Mom's Visit...

Let's take a break from film and talk about more important things: family. My Mother flew in for the weekend and had a wonderful time. If memory serves me correctly, she has not visited LA since my graduation in 2007, so after much pressure and pointing out how many times I have gone to Phoenix, I got her to come out.

Mom at the Korean Friendship Bell in Ft. MacArthur in

San Pedro.

She arrived earlier than I thought in Burbank, so I got to leave work early (darn!). We came back home and she finally got to see where I call home. I cooked pork chops with spuds n' carrots, and served 'em up with cottage cheese, bread, and apple sauce. Delicious dinner.

After, on a whim, she decided she wanted to see just a little of LA on her first night. Apparently her nausea from her vomitous flight in had subsided. I did her one better and showed her the whole city.

We drove up to the Griffith Observatory, which is up there right by the Hollywood sign. You may know this place as where James Dean has the class field trip in Rebel Without a Cause. It was an unusually clear night and we could see all the way to Long Beach, including Catalina Island. Unfortunately, it was too dark to take a picture, so the memory will have to do.

Mom and I at the Pacific in San Pedro.

On day 2, we rose early and I took Mom to get the Dairy way out in Montebello. It's farmer fresh and much cheaper than the grocery store; despite the distance. We got back home within an hour and made a huge breakfast.

Mom was starting to get a little freaked out by the city and wanted to see "beautiful California." So I took her North to Lake Elizabeth. I had been on a shoot there some time ago and had been meaning to go back. What was truly shocking was that I remembered how to get there by memory.

When we arrived, I took some pictures on my large format camera and enjoyed the scenery for a while. Then we went to the Rock Inn and had a very greasy lunch. Before leaving, I noticed they had an Addams Family pinball machine in the corner, so I hit that up and finally got my pinball fix. We drove back and I developed the negatives while my Mom read. We turned in relatively early.

On Sunday, Mom's last day in town, she was starting to get kind of tired and wanted to vegetate. But she hadn't seen the Ocean yet so I said, "no way." I drove her down to San Pedro, which is just next to Long Beach, to Fort MacArthur. The view is truly stunning, and I took some more pictures on 35mm; this time with a near-infrared film stock called Ilford SFX. It gives you that somewhat dreamy quality you're seeing with the pictures on this post. Unfortunately, they don't scan very well so this really isn't doing them justice.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge.

There was also an NA meeting happening at the park, and Mom stopped to listen in for a minute. So no matter where she's at, if it's Sunday, she will find a meeting. That's all there is to it. After that, we headed to the Port of Los Angeles, right under the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

The main point was for me to photograph the bridge, but we also stopped to admire the trolley that services the port (though we did not ride it) and look at the enormous cruise ships that were docked there.

Me in front of the Sea Princess at the Port of Los Angeles

We were about to pack it in when Mom noticed the SS Lane Victory, a navy vessel that was docked literally right under the bridge. We realized it was a museum, so we paid the admission and hopped aboard.

Needless to say, memories of Wampa immediately took hold, especially when we found the companies' piano near the radio room. It was quite something to see how these sailors must have lived. The quarters were quite cramped, and the boat could be a bit difficult to get your bearings on. But there was also an incredible freedom to it as well. Just you, the boat, and the Ocean.

I snapped a bunch of pictures before joining Mom starboard. It was about Mid-afternoon and we had to get back to my place in North Hollywood. On the way back, we saw a near-fatal car accident, and judging by the look on Mom's face, I think she had enough of the Los Angeles freeway.

Mom on the S.S. Lane Victory.

Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.

On the way back, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant called El Torito in Burbank. It was right across the street from NBC studios where the Tonight Show with Jay Leno is taped. We stuffed ourselves silly, then headed back to my place.

Mom finished up the book she was reading and then I took her back to the airport. We said our good-byes and discreetly gave ourselves the family "shalom." The weekend really flew by, but I was glad she got to see a lot more of LA then just concrete. In fact, we didn't watch a single movie, didn't go to Hollywood, and watched all of maybe 60 minutes of TV. There's a lot more to life than all the distractions that seem to dominate our daily existence. It's definitely hard to live so far from family, but we definitely made the most out of it while we were together.

Captain's Quarters

S.S. Lane Victory

Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, CA