take a tour.

it's the night before christmas eve and dc is quiet. other than teaching yoga and hanging out with my family, i've been laying pretty low myself which gives me the time to explore all the bits and pieces of the internet that i am usually too busy writing emails and color toning photos to see.

if you are interested, you too can see what i've been looking at (i recommend viewing everything set to this musician's soundtrack): first go see the pictures of the year at the nytimes~some amazing images in there (one of my favorites is the one of the three tibetan monks) then decompress from all the bloodiness by going here to find out how to make a midwestern cheeseball and learn about a restaurant that demands to be known in portland (is it silly to visit a city just because i want to see these women cooking?). then look at these photographs and cry a bit because you were not alive to be a part of paris in the 1960's. if you want more, see what the ladies at wishstudio are up to--those online creative retreats look pretty inspiring. i esp love hanna's post about her new years ritual. i have done something a bit like that and have decided to do it again in those precious days between xmas and new years, which of course i will post here. a nice way to finish the tour is to peak into the journals of this lady and dream about traveling to somewhere warm next year for the holidays.

many thanks to the ladies at instaboner for the constant supply of hipness and inspiration. happiest days to all of you!!

day seven: sing out

day six: wonderland

day five: rita and hammoud are beautiful together.

like a movie star!

hammoud gets ready.

cake designed by cake love and oh so good.


it was a cloudy day with bits and pieces of light.





paola, from italy, is such an alive person.


this was the lovely union of rita from hungary and hammoud from syria in oakton, va. i already knew rita from our yoga teacher training and just thought she was the coolest lady. then i got the privilege of photographing their small and precious ceremony the day before thanksgiving. i felt like family right away and enjoyed myself so much. on days like these, i really feel like i have the best job ever.

day five: the icaro of the boa.

Icaro of the Boa from Ryan Wylie on Vimeo.

here is a photo montage set to one of the icaros (sacred healing songs) that my friend ryan made. it's sung by a very cool shaman named vladimiro who lives outside of iquitos and used to be a high school teacher. he is the only shaman we met on our recording journey who sings in quechua. his wife also accompanies him for a lot of the songs adding a lot of feminine goodness. he told us that to him the boa was a good symbol, one of purification and not to be afraid.

day four part II: avalanche

day four: nice work erik dean

day three: happy day.

strong warriors getting ready for the party.

oh i just have a few minutes to spare here. it's been such a spectacular birthday filled with so much life. there have been a lot of smiles and tears and good food and great connections and human moments. i feel so in my life and so grateful and excited to keep going with it and seeing what else happens. this next year will be one of love, fun and ahimsa (non-violence) and of course, more travels. thank you to everyone for your greetings and presence and presents today--you've been amazing and i feel so loved and inspired and well-outfitted for this life with your friendship.

day two: happy holiday from mdr

last week, my friends in middle distance runner were recording some music at this church/art space called convergence and they asked me to take some pictures. i felt cool to have friends who are rock stars yet could still tastefully decorate for the holidays.

erik +

steve +

jay too +

words +

music = this.

day one: going acro

new and improved!

this picture makes me think of miami vice

thank you to everyone who has been shouting out lately and telling me that they dig the lovers manifesto. i really love it too but i've been so busy photographing dogs and teaching cat/cow pose that i haven't posted as much as i've wanted to. it's sort of how the people you love the most tend to be neglected when you have taken on too much~because you know in your heart that they will sustain your absence.

but i have been writing delicious posts in my head of all the things i've done and seen in these past weeks that i want to share with you. they involve traveling and weddings and acroyoga and dogs that paint and so many other sweet things. my birthday gift to you all is a posting a day for the next week. they may be short and sweet but there will be 7 in 7 days just cuz i love you all so much and i need to spend more time talking about that.

Our love Is-real

journal art

i found these scans of some of my old journals from peru. being there seems so long ago but when i read some of the stuff i was writing, i really could have written it today. they are still the same big questions about passion and balance and how to best handle suffering. i still find refuge in the small details, the tasty bits of life. it makes me think that maybe we don't really ever figure anything out. maybe we just keep asking the same questions in more interesting ways and keep calling it art.

it remind me of when one of my old friends from college came to dc recently to visit. i hadn't seen him in ten years and in the meantime, he had made some major life changes--become a buddhist, a vegetarian, finished school. he was eager to know all the ways he had changed but aside from some physical details, he pretty much seemed to be the same person. he had the same slightly biting sense of humor matched with a compassionate listening skills. we had a blast singing karaoke and eating basement thai food. after all that time, i still liked him for the same reasons i liked him in the first place. he was a little disappointed in my answer that he was pretty much the same but i really like the idea that we can't really change, can't really get it too wrong.

so i offer these few pieces like i made them today, next week and i know these lessons will still keep swirling about us all, like time taunting us for our faulty memory.

I want a soul train party for my birthday.

Happy in small ways.

Testing the photobooth set up (which came together so well--ask me if you ever need to make one)

“In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive along past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways.”--Edith Wharton

(My lovely friend Jaime, with whom I stayed in Little Rock, had this quote on her fridge and I kept reading it and saying "yes!" Now it's become my new manifesto for growing older and enjoying life just as long as I can. I would personally add yoga to this list but then I want to add yoga to every list)


Polly and Jaime with the beloved dragon hat.

Polly and Andrew in Little Rock

The loveliest people you'd ever hope to meet...

Aren't Polly's blue shoes the coolest?

Andrew didn't look too shabby himself.

Such beautiful mason jar arrangements.

This was payback!

Lily was the ringbearer! My worlds collided!

With friends like these...

Polly's bridal party looked like a sunburst :)


Relaxing after the ceremony.

I loved loved my weekend in Little Rock photographing Polly and Andrew's wedding. They are friends of my dear friend Jaime from college and are so fun and open that they wanted a pet photographer to capture their wedding. I'm so glad they did. All of the little details of the day were so perfect. They had a big table of board games, pies instead of a cake, and actually had a saw player to perform their processional music! I loved it all but really I was just so taken by the spirit of Polly and Andrew. Both of them have had to handle some serious health setbacks in life and they have dealt with them by dedicating their lives to love, creativity, and generosity. I was so taken by their ability to stay in the present moment no matter what (Polly was the calmest bride I have EVER seen) and how gosh darn generous they are. When I snuck into their room to capture their post-ceremony relaxation, not only did they let me but they also insisted on sharing their snacks with me. Anyone who is around them for any period of time can feel what makes them so special and are changed for the better. I definitely was.