Last night was intriguing. It followed on the heels of a busy day.

Robb Havassy rang me on my cel phone as I drove down Ventura Avenue, car loaded with stuff to be part of our joint installation at Michele Chapin’s, Stoneworks Gallery space.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “Oh just driving down the Avenue. You?” “Just getting to your gal’s place. The boys from Surf Aid (Randall and Dr Dave) are meeting me there to pick up our stuff for the Benefit tonight. Go there.” “Okay see ya in five.”

And on a beautiful Friday afternoon I meandered into Betty B’s little shop to find two guys whose vision had transformed so many lives, standing there casually chatting with Donna. Robb meandered in about a minute later. If you do not know about Surf Aid, you really ought to. Here is a little link to their story and website. Fantastic thing about Betty B. It is what looks to be a typical small business. There is nothing typical about it. Things happen there. Here is Donna’s website

The five of us spent some time reconnecting in the warmly lit little shop, whose tiny size belies little real telltale of the global scope of her business, then we scattered. It was to be one of those impossibly busy days for each of us, as we all had events to build. Surf Aid was hosting a gala fund raiser that night and we would all meet in Malibu to attend and lend support. (I will write more on that in another blog. It would prove to be something special.)

It was 4 am when I awoke this morning. Padding down the spiral staircase from Donna and I’s bedroom loft I began to sift through my Literary office. I have three spaces at home (Donna would say four) dedicated to my craft and trade. In the Lit office are book cases and shelves with binders of slides, and thousands of magazines, book, reference works, tapes, DVD’s etc. It is some of the physical evidence, the artifacts as it were, of my years as a Editorial, Commercial and Arts Photographer and Cinematographer.

I cannot count the number of pages, covers, spreads and works I have produced. The film segments, stills, etc. I think the sheer volume of work is going to be impossible to ever share in any real manner. So I picked a final lane for this show at Stoneworks. I grabbed some of the artifacts, and some gear, and put it in a pile on the office floor.

This would be no Museum or glitzy polished up high end gallery show. It would be about the artifacts that comprise the foundations of my work. A glimpse into how I do things. It really is quite bizarre and knowing photography as a craft, is quite possibly the LEAST notable of the number of things I need to know how to do, in order to film what I want.

I want to share that.

Later this morning Robb and I will wrap our installation. If you do not know about Robb Havassy you really should. His website is here. He and I have been steadily working on a new series of companies that will bring a bit of a game change to a lot of people’s lives. Seeing what Dr Dave Jenkins has done and people like him, is sort of our bar.

We both believe that in applying our lives to our Art, and love of, and care for people, that we can build something sustainable, a company creature composed of creatives and business people that could eventually bring a lot of light into a world that sometimes seems to be all about dimming things down.

Michele Chapin is a new collaborator. If you do not know about her, you really should. Her website is here. I only have one word for Michele. It sticks in my head each time I walk away from a conversation with her: amazing.

So starting at 5 PM today “The Event” begins. The address is 300 N. Ventura Ave. (corner of Ventura Ave. and E. Park Row) Ventura, CA (805-643-5431) (Park on Ventura Avenue and walk down Park Row to the Stoneworks. ) There are no huge budgets. No radio, TV or City sponsored advertisements. This is just a few Artists getting together. It is what we do as a community a lot. We sharpen and inspire each other. So if that interests you today as a way to spend your Saturday night: come. This is your invitation.

Mai will be roasting a pig. Hula and fire dancers will perform. There will be music.  The event has a fee to pay for all the food and stuff,(45.00) BUT at 9 PM it turns free, and we invite all of our friends to attend, join in the fun, and hope that it will help accommodate everyone’s fiscal positions. So come early for dinner, drinks and dancing and music, or come later. But come. It should be fun, it definitely will be different than most things one would expect to find in Ventura California. (made me smile writing that)