shuffle.

florida is so much like california. it's almost scary to think i drove 3000 miles to end up in a place that's so much like home. i love it.
thanks to the lovely melissa lyttle for hosting me for this extended visit, and for pointing me in the direction of my first order of business.... shuffleboard! with my love of cable-knit cardigans, oversized sunglasses and knitting, it only made sense that while in florida, i should learn to play this awesome game. so i went to the friday night shuffle at the st. petersburg shuffleboard club, armed with a camera and no expectations. what i found were at least 30 people, young and old, playing numerous games of shuffleboard fairly late into the night. i talked to joyce, an older woman and a member of the league, and she invited me to play a game with some of the folks there. i have to say i abandoned my camera for some good old-fashioned fun! if you ever find yourself in st. petersburg with no plans on a friday night, it's a must-see event.hooray for florida.

water.

drove down to sarasota today to see a little more of florida, and have been almost non-stop drenched by some crazy rain. so much for sunny florida.

as i was killing some time and editing through photos from the trip so far, i realized that i rarely had the chance to see the sunset... and then i realized that so much of what i ended up photographing for the last couple days has only been the sunset. sunset and water. i guess that's what happens when you're so close to the water.

maybe it's too many photos, but i can't stop loving this open-water sunset weather. enjoy.

bay to bay.

made it to tampa in one piece. nothing like a 5-day drive to put your life into perspective. keeping this short; here are some photos.

spent a day wandering houston. saw a house made of beer cans, a giant armadillo, had some pecan pie, and took pictures of the big buildings:
drove into louisiana and stayed with friend and photographer misty mcelroy in houma:
next morning was the home stretch, driving through mississippi and alabama before finally reaching the panhandle and the rest of florida. got lost in mobile, alabama, and stopped in daphne to take some sunset photos:
then on to tampa in time for the holiday:
the trip is done, but i'm really thinking the journey's only beginning. happy thanksgiving, y'all.

rollin'

six months ago, i would never have believed that i would be driving across the country for the first time in my life. and i would definitely never have believed i would be doing that alone.

today marks the third day in a trip that i've decided is my chance to live the exciting, youthful adventure i always wondered if i'd missed out on in the past. it's been my chance to really think about my life, re-evaluate how far i've come and how much farther i am willing to push myself. it's been being cooped up in my little car for far too many hours, taking pictures out the window of the darkened landscape and hoping the wind doesn't push me too far onto the shoulder. it's been a playlist of songs i haven't heard since high school that are my safety blanket as i hit unknown territory, singing loud enough for folks in passing cars to turn their heads and stare. it's been freedom and fear, excitement and too much caffeine.

it's been the realization that i am wholly in control of and responsible for my life. and it's been beautiful.

so i left san francisco as the sun set on friday, rolling into phoenix at 4:30 am. stayed with my good friend jason fritz, who i haven't seen since i moved to stockton and he moved all over the country doing photo internships. took it easy in AZ for a while, then left that evening to drive overnight to el paso. crossing state lines in the dead of night, no lights at all until i hit the texas/mexico border and could see juarez on the other side of the freeway. stayed at the shadiest motel i've ever been in, tried to sleep off the caffeine but instead worried if i'd be murdered in my sleep. fell asleep at sunrise, then got up to drive to houston. weimar, texas (this one's for you, mike!):

west texas was the first place of this trip that i was able to actually see while i was driving. somewhere in that desert between high noon and sunset, seeing nothing but truck-stop towns and cacti, i felt free. and as cliche as it sounds, i felt alive. the last six months have been a rollercoaster of ups but mostly downs, and it was incredible to feel totally happy for the first time all year.

two more days for the rest of this trip. florida, here i come.

dia.

a little late on this post, but i wanted to share some photos all the same. a couple weeks ago, i finally was able to shoot the dia de los muertos procession in the mission district of SF. it was epic! i knew it was big, but i don't think i realized just how many thousands of people show up on that night to parade the streets in costume and face paint to celebrate the holiday. day of the dead has always been one of my favorite holidays to celebrate and photograph, so it was a pleasure to finally do it in san francisco.

here are a few from the evening.