The Californist

The Californist is a west coast cultural repository. We'll also examine things not made or found in Get away from the stucco boxes that pepper the urban forest.

We are lovers of nature, exploring the great unknowns, the contemporary, innovative designs and unique spaces. Seek the places, designs, foods and cultural mileposts that embody the best of California. We aim to show off favorite hotspots, events, designs and experiences worthy of our readers time. An enthusiast for anachronism. We'll also examine things not made or found in California, but nonetheless echo its call.

05/23/2025

• C E N T R A L • C O A S T •

Hi everyone! 👋

Okay, so I obviously owe you an explanation for why I haven't been posting to IG in recent times. Comes down to several faccets, a general feelings of existentialism, my health, my client workload and my overall feeling of malaise surrounding social media in general--especially the billionaire variety.

I've never been a lover of social media, though I'm a social person. Of course, this has a marketing element that's critical to any creator. If you want work, you gotta be where the eyes are.

I'm of course foremost a photographer, and a creative for life. I've actually picked up two new cameras over the last six months, including a beautiful and powerful Sony RX100 every-day carry. It's a glorious pocket camera with a long 200mm equivalent fixed zoom. I also completely overhauled my editing workstation into a super beast of a creative platform for those deep long creative sessions--like tonight!

I'm also still taking trips frequently and shooting copiously. I was saddened to hear about my beloved Pismodise outlawing drones citywide. I think we can expect to see more of this in many cities in the near future. Gotta thank the bad apples for that who ran their drones during the wildfires earlier this year.

My health is back in a stable place. I got into this groove over the last twelve months and one of the most proud things I've EVER done over was decide to hang up my spurs on alcohol. As I've gotten older, even though I've never been a big drinker in the first place, I could feel the effects of consuming alcohol beginning to affect my life: my beloved sleep, my liver enzymes, that weird anxiety some of us get from drinking--hangxiety we say in the alc-free community. But hitting that one year anniversary of being booze free, let me tell you how proud I am of this achievement. It came quick. And the funny thing? I don't miss booze. Like at all. I sleep better, look and feel better, and save money to boot, have a better headspace about me overall.

These are good damn days. Few folks have the gratitude I have for just getting to be here.

Song of the Day: Arthur Russell - "I Couldn't Say It to Your Face"

10/15/2024

• P I S M O • B E A C H •

It's crazy how the Atlas comet dominates the western horizon at night. It's HUGE and easily visible with the naked eye, unlike our aurora nights. Check it out tonight if you have visibility or live at an elevation above the marine layer.

It's easy to think about humanity centuries ago witnessing a comet pass and what they must have thought about the occurrence. Suddenly, a huge, odd-looking anomaly appears in the sky. There's this menacing and unsettling implication of one striking our planet. I imagine the sacrifices, fear and confusion from those onlookers baffled at the oddity and strangeness of the comet present for one week or so, then suddenly inexplicably gone. Many must have assumed divine interference.

It's a great time to be alive, seeing a cool astronomical event on top of event, getting to shoot the California aurora (I have some photos of this, but I wanted to do the edits on my new editing workstation I still need to set up) and then the highly visible Atlas comet.

Go out tonight and check it out before it leaves again on its 80,000 year journey.

Song of the Day: Sleigh Bells - "Rill Rill"

08/14/2024

• C E N T R A L • C O A S T •

The road--she's calling and calling--I must go.

Into a marathon blitz of travel for a few days over the coming weeks, Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Alabama Hills, June Lake, Los Angeles, Austin, elsewhere. The heyday of bag-living and the cool eloquence of road tunes, stalling desert heat, a cooler full of NA's, the bleakness of leaving the humdrum in the rearview momentarily to gain perspectives on it all.

My camera is ready for exercise.

Song of the Day: Dan Mangan - "Road Regrets"

08/09/2024

• A V I L A • B E A C H •

It's milky way, sunrise and a possible aurora event all happening right now. Good times to be bowing our routines and seeing some interesting while stiring at strange hours.

I thrive in deep with the strange hours. Out and proud night owl.

Song of the Day: Karen Dalton - "Something on your Mind"

08/05/2024

• S A N • L U I S • O B I S P O •

Love these warm summer SLO days, dreading the heat waves.

Here's to our health. Cheers to the adventure.

Song of the Day: Toro y Moi - "Heaven"

08/02/2024

• L O S • A N G E L E S •

Among the best years of my life. Feels good go be with it, everything together and making gains in all sides of my world. Though I could post more photos here. I still bask in the deep late night murk editing. I live for 3am creativity, I tell ya.

Song of the Day: Damien Jurado () Hoquiam - "On the Beach"

07/12/2024

• S A N T A • M O N I C A •

The summer daze in full swing and all I do I stare at my truck and the road and wonder when the next biggie is coming. It's coming.

Song of the Day: Hop Along () - "Sister Cities"

06/14/2024

• C E N T R A L • C O A S T •

I'm all about the chill pinks and purple nights. Only the upmost relaxing days these days. Excited to be making more art again after long reigns of responsibilities.

Song of the Day: Saintseneca - "All You've Got Is Everyone"

06/07/2024

• M O R R O • B A Y •

Some scenes from earlier in the year and a couple of recalls as I get my mind recentered on new road do***ng.

Song of the Day: Attom - "Adrift"

06/05/2024

• P I S M O • B E A C H •

Watching that heat roll in early this year. Feels like it's gonna be a doozy fire year and here's to hoping I'm wrong.

Feeling deeply connected these days.

Song of the Day: Joyce Manor - "Constant Headache"

05/21/2024

• C E N T R A L • C O A S T •

I get asked about my favorite time of day to shoot. I always prefer sunrise when I'm grinding and really going for it, but I'll take any for of this light. Half the time I'm too busy being astonished to actually remember to hunt for images.

Song of the Day: Knocked Loose - "Blind Faith"

05/17/2024

• P I S M O • B E A C H •

These foggy days get such lovely beach glows on the Pismodise coast. Even if I don't see the ocean every day, I'm just happy it's right there, 10 minutes away, lapping pretty and cooly.

Song of the Day: Dehd - "Hard to Love"

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