johnny on "one simple joy."

i spent my early-twenties filtering the world around me as some hybrid mish-mosh of fiction and reality, ripped from the books and films i’d grown attached to. i wanted to see the world with the hungry eyes of sal paradise and the harsh cynicism of holden caulfield, the callow determination of the young jimmy stark in rebel without a cause and the stubborn grit of terry malloy in on the waterfront. it was the first time i’d lived away from my parents, so it made sense this was the first time i saw the world as something bigger than what i thought it’d been up until then.

there’s no denying it. i was jaded. and with this outlook, nothing topped the kick i got from driving to and from school, between my apartment off campus in downtown los angeles to my parents’ home—exactly 34.1 miles away—on the western edge of the san fernando valley. and this whole thing comes full circle because of the road i took to get there and back.

run a search for topanga canyon on flickr and you’ll find yourself immersed in a secret los angeles world of hippies and non-conformists, the graceful hand of california nature mixed with the sporadic placing of surreal art and architecture that’s sure to have your head-turned once it’s passed your car window. what’s often found in topanga canyon is a statement—a peaceful and courteous f-you to its city neighbor—that’s managed to keep the place and its people free from the vanity and pretense that defines the image and perception of l.a.

there was nothing better than the fifteen minutes of driving i’d spend in that canyon, sandwiched somewhere between the sprawling suburban rut of the valley and the deceptive hustle of the city, which even now, five years detached from the place i still call home, just the thought of sparks exactly what alicia’s looking for, that small and simple joy.

--johnny of the backyard navel (who's also my awesome foodie man-friend who keeps me company here in the very cold, very un-californian midwest)

photo via scutter's flickr photostream