Folsom 'Debauchery'

I had a fabulous lunch with my really good friend L today... We used to work together before Richmond did away with us... before our convenient liquid lunches ended for good. ...She was in merchandising, and among other things, was responsible for the interior design of our builder's models...But despite all of this, I was intrigued to learn that her talents went well beyond interior design. This happens to be my favorite piece by her:

Untitled #7 ~ Leslie Callan

I don't think this piece even begins to illustrate what she's truly capable of... I think I'm so drawn to this one because I'm drawn to the grey. The grey with the red pop. She does these really beautiful botanical collections and some cityscapes that would blow your mind. Click the picture to find out for yourself. ...At some point I am bound and determined to have an original hanging in my house.

...Anyway, it had been a while since we caught up. A few 'skinny margaritas' in, and we found ourselves down by the American River.

... Rewind a bit, and on the way to her house, I found this gorgeous old building. (Which isn't uncommon in Old Folsom...) The town is historic... And actually known for a lot more than a prison. ...I think we decided this was the Old Powerhouse's Old Farm House (shrug).... Actually, some cowboys walked by and invited me in for a tour because I was standing outside the wrought iron sticking my camera through. I politely declined. (I also declined to use my southern drawl while declining.)
It's cool to look back at these abandon/rusted tools and hardware that were the heart of this town at one point. The functionality alone makes it art. It's a wonder history was my favorite subject in high school... I just found their shape beautiful. In case you were wondering, I told the cowboys so too.

...And after our happy hike toward the water caused me to slip and fall more times than I can count on one hand (and I won the scrapes to prove it), water wading quickly turned to swimming when my happy ass fell in.
I don't take enough advantage of living so close to such beautiful surroundings. And this, boys and girls, is how you spend the last days of summer....

Or at least me. This is how I do.