We met in a sitting area near the elevators on the second floor of the Eldorado Hotel. Writer/director Emmett Mckinley requested I not ask questions about his sons. Having no idea what he was referring to, I agreed.

Japanese-born artist Ai Krasner gives the term “plastic arts” a whole new meaning. Her latest solo endeavor, Plastic Garden, consists of colorful and thought-provoking pieces composed exclusively by the ubiquitous material.

Human Donut Micah Ortega gave back to SFR the only way he knew how—by actually becoming the weekly, Backpage and all—and for one afternoon, hyping the shit out of us.

Asked what it was like to be  a photojournalist for LIFE magazine during its 1960s heyday, Bob Gomel does not hesitate to answer. “It was the mecca,” he says with a combination of excitement and nostalgia.

Helen and Charlie Sharpe are used to gawks, the sound of tires screeching and strangers constantly knocking at their door. The reason? Their picturesque garden—chock-full of statues, sanctuaries and figurines.

One glance at 55-year-old Kenneth Bennett, and it’s not hard to tell that he’s led a rough life. He’s sitting at a table outside Ecco Espresso & Gelato, meticulously carving a wood figurine, cedar chips landing on his long, scraggly beard.

“I was not expected to grow up to be a biologist. I was supposed to study Home Ec. and marry a doctor. My mom is still not quite over it…you’d think she would be,” Linda Wiener says.

“Maybe it’s like a calling,” Tim Foster says. He’s talking about a need to create and sell 100 handmade meditation pillows, a project he recently launched on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter with the intention of attracting more people to the Zen-like practice.

He’s not necessarily what you’d call a looker. He’s scrawny, big-mouthed, feeble and bug-eyed. Then there’s the hair…don’t even get me started on the hair.

A woman of contrasts, she’s dressed in a delicate black slip paired with army boots; possesses both supermodel looks and Diego Rivera technique; and, though soft-spoken, creates artwork that speaks volumes.