Well, I survived another trip to California. I questioned how smart it was to go there as I am now a week out from my next show and booked a motel that didnt have a gym of course. Plus they didnt have any healthy food places around and I didnt have a rental car either, so I pretty much starved. My friend Nancy loaned me a cooler so I did have some fruit in it from time to time, plus a coffee pot so I wasn’t in total deprivation.
We ended up shooting in several rural locations around Ventura and in a town called Ojai. Its beautiful out there but standing in high glass when unseen creatures scurry around, gnats stick to your lip gloss and buzz your ears when shooting sucks. Not to mention the sun is super hot even in late afternoon….better than cold of course….and thank you God for sudden breezes. I was a little freaked out in Ojai because we were 3000 ft up and there were sheer drop offs right on the road and signs for falling rocks. We don’t have that kind of stuff here in CT. I also know we don’t have rattlesnakes to worry about.
We also tried to go to some hot springs, but there were some nekked people in them already and the stench was pretty bad anyway. That day we found a river to shoot next to. Unfortunately our side of the river wasnt very close to the water because of an embankment, so cooling off wasnt an option. I did manage to get close at one spot a little bit later, but almost fell over a couple times and the water was freezing. That day we did lose the light as it went behind a hilltop pretty fast. Shooting is best right when the sun is going down and cast a glow right on the front of you. No need for photoshop with those photos as it diffuses the face and body. I just wish it took longer to go down and once it does go down, the temp drops about 15 degrees and you are scrambling for jeans and a sweater in the near dark.
One day Nancy comes to get me at the crack of dawn for a quick drive to Santa Monica to a nice gym and of course traffic was horrendous and it took 2 hours to get there. We did only get to work out for 1/2 hour, but it was better than nothing and the gym was very nice and bright. Not like here in my dismal gym with its high ceiling and awful lighting. Out there if the weather is nice the gym opens doors and its just so much better. Even Golds gym in Venice has a whole back wall that lets in open air….got to love that.
I wish I had more playtime there, but it was not in the cards. I couldnt really eat much, shooting when and where was contingent on the weather, so I never knew what was coming next. We wanted a beach shoot, but when it was hot inland we would drive oer there and as soon as we got out of the car you could just feel how cold the wind was on the beach. I wasnt in the mood to freeze my butt off so we saved it for another time. No big deal I guess.
Last day we shot at Robs house, which was kind of nice as I didnt have to pee in bushes on the side of the road anymore. Copping a squat like a teenager at a keg party is not my idea of fun :0
Either way….I survived. Hopefully we get the “shot” Rob wanted for the cover of American Curves Magazine. It will be my first cover ever. Im still harassing Ironman Magazine for their over 40 cover as well.
One week til the Cutler Classic, which is Sunday the 8th. I got my NPC membership card while I was gone, so I am good to go. My daughter got the day off, which almost didnt happen so I thought I was losing my assistant for tanning pre show. She goes to all my shows and does my back for me and just keeps me company and takes pics when she can. After 3 years she has decided to gie bikini a try and will be shooting for a show with me October 29th in Boston. She says it gives her a goal date to get in shape and its true. Knowing you have to be seen by judges and strangers in a bikini is a motivator of course. I think it will be fun to do it together.
Well got to get rolling. I have laundry and cleaning to catch up on of course….yuk.
Fern Assard 