want. need. absolutely must have.

i've always wanted a eurovan or an airstream, but the mehrzeller is BETTER! this thing rocks!

i should preface this post by saying that my husband is not a camper. he is a self-proclaimed metrosexual with a penchant for prada and boutique hotels. the several times i have dragged him along to show him how great camping is, it has been a disaster. like when i forced him to drive up the coast one weekend to camp on the beach (spontaneous! romantic!). we drove for eight hours until we finally realized it was spring break and there were no campsites to be found anywhere along the california coastline. anywhere.

his concession to me is to go on what we call "glamorous camping" trips, or, for short, "glamping". a fabulous glamping spot is el capitan camping resort just north of santa barbara. note the word "resort" - the prices reflect this, but the beds are great, they have maidservice and a restaurant/store with cappucinos, and it's a good quick getaway.

this summer vacation, however, found us late planning with no money. so, a-camping we will go! still more glamping than camping as we're going to do car camping mixed with hotels up in northern california wine country, but still! it will be me, my husband michael, and our two daughters, lucia (3.5 years) and stella (8 mos), drinking wine (not the girls) and eating gourmet food in tents by the redwoods. sounds heavenly to me; still not sure about michael! but if we had the mehrzeller...he might even look forward to it!

otherworldly escape. here.

thank you to the fairies for letting us see the pictures of 14-year-old photography wunderkind Olivia Bee. her work is full of magic and poetry and the stuff that actually makes me nostalgic for that special age, teetering between child and adult. there is a refreshing lack of cynicism or sarcasm, but that's not to say that they lack reality. it's just her reality.

my new favorite blog is abbytriesagain i love her blog but i especially love her flickr page. it's interesting to go back to her first posts and watch as her eye and skill develop over time. plus i just love all her subject matter...her visuals are so comforting and beautiful.

i spend a lot of time on flickr for my current work doing treatments for directors. i'm digging the work itself, but i also enjoy the hours i spend perusing the myriad of photos on flickr. this dude, wiseacre, has a series of awesome self-portraits. i'm very into portraiture, especially with paintings, and his photos have a very painterly sensibility that i really like.

happy valentines day! send something to someone you love...i actually snail-mailed valentines to mine today. i'm not usually good at anything that involves postage but i got inspired.

love this picture. don't know whose it is. remember when someone was always there to catch you?

read this if you want to feel like a sane person. if you have children, that is. i am in love with the photography of Julie Blackmon, who has a show going on right now at the fahey/klein gallery on La Brea. going to check it out this weekend...or later this week...

want to get cracking on posting, i really do, there is so much out there to share! lulu starts a new school on monday, a reggio school, they have bunnies and she seems excited about it. fingers crossed, pencils at the ready...