It’s been a month since I last posted. So much has happened—I have so many photos and stories and fun things to share! But instead I’m just gonna show you some doodle patterns I made. I figure I’ll save all the fun things for when life calms down a bit more.

You can check out more of my pattern work (and bigger photos of them) right here.

Aaaaand one last freebie for you… I can’t stop listening to The Mynabirds. Check it. JAMZ!

I think if I were to stay out in California, I would aspire to be an adequate surfer. You can surf in Minnesota, right?

The above picture was taken at Manhattan Beach—where the real surfers play.

I flew Sun Country which, in my experience, has always been the most entertaining airline. This lady brought her dog with her—which isn’t that strange in and of itself—what was strange is what the dog did to the people around her. Suddenly grown men were talking like babies and letting the dog lick their faces. Women carried on lengthy conversations with the animal while completely ignoring the actual human woman holding the dog. But the best was when the flight attendant instructed the woman to stuff the dog under the seat for takeoff.

Ever since this trip, I always take a little time to review the safety instructions on planes. Not so much so that I know what to do in case of an emergency… but to find secret design silliness. Once again, Sun Country did not disappoint.

Apparently, the use of electronics from the early 90′s are strictly prohibited on their flights…

… and in case of an emergency, Mom Jeans will help you out.

Fortunately, this trip didn’t have to be all business… I did have some time to catch up with friends…

… have a few beers…

… and the highlight… see Father John Misty play at the Seventh Street Entry. Oh my. Can we just talk about how awesome and dreamy and sassy and amazing he is for a second? Because he is. If you haven’t heard his album, I strongly suggest you pick it up. It’s been on repeat in my ears since it came out.

Side Note: All these pictures were taken on my iPhone with the Visual Supply Co. App. It’s kind of my new favorite thing and totally worth the 99 cents it costs. Just sayin’.  

(Side Note: His name makes me crave some sort of flavored Ritz cracker. Do they even make those?!…….. Confirmed! They do. Moving on…)

I could do a little write up on who Herb was and how awesome his work is/was but the LA Times already did that so you should just read that if you wanna know more. In the mean time… look at these!

Mmm hmm. For reals…

Now that we’re at the end of this post, I’m starting to feel bad for hatin’ on the Getty. It really is a nice museum. You can see Van Gogh’s and Picasso’s and and crazy French beds from the 1700′s. I think I had more fun at the Getty Villa though. Give them both a chance. And, if you’re in the area, the Herb Ritts show is up until August. Lucky you!

I was so excited to finally see some Alberto Giacometti statues in person. His work is so crazy and awesome—like a Tim Burton movie.

They have a HUGE Picasso collection. Again… crazy and awesome.

But, my favorite exhibition had to be California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way.” It was full of fashion, architecture, graphic design and textile design. It featured work from Charles and Ray Eames, Saul Bass and… Barbie’s Dream House!

I think the exhibit is up until June so if you’re in the area, go! You can pretend like you’re in Mad Men! I did…

We explored fun little towns and yummy breakfast places. (We all really love food.)

(Look at this pretty lady! She’s looking at her husband—I can tell from this photo that she loves him very, very much.)

And we totally went to Disneyland!!! I didn’t get very many photos at the park because I was too busy riding amazing rides and eating snacks. (I love this kind of crap soooo much.)

And of course we visited the ocean (several times). I think riding bikes along the boardwalk was one of my favorite moments. That, and when they had their first celebrity sighting at breakfast. So famous!

It was such a relaxing three days—it was hard to see them go! I wish life could be like that all the time—one continuous vacation. I can’t wait for all the fun hangouts we’ll have this summer! (And all the food we’ll eat together).

Thanks, friends!

My plan was to take lots of pictures and buy lots of treasures but my eyes were too busy trying to take it all in. I did walk away with this little guy though—a nice addition to my wood type collection.

Memento…

The flowers matched my bike’s color scheme… photo op!

Right before the trail splits and you hit the ocean, there’s a spot along the water where all these rocks have been stacked up. They look like little people and I love them so much. They’re mysterious and weird and awesome. I looked into why they’re there and I guess some artist guy started stacking them years ago. He doesn’t do it anymore and non of his original stacks remain but someone’s been carrying on the tradition. I couldn’t resist—I stacked one too! I didn’t take a photo of it though… mystery stack!

The trail splits off once you reach the ocean but there’s a couple walking paths that take you to the point where all the boats come in to the marina. Once you reach this point, the bike path takes you all along the coast. It’s pretty great!

Fun things that have happened while biking this path:

1. A homeless man threatened to kill me. Let’s get real though. Have you seen my bike? It’s pretty fast. There’s no way he would be able to catch me.

2. Jesus and his girlfriend complimented my bike’s color scheme. Shout out to Two Wheels bike shop for the awesome bike!

I definitely get a lot more use out of my bike in California. I use it to get to work (I’ve always wanted to be a bike commuter) and take trips along the ocean most weekends. I will say that California needs to step up their street biking safety/awareness though. Although there are some bike lanes—there aren’t enough and cars drive way to close for comfort. And, for the most part, the bikers here are pretty stupid. No one signals and weaving in and out of cars is pretty common. It definitely makes me proud of the bike community in Minneapolis! We know how to roll…

I had a very nice time sittin’ and photo-in’ and writin’ and sketchin’ and lookin’ and creepin’.

And then…

… I bought some ikat shorts!—not sold at Intelligentsia. Because, honestly, you can’t really treat yourself unless there’s new clothes involved.

Treats for me!