North Park, San Diego, California. This is many peoples' idea of a front yard here. I woke up at 6:30 this morning and as planned, immediately went for a walk around the neighborhood with my camera, but the major goal was the walk, not the photos. I ended up walking about 2 miles. I see myself, as I get older, wanting to be the guy who wakes up every day and takes a long walk, but I have actually rarely done it. So, I'm excited, and I hope to make it into a habit. I've been awake for an hour and a half and haven't even looked at email or Facebook. That's a major step for me. (Luckily I can post these pics to Facebook through my blog site) And now, after posting this, I do need to do some work on my email, but hopefully I can keep it under control.
And maybe I'll have something new for you at this time tomorrow.
Story time! Today I left my friends' place in San Diego to go to Mexico. After a bit of research, I decided to drive into Mexico in Tijuana, then head east to Tecate. I've crossed into both Tecate and Tijuana on foot before, and I knew Tecate was much less stressful, with less people aggressively trying to sell things to tourists. Being in my Jeep actually made me more nervous than being on foot for some reason. Horror stories about border towns abound, and the US State Department website talks of occasional carjackings in broad daylight. But I also know that many many people drive around those areas with no incident, and I don't like living in fear. So, I went for it. I got comfortable quickly, and wandered around, turning down whatever streets struck my fancy. Then I headed towards Tecate on the highway, and off to the right, I saw what looked like a train bridge turned into pedestrian walkway, in front of a dam. Jackpot I thought! Most of you know I am quite fond of train bridges turned into pedestrian walkways. I decided to try to figure out how to get to it. I figured there was a parking lot and a nice park.
I spent probably over an hour turning around, turning around again, cutting down dirt roads, crossing through a big puddle of sewage, doing 3 or 5 or 7 point turns at dead ends, and I couldn't find it. The closest I think I got to it ran me right into a sign that said "Propiedad Federal". I don't know much Spanish, but I know a Federal Property sign when I see one. Finally, I figured out where the dam was, drove across that, and the signs there said it was federal property as well. I parked up a hill, and went to take a photo, and found this pipeline that I couldn't cross. I was stymied. I thought I might still be able to get a good photo, and after 3 attempts including this one, reality hit me. I was in a foreign country, where I don't speak the language, photographing federal property, including important infrastructure. So yeah, I left!
By the way, I'm doubting that the train bridge was a pedestrian walkway. Oh well. It was fun to try. And I ate some good food in Mexico, that's for sure.
I've been working a lot this week, from my friends' house in San Diego. As is no secret, I have a part time job that is my most steady source of income, and I work while traveling, over my phone and my computer. I've had this job for 5 and a half years. My cousin John put the idea into my head in 2010 to get a job where I can work from wherever I want, and that I could continue to travel and to work on my photography if I did that. He told me that having the freedom to go anywhere you want means the freedom to stay anywhere you want. Wise words! I've extended that also over the years to mean the freedom to do photography when I want, and to not do photography when I don't want to. As you may have noticed, I've posted very few new photos lately, and that's cool. I've been working. I've been eating home cooked meals. (Not my home, but my friends' home) I read a book. I saw a friend play live music. I've gone to bed early. I've watched tv and played video games. I've gone to the grocery store. I've lounged around. And ya know what? I've enjoyed it.
There have been many times when I've told people that I'd love to have photography be my only source of income. But if that restricted my freedom to lay on a hammock while hanging out with a puppy on a sunny Friday afternoon in Southern California, then what would be the point of being a full time photographer? I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Summary: I like my life. And if I ever make photography my full time income my living how I want to, than that's a bonus.
And another one from the North Park neighborhood of San Diego.
I took a walk around the North Park neighborhood of San Diego today, and shot this photo of this flower. I have an interest lately in playing more with exposure of my photos, and controlling the lights and darks, and this overcast day was perfect to play with that. What do you think of the photo?
Here is another shot from Laguna Beach, California from last week.
I haven't touched my camera in a few days. Again, this lack of interest in taking photos most days isn't concerning me, but I am trying to figure out if there's a reason why I am not excited about it. I wonder if it's just a let down after my time in Hawaii and Alaska. As beautiful as much of Southern California is, I've seen so much of it before. It's not new to me. I feel like I am going to need to see something I've never seen before to get excited again. And I am working on plans to see such places soon. But for now, I need to lay low in San Diego for a few weeks and get some work done. And that's cool too. Stay tuned.
Ocean Beach, San Diego, California I got some lunch in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego, then went for a walk. I sat down to stare at the Pacific Ocean for a little while, and looked over, and saw that a part of the water appeared to be red. I decided to go take a closer look. It appeared that red seaweed was what made it look that way. It was pretty cool, and slightly creepy. Talk about a crimson tide!
I'm always trying to learn new things, and I also am happy to help out the people that host me during my travels. So...puppy sitting? Sure, why not? I did not grow up with dogs, and have never had my own, so taking care of a puppy doesn't come naturally to me. But it's interesting. Maybe she and I will be friends soon.
Laguna Beach, California It's a beautiful day out, and I'm on my way back to San Diego, where I will stay for a few weeks. I am chillin, taking me time, and so I stopped to pop off a few photos. I wonder how much these houses cost!
At risk of sounding trite, the sun here in Southern California has been analogous to my excitement for photography lately. Sometimes not seen for a few days, then big bright bursts out of nowhere, that can just as quickly go away. Not long after I pointed my camera to the sky to shoot this, the sun went behind the clouds, and it became a lot less warm. And every time I have a day where I'm enthusiastic about going out to take photos, it seems like I cannot sustain it for more than a few hours. These lulls in my ongoing excitement are to be expected, and I'm not worried about it. That said, I feel like it's time for another hobby, since photography has not been a hobby in quite some time. That doesn't mean that I will be slowing down much on taking photos, but I just feel like I need more options of things that I enjoy when I'm not taking photos. Hobbies are tough to cultivate while traveling, but I'll start thinking about ideas. I may start writing more, even if it's not for public consumption, as I really do get pleasure in writing.
Suggestions are welcome. In the meantime, I think I'm going to go find something fun to eat. I hope you all are having a good day, wherever you are.
Story time! In July of 2011, I was living in Hermosa Beach, California. My parents flew out to visit me for a few days, and I used their visit as a good excuse to go see a part of California that I hadn't seen before. We headed up to Big Bear Lake, which is where many people from the Los Angeles area go skiing and snowboarding, but I had heard it was beautiful at any time of year, and I figured it was a pretty drive to get there. I was right. We had a good day, saw a lot of things, and near the end of the day, we were all tired. We checked in to the Motel 6 I had booked for us, and my parents wanted to lay down to take a nap. That sounded pretty good at that point! I almost took a nap as well, but I made a last minute decision to take a walk before it got dark out, with camera and tripod in tow. I found a boardwalk along the Stanfield Marsh, and checked out the beautiful sunset. I had lined up my camera to take a photo of just the marsh and the mountains, and suddenly I decided to change my angle to include the boardwalk itself. The ensuing photo came out great, and I was very excited about it. I posted it on Facebook and my website and received a good reaction. Time went by and one day I heard from a woman named Sierra who worked at the Big Bear Lake water department. She had found the photo online, and she asked me if she could use it on their website. I said yes, and they put it up. It still can be seen to this day at http://www.bbldwp.com/ She also signed up for my email list, and bought some prints of other photos from me as well. We chatted a bit online, and she seemed like an interesting person to know.
A couple of years later, a woman named Kim, who works at a real estate office in Big Bear Lake contacted me, and she wanted a large canvas print for one of their offices. While I usually have prints shipped from my printing company to me first so that I can approve and sign them, based on their budget, that became cost prohibitive, so I had the print shipped directly to their office.
Today I returned to Big Bear Lake for the first time since that day in 2011. First, I tracked down Kim to meet her in person, and headed to the office where the print was hanging and snapped this photo of it. I also had dropped Sierra a line, and we met up for lunch. We had a really interesting conversation, ranging from my past travels, to my future travels, to her life, and to the drought that Southern California is experiencing. I had talked about how I often stay with various people at their houses on my trip, and she even invited me to stay with her and her husband some day when I'm passing through the area again.
I really enjoyed the afternoon, even though I should have planned to have more time there. I look forward to spending more time in that area some day, whether it be a few weeks, a few months, or a few years from now.
It's funny how that one photo led to me having new friends in this random little town in California. And it never would have happened if I had decided to take that nap! I'm not sure what the moral of this story is, but it never ceases to amaze me how such seemingly minor decisions can change my life.
Off Holcomb Valley Road, Big Bear Lake, California Today I met a woman named Sierra in person, who has been a professional contact in Big Bear Lake, California for about 4 years, but only over the internet. We had a good chat over coffee and lunch, and she recommended that I check out Holcomb Valley Road. It's a dirt road. That's awesome to begin with. Then, there's this old mine, and I like how the newer road and town and mountains can all be seen. I haven't been this interested in an overall scene in a while, even if the photo isn't the most patently beautiful. I guess it would be better if the field in the top right section of the photo was still a marsh, but I think that whether or not I get a good photo is not really an important effect of the ongoing drought in Southern California compared to what those living here are dealing with.
Strawberry Lookout Road, near Crestline, California I am on my way to Big Bear Lake, California, and I took the scenic route that includes sweeping views from the side of the ridge. Well, it does it some days. But I am enjoying it nonetheless. It is pretty in its own way.
Devil's Punchbowl County Park, California I just took a short hike here. It sure is true desert. It was kinda hot and very dry. I really had to watch my footing!
Angeles National Forest, California I took a drive from Brea, California to Palmdale, California, and am actually posting this photo from the Burger King in Palmdale. Gotta do what I gotta do! It was a pretty drive, and I stopped a few times to take photos of the mountains and the desert landscape. Now, back to see what else I can find before dark.
A while back, when I was posting on Facebook looking for people to host me throughout my travels, a woman named Terrie invited me to stay at her house in the city of Brea, in Orange County in California. I got in touch with her again a few weeks ago to take her up on her offer, and last night I arrived. We were chatting, and I asked her if she remembered how she originally discovered my Facebook page and my photography. I was assuming it would be from the year I spent in Hermosa Beach, California, or maybe when I spent several months in San Diego. But no...she said it was when I was posting photos of Mohonk. For those of you who don't know what Mohonk is, it's a mountain with a beautiful old hotel, lake, and hiking trails in Ulster County in New York, just a few miles from where I grew up, and where I call home again. I was very surprised, and asked her where she is from. It turns out she grew up in a county across the river...Dutchess County. So we had some fun talking about that. And look, she even has Hudson Valley coffee mugs.
It never ceases to amaze me how many of my travel experiences and the people that I meet can be traced back to the photos I've shot in the Hudson Valley, and the way that the word has spread from there.
How cool is that??
I took a walk down a residential street in Beverly Hilly, California yesterday. This is one of the things that I found.
While wandering around the Angeles National Forest in my Jeep, I saw signs for Crystal Lake. I got excited. Just the name conjured up beautiful images in my head. I drove high up into the mountains, parked, headed up the trail to the lake, and this is what I found. And that is the moment when I remembered that Southern California has been gripped by a massive drought for a few years. I haven't decided yet whether I want to google it and see what it used to look like. I probably will.
Angeles National Forest, California I got to drive on the road pictured here this afternoon. So it's been a good day! I started in Santa Monica, which is about 40 feet above sea level, and this photo was shot at over 5000 feet above sea level. Fun times.
All photos and content copyright John D Fischer unless otherwise noted
