Free Flowers!

gotta love Ketchum in the spring! Wow, the wildflowers are like I've never seen them. Absolutely breathtaking!  Here I used some free flowers for portraits of Mike and Julie before heading across the street to their reception on Buttercup Road.

just a few...... wildflower hunting (not hard) with Shanti

And here is a short video of my favorite hike (Proctor Mountain) 

at it's peak just before sunset... wow - you couldn't even buy that if you tried!

I've seen $40,000 spent on flowers for a wedding, and it doesn't hold a candle to this. 

Coming onto this ridge makes me want to belt out The Sound Of Music - lucky for you I restrained myself...

Breakdance lessons at the studio

Dave from the Buried Life (see previous Oct '07 post) is back in town! Showing the love with free breakdancing lessons!

of course he had to start us white folk off pretty slow....

OMG - all in two days!!

I was hired by Chris Ashford of Optical Edge to shoot a press trip.

He specializes in organizing more fun than you can handle on custom trips. Not possible to do all these things in only 2 days? -ah, his secret is a chartered plane at our beck and call, and of course a cell phone to make sure everything runs like clockwork.

Day 1. Dawn. Start. Van Nuys, Los Angeles

Just like the luxury commercials, we were dropped off at our own private plane, and headed to Mammoth for a little morning ski.

The Sierras

quick gear change on the tarmac

on the chair by 9 am - Mimi Kmet writes for vacationagentmagazine.com

Nathan-great guy!- is the managing editor of OutsideOnline.com

Chris keeping it running smoothly with constant contact

we timed it perfectly - little crusty to begin with, but then a corn fest by noon

then, back in LA, I gladly jump into a helicopter with a cute pilot

to go for a spin

I didn't actually get to go for a bike ride, but helicopters are even more fun than biking.

then back to our own chartered plane waiting for us

to take us to Catalina Island

for a little night scuba diving. The weather was a bit rough, so no go, but frankly, after a nice dinner, I'm a little exhausted.

instead we enjoy an evening stroll to catch our breath

Day 2 - I wander around the harbor before our reasonable 9:30 departure for an island tour 

This is the first ferry - there are many that come from the mainland daily.

they've outlawed cars, and everybody gets around with golf carts

this town is pegging the cute meter

Mike gives a great tour of the rugged island

and look, we have time for a little sea kayaking!

water was a bit rough, which made it quite exciting to be out there with my expensive digital cameras

a beautiful island!

ferry back to LA to shake it up a bit

And then James Bond style, changed into high heels and a cocktail dress, and together with his girlfriend Sheryl,  watched Chris 'work it' at a fundraiser. Oh we brought him appetizers, too.

I think I need a vacation from my vacation, but in a good way.

And this is my job? AWESOME.

Art in Public Places

wandering around the boardwalk in Santa Monica/Venice I was struck by how many public murals and art there was. good thing - the characters are so colorful here- they need a colorful backdrop.

If you would like to contribute as an artist to this beach project, be sure to sign up for a weekend permit.  But only on the weekends - artists caught any other time will be arrested!

why am I in California? visiting my good buddy Chris Ashford. He's an adventure broker and the driving force behind Optical Edge, a company that can help you get out of the office and start making up for lost time. With a private plane and lots of knowledge and contacts he can customize a dream adventure vacation for anybody. I was brought down here to shoot the next adventure. Wait till you hear what we did in only two days. (Next post....)

Chris Ashford - adventure broker

High Water Rafting with Payette River Co

Houston - we are a 'go' for launch!
photo by Ginger Glaccum

Sean and Ginger Glaccum, who own the Payette River Co, kick off the season by inviting a big group of friends to use as guinea pigs for guide training, and I was lucky enough to be included - (thanks Lindy!) It was HIGH WATER as the weather turned HOT and started melting all the spring snow that was still piled up. The rafting was great, but the best part of it was hanging out with such a stellar group of people. You know you're with a good crowd when the bus ride is almost as much fun as the rafting.





the river boys 'get 'er done'


sun was hot and the water was cold


our fearless guide, Captain Cosmo (Ted)


our crew kicked ass! Meladie, Brian, Caitlin, & Lindy


kayaking studs, Adam and Tana



The Payette River Co put on a class act all the way. Their camp is right on the river, and some tents were inches away from the river due to the high water. There was ample eating, drinking, and hoola hooping, and it was the most fun that any of us can remember in awhile. Way to go!

Sound Bites of Rajasthan Rides

So I finally got a youtube account.

Here's some sound bites from luxury cars, trains, motorcycles, jeeps and camels I used to get around Rajasthan. The sound with the video is live, and often most of the reason I took the video in the first place.

here's our luxury car (with private driver of course) blasting the stereo on the way to Udaipur

The myriad of things you can buy through the bars of a train window,

somewhere between The Taj Mahal and Delhi. The man at the ticket window didn't hear me say "express" train to Delhi, so I got a third class ticket with no seats?! instead. Three hour journey cost 36 rupees (90 cents). I thought that was rather cheap for the express train. I had to sit on my backpack on the floor next to the bathrooms in BACK of third class. Live and learn.

The motocycle ride up to my guesthouse in the fort in Jaisalmer

crazy music plays as we head out of Jaisalmer towards the Pakistan border to drop off the Japanese

Matar my camel driver sings his favorite Muslim song on safari

going the opposite way of pilgrims on the road from Fatehpur Sikri to the Taj Mahal

yes that's a guy spitting at the end... classy! Two hour journey cost 21 rupess (52 cents)

a bicycle rickshaw through the streets of Jaipur. Cost? 25 cents (10 rupees)

great if your not in a hurry

for more sound bite mini videos you can go to youtube.com/thiakonig

Indian Road Trip and the Taj Mahal

traveling in style -luxury car with video monitor? like we need more Indian things going on

No matter how modern these guys tried to be with their pointy Italian leather shoes and the latest fashions, they still embraced tradition. We would oscillate between sexy Bollywood music videos, and traditional screechy wailing Indian. You can take the boy out of India, but you can't take India out of the boy. The culture is so strong, I don't think you could take it out of me, either. After only 3 weeks, I am forever changed. 

still a week after Holi, but these kids are still celebrating. They are drunk, have rocks in their hands and they want money. Problem is, they're the 20th batch of kids that had this idea from Udaipur to Mt. Abu. Luckily we had lots of 10 rupee notes (25 cents), or we could have been in serious trouble, as we saw some other motorist coming the other way who were stopped at a barricade with no small change and they weren't going anywhere. The virtues of good change management. 

a couple flat tires, but who's counting? Aryan our driver/friend is on task as a dust storm rolls through

Jain temple carved out of white marble. 

The Jains are a sect of Hindu that are so strictly vegetarian, that they wear face masks to prevent accidentally breathing in the smallest of  bugs, and they sweep every step they take to prevent stepping on anything living that might have been in their path.

Udaipur. 

Screenings of Octopussy nightly in guesthouses constantly remind you that yes, they filmed that here.

I was constantly asked to take people's picture. Kids, adults - they just wanted to be validated? and see themselves on the back of the digital camera. Adults would shake my hand or pat me on the back, and the kids would scamper off giggling. 

how could I come to India without visiting the Taj Mahal?

But it's surrounded by the congested city of Agra, a dust bowl traffic tout getto dump, which shrouds the beautiful monument to love with pollution so thick, it blocks the sunrise and sunset.

Since there were too many busloads of fat white tourists in shorts and tanktops at the Taj everyday, I hung out across the river and on top of my $10/night ghetto guesthouse.

my room had so much mold on one wall it looked like faux painting, but the view from the rooftop restaurant was priceless.

For more pics of India click on thiakonig.com/india