I’ve had my hands full over the past few weeks with a few commercial catalog projects and my new puppy, Sid. I’m still working on getting him to pose on command, but here are a few spontaneous photos that I’ve snapped of him over the past few weeks as a first glimpse of the little guy.

Digging in the Park

At the Cabin

In the Park

Holiday Card Stamps

Sid will be living it up at a luxury puppy spa here in LA while I am away beginning this week. I’ll be traveling through Baja Mexico again this year, photographing wild, stray and working dogs throughout the region. Mia and I are flying into La Paz, Mexico, then driving our Jeep down to Todos Santos and finally Cabo San Lucas for New Years. On the return flight, we planned a short stop in Mexico City to get a taste of the Mexican metropolis, since neither of us has been there yet.

A week after we return, we ship out from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to explore Belize. Big Fun.

And here is a restaurant recommendation from my latest explorations:

Violet (Santa Monica, CA) - A very restaurant-savvy person sitting next to me on a flight from Las Vegas the other day mentioned this little gem. I’ve been there twice in the past two weeks, giving you an idea of how I felt about their cuisine and atmosphere. What I enjoyed the most was the “small plate” approach to their menu, giving me a chance to try several dishes and share with the rest of my company.

The Chef/Owner, Jared, was extremely friendly, helpful and unpretentious on both occasions. Since I’ve now tried just about the entire menu, I can recommend my favorites: baked macaroni (mac & cheese), braised beef short ribs with vanilla risotto and the crab salad with curry sauce and sliced grapes.