Life like a Maserati.

Having a morning coffee in a place in Venice, California, USA called “French Market” where everybody was speaking French.
Men and women from France reading the magazine “Paris Match” and kissing each other lightly on the cheeks.
An atmosphere of nostalgia.
Of missing the motherland.
Of melancholy.

In the long version of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film “Apocalypse now” is a chapter about a French family living somewhere in the jungle of Vietnam desperately trying to remain French.
Coppola showing the decay and the loosing of it of these French as a paradigm of the American military intervention in Vietnam.


Bombarded into being the co-pilot of the Volvo station wagon cruising from Venice to Pomona.
Easy to do with the Mapquest driving directions and the clear signs along and above the highways.

During the journey discussing with the two passengers whether there is more cancer these days than before.
And if so, why.
Is there more cancer because we have more sophisticated medical equipment to detect the disease?
Was there in the past as much cancer but we simply didn’t know?
Or is there more cancer because of all the chemicals in the food, the pollution in the air and the stress most people suffer?
Impossible to come to a conclusion.

A Maserati speeded by.

Visiting and photographing the house of Scott Litt, the former producer of the rock band REM.
An amazing dwelling of more than 2,5 million Dollars.
The design of the house highly influenced by the architects Gerrit Rietveld and Mies von der Rohe, it is a minimalism and modernism of the 1920’s re-activated in the 21st century.

In applied arts there are historic results haunting any architect and designer forever.
To be unique and truly different, there is this whole history of fabulous designs competing and blocking.
But this is not always important.
The house of Scott Litt has the same magical atmosphere making a person feel special to be inside.

Lunch with the American architect Jennifer Siegal and her South African Senior Design Associate Laura McAlpine in a Japanese restaurant called Wabi Sabi.
If one knows what “Wabi sabi” means, one gets scared.
Wabi-sabi is the Japanese philosophy that embraces the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.
It is about the beauty of things modest and humble.
Now, somebody who wants to eat in a restaurant doesn’t want to get food served that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.
Nor modest and humble.
Fortunately, there was no reason to panic.
The food was excellent.
And the company as well.

Another day in California, USA.
Another day in life with good and beautiful experiences.