January 6, 2015 - San Francisco

Douglas Playground, Noe Valley

January 5, 2015 - San Francisco

Waiting for the trolley car with Papa.

Fort Bragg - January 8, 2015

We arrived in Fort Bragg after the scariest drive of my life. We took the 20 over from the 101 and that was a huge mistake. Extremely curvy, this narrow road snaked through dense woods, and it was dark. A car was on my tail for much of the two lane road and I was already going too quickly for my taste. We learned later that it was really mostly a locals/logging road.



We didn't hang out in Fort Bragg for very long. That drive really took the wind out of our sail. But we did visit Pacific Star Winery, the westernmost winery in the country where I tasted a Muscat I liked and bought. Then I took a quick walk over to the cliffs above Glass Beach for a few photos. Luca had fallen asleep in the car and Sergio stayed behind with him.







It really was beautiful.







Damn. This is one set of photos I really wish I had time to edit, color correct, etc.

This day was part of a 10 day roadtrip exploring northern California.
Itinerary: LA, SLO, SF, San Rafael/Mill Valley (Muir Woods), Fort Bragg, Napa, SLO, LA
Travel Dates: 1/2/2015 - 1/11/2015

The light in Muir Woods - January 7, 2015

I fell in love with the sunlight breaking through the dense canopy, illuminating intimate spaces in the woods. I marveled over how the rays brushed past each branch, frond and leafy tendril in their path, enrobing each touchpoint in bright, gold light. "Wow, look at that light," was a phrase I whispered quite a few times - mostly to Sergio but sometimes just to myself.

























There are a few things I wish I could fix or crop but I just don't have time! So everything posted here is totally raw. Don't get me wrong, I'm itching to bring a few of these into Photoshop but honestly, I have other things to do.

This day was part of a 10 day roadtrip exploring northern California.
Itinerary: LA, SLO, SF, San Rafael/Mill Valley (Muir Woods), Ft. Bragg, Napa, SLO, LA
Travel Dates: 1/2/2015 - 1/11/2015

JTree

Many years ago, I spent a day in Joshua Tree on a guided tour, part of a corporate team building exercise. I recall being impressed by the otherworldly beauty of the park. But returning to explore on our own was an entirely different experience.

This place is pure magic.













IG Gallery: #elauincJTree2014



Travel Dates: December 6-8, 2014

#elauinc365

On January 1, 2014, I challenged myself to post one photo a day on Instagram for one year. I posted my final photo for this project yesterday.

Rules
1) The photo had to have been taken that same day.
2) The photo had to be posted before midnight of that same day.

What I learned
1) I learned new photo editing techniques and how to take better iPhone photos in general.
2) Mustering up the discipline to take one photo a day is actually really hard!
3) I learned to recognize the beauty in ordinary moments.
4) I am on Instagram way too often. I'm aiming for quality as opposed to quantity in 2015.

I'm thankful for what the project has brought and it was the perfect way for me to keep journaling despite not having the time to blog. My daily presence on IG has led to new real life connections and additional areas of growth that I would never have experienced otherwise (like joining L.A. Cake Club!) I miss blogging though so I'll do my best to come back here more often.

You can locate my project within Instagram by searching for #elauinc365. I've embedded the gallery below as well. Hover over the bottom edge of the gallery to unhide navigation to the next page.