My dad was in town for a conference two weeks ago, and when that was over we drove four hours north to San Luis Obispo to visit my aunt and 90-year-old grandmother. This is technically a photography blog so I'll spare you the essay I could write on what I observed to be a surprisingly warm and rewarding experience of caring for a parent as they age. But, I'll say this: while it's difficult to see someone you love change and need more and more care, I was so touched by the relationship I witnessed between my aunt and grandma. She has little to no memory, but she is happy. She laughs, she jokes, she doesn't take herself too seriously (in fact, one of the funniest things to her is that she is, indeed, 90 years old.) Though she sleeps most of the day, she is never alone and whenever she wakes there is someone who loves her there waiting. It's scary, to think of our parents aging; our role models we know to be strong and steady becoming weak and frail. But what a gift, to be able to care for them as they've cared for us... I've always wondered how I could ever express to my parents how grateful I am for the love, life and opportunities they've given me. I hope one day (a very, very long time from now) I'll be able to show them the same love and care as they did for me when I was just a messy, screaming, rugrat of a child.
Anyway, enough of the serious stuff! Here is a photo of my parents, who are so obviously still in love. How cute!
Not a week after my dad left, I got on a plane to San Francisco to visit my sister Melissa for her 23rd birthday and see several of my closest friends. Melissa and her boyfriend Nate picked me up at SFO and we went straight into the city for a late dinner. Let me just say that I have a new favorite restaurant, and it deserves it's own line:
Saha, SF
It's the most amazing food EVER, and I love food. I was a bit skeptical based on my preliminary research, but know this-- the website does not do it justice. It's so good, in fact, that I couldn't even share more than a bite (one bite!) with my sister...ON HER BIRTHDAY. That's saying something. (I hopefully made up for my gluttonous ways with the birthday candle-topped choco-pear, but still the guilt persists...) The Yemenese/Arabic-fusion was subtle and delightful, the decor was rich and inviting and vibrantly exotic. I have only two complaints-- one, that my stomach was not large enough for another three courses, and two, that my favorite restaurant is 300 miles away. Dear Chef Aboghanem, can you please open a Los Angeles location? I promise I'll visit every night until my piggy bank falls empty to the floor!
I took a couple pictures of Saha, but they were on my new (and already beloved) chunk-of-plastic Holga camera, which uses only film (ah, the good old days...) I should have the proofs back in a day or two, so I'll scan them and post them then. In the meantime, here are some shots I did a few weeks ago of Aman Alem, an actor and very talented young musician. LA folks-- extra points if you can spot the locations!
Stay tuned for more on my trip to SF, including the heart-wrenching story of how I almost lost my luggage! (Well, maybe not heart-wrenching to you, but for me... it was a doozy!)
