faves.

Cedar St., Berkeley casa vibes

Squirrel friend eating breakfast too

the dash

This is PonePone. He lives behind the Wildflour Bakery in Occidental. I have friends that work there and bake incredible bread. PonePone is a tiny fully grown pony that is seriously missing a horn. He doesn't seem real. I love him!

Josh brought us this when we walked in.

Ponepone grubs

Ingrid met us at the bakery. She used to work there and occasionally still does and also sells her preserves/jams/goodies there too. She just started Miel Cooking (www.mielcooking.com), she is one of my favorite chefs ever. My ultimate cooking fantasy is the day that Ingrid, Michelle, Simone and I all make dinner together and eat under the stars with our crew.

Josh bakes and makes art and is a great tennis partner.

Mark met us at the bakery too. He walked over from his place. Soon to be ex-place.

Mark and Michelle's house in Sebastopol

jars of radness. They made tomato sauces and jams and other things over the Summer. I would love for my shelves to having nothing on them but jarred edibles.

Daybed corner at M/M's house

Mark is stoked

The livingroom shelving that Mark made

The stove heats the whole house in what seemed to be 20 minutes. I love this little house.

Sam and Anissa cruising through the Ruth Asawa sculpture area. I love her work.

Adrian looking out from the panoramic view room

a very pleasant sitting room overlooking the sculpture garden/patio at the De Young Museum. Anissa looks calm like the room. Look at the beam of light coming from her heart!

Trio. Hanging with these three rules.

The sculpture garden at the De Young. Fall.

Anissa looks up at the Japanese tree shapes at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

We made brunch on Sunday at Sam and Anissa's. Simone and Terri rolled in fresh off the plane from a tour in Japan. They were tired but still radiant from the rich experience. Such a nice morning of cooking and hanging with our weekend roommates and missed friends. Lots of coffee.

Eero does it best in his egg shaped cardboard eerobed

Check out the fun beets from my garden. Design in nature!!!!

Gobble

Thanksgiving is the one holiday that does not involve gift giving. I like it. I love the simple pleasures of cooking, talking, chilling and then feasting to the best meal of the year. Yes! What is your tradition? I love my mother's gravy. Every year we make one new thing. This year we are incorporating a 'root roast'. Parsnips, beets, and rainbow carrots from the garden with some olive oil and herbs. My mother is making a pumpkin pie with mascarpone for dessert. Our stuffing is a recipe from my Grandfather, which is made with dried apricots and sausage. Did I mention the green beans poached in white wine? ooooh...then we get to hang out by the fireplace until the eye lids fall. yes.

WBA

I did some promo photography for WBA, and here are a few of them. The lighting in the recording studio is so naturally beautiful, I couldn't resist doing some of the portraits in there, as well as some at sunset. When shooting subjects with a fill flash just after the sun has gone down, you get the sunset-as-wallpaper effect. A way to take beach photos that aren't too soft and cliche. When taking the individual portraits, I wanted to create a sense of realness, with a splash of subtle intimacy. Erlend suggested that they try to read the tiny writing on the lens as a way to really look into the camera. That instigated some piercing looks that translated nicely.

Packing Up

I'm packing my things up, and will be heading to the airport at 3. The last few days have been a whirlwind: A less-than-24-hour trip to Guadalajara for the opening of 'La Planta' Contemporary Art Museum (the owner of 'omnilife', Mexico's 'herbalife' and richest dude, is the man behind the museum, and the party had thousands of massive stacks of blank pill bottles as it's decor) and the WBA show, snorkeling at sunset, margaritas, mariachis, and camerones in Punta Mita, and lots of photography in between.
As for the studio progress, they have cut the tropical wood planks in preparation for the control room windows, the built in bench is looking glorious underneath the huge window that frames the elegant coconut palms behind.