first nightPalm Springs5 January 2016Palm springs appears with built in mood lighting. they have ver

first night
Palm Springs
5 January 2016

Palm springs appears with built in mood lighting. they have very strong light pollution laws and there are almost no street lights. you can see the stars from the middle of town. 

I arrived to floods and heavy rains. we found our way to the house and entered a magical space full of good food, glowing orange lights, interesting art and of course the palm trees sneaking into every picture. it really was another world to me. From the empty flood plains of Alberta to the dimly lit, lush, richness of a desert oasis built and maintained purely by the will of man.

I was welcomed into the home of a chef and an hotelier, a 1930s block wide house that wraps itself around a pool. It has a maid’s quarters as well as the tiny guest house off to the end of the pool.

every room has a door to the pool. though some were so narrow I could almost not fit through. 

having a world class chef waiting for you means a beautiful dinner is also waiting. soup made with 50 year old sherry. heavy cutlery meant to look like it’s made of bones. a thousand candles and glasses and oranges and wine. 

beauty isn’t inherent in the system, it’s created. one piece at a time. one thought at a time. 

the rains eased up and I went searching for american cigarettes and took a long exposure of the stars and the palm trees. no tripod so I had to stack the camera on the hood of the car with a pack of smokes to somewhat tilt it in the right direction. 

a couple frames and the battery died.