a weekend of good eats and fun pets

Oh Venice Beach! How I wish I were there basking in your warm sunlight… instead of being cooped up in an office. Standing on the beach from left to right: Gary Millard, Marilyn Szabo, and myself. I will admit, this photograph was directed by Gary. He occasionally asks if he can direct a shot, and of course I always oblige. I am a ghost like figure in most of my self portraits due to running back and forth from the camera to open and close the shutter.

The weekend went by in a blur and I’m still shocked that today is already Tuesday. It was a weekend full of photography. On Saturday Gary and I photographed our friend Kristian’s pets (dogs and turtle) and his sister’s two dogs. Kristian has a darling turtle, Randal Pink Floyd and he smiles and lets you pet him. His two pit bulls were super sweet. Ruka, the younger, brindled coat one joined me in a game. I was the remote controlled sumo wrestler and she was my opponent. I think she had a lot of fun, but ultimately, I won. She didn’t know what to make of that toy chasing her.

On Saturday afternoon we stopped by the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix to celebrate the Year of the Rat. Ate at the Golden Buddha and raved (like we always do) at how delicious their crab rangoons are. Funny story. When I was in high school, the mall in Kansas City or Columbia, Missouri were places we obviously hung out. After a day of shopping and boy chasing we would eat Chinese food or Pizza. Every time we ordered Chinese food, we would get crab rangoon or crab puffs, how ever you prefer to call them. I was all knowing, even if I did not know the answer and one time my sister asked what was in them. Naturally, since they were Asian, I said the white stuff is Tofu. I can’t remember if she ate them or not after that. It wasn’t until I was in college that I learned they were filled with cream cheese! It also wasn’t until college that I tried tofu and I definitely prefer cream cheese to tofu.

Back to my day. After dinner we waited in line for 45 minutes for Chinese pancakes. I had never tried them before, the lines were always long, so I figured they must be good. My thoughts were correct, yummy golden warm cakes with a custard filling. Super delish.

On Saturday night I organized my cds and negatives, a project on my to-do list for about a year.

On Sunday morning we photographed our friends Tony and Raquel’s little chihuahuas, Poncho and Oscar. I have changed my mind about chihuahuas and will forever think they are cute and adorable. I must of seen a really ugly one once because I’ve had a low opinion of that breed for quite some time. When you look at this photo by Gary Millard, you can’t possibly think they are anything but cute:

Raquel and Tony have a luscious garden abundant with broccoli, tiny tomatoes, and herbs. The tomato I tasted was divine. They gave us a stalk of broccoli and a few varieties of basil seeds to take home with us. We steamed the broccoli last night and it was out of the world! So fresh and full of flavor. I wish all vegetables tasted that good.

The afternoon lead us first to Tammy Coe’s for delightful cupcakes and then to an afternoon photography engagement session with our friends Jessica and Jonathan (soon to be Standifird). She is a poet with a huge heart and he, also a poet is an wonderful pianist/songwriter. We have the pleasure of photographing their wedding this weekend! They are too in love and too adorable! We photographed in an abandoned hotel on Grand Ave and Roosevelt, even trespassing into a pool of deadly sharks! No, not really, but the shadows in the pool resembled sharks and the photographs turned out neat. If you want to see the photos check this blog periodically.

After the hotel, we ventured to another abandoned building near 4th Street and McKinley and photographed them, appropriately in front of a HUGE painted grand piano on the side of the building. I did some pinholes that I am dying to see!

Then it was off to dinner at Switch. Switch is owned by the same people who own Fez and Ticoz, two restaurants I do love. I ordered a prosciutto and mozzarella gallette, which was excellent although a bit salty for my taste. I could tell they didn’t use prosciutto di parma and their choice was too salty. I often splurge when I find prosciutto di parma, really, truly the only kind I adore with a hefty price tag of around $20 per pound. But seriously, no comparison to the cheaper brands. Gary had macaroni and cheese, and it was excellent. Jessica had turkey and spinach crepes which were pretty good, I liked the delicate flavor of them. Jonathan had a sandwich, which was much too spicy for me, but my one bite was tasty.

And like I said, today is Tuesday. Almost the middle of the week again. Where does the time go?