chase the light

Got up this morning and walked over to the cafe Savor in Noe Valley and met up with Willo again for breakfast. We were all pretty beat from the night before. Good to see her again after having known her through our websites for about 4 years and first meeting her when she came down to L.A. about a year and half ago.

After breakfast we picked up Shine and headed out to the Sutro Baths for a little hike around the rocks and paths. Kinda touristed it up again. Made up some things to shoot, which Shine being the wallflower wanted no part of. Jill, the ham, is pretty much up for anything so she shows up in most everybody’s photos. Later we got some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl and also went out to Yerba Buena island to shoot some more photos.

After getting back to Jill’s they headed out to a party and I headed over to the kayaking place. I needed to be tere at 10pm to get suited up for the midnight kayak trip out to see the fireworks on the bay. It wasn’t nearly as cold as I thought it might be. With all the layers I was perfectly warm. but… slipping the kayaking into the black waters was a whole other thing. I’m fairly confident in a kayak but I had a single so I was all on my own with nothing but a little blue light. There were about 20 kayaks out and it was fun to come up underneath the Bay Bridge and just see how massive it is. Spent most of the time out by the second tower waiting for the fireworks. Pretty weird to be paddling along in the dark and hear something break the surface and blow out a bunch of air like a whale. Just a sea lion going by but when they’re right next to your little kayak they just seem huge. Great to see though.

I was paddling around in circles when the fireworks started. I had my back to them and the concussion you feel in your body is just amazing. You don’t realize how powerful they are until you can feel them and smell them. Anyway it was great and beautiful to be out on the water with the bridge the cityscape and the fireworks. Because I was out playing around in the kayak I’m not in any of the official photos… [CITY KAYAKS’ FLICKR SET]

Got back to Jill’s and they were still at the party. Crashed in a matter of minutes.

New Years Day on my way back to the airport I got to hit the Reclination Party at Keith and Shelli’s. Basically a come eat some carbs to cure your hang over party and greet the first day of the year. I’ve adopted a lot of their friends as my own now and they even applauded as I entered! Thank you, thank you, thank you… =) Funny. Keith took me me over to the train station and I headed to the airport. Much easier flight home.

Have a great year!