three day weekend!

Thanks the heavens for Memorial Day. I love three-day weekends, especially after a particularly stressful week. Something about that extra day to recharge one's batteries is just amazing.

We headed north on Friday to see a friends art show in Seal Beach, here. It was a huge success for the artist - almost completely sold out, and it was an opportunity for us to chat with friends and family whilst sipping PBR. After a great brunch and beach stroll with friends Saturday morning, Francis joined my Dad for a flying lesson. My mom and I watched safely from the ground as they took off from a private air strip in Burbank. Francis snapped some great photos of their flight from Burbank to Oxnard for a touch-down then back down the coast; meanwhile I nervously flipped through a design magazine trying to dispel thoughts of mechanical unreliability statistics of small planes. Since we'd made the pilgrimage to the LA area for the flight, we spent the evening wandering downtown Pasadena.

Sunday and Monday were gloriously low key with reading, sunbathing, more brunch with friends, and the dissection of several card tricks at the behest of some nerds that shall remain nameless.

{sunset on the drive north}

{little art}

{one of my favorites from the show}

{looking serious in a very Madeline - esque hat}

{the flight lesson begins!}

{ten points to Francis for getting a shot of my dad having a genuinely good time}

{fancy shmancy controls}

{flying like a pro}

{somewhere over LA county I s'pose}

{flying a little too close to the sun}

{banking left...}

{into the mountains...}

{..through the mountains...}

{this plane is yours for a mere $500K. Considering one myself...}

{using oreos to test a less-than-100% -successful-but-still-cool card trick}