A Wedding Shoot, La Jolla Pics and Thanks for the Lunch Date

 Last Friday the 16th involved shooting  floral arrangements for a wedding that my oldest daughter and her mom put together as Soleil Flowers. I had a blast! They are such fun to be around with, and after all of the hubbub and rigamarole settled down, we all had a chance to let out a sigh of relief and bask in the sense of accomplishment. These things aren't cakewalks when putting them together!

Bride's maid bouquet

Bride's bouquet

Custom crafted centerpiece. Soleil Flowers took clear glass vases, applied custom lettering and stenciled out Mickey Mouse when coating with white paint. Added a rhinestone band around the lip, plus glitter inside to simulate Tinkerbell's pixie dust. A LED light was placed at the bottom inside of the vase that changes color with time. The bride is totally into Disney stuff.

Reception was held at the Storm stadium in Lake Elsinore.

On Saturday the 17th, I met in La Jolla with one of the photography clubs I belong to for a little photo outing. Myeh: it was a so-so event. Bad planning on the organizer's part. He started it too late (8:00am. The sun was well up in the sky by then), and he didn't take into account the + high tide which crested that morning.

After our obligatory group shot, we headed down to La Jolla Cove to start shooting. One basically couldn't get around 'cuz the tide was so high, as it was up against the bluffs mostly. After about ten minutes of this mickey mouse attempt at photography, I bid adieu to the group and peeled off on my own in order to salvage the rest of the day.

I managed to capture two photos down there. The air was cool and crisp and the colors so vibrant after the little shower that dropped minutes before we arrived, but the tide was crappy and the sun too harsh to snap some decent pics. The day would have made for some awesome snapshots if one was from Iowa on a vacation stopover. 

Our obligatory group photo.

Some La Jolla Cove swimmers from a swim club that was meeting there.

Climbed out on to a shelf just north of La Jolla Cove. Greeted by a freshly showered upon, slippery, gooey film of bird guano and possibly sea lion crap covering the rocks. The aroma is like, well... a generously applied cheap perfume: it pervades the whole room and lingers long after the perp is gone. I got to take some of it home with me - it being firmly embedded in the waffles of my boots. My vehicle still stinks. Lesson: Don't go climbing around on guano-infested rocks after a squall.

I was up in Laguna Beach Sunday the 18th for a birthday party for a friend. Also met some dear friends for lunch at the La Sirena Grill off of Wesley Drive.

From left to right: Eli, Marion's nephew visiting from N.Y., Marion, Helga, Sharon, Beck, et moi. If in Laguna Beach, this is one fine place for Mexican food. The atmosphere is casual, the food is tasty, large-portioned and very fresh, and the prices are quite reasonable, especially when you take into consideration this is in L.B. (Taken with my camera phone.)

After lunch, Helga and I took a walk down by the beach between Aliso Creek and Treasure Island below The Montage. I saw this rock outcropping jutting out of the bluff which reminded me of a craggy face. It even has vegetation for hair! (Taken with my camera phone.)

I would have to say it was a busy weekend.