Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness -
And Wilderness is Paradise enow!

―Omar Khayyám, Rubaiyat

There are many simple pleasures in life. Nearly a thousand years ago, Omar Khayyám (an astronomer, philosopher, poet) found joy enough under a shady tree with some bread, wine, and a lover. As one born and raised in Los Angeles, I wish I could share with him some of the simple joys I keep in my heart.

A drive up the coast with a friend on a sunny day, exploring an often-passed but never-taken highway exit to wind down the canyons and up the hills that we are fortunate to have so close.

This was one such beautiful day, and after over a year of pandemic life, a drive up to Santa Barbara with my dear friend Jasmine was just what I needed.

We took a few detours, exploring various places before we found the perfect nook of forest at the bottom of a canyon in Santa Barbara county. A clearing in the midst of a shaded grove of trees— and no poison ivy immediately underfoot. So, with a laugh and the thrill of the taboo, we made some photographs.

I hope you enjoy my recent work with Jasmine, and if you are ever in southern California, I invite you to go for a drive.