yesterday i went on a little polanerd outing with kim and chinako.
our first stop was a cute abandoned cottage in the middle of the nowhere lancaster, california. kim had driven past this place but never had the nerve to explore the interior alone. (i don't blame her).
the cottage was a MESS. there was the usual evidence left behind by one too many drunken minors -- beer cans and bottles, smashed walls, bullet holes and broken tile. (just so you can get an idea of how dirty the place was...) but this house had a terrific blue room and hardwood floors... the perfect backdrop for kim's brilliant idea.
we shot some photos then kim didn't waste any time tossing polaroids around the room, covering the floor with the "bad" shots she no longer wanted. chinako and i couldn't believe what she considered to be her "bad" shots... but apparently kim has very similar perfected versions of the photos she left behind. chinako and i hoarded a few we couldn't bare to leave behind.
we proceeded to shoot hundreds of photos around the house and took turns lying among the polaroids on the floor. although the floor was visibly dirty, it didn't seem so bad.
down the road from the cottage was some sort of compound. all of the buildings appeared to be abandoned but there were cars and dogs and seemingly normal outdoor table with a pitcher of water, iced tea, glasses, binoculars and a pillow. running 1/8 mile along one of the buildings was this creepy fence covered in skeletons of mythical creatures. skulls and bones were wired to the fence to create things like a devil and an angel. near the end of the fence was the "skeleton" of this alien creature
after i showed my boyfriend photos of the skull fence he said, "ohmygod jena, haven't you ever seen the texas chainsaw masacre?!"
we drove further into lancaster county and stopped at a beautiful poppy field. i shot some awesome polaroids of chinako lying on a mexican blanket kim had burried in her trunk.
then we ventured further into the middle of nowhere to the infamous sanctuary adventist church AKA: the kill bill church. when we got there there were three guys taking photos with their camera phone of the church (which is a fully functioning establishment).
all and all, a wonderfully sucessful and fun trip. i shot 420 digital photos and 25 polaroids. of those, a selected set can be viewed here. check them out!! some of the photos taken that day can be purchased in my etsy shop: http://jenaardell.etsy.com/
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thursday, November 22, 2007
madonna inn trip recap!!
who: LA + SF polaroid nerds (11 of us in total).
what: two days, 1 night of mind blowing photo making.
where: thee madonna inn.
when: nov. 17 - 18, 2007.
rooms: "pony room," "round room," "irish hills" and "just heaven."
highlights: seeing the inn all decked out for christmas!! unlocking new rooms as if we were advancing to the next level of a video game. kim making deva (our stellar pink-tie-wearing breakfast waiter) blush. the urinals. squished penny machines!! crashing a wedding party. romping in the stench of the SF boys ;) just teasin. the amazingly awesome pool!! (i wish i brought my suit, damnit!!) julia's vintage dress selection and gnarly strobe skills. lou's anti-cookie-crushing episode. getting reacquainted with mr. and mrs. brilliant. (yes, that's actually their last name). plastic babies. making new friends. the room decor!! holy goodness!! figuring out who was in which room/who had which key/which key unlocked which door. ::confusion:: the 3-ipod, pretzel-eating car ride with miss rutabega and lou o. everybody acting like kids in a polaroid candy store. needless to say, good times had by all.
see all the photos i took during the trip here. more to come, so stop by again soon.
what: two days, 1 night of mind blowing photo making.
where: thee madonna inn.
when: nov. 17 - 18, 2007.
rooms: "pony room," "round room," "irish hills" and "just heaven."
highlights: seeing the inn all decked out for christmas!! unlocking new rooms as if we were advancing to the next level of a video game. kim making deva (our stellar pink-tie-wearing breakfast waiter) blush. the urinals. squished penny machines!! crashing a wedding party. romping in the stench of the SF boys ;) just teasin. the amazingly awesome pool!! (i wish i brought my suit, damnit!!) julia's vintage dress selection and gnarly strobe skills. lou's anti-cookie-crushing episode. getting reacquainted with mr. and mrs. brilliant. (yes, that's actually their last name). plastic babies. making new friends. the room decor!! holy goodness!! figuring out who was in which room/who had which key/which key unlocked which door. ::confusion:: the 3-ipod, pretzel-eating car ride with miss rutabega and lou o. everybody acting like kids in a polaroid candy store. needless to say, good times had by all.
see all the photos i took during the trip here. more to come, so stop by again soon.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
GRAND CANYON ROADTRIP
Oct. 1: packed up and drove 352 miles to Kingman, AZ. along the way, my mom and i fell in love with XM radio. we weren't aware of this, but our rental car was one of only four cars available with it. lucky us!! we found one alt. rock station named Lucy that we listened to the ENTIRE trip!! i think we only heard 4 or 5 songs ever repeated within the four days we listened.
once we arrived in Kingman, we attended the free beer/drinks/juice and popcorn event at our hotel. after browsing piles of brochures, we went out to eat Thai food (at the only thai restaurant within 32 miles). afterward, i bought a really kewl sterling silver ring at a gas station gift shop (around 9:30 pm). then i stood in the middle of the street to take photos of the Route 66 signs stenciled on the turning lanes. :) when we got back to our hotel, my mom and i watched the hills.
Oct. 2: woke up early, drove to the west rim to the Hualapai grand canyon skywalk. the drive there was actually a lot of fun... with a long segment of windy, bumpy "wash board" roads. there were also a lot of "cattle guards" sporatically dividing the streets. still amazes me that a thin grid prevents cattle from crossing their boundaries. and it was even more odd to see BULLS chilling on the side of the road without being fenced. and of course, i loved all the joshua trees. :)
the skywalk was pretty awesome - it's a glass horseshoe-shaped "bridge" suspended 40,000 feet above the grand canyon/colorado river. the first step was a little delicate but after we got over the fact that the floor is transparent, we were walking around like champs, even lying on our stomachs with our noses to the glass. each side of the skywalk is frosted [glass] so people who are afraid of heights don't actually crap their pants. it was hilarious to see people clinging to the railing and only walking on the frosted section. one Japanese man (there were hundreds there) inched past me and my mother during our photo opp and actually clung AROUND my mother who was leaning against the railing.
we spent all afternoon hiking around the west rim. on the way back there was a looong stretch of empty road surrounded by mountains, so my mom and i took A LOT of photos of us lying/jumping/standing/sitting in the middle of the road. (they came out awesome... you'll see them on flickr soon). there were houses nestled at the bottom on the mountain, in the middle of nowhere. no street lights. no trees. just desert. don't know if i'd ever want to live somewhere THAT secluded, but the view of the stars must be amazing. (and the lack of housing developments is majorly appealing). when we got back to town, we ate dinner at Dambar.
Oct. 3: my mom and explored what little there is to explore on "Beale Street" in Kingman. there was an abundance of antique and thrift stores, but a handful were closed. after seeing all there was to see, we drove 115 miles to Williams, AZ and stopped at a kewl general store/gift shop along the way on Route 66. only an hour and a half east, Williams was a lot greener and the weather was much cooler.
shortly after arriving in town, we drove 63 miles (1.5 hrs) to Grand Canyon National Park to explore the south rim. we spent a lot of time in the car, stopping at various view points, saw lots of wildlife, took lots of photos and caught a sunset... which was gorgeous. when we got back to Williams, we ate dinner at our hotel.
Oct. 4: woke up at the crack of dawn (4:30 am!!) to catch a sunrise over the grand canyon before heading back to california. little did i know my mother would have us hiking 4 miles around the rim trails. regardless of the sleep deprivation, we had a good time. on our way there, we saw three wild elk grazing alongside the road. we also returned a nice digital camera we found on a bench to the lost and found. had a huge LCD screen too. (such good Samaritans we are ;) hehe).
after our hike, we drove back to CA... only to get caught up in confusing car pool lanes that diverge onto other freeways and traffic. we had a lot to unload from the car which looked pretty lived in. after we were got settled in, we ate dinner at the apartment.
overall, a very FUN trip. :)
total miles traveled: 1,400
total number of postcards purchased: 10
total number of cameras i brought: 5
total number of photos taken: TBA (too many to count)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
THE SALTON SEA
on sunday i went to the Salton Sea with the LA polanerd crew (rebecca, lou, drew, kim and bryan). i've wanted to visit the notoriously salty sea ever since i stumbled upon it during a late-night online tangent. the idea of exploring the surrounding desolate area chock full of abandoned buildings really appealed to me.
the Salton Sea is a result of what humans do best... neglect the environment by using shortcuts and insufficiently funding major projects so we are ill-prepared for environmental challenges. you would think environmental disasters due to poor upkeep, like the levies post-hurricane katrina would not still occur, but unfortunately we never learn. pertaining to the Salton Sea, man's biggest mistake occurred between 1905 - 1907 during which the colorado river flooded into the "Salton Sink," a major salt mining site, for TWO years. the result - the Salton Sea: the largest lake in california. today, the maximum depth of the Salton Sea measures 51 feet!!
once described as an "investor's dream," the Salton Sea was a hot spot for water skiers, fishermen and boaters in the 1920s. now high levels bacteria, pesticide runoff, raw sewage, excessively high salinity and algae blooms make the water inhabitable. (the water is more salty than the ocean!!) thousands of dead talapia, the only fish that survive long enough to die, wash up on the shores. the sea grows larger and larger, an average of 1.36 million acre-feet per year, thanks to agricultural run-off and the nasty, dirty New River.
what's the New River? why, it's the "single most polluted river in America."
"The New River is composed of waste from agricultural and chemical runoff from the farm industry irrigation in the U.S. (18.4%) and Mexico (51.2%), sewage from Mexicali (29%), and manufacturing plants operating in Mexico (1.4%). By the time the New River crosses the U.S./Mexico border near Calexico, California, the channel contains a stew of about 100 contaminants: volatile organic compounds, heavy metals (including selenium, uranium, arsenic and mercury), and pesticides (including DDT) and PCBs. The waterway also holds the pathogens that cause tuberculosis, encephalitis, polio, cholera, hepatitis and typhoid; levels for many of these contaminants are in violation of U.S. EPA and Cal/EPA standards by several hundredfold.[2] Fecal coliform bacteria are at levels of 100,000 to 16 million colonies per milliliter at the border checkpoint (possibly more, as this is the measuring capacity threshold), far above the U.S.-Mexico treaty limit of 240 colonies." ~wikipedia
soooo before we embarked on this little road trip, i researched the Salton Sea on wikipedia and flickr. all of the photos i saw were of the infamous abandoned North Shore Motel. i promised myself i wasn't going to over-shoot the motel since so many people have already covered that one spot... but during my Salton Sea adventure, i realized why so many people only have photos of that hotel - it's the first stop. and after stopping there, few want to continue to explore the Salton Sea coastline. to my surprise, there were fewer buildings in the area than i expected. i felt like i was walking around a desolate, post-apocalyptic scene from T.C. Boyle's "After the Plague." judging by the trash and graffiti left behind by past visitors, the majority of intrigued visitors fall into four categories: 1. drunk kids en route to or from coachella. 2. curious photographers (we found empty film boxes and polaroid cartridges). 3. skateboarders. 4. whatever animals eat the plethora of pigeons that roost in the abandoned buildings.
the temperature fluctuated between 95-102 degrees at the peak of the afternoon. that mixed with the smell of thousands of dead fish (and some dead birds too) was not-so-pleasant, but add hundreds of relentless flies and you have borderline-unbearable. it was so filthy that the shoes i wore that day are still being quarantined outside until i disinfect them. this may seem a bit like an overreaction, but after you sink ankle-deep into bacterial-laden barnacles and fish bones that have washed up from a sea of dead fish, you too would not want to track the Salton Sea into your home.
we hung around the motel for a long time, each going our seperate ways to find our shots and then meeting back in a small corner of shade and then going back for more, often using each other as "models." lou is an avid pola-portrait photographer so he was busy trying to get us to crouch down in a nasty corner or stand in a shady blue-tiled shower. my favorite part of the motel and yacht club were the abandoned swimming pools. there's just an unnatural appeal about being able to walk on the floor of an empty swimming pool.
after attempting to de-fly drew's vehicle, we headed to Bombay Beach, an interesting off-beat trailor community located near the "marina" of the Salton Sea. for me, this was the most interesting part of the trip. i loved the idea of this little sustainable community out in the middle of the desert. there was a tiny general store, a liquor store and a small garage of a fire station. i headed toward the homes while everyone else was shooting the marina area and i found some interesting things... including a solitary goat living in (under?) an abandoned-looking trailer with fenced-in yard. i would have loved to explore more, but i felt a bit uneasy walking around by myself. my friend hal has been itching to go to the Salton Sea so if and when he does (hopefully when it's a bit cooler outside), i would glady accompany him just to further explore Bombay Beach. i am really interested in the types of characters who live there and you could imagine my delight when i discovered THIS. a documentary about the people who live in Bombay Beach!!!! check out the trailer. the film is only playing in (small) select theatres on certain days and unfortunately i already missed the LA showings and i was all disappointed because i thought i was going to miss one of the upcoming screenings, but as luck would have it, i won't be missing it after all!! THANKGOODNESS. otherwise, i would have had to wait until its dvd release in late september. woo woo, i smell another polanerd get-together!!!! :D
after Bombay Beach, we kept on truckin until we passed an abandoned warehouse conveniently located on the side of the freeway. after over-exploring the motel/hotel/restaurant buildings on the North Shore, i was more interested in the LARGE hay stacks located OUTSIDE in front of the building, away from any disgusting debris. there were two wrecked cars and an old truck behind the warehouse - one car was severly pinned in a ditch. and of course, there were loads of graffiti and fluffy pink insulation littering the warehouse.
undoubtedly, the Salton Sea is an interesting place and i'm glad i got to experience it with the polacrew, because rick and my mother would have really hated it there (and i wouldn't blame them). after driving past Palm Springs, i am reconsidering my strong desire to visit there. i just really want to see all of the kewl 50s architecture. the large dinosaurs (you pass along the way) were a bit of a disappointment. i imagined them being out in the middle of nowhere, not behind a burger king and a gas station. inside the brontosaurus is a small junk shop (that doesn't believe in evolution). you can go inside the t-rex for $2-3... but we didn't. it would have be kewl... but really maybe not, since there isn't much of a view to look at once you are up there.
overall, it's really disappointing and alarming that man has single-handedly caused the environmental disaster known as the Salton Sea. the aftermath is eye-opening. after walking across dead fish carcasses and seeing a body of water THAT LARGE that is completely useless and contaminated, it really makes you fear how badly mankind is destroying our earth and our water supply. if the earth's water were proportioned down to fit in a gallon jug, the available fresh water would be equal to just over a tablespoon. that's a scary statistic. people need to stop being so apathetic to our WORLD'S environmental problems and realize that mother nature can't always magically repair herself. we need to repair our environment before it's too late and the damage we've done becomes irreversible. we need to demand that congress passes environmental laws that will deal with a situation NOW, not in the year 2010 or 2020. we need to conserve water and natural resources and raise children with that same mentality so that it becomes second nature. (i can go on and on, but i will step off of my soap box for now...)
check my flickr for photos.
facts and figures:
during the 1960s: the Salton Sea becomes increasingly salty.
1992 - 1996: a LARGE number of grebes (150,000) and pelicans (unknown how many) die as a result of the bacteria in the water.
INTERESTING ARTICLES ABOUT THE SALTON SEA:
article 1
article 2
the Salton Sea is a result of what humans do best... neglect the environment by using shortcuts and insufficiently funding major projects so we are ill-prepared for environmental challenges. you would think environmental disasters due to poor upkeep, like the levies post-hurricane katrina would not still occur, but unfortunately we never learn. pertaining to the Salton Sea, man's biggest mistake occurred between 1905 - 1907 during which the colorado river flooded into the "Salton Sink," a major salt mining site, for TWO years. the result - the Salton Sea: the largest lake in california. today, the maximum depth of the Salton Sea measures 51 feet!!
once described as an "investor's dream," the Salton Sea was a hot spot for water skiers, fishermen and boaters in the 1920s. now high levels bacteria, pesticide runoff, raw sewage, excessively high salinity and algae blooms make the water inhabitable. (the water is more salty than the ocean!!) thousands of dead talapia, the only fish that survive long enough to die, wash up on the shores. the sea grows larger and larger, an average of 1.36 million acre-feet per year, thanks to agricultural run-off and the nasty, dirty New River.
what's the New River? why, it's the "single most polluted river in America."
"The New River is composed of waste from agricultural and chemical runoff from the farm industry irrigation in the U.S. (18.4%) and Mexico (51.2%), sewage from Mexicali (29%), and manufacturing plants operating in Mexico (1.4%). By the time the New River crosses the U.S./Mexico border near Calexico, California, the channel contains a stew of about 100 contaminants: volatile organic compounds, heavy metals (including selenium, uranium, arsenic and mercury), and pesticides (including DDT) and PCBs. The waterway also holds the pathogens that cause tuberculosis, encephalitis, polio, cholera, hepatitis and typhoid; levels for many of these contaminants are in violation of U.S. EPA and Cal/EPA standards by several hundredfold.[2] Fecal coliform bacteria are at levels of 100,000 to 16 million colonies per milliliter at the border checkpoint (possibly more, as this is the measuring capacity threshold), far above the U.S.-Mexico treaty limit of 240 colonies." ~wikipedia
soooo before we embarked on this little road trip, i researched the Salton Sea on wikipedia and flickr. all of the photos i saw were of the infamous abandoned North Shore Motel. i promised myself i wasn't going to over-shoot the motel since so many people have already covered that one spot... but during my Salton Sea adventure, i realized why so many people only have photos of that hotel - it's the first stop. and after stopping there, few want to continue to explore the Salton Sea coastline. to my surprise, there were fewer buildings in the area than i expected. i felt like i was walking around a desolate, post-apocalyptic scene from T.C. Boyle's "After the Plague." judging by the trash and graffiti left behind by past visitors, the majority of intrigued visitors fall into four categories: 1. drunk kids en route to or from coachella. 2. curious photographers (we found empty film boxes and polaroid cartridges). 3. skateboarders. 4. whatever animals eat the plethora of pigeons that roost in the abandoned buildings.
the temperature fluctuated between 95-102 degrees at the peak of the afternoon. that mixed with the smell of thousands of dead fish (and some dead birds too) was not-so-pleasant, but add hundreds of relentless flies and you have borderline-unbearable. it was so filthy that the shoes i wore that day are still being quarantined outside until i disinfect them. this may seem a bit like an overreaction, but after you sink ankle-deep into bacterial-laden barnacles and fish bones that have washed up from a sea of dead fish, you too would not want to track the Salton Sea into your home.
we hung around the motel for a long time, each going our seperate ways to find our shots and then meeting back in a small corner of shade and then going back for more, often using each other as "models." lou is an avid pola-portrait photographer so he was busy trying to get us to crouch down in a nasty corner or stand in a shady blue-tiled shower. my favorite part of the motel and yacht club were the abandoned swimming pools. there's just an unnatural appeal about being able to walk on the floor of an empty swimming pool.
after attempting to de-fly drew's vehicle, we headed to Bombay Beach, an interesting off-beat trailor community located near the "marina" of the Salton Sea. for me, this was the most interesting part of the trip. i loved the idea of this little sustainable community out in the middle of the desert. there was a tiny general store, a liquor store and a small garage of a fire station. i headed toward the homes while everyone else was shooting the marina area and i found some interesting things... including a solitary goat living in (under?) an abandoned-looking trailer with fenced-in yard. i would have loved to explore more, but i felt a bit uneasy walking around by myself. my friend hal has been itching to go to the Salton Sea so if and when he does (hopefully when it's a bit cooler outside), i would glady accompany him just to further explore Bombay Beach. i am really interested in the types of characters who live there and you could imagine my delight when i discovered THIS. a documentary about the people who live in Bombay Beach!!!! check out the trailer. the film is only playing in (small) select theatres on certain days and unfortunately i already missed the LA showings and i was all disappointed because i thought i was going to miss one of the upcoming screenings, but as luck would have it, i won't be missing it after all!! THANKGOODNESS. otherwise, i would have had to wait until its dvd release in late september. woo woo, i smell another polanerd get-together!!!! :D
after Bombay Beach, we kept on truckin until we passed an abandoned warehouse conveniently located on the side of the freeway. after over-exploring the motel/hotel/restaurant buildings on the North Shore, i was more interested in the LARGE hay stacks located OUTSIDE in front of the building, away from any disgusting debris. there were two wrecked cars and an old truck behind the warehouse - one car was severly pinned in a ditch. and of course, there were loads of graffiti and fluffy pink insulation littering the warehouse.
undoubtedly, the Salton Sea is an interesting place and i'm glad i got to experience it with the polacrew, because rick and my mother would have really hated it there (and i wouldn't blame them). after driving past Palm Springs, i am reconsidering my strong desire to visit there. i just really want to see all of the kewl 50s architecture. the large dinosaurs (you pass along the way) were a bit of a disappointment. i imagined them being out in the middle of nowhere, not behind a burger king and a gas station. inside the brontosaurus is a small junk shop (that doesn't believe in evolution). you can go inside the t-rex for $2-3... but we didn't. it would have be kewl... but really maybe not, since there isn't much of a view to look at once you are up there.
overall, it's really disappointing and alarming that man has single-handedly caused the environmental disaster known as the Salton Sea. the aftermath is eye-opening. after walking across dead fish carcasses and seeing a body of water THAT LARGE that is completely useless and contaminated, it really makes you fear how badly mankind is destroying our earth and our water supply. if the earth's water were proportioned down to fit in a gallon jug, the available fresh water would be equal to just over a tablespoon. that's a scary statistic. people need to stop being so apathetic to our WORLD'S environmental problems and realize that mother nature can't always magically repair herself. we need to repair our environment before it's too late and the damage we've done becomes irreversible. we need to demand that congress passes environmental laws that will deal with a situation NOW, not in the year 2010 or 2020. we need to conserve water and natural resources and raise children with that same mentality so that it becomes second nature. (i can go on and on, but i will step off of my soap box for now...)
check my flickr for photos.
facts and figures:
during the 1960s: the Salton Sea becomes increasingly salty.
1992 - 1996: a LARGE number of grebes (150,000) and pelicans (unknown how many) die as a result of the bacteria in the water.
INTERESTING ARTICLES ABOUT THE SALTON SEA:
article 1
article 2
Monday, July 9, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
SF POLAROID NERD OUT 2007.
this past weekend was a blast!! rebecca and i attended the san francisco Polaroid Nerd Out (a large gathering of polaroid photographers from flickr). it was my first time ever having been in san francisco. (pretty city, but too cold for me). 41 people from all over California/Oregon/Seattle joined forces at Delores park on Sunday. every one who showed up was extremely nice. a man from the east coast, who couldn't attend the Nerd Out, even made and sent polaroid buttons for all of the attendees.
so picture this: a large gang of prehistoric camera-wielding, creative people scattered about playground equipment, taking photos of each other for at least two or three hours. everybody havd an arsenal of cameras (rebecca and i packed five cameras a piece) and came fully stocked with film. (i believe lou shot NINE packs!!) definitely my kind of afternoon. i compared it to a high school reunion for only the kewl kids. i love the feeling (and comfort) of connecting with a group of strangers over a shared interest. it was like meeting up with a bunch of friends you've always wished you had. the whole experience was very reminiscent of how i felt attending 3-11 day in 2004 and 2006. just a bunch of people who are very different, yet very similar- traveling, meeting and reveling in their favorite hobby. it fills you with a lovely sense of belonging and warmth. here's how it went...
saturday:
drove to SF with rebecca. (loooong car ride... took about 6.5-7 hours). drove over the golden gate bridge. took photos. was in awe of the view of the city from the Headlands. crashed at Rebecca's friend laura's apartment. ate thai food with laura and company. rebecca went on a hot date. i went to bed early (shocking, i know) since i had gotten three hours of sleep the previous night.
sunday:
we got my nerd on at the polaroid nerd out!! as i mentioned, 41 polaroid photographers (98% of them from flickr) met up for two hours of photography fun, swinging, chatting and random shenanigans. rebecca and i befriended an awesome girl named arielle. after hundreds of photos were snapped, the crowd dispersed and rebecca and i left the park with a dozen or so flickrites. we walked a decent distance to catch the bus. lou and tod brilliant shot LOTS of random portraits while we were riding on the bus. everybody grabbed some food or jamba juice, then we all chilled outside the japanese gardens (waiting for more flickrites who chose to drive there). then we went up the observation tower in the bay bridge park. amazing view. we all took plenty of photos. eric (a nice guy who built his own holgaroid with a fisheye lens!!) let me use his fisheye lens on my digital camera to take some hilariously unflattering photos of everyone. (will post them on flickr soon).
after that, rebecca and i literally dragged ourselves back to laura's apartment. at which point we were sunburnt, sweaty, EXHAUSTED and in pain from our shoes. everyone had such a blast at the meet-up that some people had already uploaded photos from the event onto flickr!! rebecca and i ate a lot of pretzels and then went to alamo square with laura to see the painted ladies (aka: the full house houses). we took even more photos and ate at a vegetarian restaurant. the BRISK walks to and from bus stops solidified my decision that san francisco is too cold for me.
later we met back up with the remaining polaroid crew around 9:30 at greg's (polaroid jesus's) awesome warehouse apartment. where we saw greg's awesome bedroom ceiling that he painted, ate pizza, took EVEN MORE photos, experimented with light painting, partied, chatted, gossiped, ate pizza, took EVEN MOOOOORE photos. lou took lots of shots of me and rebecca. and watching drew in action as he light painted this photo was mesmerizing. around 3:30 am, we hitched a ride back to laura's apartment with drew and lou. (unfortunately drew's car had gotten broken into the night before so it was a breezy, music-less driving experience. poor drew).
monday:
six-or-so hour long ride back into LA from SF. few pit stops/photo stops along the way. ate lots of pretzels. stopped at a fruit stand and a cattle feed lot. (very sad!!) took some photos. saw pyramid lake. got back to the apartment around 6:00 pm. watched Valley Girl with rick while eating dinner. (awful movie but a REALLY bitchin soundtrack, fer sure!!)
and there you have it!! plans are already in the works for a Polaroid Nerd Out in NYC this october and the Seattle crew is itching to host a Nerd Out as well. rebecca and i plan on hanging out with the LA crew more often.
my photos from this extravaganza can be seen here.
other nerds' photos can be seen here.
AND THERE ARE WAAAAAY MORE PHOTOS TO COME.
so picture this: a large gang of prehistoric camera-wielding, creative people scattered about playground equipment, taking photos of each other for at least two or three hours. everybody havd an arsenal of cameras (rebecca and i packed five cameras a piece) and came fully stocked with film. (i believe lou shot NINE packs!!) definitely my kind of afternoon. i compared it to a high school reunion for only the kewl kids. i love the feeling (and comfort) of connecting with a group of strangers over a shared interest. it was like meeting up with a bunch of friends you've always wished you had. the whole experience was very reminiscent of how i felt attending 3-11 day in 2004 and 2006. just a bunch of people who are very different, yet very similar- traveling, meeting and reveling in their favorite hobby. it fills you with a lovely sense of belonging and warmth. here's how it went...
saturday:
drove to SF with rebecca. (loooong car ride... took about 6.5-7 hours). drove over the golden gate bridge. took photos. was in awe of the view of the city from the Headlands. crashed at Rebecca's friend laura's apartment. ate thai food with laura and company. rebecca went on a hot date. i went to bed early (shocking, i know) since i had gotten three hours of sleep the previous night.
sunday:
we got my nerd on at the polaroid nerd out!! as i mentioned, 41 polaroid photographers (98% of them from flickr) met up for two hours of photography fun, swinging, chatting and random shenanigans. rebecca and i befriended an awesome girl named arielle. after hundreds of photos were snapped, the crowd dispersed and rebecca and i left the park with a dozen or so flickrites. we walked a decent distance to catch the bus. lou and tod brilliant shot LOTS of random portraits while we were riding on the bus. everybody grabbed some food or jamba juice, then we all chilled outside the japanese gardens (waiting for more flickrites who chose to drive there). then we went up the observation tower in the bay bridge park. amazing view. we all took plenty of photos. eric (a nice guy who built his own holgaroid with a fisheye lens!!) let me use his fisheye lens on my digital camera to take some hilariously unflattering photos of everyone. (will post them on flickr soon).
after that, rebecca and i literally dragged ourselves back to laura's apartment. at which point we were sunburnt, sweaty, EXHAUSTED and in pain from our shoes. everyone had such a blast at the meet-up that some people had already uploaded photos from the event onto flickr!! rebecca and i ate a lot of pretzels and then went to alamo square with laura to see the painted ladies (aka: the full house houses). we took even more photos and ate at a vegetarian restaurant. the BRISK walks to and from bus stops solidified my decision that san francisco is too cold for me.
later we met back up with the remaining polaroid crew around 9:30 at greg's (polaroid jesus's) awesome warehouse apartment. where we saw greg's awesome bedroom ceiling that he painted, ate pizza, took EVEN MORE photos, experimented with light painting, partied, chatted, gossiped, ate pizza, took EVEN MOOOOORE photos. lou took lots of shots of me and rebecca. and watching drew in action as he light painted this photo was mesmerizing. around 3:30 am, we hitched a ride back to laura's apartment with drew and lou. (unfortunately drew's car had gotten broken into the night before so it was a breezy, music-less driving experience. poor drew).
monday:
six-or-so hour long ride back into LA from SF. few pit stops/photo stops along the way. ate lots of pretzels. stopped at a fruit stand and a cattle feed lot. (very sad!!) took some photos. saw pyramid lake. got back to the apartment around 6:00 pm. watched Valley Girl with rick while eating dinner. (awful movie but a REALLY bitchin soundtrack, fer sure!!)
and there you have it!! plans are already in the works for a Polaroid Nerd Out in NYC this october and the Seattle crew is itching to host a Nerd Out as well. rebecca and i plan on hanging out with the LA crew more often.
my photos from this extravaganza can be seen here.
other nerds' photos can be seen here.
AND THERE ARE WAAAAAY MORE PHOTOS TO COME.
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