Rarefied Air

Hiya Folks,
Checking in from beautiful Frazier Park, CA.

I've been taking a lot of day trips up here lately. The air is so fresh, the population/crowd is low. And I love that I can sleep in the woods without being bothered. Maybe there'd be a bear or elk somewhere that would sneak up on me, but I conclude that they probably come out at night.

Getting out to the woods really defines how much technology you can deal with. I get no phone reception. I'm typing this from a restaurant at the base of the mountains that has wi-fi.

I recall coming here years ago when we were shooting a short film. And when we were doing a photo shoot with models. The director on the project was so fascinated by snow. He was born and raised in southern California, so the thought of snow was enticing. I'm from Ohio. Snow is seen more as the enemy than with novelty. In fact, it's a drudgery. I guess when you can come and go from the wet and cold, it's fine. Anyway, during the shoot...it was 4 A.M. and we'd just reach the top. The cold really set into the crew. It was instant pain. For me, there was that familiar crisp wall of ice. It was cold. But NOT Ohio cold. So, no one wanted to leave the warm car. Being from an area where it does get cold, I dropped the SoCal 'tude and leapt out of the vehicle "C'mon guys, it's like a swimming pool, once you break the seal, you get use to it." Big fucking lie. You don't get use to it. In fact it gets worse. The cold slowly seeps into your toes and works its way into your joints. You get snappy if people miss a mark. Or miss a line. Or if a shot doesn't work out. It takes twice as much effort to do half as much work. Worst than that...now we have about ten hours.

Well we came down from the mountain. Twice actually. We had re-shoots a year later. And, well...they now knew what to expect.

I love the mountains. It was so quiet up here, it was deafening. I ate some strawberries I picked up at a local market and drank some water while breathing in that crisp fresh air. There wasn't snow, but it was still the season. Van Nuys is smog crushing. I really didn't realize how much it makes a difference until it changes. I think getting out from the pollution can only be good.

I like the road trip too. The wide open spaces does wonders for the soul. The sun gives you the vitamin D. You get a sense of freedom. I suggest we all get some rarefied air. It can certainly open your mind.