January 14, 2006

It was a typical Saturday.  Since we had kids, Maura and I pretty much stopped doing the Montrose ride every Saturday.  What stood out about January 14, 2006 was the fact that I took some pictures that seemed ordinary at the time but in retrospect, they did capture life as I knew it just a little over 5 years ago.  It seems like an eternity since I've been to the Pasadena Farmer's Market in the parking lot at Pasadena High School but this photo of JJ (below) says a lot about how life was simpler back then.  The farmer's market  was a typical Saturday morning activity with the kids back then.

I can't even remember what we bought but typically it was citrus fruit or some tamales.  Our house on Harding Avenue was a little over a mile away but stopping by Victory Park was typical.  The kids grew up at Victory Park playgrounds and later on, as they got a little bit older, we would drive there just to play on the monkey bars.  Later that day, we would go to Twin Palms Restaurant on Green Street to go to my cousin's daughter's wedding reception and that is where I caught this playful photo of Maura while we were waiting for dinner to be served.

I do remember at that reception, my cousin Jimmy, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time dropped by.  Obviously weakened in body but not in spirit, it was great to see him for the first time since his diagnosis.  It was an evening of spending time with the extended family.  I snapped away with my camera as the evening went on and was able to capture Sam as he was working on this custard-filled dessert.

He's always had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember -- like mama and papa.  We stayed until about 9 pm, which was really late for a 6 year old and an 8 year old.  Thankfully, home was only 5 miles away so it wasn't too bad of a drive.  I think I had a couple glasses of wine or champagne.  And finally, when we got home, I photographed some more, especially since we went home with some flowers from the wedding.  I think I worked on several shots (like the one below) until midnight or so.  It might have seemed like a typical Saturday at the time but thinking of it now, I was extremely lucky to have captured life on that wonderful day in January.  I was reading a lot about Robert Mapplethorpe at the time and wanted to see if I can copy his style of photography.