Early Winter Ghosts

The days are too short. The woods are too brown, and dead. Winter is coming, the sky is going to fall.

We set out Wednesday to find color and early winter ghosts. 

They exist, rich yellows, greens, blues and browns.  Things are so much quieter these days, but somehow the silence is watchful, aware.

A full yellow moon rose on my golden birthday. A buck crossed my path and let me follow him through a grove of trees. My favorite people in the world sang to me, and I sat on a dock in a frozen marsh with some of the best creatures I've met in the world. The moon had a ring that encompassed the whole sky, and ice alligators cut paths through the cattails. 

I couldn't ask for anything more.

Under Indiana

I discovered Morengo Cave by accident, much like it was originally discovered in September of 1883 by two school children, a brother and sister, exploring their local woods...

Can you even imagine how amazing it must be to be a child discovering a giant cave for the first time, and trying to keep it a secret?

"Marengo Cave was discovered September 6, 1883 by siblings Orris and Blanche Hiestand…Orris was 11 years old at the time, and his sister Blanche worked as a cook at the local Marengo Academy and had heard some of the boys discussing a sinkhole they had found in the woods close by. They suspected it might lead to a cave and were talking of returning with lanterns later. Blanche decided to beat the boys to it. She ran home from the school that day, enlisted her brother Orris, took two candles and set off into the woods…they stumbled into the sink hole, situated in a thick woods and undergrowth of vines and ferns. Orris let himself get down in the hole enough to see that an opening and darkness extended to unknown depth. The children crawled down a narrow passageway, approximately 50 feet long, and were the first humans known to set foot in Marengo Cave. Awed by what they had seen, but quickly becoming afraid of the darkness they retreated back to the surface."

via Wikipedia - Morengo Cave

Here are photos of my handsome accomplice and I exploring the woods above the cave. I guess Indiana isn't that bad after all.

La Familia Muerta

Los Muertos

a collaboration by myself, Jeremy Hayes, and Kim Shay

thank you to Vanessa for painting sugar skull faces, as well as Sarah and Matthew for modeling

Kiki and Kenna's Magical Fossilized Droolry

These photos are a collaboration by myself, Jeremy Hayes, Kim Shay, and Matthew Ancer. 

This set of images is a thank you to Kiki and Kenna two fantastically whimsical hawaiian sunshine muses who make jaw dropping jewelry (droolry by my opinion) in Venice, Ca and through some miraculous turn of events are also my very dear friends.
For my birthday this month my Pineapple Princess, Kenna, helped me adopt this beautiful fossilized mollusk shell complemented by topaz stones (my birth stones) strung along a beautiful long chain necklace.
After I purchased this wonder of science and art I was given raffle tickets to throw in on their 1st Year Anniversary raffle... Lo and behold, I won this Aqua Aura Quartz Crystals necklace which somehow worked seamlessly with the other necklace. Luck of the Irish, and Birthday Magic, thank you for your help.

To view more of their work you can either visit their Venice Beach storefront at 100 Market St, Suite B, Venice, Ca 90291 or their online store at www.kikidesignsla.com

Thank you for the magical treasures from your imaginarium, Kiki and Kenna.