My 40th Birthday

So, it came. My 40th birthday.

Some dread it. Others run from it. I just didn't know what to do with it. For about a year my girlfriend had been bugging me about planning some kind of even for the date, but nothing would come to me or the ideas that did were too expensive. If I had all the money in the world, I might have chosen a private jet excursion to Hawaii, but I digress.

I knew that I wanted to cook for my own party, but our apartment is far too small to accommodate the thirty odd people who said they would be attending, and renting a kitchen would have been way too expensive. I had also been missing the activity of grilling food and the beach lately, so on a spur of the moment wish, I settle on trying to get a bonfire pit at Dockweiler Beach, just south of Playa del Rey, CA.

Unfortunately, my birthday lands on Memorial Day, which guaranteed a lot of competition for the coveted fire pits. There are a limited amount by law and there are entire families... caravans of families who are there laying claim to them at ten in the morning.

After walking up and down the beach for an hour, we were finally able to convince a nice woman, who was also celebrating her birthday, to let us share her pit.

After a couple of logistical hiccups, we able to set up all the food and drinks we had purchased and began to build the fire as the sun began its long arch into the sea.

The heat of the open flame is intense, and I was definitely left a little burnt on my hands and face, while trying to feed everyone there. Bratwurst, hot Italian sausage, uncured beef franks, veggie franks, steak, chicken, burgers, charred potatoes / garlic and finally smores.

We even had some fireworks to let off as the cool night continued.

It was a beautiful night. A lot of friends I hadn't seen in a while were able to come and it was exhilarating to be outside, cooking in the wind with the hot wood sending embers up into the sky and my face. It was a needed change from my daily, ten hour, daily routine of piecing together reality TV stories.

Despite the fact that it was my party, all I wanted to do was actively participate in it. I never loved being served too much on my birthday. Makes me feel useless.

Besides, how can I resist the scintillating smiles brought on by grilled meats!

I was able to get out my 5DIII after finishing with the grill and managed to get a few nice shots off with my Super Takumar 50mm F/1.4. It's a lot of fun to shoot with in low light. It gets JUUUUUST a touch glowy wide open, but I kind of like the look. Keeps the image romantic.

I'll be back tomorrow with a new routine. Hiatus is upon me, so it's time to kick my independent projects into another gear.

Wish me luck,

Phil