The multitudes turned out this afternoon for the annual group photo on the hanging terraces of the Canyon Country Store—the event tinged by the melancholy of sister L.A. canyons Malibu, Los Virgenes and others battling Santa Ana-fueled wildfires of the sort that have torched swaths of Laurel Canyon in the not so distant past.

Below, some of the canyon faithful drift down from Kirkwood Bowl as zero hour approaches:

Canyon style on display, below: floppy hats and outrageous tats…

T-shirt backs with rock iconography were everywhere, from “Are You Experienced?”-vintage Hendrix…

…to the entirety of the Clash’s “London Calling,” rendered in pretty-vacant punk green…

As usual, I hung around, signed copies of LAUREL CANYON and got to know a few more of my neighbors—all were in agreement that we live in the coolest place in L.A. if not the universe.

I’ll take credit for introducing the world, via LAUREL CANYON, to the annual Photo Day at Laurel Canyon’s beloved Canyon Country Store.

This year’s Photo Day is coming soon but as always the exact date fluctuates with the constellations in the autumn sky; I’ll post the coordinates when they reveal themselves to the store’s proprietors.*

* It’s official: October 21, at noon.

On Photo Day the lords and ladies of the canyon decamp to the patio of the store to have a hilarious group photo taken therein.

It’s been going on since…well, here’s how I describe it in LAUREL CANYON:

In 1994, when artist Spike Stewart touched up his psychedelic paint job on the store’s facade, he concurrently designed a T-shirt. Somebody got the idea of taking a group photo of T-shirt owners wearing their purchases in front of the store. Before long Photo Day was augmented with corn dogs and balloon hats and live music from unsigned canyon bands. Residents proudly display their heirs and livestock, from pit bulls to, one year, a brace of billy goats.

In this city famous for having no psychic center and paltry traditions, once a year the traffic on Laurel Canyon Boulevard slows to gawk as everyone flashes peace signs, hoists dogs and children and over-caffeinated beverages skyward and cheers madly, waiting for the photographer to signal that he’s got the shot. And then, having reminded themselves why they live here, everyone drifts back up the hill to their Laurel Canyon homes.

As at last year’s Photo Day, I’ll be on hand to sign LAUREL CANYON (helpfully, you can pick up a copy at the store). Stop by especially if you’re visiting Southern Cali for the first time, to get an unfiltered whiff of the canyon’s charms and to know that not all L.A. residents resemble the obnoxious swine depicted on The Hills.