Of the  many things I love about photography, one on the top is the list is the people I meet.  Barbara Crane came to my studio to take author photos for her book, “When Water was Everywhere” a book that discusses the history of water in Los Angeles.  Barbara was a delight and I am happy to announce that her book is now available on www.Amazon.com and at Barnesandnoble.com.

Water is a hot topic these days.  The promised El Nino pretty much skipped us and this week’s heatwave has sent many of us running for water: beaches, pools and even sprinklers.  But as I am reminded every time I open my water bill, though when we look out at what seems like a vast ocean body, our water in California is actually becoming more and more precious and scarce.

“When Water was Everywhere” Book Synopsis: “Once upon a time in Los Angeles, water was everywhere—in rivers that rendered the vast plain marsh and woodland; in underground streams that provided an abundance of water for people, cattle, orchards and vineyards. The American Henry Scott encounters this fertile landscape in When Water Was Everywhere. Arriving in the Mexican pueblo of Los Angeles in 1842, he meets Don Rodrigo Tilman (based on the historical John Temple). Scott becomes the foreman of Tilman’s newly-purchased cattle ranch along the Los Angeles River, the present day Rancho Los Cerritos. As Scott learns about ranchos and cattle, vaqueros and Indians, Mexican California and Tongva Indian village life come alive under Barbara Crane’s deft grasp of narrative and history. Tilman, Scott, Big Headed Girl (a young Tongva Indian woman) and Padre José’s (a Franciscan friar) unfolding stories assure the novel’s themes of loss, hope and redemption resonate from every page.”

– Allison