I returned from a trip to Southern California last week and I’m still settling-in to this fulltime photographer routine.  The hardest part is knowing when to stop, ironically.  Now that I actually have enough time to do everything, I just keep going and going anyway!

While on the west coast (my favorite), I got to spend time with some of my favorite people, including my brother, Nate.  It was awesome to see everyone … we had a great time despite the terrible weather.  My final night there Nate and I just drove up the coast toward Los Angeles — it was so neat to see the huge port and all the little beach neighborhoods and houses late at night on Tuesday … nobody was out.  We ate at Taco Surf, but mainly, we drove and drove.  Turns out we both love driving and driving … sometimes for hours.  Sometimes when I’m just feeling restless inside late at night … I’ll ask Troy if we can just drive.  And we do just that.  Good music and an endless road in front of us — love that.

There’s something about California that just gets to me every time.  The energy, laid-back and cool, is amazing.  Here are 24 frames from my little trip.  Of course, there are plenty of food photos:

Is lunch with friends.  Especially sushi lunch.  I don’t have a lot of space in my schedule, especially with wedding season right on the horizon … but I’ll rarely say no to making a lunch date work.  This past week I’ve had several lunches with friends, and it’s just something that makes me feel less isolated as a small business owner who works alone all day.  This is definitely something I will make an effort to continue.

Ah, Seattle … how I miss you already.  The music stores, coffee shops, the baristas who tell me they don’t serve drip coffee — only americanos, the cocktails, the thai food and sushi, the cupcakes, the market, everything local and organic, the neighborhoods — especially Ballard and Capitol Hill, the people and their senses of style, the views — mountains and water all-around, and well … I could go on.  Those who know me understand that my absolute favorite thing to do in a new city is walk around all day long, eat amazing food, and photograph that amazing food.  Good conversation with friends who are willing to do the same makes the time spent in a new place even better.

Here are a few frames from my time walking around Seattle with good friends Laura and Eric (both college friends from Madison).  We walked, ate, drank and talked.  Perfect.