PHOTO OF THE WEEK

THOUGHTS FROM THE SCENE: Working on your day off is not usually fun.

With a photographer out sick and one on vacation, I had to come in to be

a one-man show.

The only art we had in mind for the cover was dependent on a storm

that might or might not hit Orange County. As deadline approached, with

no sign of rain, I headed to the beach to look for other alternatives.

Going down there made a nice break from the hustle and bustle of a

stressful day. I stepped out of the car and there was a wonderful breeze

and plenty of sunshine. It was nothing like the rainy day I had been

expecting. There’s nothing more typically Southern California than the

Balboa Peninsula and its skimboarders, in this case Parker Del Ponte

(left) and Ryan Rhodes. And for one quick second, I found myself feeling

like I wasn’t on the job, but shooting photos for fun.

-- Steve McCrank