Angela Hamilton

adventures

LA lately

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We’re heading into yet another heat wave here in LA but I won’t say all signs of fall are lost… A few crisp leaves + light wispy clouds keep me on edge every day. When will I meditate in the light breeze? When will I walk out for a morning walk and, on second thought, come back to grab my sweater? (If you think this sounds dramatic I assure you I’m toning down both my wish for summer to end and longing for forever fall.) Lucky for us – we’re headed up the coast this weekend for four whole days sans computer, work, and LA life (sorry twitter, I love ya but I need a break!). My new iPhone 6 was a much needed yet major splurge, though, and I’m taking advantage of it during the trip (henceforth referred to as “the retreat”) with all the instas I can snap. The last photo of last night’s sunset in the valley is one of my first photos. Here’s to a weekend away and hoping I don’t drop this new, case-less phone trying to grab the perfect pic of the Pacific! See you Wednesday.

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Summer succulents + working from home

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They may be a little dry, but these are the light of my little deck. It’s been in the 80s and 90s since who knows, so I can’t see planting anything else. I have a routine of working from my small patio set when the sun isn’t directly on it, and moving to my new workspace when it is. Gotta do something when you work from your own house everyday! With that and trying to go work from a cafe or some place new every week, I try to keep myself from going crazy in this little apartment. I know I shouldn’t complain, but I’ll sure be happy when it’s cooled off a little in the fall! Meanwhile, I’ll just take to Craigslist every now and then juuuust in case a beachfront apartment opens up in my price range. One day…
Do you ever work from home? Tips appreciated!

 

Surreal Santa Monica

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With nothing to do and a little time on our hands, we decided to head over to the beach the other night, just after sunset. Just Kevin and my camera… it’s always a good time for adventure. Lately I’ve been uninspired with my camera and these blurry photos are the antidote: reminding me of a time when my friends and I would go out with point-and-shoots and wave the camera around as if blurring the light was some fancy photographer’s trick, no thinking of shutter speed or aperture or other terms I still don’t quite understand…
We parked north of the promenade, and could see the pier off in the distance. But it was quiet where we were. There’s a trail headed down from the bluff and a sky bridge over the coast highway. 

 The tail lights through the gate on the sky bridge… like hearts or butterflies or birds.

 Traffic leaving Santa Monica…

Once we got down to the beach, we could hardly see in front of us. It was quieeet. Just the waves. And lights to the right of us. When you’re walking across the sand in Santa Monica you have to go much further than any beach (ever?!) to get to the ocean. Perfect when you need beach space. Awful when you’re walking across scorching sand. Eerie, lonely, and beautiful when you’re exploring past sundown.
 Looking back toward the bluff side and buildings downtown.

 I love this picture so much because that black line across the top is about ten palm trees.

For the lifeguards. Ghostly. We thought about whether lifeguards take their girlfriend’s on dates there…kind of romantic, but mostly inappropriate, ha. Which makes me think of what growing up next to this kind of beach was like, what memories would be later on in life—breaking curfew out with your friends—in my case literally doing nothing out of the ordinary, just walking around, laughing and exploring. And getting ice cream, always. Then doing it again weekend after weekend.
Setting the camera on the sand to try and force still waves.
Looking out toward the pier at the constantly changing wheel. xx

Seattle bits

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Last month, when Kevin and I took a quick trip home to see family, we got Stumptown coffee in Seattle, then ate at this quirky deli/cafe, which is in a converted home. The sky was the brightest gray, filtering light through the clouds, and the rain was relentless. I think my raincoat saw more action that weekend than ten months of Cali living. Food, thrifting, and coffee… just what I wanted in a Sunday morning. I tend to take more pictures when I’m out and about in my neighborhood than when I travel, so these two are the only one’s that made it home from the weekend, but they sum it up quite well.

Spring style

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In spring, everything just sort of melts together: photography, nature, style, art, writing, exploring. Last week, Charity and I spent a quick afternoon getting coffee at one of my new favorite cafes (have I mentioned how amazing it is that we both ended up in socal?) and doing a little wandering around this cute tree-lined neighborhood.
Like I said before, I really want to throw everything from my closet and start clean! I definitely can’t do that, so I headed to the mall and bought a few things, including this kimono, which I paired with a mini dress and my flea market geode necklace. It pretty much sums up everything I want to be, fashionably speaking:
Be prepared for florals to take over my blog for the next few months! xx

*Outfit photos by Charity of West Coast Whimsy. 

Spring walks

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It’s no secret that my preferred mode of transportation is always to walk. When I was younger I’d walk to the library, the creek, the playground, my school; I’d walk anywhere I could and still be back by dark. Although the weather is seldom unlike spring here, the flowers are in bloom and it feels even better to get out and explore. We went on a quick hike over the weekend and I can’t wait to see what else there is to do in this city in the spring time. There’s a big tree outside my window growing right in front of me (I hope the apartment managers don’t trim it like last season!) and the birds are whizzing by. Even with temperatures dipping into the 60s (I know, real life?) this week, spring is in the air. <3
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