Congrats to San Diego Football Club and their intense, welcoming, passionate fans, Frontera SD. Their inaugural season was one for the ages. First place in the MLS Western Conference. Now on to the playoffs and the chase for the MLS Cup. Good luck boys, knowing your fans will be there with you every step of the way.
Portraits of the SDFC Ultras
Reuben
Cirillo
Rodrigo
Jasmine
Eric
Dee
Reefah
Jasmine
Robert
Abby
Amado
Hector
I love Honolulu. There’s something about it that reminds me of New Orleans, where I lived and worked for a decade. It’s overgrown, hot & humid, unkempt in places. I love that about both cities. It also shares a quirkiness with New Orleans. It’s more subtle. New Orleans tends to wear its freak flag on its sleeve, but you don’t need to look too deep to notice island life has its own unique style. Take personal transportation. The forms and sizes are varied. Personal style expressed via helmets, or not, flip flops, shorts, and even the vehicle themselves.
My trip to London was weird. Something felt off. It was my first visit. I was excited. There were several photo galleries on my list, not the least of which was the Victoria & Albert collection. But when I got there, the photography halls were closed for an installation. This happens, it’s not common, but it happens. But it kept happening when I went to visit various sites. It’s not to say there wasn’t plenty to stay entertained and culturally enriched. It was just…off. Or maybe I was. I can’t think of any other way to put it. I didn’t stay still. I never do. I saw lots of neighborhoods. Once I got back in my studio and started editing my images I noticed just how rich and unique each of the neighborhoods was. In retrospect this was the highlight of the trip. Walking the streets without a specific destination. While in London, I kept thinking, is this all there is, what am I missing here? It seemed underwhelming. Since I’ve been away, it’s all I can think about – I can’t wait to revisit. It’s the people, the streets, and the neighborhoods that make a place meaningful. Here’s to my London reminder and to getting back as soon as possible. I promise this time I’ll appreciate all it has to offer.
St Dunstan of the East Church
Camden Town – Camden Lock, Regis Canal
Smoker – Soho
Pub – Westminster
Pimlico
Speakers House – Westminster
Scooter – City of London
Look Both Ways – Bloomsbury
Women Walking – Chelsea
Walker – Chelsea
Coronation Route – Westminster
Stairs – City of London
Serpentine Bridge, Kensington Park
Scarf – Notting Hill
Phone Booth – Pimlico
Smoking – Paddington
By 9AM Saturday morning most major news outlets had called the election for Joe Biden. The random car horns started shortly thereafter. By 11AM University Ave in Hillcrest was bumper to bumper and as loud as a concert. After 4 years of the Trump Administration and 8 months of the pandemic the Left was ready to erupt. In San Diego they took to the streets for a spontaneous car parade. While the still images don’t do the sound justice they do capture the jubilance. The video gives a sense of the wall of sound.
Quarantine is tough. I’m not writing anything the world doesn’t already know. Parents with school age children are saints. Work from home is difficult, at best. Isolation and anxiety are rampant. The streets here in San Diego have often resembled a dystopian movie set. Empty and trafficless. But the lockdown created a unique rhythm to life. A quiet, peaceful cadence also developed on the streets.
As tough as it’s been, there have even been a few bright spots. Some things are even better.
The air got cleaner, crisper: Automobile traffic is a fraction of its normal volume. Within a matter of days air quality improved. You could smell, even taste, the difference.
It’s eerily quiet. Cities are noisy; really, really noisy. With bars, clubs, and restaurants all closed it’s been noticeably muted. In our neighborhood, Friday and Saturday, usually a cacophony of sounds, are exceptionally serene.
Running down the middle of the street: that feeling of going for a run and the streets are your personal track.
Family time: fractioned tribes have migrated back to the roost. Families are taking advantage of forced togetherness. Quality family time is abundant. Nobody is rushing from here to there and back again. The pace has slowed to a crawl. Life is slower, more peaceful.
Quarantine has not been easy, but there have been a few silver linings along the way.
Stay Safe out there. It’s far from over.
