:: V E N I C E B E A C H :: a picture story

Venice Beach: home of the wanderers of the world.

What a wonderfully strange and unique place. I was told that I had to go and check out Venice beach boardwalk outside LA because the hippie in me would find so much delight in the wild demographic of Venice inhabitants.

Not only were my expectations met but they were matched by an equally more beautiful surprise.

Its an udderly amazing match of the untamed ocean and the overpopulated wild world that is Los Angeles. I was consumed by the notion that this piece of our natures landscape has come through thriving alongside such a destructive social set up. In general, our ideas of LA are stereotyped and generalized to be somewhat negative. Only time will tell us whether these notions are true, but from this current perspective I believe that California is really showing me how resilient nature can be.

 It is so beautiful to see all those people; their eyes distracted by the colors, the people, the everything..their ears delighted by the music, the laughing, the carefree.

I love that image of the little boy taking a photo for his parents, I remember looking at Kris and saying, "my god kids are so good with technology, that kid is like 5!" Hopefully he'll grow up and be a photographer. I wonder what photos look like from his perspective...its all in the eye of the beholder, that wonderful crazy amazing thing that only you can see. Whats even better is that the old man behind him is doing the same thing. I love the art of photography and how it is accessible to everyone! 

 

Music, Music everywhere. Hip-hop, reggae, DJ's, banjos, urban, hometown; whatever you can imagine  you'll find it on the boardwalk. 

 

Where have the come from? They fascinate me, the street performers.

 

I want to know their stories. So many millions of stories are born every moment, all around us. I can't imagine what it would be like to hear them all.

Passerby's stop for a minute to listen to their story, to become a part of it, if only for a second. 

 

Then, there is the weird and the wacky... the world's strangest show...its hard to tell if it is only inside the big top that you'll find the strange and unusual. 

 So many wonders on a strip of boardwalk. We have to close our eyes just to take it all in. This whole time we walk on the boardwalk, I can't help but zig-zag my way through to the right, because there exists an entirely new world, co-existing, melting together.

 

 

 

 

 

D R U M   C I R C L E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Only the really brave can get into that circle. The sirens of the sand; songs and beats from a distance. Its so tempting to run to the center of that circle. This was not one of those days for us, admiring from the distance was our game for the day. But I still feel like a participant. :) My senses tingled with so many sights and sounds.

The burning question: 'Did that guy seriously just play basketball with that baby strapped to his chest'?

Well my friends we will never know. But we did confirm that it is true, white men can't jump.

Families from near and far are enjoying this magic moment together, parents are passing on memories to their children giving them their very own amazing adventure. I can't wait to have my kids someday. They are going to be so great...oh that scary dream full of chaos and bliss. Its going to be awesome, and I will bring them here to this wild world.

 And all at once, these wonderfully distracted people turn their eyes to the west and there before them is a wonder, a beautiful thriving ocean that has stood its ground. Oh that ocean, how can it be so strong in a world of so much destruction. Take a minute to tip your hat when you fasten your eyes on the horizon and wonder if it ever ends.

Give thanks for that beautiful ocean.

 

 And then we move on. The sunset has released our eyes from its hypnotizing beauty we head back to the pavement, shake off the sand and march to the beat that is the boardwalk.

 

 I guess the moral of the story here is to be "Idle No More". A rock-solid image of this memory will last a life time for me. I have always wanted to be in motion, yet felt somehow held back.

 Move with it, roll with it, believe in every dream because it can happen. I did it and It feels amazing. I have been through so much in this last 9 months, moving to a new state, being away from my family and friends. I went through periods where I was sad, homesick, broke, crazy, and scared, but in equal or more ways I was amazed, astounded, dumbfounded, electrified,  joyous, blessed, exuberant, ecstatic!  

 

So if your ever worried that you made a bad choice or that things are looking their darkest, don't forget to breathe...look around and realize that this is the story of your life and it's revealing itself to you every day. Take note. A quote from a great movie, “Everything will be alright in the end, and if it is not alright, then it is not yet the end.." 

Next up: Santa Monica Pier

It's not over yet baby! 

t