tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74495032024-03-29T02:39:18.269-04:00Written Inc.A brief-yet-ongoing journal of all things Carmi. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reach for your mouse to click back to Google. But you'll be intrigued. And you'll feel compelled to return following your next bowl of oatmeal. With brown sugar. And milk.carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.comBlogger8399125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-43689989971782980682024-03-27T06:57:00.029-04:002024-03-27T11:32:04.651-04:00Like Wonka's great glass elevator<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP6spIaATCxRdkR9TaaIokxne-fFJLiMwMIKg2WFfQO8FB6HCjbD5hQGsJ1T4AyHxO6cx9ZQFsH96EOat7-xEyHDj-IPMaYd41JvFnWO6txvEMkeZoa1BqzeN4qzWVo7FLP68jCTKTBujSR27zHIMQ19RXqJ5vQme1Use1iUfZs8ip2HvR99VaA/s3882/IMG_5968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3882" data-original-width="2368" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP6spIaATCxRdkR9TaaIokxne-fFJLiMwMIKg2WFfQO8FB6HCjbD5hQGsJ1T4AyHxO6cx9ZQFsH96EOat7-xEyHDj-IPMaYd41JvFnWO6txvEMkeZoa1BqzeN4qzWVo7FLP68jCTKTBujSR27zHIMQ19RXqJ5vQme1Use1iUfZs8ip2HvR99VaA/w244-h400/IMG_5968.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Go your own way<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5A-KOROp3C/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Some days, it can be difficult to know which direction to take.<br /><br />
This one’s giving me Wonka-esque, great glass elevator kinda vibes.<br /><br />
Perhaps a spontaneous adventure awaits.<br /><br />
So long as we press the correct button.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #elevator #abstract #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/guilt-from-hotel-lobby-sign.html">Guilt from a hotel lobby sign</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/03/busted-elevator-at-hilton.html">Busted elevator at the Hilton</a>, March 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/03/beg-buttons-suck.html">Beg buttons suck</a>, March 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2016/11/thematic-photographic-391-repetitive.html">Thematic Photographic 391 - Repetitive</a>, November 2016</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2014/06/but-not-for-me.html">But not for me</a>, June 2014</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/10/youve-all-got-mail.html">You've all got mail</a>, October 2011</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2005/12/reach-out-and-touch-someone.html">Reach out and touch someone</a>, December 2005</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-15427448017389017792024-03-26T07:29:00.037-04:002024-03-26T15:50:21.956-04:00The most beautiful stairwell of all<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASBzJtl6pXVbXVS1eDf8uYmESV30hsfer8dVDTD1oPLcGDbY93jueobo2jb8N6XWgtmI9fPe8AzFZFlhyJQSo0yf_b3GegUtmSqf3poJJV4FWQ06poGq7lMDgHKKBxsNK9tEgdBgsM6acQRKdzUDlhS1U3fi-gLBJ8nA0IaTWw2PPCbHX9jiNdg/s3960/IMG_5959%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2970" data-original-width="3960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASBzJtl6pXVbXVS1eDf8uYmESV30hsfer8dVDTD1oPLcGDbY93jueobo2jb8N6XWgtmI9fPe8AzFZFlhyJQSo0yf_b3GegUtmSqf3poJJV4FWQ06poGq7lMDgHKKBxsNK9tEgdBgsM6acQRKdzUDlhS1U3fi-gLBJ8nA0IaTWw2PPCbHX9jiNdg/w400-h300/IMG_5959%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boring, but...<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4-c9pMumYS/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Whenever I find myself in a multi-floor building, the first thing I do is look for the stairwells.<br /><br />
They aren’t exactly the prettiest places to visit. Developers don’t devote decorating resources to these rarely used concrete-and-steel necessities. Fire code says they need to be safe, not pretty.<div><br /></div><div>Yet pretty isn’t necessarily a collection of lovely art on the walls and soft lighting overhead. Pretty can also be the ability to get to safety. Or a daily floor-challenge climb to maintain heart health. Or a quiet place to go when life feels overwhelming.<br /><br />
I’ve been looking for stairwells for as long as I can remember, often skipping the elevator entirely so I can make my own way up the dimly lit stairs, instead. These overlooked spaces have their own beauty, I suppose, their own structure and story.<br /><br />
Pretty, then, by another definition.<br /><br />
Perhaps we’re not just talking about stairs.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #geometry #stairs #geometry #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/08/concrete-stairs-after-storm.html">Concrete stairs after the storm</a>, August 2022</i></div></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/05/steps-to-another-world.html">Steps to another world</a>, May 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/04/climbing-long-staircase.html">Climbing a long staircase</a>, April 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/01/watch-your-step.html">Watch your step</a>, January 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/so-i-climbed-stairs-anyway.html">So I climbed the stairs, anyway</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/07/red-stairs-to-somewhere.html">Red stairs to somewhere</a>, July 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/02/please-tread-carefully.html">Please tread carefully</a>, February 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/05/sitting-in-subway-late-at-night.html">Sitting in the subway late at night</a>, May 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2010/08/tread-carefully.html">Tread carefully</a>, August 2010</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-4963500970114553132024-03-25T07:54:00.016-04:002024-03-26T15:39:31.916-04:00Frozen berries by the road<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KJOIEbst5rGgHhLkXeMD7Wc5Q9LBDb2heEeMRZiZ5IW4QqjAUxNGadHCuRlm7aHwCIvvzR_Wy2R71ozdpwq8GpRqTNaCdJK14BUKSvVVUqm3aokADwJVtocjUZeQhuLKbb1TZ0Ew8myXC8PXV1-qnIH4PuA8bgj2Ubpo5DtSYPJPwlbANN2NIg/s3729/IMG_5956%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2797" data-original-width="3729" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KJOIEbst5rGgHhLkXeMD7Wc5Q9LBDb2heEeMRZiZ5IW4QqjAUxNGadHCuRlm7aHwCIvvzR_Wy2R71ozdpwq8GpRqTNaCdJK14BUKSvVVUqm3aokADwJVtocjUZeQhuLKbb1TZ0Ew8myXC8PXV1-qnIH4PuA8bgj2Ubpo5DtSYPJPwlbANN2NIg/w400-h300/IMG_5956%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">That springtime glow<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C477HiErneK/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Winter stole some time from spring the other night. By morning, she had painted this impossibly intricate scene in the shadows beside our neighbour’s driveway.<br /><br />
Calli the Wonderschnauzer gently sniffed the snowy grass while I played still-life photographer, a scene she’s been a part of countless times since we first brought her home. She seems to instinctively know when it’s time for a spontaneous photo shoot, and will patiently stand by until I tuck the camera away once more.<br /><br />
We don’t have many mornings like this left. Warming temperatures into spring mean no more fleetingly temporary ice in the margins. Maybe winter will gift us with more when she returns. Or not. Perhaps summer will steal some of that time back.<br /><br />
Nothing is ever guaranteed, after all. So we stop what we’re doing and enjoy it while we can. Before it’s gone for good.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #actofdog #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #blue #monochrome #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-things-we-find-in-gutter.html">The things we find in the gutter, March 2024</a></i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-first-freeze.html">The first freeze</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/its-almost-gutter-ice-season.html">It's almost gutter-ice season</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/05/memories-of-icy-mornings.html">Memories of icy mornings</a>, May 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/04/one-last-round-of-gutter-ice.html">One last round of gutter ice</a>, April 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/03/frozen-x-ray.html">Frozen X-ray</a>, March 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/03/shoot-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace.html">Shoot now or forever hold your peace</a>, March 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/03/magical-miniature-frozen.html">Magical. Miniature. Frozen.</a> March 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/02/icy-duality.html">Icy duality</a>, February 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/01/when-puddles-freeze.html">When puddles freeze</a>, January 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/03/leaf-frozen-in-ice.html">Leaf frozen in ice</a>, March 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-ice-in-gutter.html">The ice in the gutter</a>, March 2022</i></div></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-49965280501026543752024-03-24T07:47:00.029-04:002024-03-26T15:36:28.717-04:00Cagey moment in a Costco<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfDzqcfBAIm-ecHUEUDvy5PTNai-kK-wcHnaJ7CxA2omtX-kIB8gGAMq1z72HulenFzD8qfHhf8jz4RgyGrUXcMCasB43yploeXniHzlO2NAe2VBNYdIBciLauuxeibip_dCoTna1-Hm2clcwPxPrVXltcIuecGi8mZhVMb9RpZNnyeUb48jeDQ/s4032/IMG_5947%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfDzqcfBAIm-ecHUEUDvy5PTNai-kK-wcHnaJ7CxA2omtX-kIB8gGAMq1z72HulenFzD8qfHhf8jz4RgyGrUXcMCasB43yploeXniHzlO2NAe2VBNYdIBciLauuxeibip_dCoTna1-Hm2clcwPxPrVXltcIuecGi8mZhVMb9RpZNnyeUb48jeDQ/w300-h400/IMG_5947%20Copy.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Industrial disease<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C45VcWgOUma/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Scene from a Costco: we’ve come to this overwhelmingly crowded big box store to fill up on the minutiae of everyday life.<br /><br />
Chaotically twisted lines of people pushing overloaded carts and overtired children snake their way back from the exits, the overworked attendants checking everyone’s receipts at the door.<br /><br />
We pull over to the side to wait for our son to catch up with us, and as we wait, I alternate between watching the endless flow of people - like salmon spawning up the stream - and taking in the massive concrete warehouse architectural masterpiece that serves as the stage for this never-ending performance.<br /><br />
Maybe masterpiece is an overstatement. But it still fascinates me.<br /><br />
So I pull the smartphone out of my pocket and start to size up the chain link fencing that borders the floor-to-ceiling shelves that dominate this monotonously grey landscape. I’ve never played with light and angles in this part of this store before, and I now see what I’ve been missing.<br /><br />
My ever-understanding wife smiles gently. She’s watched this scene play out countless times over the years, and magically she’s always understood the why. I smile gently back at her as I finish shooting and show her the initial results. I’m an insanely lucky human.<br /><br />
Soon enough, our son finds us again and we’re on our way, the grey warehouse aesthetic tucked back into our memories, at least until our next visit here.<br /><br />
This may not have been a place or a moment normally worthy of its own narrative. But I’m starting to believe that in a world where things feel less than normal by the day, where we draw those lines is entirely up to us.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #bigbox #store #costco #shopping #retail #architecture #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/when-they-walled-up-costco.html">When they walled up the Costco</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-dozen-eggs-fall-in-parking-lot.html">A dozen eggs fall in a parking lot...</a> October 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/12/this-is-my-locker-story.html">This is my locker story</a>, December 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/03/dead-fish-in-costco.html">Dead fish in a Costco</a>, March 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-costco-rules-especially-when-po-is.html">Why Costco rules, especially when Po is involved</a>, December 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/11/i-still-need-tires-though.html">I still need tires, though</a>, November 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/06/pickled-under-glass.html">Pickled under glass</a>, June 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/02/costco-on-snowy-night.html">Costco on a snowy night</a>, February 2017</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-1083986100974095862024-03-23T07:01:00.018-04:002024-03-26T15:29:33.948-04:00Structure in the trees<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAH13Y-0b205G5mgxgIx4oIJ4ZlElF27uclkihOoUlH4rKnwdowO6BOis_wwdhqlQjlSwv53alax_50dlqNQ-5r5Kqa8kLRKjLzAKQjQxVANv57OV7d-AQdql-S9zYRhmL-TYPln6OVBGUDlGyA48sWUdbQPXvTzVvRCp2eJID7wvb7bAiD5U4tQ/s4895/DSC_4095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4895" data-original-width="3268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAH13Y-0b205G5mgxgIx4oIJ4ZlElF27uclkihOoUlH4rKnwdowO6BOis_wwdhqlQjlSwv53alax_50dlqNQ-5r5Kqa8kLRKjLzAKQjQxVANv57OV7d-AQdql-S9zYRhmL-TYPln6OVBGUDlGyA48sWUdbQPXvTzVvRCp2eJID7wvb7bAiD5U4tQ/w268-h400/DSC_4095.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Held up<br />London, ON<br />February 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C42rYrlu7iB/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Never let it be said that there’s no structure in nature.<br /><br />
The proof is all around us.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #forest #tree #trees #branches #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #texture #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/tree-trunk-texture.html">Tree trunk texture</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/11/craggy-bark-deep-in-woods.html">Craggy bark deep in the woods</a>, November 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/10/history-written-in-tree-trunk.html">History written in a tree trunk</a>, October 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-tree-meets-its-end.html">A tree meets its end</a>, September 2016</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2013/04/choosing-to-look-other-way.html">Choosing to look the other way</a>, April 2013</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2012/05/look-in-trunk.html">Look in the trunk</a>, May 2012</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2010/07/barking-up-right-tree.html">Barking up the right tree</a>, July 2010</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-beginnings.html">New beginnings</a>, July 2009</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2006/11/bark-cubed.html">Bark, cubed</a>, November 2006</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-15731238064130332392024-03-22T07:57:00.019-04:002024-03-26T15:26:02.368-04:00The things we see in the waves<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDf0GrFy-t-2ba9R7beOVqWi3MGdpDyTHPubhDuxA9rlx0gvvtGNyplDlSGiIMpDK652dvwnP46RKjQRSsrRJUxhNANTRARthzntOlWw2ohO0qWCnEfHN8NqNR2qCPWbu-vpD7PsMCdqZCWFQcs1qFCQpnfC1D3JiqMEtZaxph_YmlPLLwDmQS5g/s3528/DSC_1666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1985" data-original-width="3528" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDf0GrFy-t-2ba9R7beOVqWi3MGdpDyTHPubhDuxA9rlx0gvvtGNyplDlSGiIMpDK652dvwnP46RKjQRSsrRJUxhNANTRARthzntOlWw2ohO0qWCnEfHN8NqNR2qCPWbu-vpD7PsMCdqZCWFQcs1qFCQpnfC1D3JiqMEtZaxph_YmlPLLwDmQS5g/w400-h225/DSC_1666.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Everything eventually ends<br />Port Stanley, ON<br />September 2023<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C40M-dNrG1y/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We see many things in the few seconds when a wave rolls up on shore, then disappears.<br /><br />
Order.<br /><br />
Chaos.<br /><br />
Transparency.<br /><br />
Mystery.<br /><br />
Power.<br /><br />
Vulnerability.<br /><br />
Life.<br /><br />
Endings.<br /><br />
Maybe we see what we want to see.<br /><br />
#portstanley #beach #ldnont #ontario #canada #throwback #great #lake #erie #water #waves #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/03/watching-waves-roll-in.html">Watching the waves roll in</a>, March 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-endlessness-of-waves.html">The endlessness of waves</a>, October 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/splat-goes-ocean_17.html">Splat goes the ocean</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-moment-before-extinction.html">The moment before extinction</a>, January 2015</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/02/wave-that-made-me-think.html">The wave that made me think</a>, February 2011</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2010/01/do-wave.html">Do the wave</a>, January 2010</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/08/thanks-bill.html">Thanks, Bill</a>, August 2009</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-sand-meets-sea.html">Where sand meets sea</a>, January 2008</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2007/01/endless-waves.html">Endless waves</a>, January 2007</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-31100809496572200952024-03-21T08:17:00.034-04:002024-03-26T15:22:26.483-04:00Window to the sky<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVXqh2Bfzj1Jt9Q52P-ZojQB5Nxj6-b7YnxqaJwcO3n-RgTmJ4_Tg6FXjIG9XBklGk6D4dBNN2Q5QeHEInKb-VKowQXdkTXaFeKrJ_Utolv-TxyQq09J-vSzy0cioA_NpR84j0Yp-qIBLp9ErL1MfVeWQ2UWAFY573I7oPTaGwWnQPmRhTBVxLA/s3602/IMG_1281%20Copy%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3602" data-original-width="2701" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVXqh2Bfzj1Jt9Q52P-ZojQB5Nxj6-b7YnxqaJwcO3n-RgTmJ4_Tg6FXjIG9XBklGk6D4dBNN2Q5QeHEInKb-VKowQXdkTXaFeKrJ_Utolv-TxyQq09J-vSzy0cioA_NpR84j0Yp-qIBLp9ErL1MfVeWQ2UWAFY573I7oPTaGwWnQPmRhTBVxLA/w300-h400/IMG_1281%20Copy%20Copy.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pull up for the show<br />Winnipeg, MB<br />August 2023<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4xqejDLufY/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It does the soul good to look out the window and wonder about what’s out there.<br /><br />
Some of it may be visible. Much of it won’t be. All of it will be remarkable.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #yxu #winnipeg #manitoba #canada #ywg #throwback #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #flair #flight #flying #aviation #boeing #boeing737 #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br />
<div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/01/beautiful-scars-in-urban-landscape.html">Beautiful scars in the urban landscape</a>, January 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/08/dancing-among-clouds.html">Dancing among the clouds</a>, August 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/08/winging-it.html">Winging it</a>, August 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/01/fat-albert-reflects-sun.html">Fat Albert reflects the sun</a>, January 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/09/saying-goodbye-to-winnipeg.html">Saying goodbye to Winnipeg</a>, September 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-vegas.html">The first time I ever saw Vegas</a>, January 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/03/clouds-off-japanese-coast.html">Clouds off the Japanese coast</a>, March 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/01/light-from-above-kincardine-on-may-2012.html">Going feet wet on the way home</a>, January 2021</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-86826270324999009642024-03-20T07:53:00.021-04:002024-03-20T08:35:19.547-04:00A futile search for frozen chicken<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMDwowSFozRpzOze2m2_MBY38u9ErWtAF3-NfahpMjMx6SPzww61AjuMos933cjD0vDobMR9T8yk21_9ajs-W-tKvIp2JYd6v3KA3eSrysHS8v0dDaZhoHiNwnHSDA3ZZ-eIMq0YoRp-99qIpGFvQ7zeMrOPyED1KuaWblAgQMwx-aXUvauIzkw/s3958/IMG_5895%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2968" data-original-width="3958" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMDwowSFozRpzOze2m2_MBY38u9ErWtAF3-NfahpMjMx6SPzww61AjuMos933cjD0vDobMR9T8yk21_9ajs-W-tKvIp2JYd6v3KA3eSrysHS8v0dDaZhoHiNwnHSDA3ZZ-eIMq0YoRp-99qIpGFvQ7zeMrOPyED1KuaWblAgQMwx-aXUvauIzkw/w400-h300/IMG_5895%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The view from the inside<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4vDCFYLoMU/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Either there was a serious run on frozen chicken strips last week, or the truck that delivers them was delayed when the driver had a hankering for an A&W Mama Burger combo.<br /><br />
Whatever the reason, it meant the display case had a rare stretch of open space not seen since the Great Early-Pandemic Shortages of 2020.<br /><br />
Which meant it was time to get to work.<br /><br />
Now, this particular photo was taken one row over from my <a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2006/12/busted-by-grocery-police.html">now-infamous run-in</a> with store security years ago. In that earlier case, they weren’t too pleased when I pulled out a DSLR with a long-ish lens near the milk fridge.<br /><br />
Thankfully this shoot was uneventful. I composed the scene from inside the very chilly display case before anyone knew what I was up to. Stealthy smartphone photography is a thing. Who knew?<br /><br />
I’ll add this one to my growing pile of strange-meets-everyday pics. I never know when the little wheels will start turning in my head, but the fact that they turn at all is the only thing that matters.<br /><br />
Now, go let your own wheels turn. Maybe I’ll see you near the frozen chicken section.
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #walmart #frozen #chicken #shopping #retail #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/frozen-orange-juice-still-life.html">Frozen orange juice still-life</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/04/listen-to-talking-cans.html">Listen to the talking cans</a>, April 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/07/save-dolphins.html">Save the dolphins!</a> July 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/05/bottled-up-color.html">Bottled up color</a>, May 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/03/are-you-rock-star.html">Are you a rock star?</a> March 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/peppers-under-glass.html">Peppers under glass</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/04/grocery-shopping-101-for-pandemic.html">Grocery Shopping 101 for the Pandemic</a>, April 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2006/12/busted-by-grocery-police.html">Busted by the grocery police</a>, December 2006</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-67936727722065653492024-03-19T05:54:00.018-04:002024-03-19T10:30:01.808-04:00The things we find in gutters<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-loXovS8VB3l8dBxzO034xGcVvVw-G05EzT_3mwBOup5qtmcF0jrBMPZn7BkX7hacD6rKO8r5waXr2g5UtaZlZIZcxwpwz-M5d1YaYmIJqMETf0Vdwz64Ko5vbV55Z3T1PELWFlNTWd1PW8cQMr5a1WxXAL22b6hlrB0ReI4OCGZbURk12EBIZg/s3875/IMG_5931%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2263" data-original-width="3875" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-loXovS8VB3l8dBxzO034xGcVvVw-G05EzT_3mwBOup5qtmcF0jrBMPZn7BkX7hacD6rKO8r5waXr2g5UtaZlZIZcxwpwz-M5d1YaYmIJqMETf0Vdwz64Ko5vbV55Z3T1PELWFlNTWd1PW8cQMr5a1WxXAL22b6hlrB0ReI4OCGZbURk12EBIZg/w400-h234/IMG_5931%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Frozen in the abstract<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4sQm2Hutw7/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I call it gutter ice, and we came close to having none of it over the course of this bizarrely warm, El Niño-fed, climate-change-tinged winter.<br /><br />
It takes a very specific set of conditions for gutter ice to develop: some kind of wet precipitation, just enough - but not too much - water accumulation, followed by a fast overnight freeze.<br /><br />
Then, there’s a tiny sliver of time in the morning to shoot the impossibly thin ice before it either melts or gets crushed by traffic.<br /><br />
It never got cold enough for long enough this year. Until yesterday, when winter decided on a late-season brush of wind and white. I found this one around the corner from the house just before it disappeared in a puddle.<br /><br />
It seems weird to seek random sheets of ice in the dusty corners of crumbling streets. Conventional wisdom, after all, dictates that great photography and great stories don’t take root on dirty asphalt.<br /><br />
I suppose that might be true, but I’ve never really subscribed to conventional wisdom, anyway. And I’d rather choose my own subjects and stories, too.<br /><br />
Even if I have to chase them across dusty, near-frozen streets.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #actofdog #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-first-freeze.html">The first freeze</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/its-almost-gutter-ice-season.html">It's almost gutter-ice season</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/05/memories-of-icy-mornings.html">Memories of icy mornings</a>, May 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/04/one-last-round-of-gutter-ice.html">One last round of gutter ice</a>, April 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/03/frozen-x-ray.html">Frozen X-ray</a>, March 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/03/shoot-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace.html">Shoot now or forever hold your peace</a>, March 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/03/magical-miniature-frozen.html">Magical. Miniature. Frozen.</a> March 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/02/icy-duality.html">Icy duality</a>, February 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/01/when-puddles-freeze.html">When puddles freeze</a>, January 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/03/leaf-frozen-in-ice.html">Leaf frozen in ice</a>, March 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-ice-in-gutter.html">The ice in the gutter</a>, March 2022</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-16717708003004875132024-03-18T07:48:00.017-04:002024-03-18T18:45:49.152-04:00Looking for hope beyond the storm<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYDwRArZaATAsUiplkGclw7qcULWwr0v06RFy_SOvUnnbWQfCKx-z8hsqcNwOzgSVlDfbn1jN_uDWSDzvHdB8Em3xK9Gb0SbFdByCoblJDuIejMjtnVmcxHpd-JJ4ynYtX4O-qESmsnoBhT0ES3Y2C1-3L28816mchUCty55ZZ_LfVLpYojS3yQ/s3932/DSC_4027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2212" data-original-width="3932" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYDwRArZaATAsUiplkGclw7qcULWwr0v06RFy_SOvUnnbWQfCKx-z8hsqcNwOzgSVlDfbn1jN_uDWSDzvHdB8Em3xK9Gb0SbFdByCoblJDuIejMjtnVmcxHpd-JJ4ynYtX4O-qESmsnoBhT0ES3Y2C1-3L28816mchUCty55ZZ_LfVLpYojS3yQ/w400-h225/DSC_4027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">There's always light<br />London, ON<br />February 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p40Izruc1/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Beyond every storm, there’s a slash of light that holds hope for a better future.<br /><br />
Maybe it’s hard to see or appreciate, but it’s there. It’s little more than a matter of perspective, really, simply because of where we happen to be standing at any given moment.<br /><br />
Like the skies here, where angry clouds do their best to hide the brilliance behind and above. Soon enough, though, the winds will come along and sweep the fear away.<br /><br />
We simply have to trust forces so often feel beyond our control. That time always seems to find a way to brighten the skies above us.<br /><br />
Feels like a reasonable thought to hold onto on a Monday, doesn’t it?<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #tree #trees #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #optimistpark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/03/under-glowing-sky.html">Under the glowing sky</a>, March 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-accidental-sunset.html">The accidental sunset</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/08/finding-life-at-crossroads.html">Finding life at the crossroads</a>, August 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/sunrise-sunset.html">Sunrise, sunset</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/electric-sky.html">Electric sky</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/08/chasing-sunsets-with-our-daughter.html">Chasing sunsets with our daughter</a>, August 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/03/staring-out-window.html">Staring out a window</a>, March 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/12/sunset-from-parking-lot-on-hill.html">Sunset from the parking lot on the hill</a>, December 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/11/sunset-on-sunningdale-drive.html">Sunset on Sunningdale Drive</a>, November 2017</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-29589341838983836562024-03-17T09:07:00.015-04:002024-03-18T16:36:36.969-04:00Gloomy, desolate beauty<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8SxIXZaUfu-sUf8TlNXeJ1FIyhdyID-iDQYwBK7fuYn7kAzSxuxw86_35sPthox1KfFsqwfzG1vCh1Q6ml0XUB0I9jeET-IHByIpR3Pk5dl7H4TJ-A-4Fd6Y_P98JF_3B-2tNL3zG9BzMSimLTR_IGZbN4VPshjodTNu8g5_fR6JNIJmRAzIBg/s3529/IMG_5486%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1985" data-original-width="3529" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8SxIXZaUfu-sUf8TlNXeJ1FIyhdyID-iDQYwBK7fuYn7kAzSxuxw86_35sPthox1KfFsqwfzG1vCh1Q6ml0XUB0I9jeET-IHByIpR3Pk5dl7H4TJ-A-4Fd6Y_P98JF_3B-2tNL3zG9BzMSimLTR_IGZbN4VPshjodTNu8g5_fR6JNIJmRAzIBg/w400-h225/IMG_5486%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Monochrome landscape<br />London, ON<br />January 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4ndAglr9hd/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We’re days away from winter giving way to spring, and we’d be forgiven for thinking we didn’t have much of a winter at all this year.<br /><br />
So I’m sharing this image, taken on a gloomy January morning, as a reminder that in between the record-shattering warmth and lack of snow, we had a few fleeting moments where things looked and felt somewhat normal.<br /><br />
All of this begs the question: what’s normal, anyway?<br /><br />
I don’t think that question can ever be answered.<br /><br />
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwcack #tree #trees #fog #weather #wx #onstorm #monochrome #highbury #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br />
<div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-community-of-trees.html">The community of trees</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/01/a-tree-emerges-from-fog.html">A tree emerges from the fog</a>, January 2024</i></div><div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/12/watching-prayers-fall-silent.html">Watching the prayers fall silent</a>, December 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/12/battles-in-fog-and-in-life.html">Battles in the fog and in life</a>, December 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/12/fog-takes-fog-gives.html">Fog takes. Fog gives.</a> December 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/11/trudging-through-fog.html">Trudging through the fog</a>, November 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/11/continuing-our-walk-through-fog.html">Continuing our walk through the fog</a>, November 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/11/highbury-avenue-in-fog.html">Highbury Avenue in fog</a>, November 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/03/looking-to-trees-for-guidance.html">Looking to the trees for guidance</a>, March 2018</i></div></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-48004295169649365042024-03-16T08:07:00.023-04:002024-03-18T16:31:34.474-04:00The things we find in the gutter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEPiGWU8QlTiDCd_YoLurpcSWR4IeEF77JHG6Cm-vFT_Tv0h3n5iGsdsK6vx0uq9LL0wew4lHJ_6KEnzq_Rn1KzxWyk-5_qZXV5c01wzpJ0gETL1XT9xvIrB4idoaeI-MXOt50wskvjXe7peHVKuBqtToW8OgoBX0UQJwvzef0b-JCXz9Xs7PnQ/s2889/DSC_7744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1926" data-original-width="2889" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEPiGWU8QlTiDCd_YoLurpcSWR4IeEF77JHG6Cm-vFT_Tv0h3n5iGsdsK6vx0uq9LL0wew4lHJ_6KEnzq_Rn1KzxWyk-5_qZXV5c01wzpJ0gETL1XT9xvIrB4idoaeI-MXOt50wskvjXe7peHVKuBqtToW8OgoBX0UQJwvzef0b-JCXz9Xs7PnQ/w400-h266/DSC_7744.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Halfsies<br />London, ON<br />January 2018<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4kxn-vrsJR/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span><br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table>The world can be a pretty ugly place, and proof of that is often as close as the ground beneath our feet.<br /><br />
I found this on a Saturday morning while out with the dog for her first walk of the day. She was happily sniffing the dirt in the gutter - a dog thing, apparently - so I stood beside her, transfixed by the discarded half-smoked cigarette.<br /><br />
It wasn’t so much the singular image that caught my attention. Rather, it was the story behind it, and the things I could not see.<br /><br />
I wondered who tossed it aside as it slowly burned down its length, and concluded this was but one more countless others. Because someone who would mindlessly toss one butt away like this certainly wouldn’t stop at one.<br /><br />
Whoever this stranger may have been, I’m reasonably certain they never gave their actions a second thought.<br /><br />
But I did. Over something I should have been able to quickly set aside, but couldn’t.<br /><br />
The world is indeed ugly. So are some of the folks who call it home.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #street #streetphotography #cigarette #smoking #belmont #stilllife #roadside #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><div><div><b><i><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-marlboro-man-hates-recycling.html">The Marlboro Man hates recycling</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/03/death-to-smokers-sort-of.html">Death to smokers, sort of</a>, March 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/10/smoking-by-hospital-exit.html">Smoking by the hospital exit</a>, October 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/discarded-cigarette.html">Discarded cigarette</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2012/05/roadside-smoker.html">Roadside smoker</a>, May 2012</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2012/02/marlboro-man.html">Marlboro Man</a>, February 2012</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/04/destroyers-of-worlds.html">Destroyers of worlds</a>, April 2011</i></div></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-29660755229878745792024-03-15T06:58:00.027-04:002024-03-18T16:19:05.524-04:00Ronald McDonald would approve<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmFeh2nPhf0Ta95hNGf8odQvRiOUn98lW4RavZ7EMgrDWM8fMgKlyp3D7Yxym0tzhNXDBAtIHetLt1Y7L3KI6YeJe01HNtBiiDKd1tf-C9BBjRZDD9IWWRb9SNG7vGEvgjlnrOBVyyEfRUAt3iJDG5_kA_oF_SFr0LMI79XX7JVSG8NrhfcoWxQ/s4032/IMG_5915%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmFeh2nPhf0Ta95hNGf8odQvRiOUn98lW4RavZ7EMgrDWM8fMgKlyp3D7Yxym0tzhNXDBAtIHetLt1Y7L3KI6YeJe01HNtBiiDKd1tf-C9BBjRZDD9IWWRb9SNG7vGEvgjlnrOBVyyEfRUAt3iJDG5_kA_oF_SFr0LMI79XX7JVSG8NrhfcoWxQ/w400-h225/IMG_5915%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Friendly arches<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4iFe3drnby/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It’s 10 minutes before midnight as I step back into my car and head home with our very late, unplanned fast food dinner.<br /><br />
It was a day when life’s script was set aside, when we learned yet again why health is the only thing that truly matters. And as is often the case when ERs are visited and entire days are spent waiting in one plasticky chair after another, we eat where and when we can.<br /><br />
And so I found myself looking for an open McDonald’s in the middle of the night. Because I’m silly, I didn’t bother looking anything up when I left the house: just jumped in the car in my flustered rush and assumed everything would be open.<br /><br />
Um, no. Which is how I pulled up to our local McD’s, only to realize it had been closed for hours. So I parked beside the darkened windows and frantically searched on my phone for the nearest open outlet, only to realize the only one still serving was nowhere near home. Which meant it was time for an unplanned cruise through the darkened streets.<br /><br />
This isn’t just any McDonald’s. When it opened its doors in 1968, it was the first restaurant for the iconic brand in Eastern Canada. It has since undergone a careful rebuild that somehow managed to respect the spirit of the original.<br /><br />
I stood in the parking lot and thought about the countless stories that must have played out here over the ensuing decades. The pit stops after the game. The tiny moments marked with ice cream. The family meetings after a hospital visit. All I could do was imagine the history, the echoes pinging through my head amid the pale yellow glow.<br /><br />
I appreciate the prevailing opinion of a place like this, that it’s little more than a stupid fast food joint, hardly worthy of a second look let alone a soft-focus tour of our shared history. But that’s the thing: pieces of almost everyone’s life play out here, or in places just like it. Not every backdrop to every story is storybook.<br /><br />
And I felt that trigger as I carefully walked under the shadowy lights, appreciating the silent fact that I was adding another unplanned chapter to my family’s story in a place we had all come to strangely appreciate.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #architecture #shadows #lines #light #pools #oasis #geometry #streetphotography #night #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/04/fast-food-voyeurism.html">Fast food voyeurism</a>, April 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/09/fast-food-revelation-far-from-home.html">Fast food revelation, far from home</a>, September 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-playplace-falls-silent.html">The PlayPlace falls silent</a>, January 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/08/shooting-strangers-in-small-town.html">Shooting strangers in a small-town McDonald's</a>, August 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/07/no-more-chicken-for-you.html">No more chicken for you</a>, July 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2012/02/surfing-for-porn-at-mickey-ds.html">Surfing for porn at Mickey Ds</a>, February 2012</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2006/05/geodesic.html">Geodesic</a>, May 2006</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-50148076878248868172024-03-14T06:22:00.011-04:002024-03-18T12:34:39.618-04:00When trees fall...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMbCTbOd9wh0HLnzxzvBSO-TIFNJjfHSmngarl7JH8-bl5GuZmJXpn_BXbfLN27VSXdV9VKqkotrq_uImkVDNYF1lxXzcmfcCn13vBsvl4HCJ5q9VBSKqTtgWx3SJ16PPm3osWSUyiZGatne4nOzrA9BM9E45DjRXonqbLMqOFr_SYzuhPBw3-w/s5333/DSC_4352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="5333" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMbCTbOd9wh0HLnzxzvBSO-TIFNJjfHSmngarl7JH8-bl5GuZmJXpn_BXbfLN27VSXdV9VKqkotrq_uImkVDNYF1lxXzcmfcCn13vBsvl4HCJ5q9VBSKqTtgWx3SJ16PPm3osWSUyiZGatne4nOzrA9BM9E45DjRXonqbLMqOFr_SYzuhPBw3-w/w400-h225/DSC_4352.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The friends who carry us<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4fbyitAe6p/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>When this tree fell in the forest, there was no way of knowing if anyone heard it.<br /><br />
Probably not. But that was never the point anyway.<br /><br />
Because a tree’s worth is hardly determined by the single moment when it falls to earth. It remains vital long after its roots are pulled unceremoniously from the ground by the cruel forces of time and gravity. Suspended in mid-air by its onetime neighbours, it decays slowly above the flowing creek, gently nourishing the water and the land that once fed its growth.<br /><br />
The circle of life tends to whisper its presence rather than shout it. So when it does, we might want to stop what we’re doing to appreciate it. The lessons we learn in the woods may indeed be silent, but we still owe it to ourselves to listen.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #cathedral #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/03/listening-to-soundtrack-of-forest.html">Listening to the soundtrack of the forest</a>, March 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/one-last-look-back.html">One last look back...</a> December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/trees-from-venus.html">Trees from Venus</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/not-as-scary-as-it-seems.html">Not as scary as it seems</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/12/when-forest-disappears-from-view.html">When the forest disappears from view</a>, December 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/03/looking-to-trees-for-guidance.html">Looking to the trees for guidance</a>, March 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/medway-valley-muted.html">Medway Valley, muted</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/foggy-trees-in-nearby-valley.html">Foggy trees in a nearby valley</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/01/into-blue-forest.html">Into the blue forest</a>, January 2011</i></div></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-842361860291972462024-03-13T07:57:00.021-04:002024-03-18T12:04:02.250-04:00Furry couch potato<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHdNxmBWfuM2FHeJAYTjnjJfoZz5PjUKPxXLfVhVNrlURtDEf8JoZ8I7jkUiRJDh55ZtlH2WTZfZvTxf60PGJIcmxqspq8Py_q_P7lQXGM2qVlvH26BgeIFQK0mq1mdSsvo-GbQoXz-NfxhQMt_FPUOuoXsGVOT-zpgNbD3ZMSbXeKFwSA-IokQ/s3863/IMG_5769%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="3863" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHdNxmBWfuM2FHeJAYTjnjJfoZz5PjUKPxXLfVhVNrlURtDEf8JoZ8I7jkUiRJDh55ZtlH2WTZfZvTxf60PGJIcmxqspq8Py_q_P7lQXGM2qVlvH26BgeIFQK0mq1mdSsvo-GbQoXz-NfxhQMt_FPUOuoXsGVOT-zpgNbD3ZMSbXeKFwSA-IokQ/w400-h225/IMG_5769%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thousand mile stare<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4dB6vwgjLU/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>More often than I dare admit, I’ll stop what I’m doing and just watch our dog, Calli, as she sleeps.<br /><br />
She can nap pretty much anywhere - just curls herself into a ball and nods off.<br /><br />
Or, as she’s done here, she’ll stretch out and drowsily stare back at me.<br /><br />
Whatever her state, I’ll stare back at her and wonder what’s going through her dog mind. Is she dreaming? If so, about what? Other dogs? The squirrel she failed to capture during this morning’s walk? That time I wrestled half a discarded chicken from between her supernaturally locked jaws?<br /><br />
I’ll never know for sure. I just hope that happiness is bouncing around in there. Everyone - including the dog - deserves happiness.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #callitheschnauzer #callithewonderschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #ınstagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/all-dogs-deserve-place.html">All dogs deserve a Place</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/that-schnauzer-stare.html">That Schnauzer stare</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/10/boop-snoot.html">Boop the snoot</a>, October 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/11/sleepy-puppy-stare.html">Sleepy puppy stare</a>, November 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-thousand-mile-stare.html">The thousand-mile stare</a>, February 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/05/puppy-at-temporary-rest.html">Puppy at (temporary) rest</a>, May 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/10/another-dog-month-on-planet-earth.html">Another dog-month on Planet Earth</a>, October 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-king-at-rest.html">The king at rest</a>, December 2014</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-82101795925379264062024-03-12T05:12:00.013-04:002024-03-18T12:00:03.812-04:00Feel the bark<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj477RAZzAFP46Ylh9FkPVSCP8Uy3GmJ-KbYeaxQXBVlyl2cjW5OVcOT3kbDN6VHFltoIr5vSc0rz4L3l3gyUTP2_E8V7KuYDZmm2Usp9SY7szWMWBRBTNeFZxtiIhWlGldMDQ7KxcjHDehxC1d_HaF-j3i7al0YpNA75wqYOiHG16hhyphenhyphenVbuA0q_w/s5339/DSC_4043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2996" data-original-width="5339" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj477RAZzAFP46Ylh9FkPVSCP8Uy3GmJ-KbYeaxQXBVlyl2cjW5OVcOT3kbDN6VHFltoIr5vSc0rz4L3l3gyUTP2_E8V7KuYDZmm2Usp9SY7szWMWBRBTNeFZxtiIhWlGldMDQ7KxcjHDehxC1d_HaF-j3i7al0YpNA75wqYOiHG16hhyphenhyphenVbuA0q_w/w400-h225/DSC_4043.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Textured<br />London, ON<br />February 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4aKKsVOA06/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Isn’t it fascinating how a strictly two-dimensional medium like photography can make us feel textures just by looking at them?<br /><br />
I don’t fully understand how that works, either, but it sure is a fun concept to play with, both in the mind and with the chunk of glass and electronics I hold in my hand.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #tree #trees #trunk #bark #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #texture #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/tree-trunk-texture.html">Tree trunk texture</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/11/craggy-bark-deep-in-woods.html">Craggy bark deep in the woods</a>, November 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/10/history-written-in-tree-trunk.html">History written in a tree trunk</a>, October 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-tree-meets-its-end.html">A tree meets its end</a>, September 2016</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2013/04/choosing-to-look-other-way.html">Choosing to look the other way</a>, April 2013</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2012/05/look-in-trunk.html">Look in the trunk</a>, May 2012</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2010/07/barking-up-right-tree.html">Barking up the right tree</a>, July 2010</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-beginnings.html">New beginnings</a>, July 2009</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2006/11/bark-cubed.html">Bark, cubed</a>, November 2006</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-9674399507838278982024-03-11T06:40:00.028-04:002024-03-11T10:32:21.656-04:00All signs point to cheese<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddSFsAvyreqDu2bXsd3ho6iwtnwdkh-G_WTMONH42mVKhZmDzQYjhA9tbxKI0WQGoQx_UzN0rcMUoBBrOxv9Nz4HcFNKg7EuXSZvmxBqpjLr0UURbO_3eOZWhMEh37Z0NIoE03C1t6ciMbgfkaWCGdqHK8ZA_DPGdvspqNqnuVnqbTfsGJFUXZA/s3753/IMG_5896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2815" data-original-width="3753" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddSFsAvyreqDu2bXsd3ho6iwtnwdkh-G_WTMONH42mVKhZmDzQYjhA9tbxKI0WQGoQx_UzN0rcMUoBBrOxv9Nz4HcFNKg7EuXSZvmxBqpjLr0UURbO_3eOZWhMEh37Z0NIoE03C1t6ciMbgfkaWCGdqHK8ZA_DPGdvspqNqnuVnqbTfsGJFUXZA/w400-h300/IMG_5896.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wallace and Gromit would be proud<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Xvffiu7gO/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This one needs an explanation. Whenever we hunt and forage for food, I feel compelled to take at least one photo.<br /><br />
Part of me wants to simply remember the ordinary moments, to take time-outs during the most mundane everyday activities. To remind myself that nothing is ever ordinary, and the extraordinary can show itself if we bother to look for it.<br /><br />
One of my unshakable habits involves the signs identifying different sections in the store. I originally focused on taking random pics of funnily-worded signs, but have since branched out to memorable designs and compositions.<br /><br />
There was something about the far corner of the dairy section that spoke to me. It had colour, shading, leading lines, indifferently applied yellow paint, and a non-coincidental cheese connection. Makes sense, doesn’t it?<br /><br />
Wait, scratch that. Not everything needs to make sense. It’s perfectly fine if it’s just a photo or a moment that makes me - and hopefully you - smile.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #signs #shopping #retail #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-grocery-signs-that-define-us.html">The grocery signs that define us</a>, April 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/01/this-way-please.html">This way, please</a>, January 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/01/waiting-to-pay-for-my-groceries.html">Waiting to pay for my groceries</a>, January 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/07/do-you-ever-stop-and-wonder-what.html">Lines on a grocery store floor</a>, July 2020<br /><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-signs-under-our-feet.html">The signs under our feet</a>, April 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2010/10/bakerv-or-bakery.html">Bakerv or Bakery?</a> October 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/05/caption-this-122.html">Caption This 122</a>, May 2009</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-81684007530663538952024-03-10T08:41:00.017-04:002024-03-11T10:23:50.645-04:00Listening to the soundtrack of the forest<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrRhQK_J285jBQGKSvJCl9WVHiNG-eOp2KpBexKcWL0kiBMc-h8MN-OtFA7ggqLztqnq0OLb3JJBnzNAEuDSy5iF35oqeIKAqLPhfVT1JSqhyphenhyphenQIAq2_xJTFtW-8VEVYhUHyNGmfYXMmrectmMaIm-BWUg5fm6ozvEugWerOiXrFP2ELtgkB9mvw/s5333/DSC_4343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="5333" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrRhQK_J285jBQGKSvJCl9WVHiNG-eOp2KpBexKcWL0kiBMc-h8MN-OtFA7ggqLztqnq0OLb3JJBnzNAEuDSy5iF35oqeIKAqLPhfVT1JSqhyphenhyphenQIAq2_xJTFtW-8VEVYhUHyNGmfYXMmrectmMaIm-BWUg5fm6ozvEugWerOiXrFP2ELtgkB9mvw/w400-h225/DSC_4343.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It speaks to us<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4VYeH9Lg5G/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We go through phases in life, and that often gets reflected in the things we create along the way. Which is my way of explaining why my feed seems filled with lots of nature and sunset scenes these days.<br /><br />
First, we live close to all this natural beauty, and after years of trying to convince myself to get “out there” more, I’m finally doing just that. And since I usually have a camera in tow, it’s easy to see how that might influence the photography.<br /><br />
Second, nature is a bit of a refuge from a world gone mad. And, yes, you’d be forgiven for thinking Planet Earth has done precisely that in recent years. Life may be beautiful and precious, but it also isn’t always easy.<br /><br />
And when it gets particularly wild, some of us may look for places of quiet reflection - actual, virtual, whatever. So this is one of my places of quiet reflection.<br /><br />
Maybe it makes for repetition, and maybe it doesn’t. Once upon a time I probably would have cared more, or at least done more to break the cycle of sameness and find something different to share. But the sameness IS the story, my story (and possibly the story of so many others, too), so I’m just going to go with it.<br /><br />
Today’s image is one of those moments-of-reflection scenes, where I just stood there and watched the not-so-silent woods slowly shake off the morning fog. It was a comforting thing to do in a comforting place at a time when comfort is so very much needed.<br /><br />
I hope you have similarly comforting places to seek refuge, and similarly comforting scenes to share.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #cathedral #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/one-last-look-back.html">One last look back...</a> December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/trees-from-venus.html">Trees from Venus</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/not-as-scary-as-it-seems.html">Not as scary as it seems</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/12/when-forest-disappears-from-view.html">When the forest disappears from view</a>, December 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/03/looking-to-trees-for-guidance.html">Looking to the trees for guidance</a>, March 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/medway-valley-muted.html">Medway Valley, muted</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/foggy-trees-in-nearby-valley.html">Foggy trees in a nearby valley</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/01/into-blue-forest.html">Into the blue forest</a>, January 2011</i></div></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-52563728777750323832024-03-09T07:51:00.017-05:002024-03-11T10:19:04.259-04:00Under the glowing sky<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvlIstAi8_FVqDRSjHEKhrPYI74BXDjpAzQbZGABoe1lGvfseGxIWkpW1aCvqAA9E_106GvOn0RLxdPTJZ_e2NMDOcRuYUuiSjKDRhr1umWHxrOC-j9OKLFCBLcv5anzOQnnLfyZFf_gUYbXeWMsWftcrvKZRT64ZUqajpjxWfQtBDpm3MKegGA/s5333/DSC_4250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="5333" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvlIstAi8_FVqDRSjHEKhrPYI74BXDjpAzQbZGABoe1lGvfseGxIWkpW1aCvqAA9E_106GvOn0RLxdPTJZ_e2NMDOcRuYUuiSjKDRhr1umWHxrOC-j9OKLFCBLcv5anzOQnnLfyZFf_gUYbXeWMsWftcrvKZRT64ZUqajpjxWfQtBDpm3MKegGA/w400-h225/DSC_4250.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Silhouetted<br />London, ON<br />February 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4S067WLHzd/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>As a kid, I’d stare at lines of trees on the horizon and imagine what lay beyond.<br /><br />
Today, we’re blessed with all sorts of tools and technologies that tell us all we need to know about the parts of the planet that aren’t visible to the naked eye. In adulthood, answers to mysteries are never further than our fingertips.<br /><br />
Yet I find myself staring at the silhouetted trees and wishing some mysteries remained just that. Not everything needs an answer, and sometimes it’s good for the soul to not know what lies beyond the horizon.<br /><br />
Indeed, sometimes it’s better to let the answers find their way to us on their own schedule, one sunset at a time.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #twilight #sky #tree #trees #optimistpark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-accidental-sunset.html">The accidental sunset</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/08/finding-life-at-crossroads.html">Finding life at the crossroads</a>, August 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/sunrise-sunset.html">Sunrise, sunset</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/electric-sky.html">Electric sky</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/08/chasing-sunsets-with-our-daughter.html">Chasing sunsets with our daughter</a>, August 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/03/staring-out-window.html">Staring out a window</a>, March 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/12/sunset-from-parking-lot-on-hill.html">Sunset from the parking lot on the hill</a>, December 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/11/sunset-on-sunningdale-drive.html">Sunset on Sunningdale Drive</a>, November 2017</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-37809588531794043092024-03-08T07:28:00.030-05:002024-03-08T10:35:48.753-05:00Teletubby in a tree <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RfvEmkhIzgRvVl-tCmYu79IpiQ7BbevLdM6KynSsZ25eEg6eUpBMdeaCeRIUVWZYRlTqTlMasYjphWN8rq0GZPj2xyJy_us1vTkKe20M8eiUGIC0jxAUAVhkRLb0087nnEoac5lNlqMi1RUDV4vCvjcbBAqjvtNQBjd58mp-tYmJ6G5351-sug/s4895/DSC_4229.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4895" data-original-width="3268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RfvEmkhIzgRvVl-tCmYu79IpiQ7BbevLdM6KynSsZ25eEg6eUpBMdeaCeRIUVWZYRlTqTlMasYjphWN8rq0GZPj2xyJy_us1vTkKe20M8eiUGIC0jxAUAVhkRLb0087nnEoac5lNlqMi1RUDV4vCvjcbBAqjvtNQBjd58mp-tYmJ6G5351-sug/w268-h400/DSC_4229.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just hanging around<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4QN4XtrSM3/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Po hadn’t been out of the house in a while. And as I allowed that reality to sink in, I realized I hadn’t gotten much fresh air, either, so a spontaneous wander through the neighbourhood for both of us was called for.<br /><br />
As luck would have it, the sun was about to set. So while I waited for the golden hour light to fade to a delightful twilight glow, I unlatched my favourite Teletubby from her spot on my camera bag and attached her to the nearest tree.<br /><br />
It was bit breezy, so she danced rather unpredictably after I hooked the carabiner to the branch. My feet traced circles around her as I tried to line up the right light with the right background. It wasn’t my proudest photographic moment - a tiny stuffed animal? Seriously? - but it was easily the most fun I’ve had with a camera in a while.<br /><br />
As often happens when I shoot weird images in the park, I attract the attention of strangers - and today was no different. A woman in a lovely wool hat and a nicely tailored coat veered off the sidewalk and asked me what I was shooting. I watched her initial smile turn to something a little more quizzical as she gradually realized I wasn’t focusing on the sun, but was instead doing a bizarre shoot with a hanging Teletubby.<br /><br />
But confusion soon turned to laughter as she belatedly realized what was hanging from the tree, and she shared that her own kids had watched the show, and she strangely misses them. She seemed amused that I had held onto this Happy Meal toy for so long, and wished me well as she continued on her way.<br /><br />
Soon enough the sun was gone, so I returned Po to her usual spot on the bag and concentrated on the horizon. But for some reason it was the spontaneous exchange with a stranger that stuck with me.<br /><br />
I’m generally not one to connect with folks I don’t know - it’s the introvert in me - but I do appreciate the power of photography to create connections that wouldn’t otherwise happen. If it unlocked a memory for someone and gave them a reason to smile, then I’m glad I decided to take Po out for some air.<br /><br />
I guess we’ll have to get out there more often, then.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #po #red #teletubby #optimist #park #goldenhour #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything<br /><div><div><b><i><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/01/even-teletubbies-have-to-wait.html">Even Teletubbies have to wait</a>, January 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/09/po-stares-into-wind.html">Po stares in to the wind</a>, September 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/08/where-po-craves-ice-cream.html">Where Po craves ice cream</a>, August 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/10/busted-finger-same-old-perspective.html">Buster finger. Same old perspective.</a> October 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-teletubby-flies-again.html">A Teletubby flies again</a>, March 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/po-meets-mayor.html">Po meets the Mayor</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/01/where-teletubby-goes-live-to-air.html">Where a Teletubby goes live to air</a>, January 2018</i></div><div><br /></div></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-57776147994352587732024-03-07T07:44:00.021-05:002024-03-08T10:28:54.623-05:00Standing still in the mud<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj915i3HlZbwyb1l4F0ttTOBHePMAhbSeSHBcPaDcPp7k185obBCPEIQee04qzyvIntgVrql1-E9BabkG9EN9Wdrfa_dBRstVGZ6qM2gHuFaKNIiwWV8V0PaD6aqE0tcPHPH7hLx5RTdRXrPMa31HZJdrZbfpbdwVCgXePKmHFcPsu2a8GCGjSkPw/s4032/IMG_5862%20Copy%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj915i3HlZbwyb1l4F0ttTOBHePMAhbSeSHBcPaDcPp7k185obBCPEIQee04qzyvIntgVrql1-E9BabkG9EN9Wdrfa_dBRstVGZ6qM2gHuFaKNIiwWV8V0PaD6aqE0tcPHPH7hLx5RTdRXrPMa31HZJdrZbfpbdwVCgXePKmHFcPsu2a8GCGjSkPw/w400-h300/IMG_5862%20Copy%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just listen<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4NqgSHLWoT/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>On a foggy Sunday morning, I decided to head into the woods for some much-needed unplugged time.<br /><br />
Soon after descending into the valley and leaving the rest of civilization behind, I realized two things:<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The place was completely empty. Usually I’ll see the occasional stranger or two, but not today.</li><li>The place was a mud-filled mess after recent rains, which I soon realized was the reason for the emptiness.</li></ol>Even worse, the fog show was a bust.<br /><br />
Since my initial reason for being here was now moot, and I couldn’t really walk too far for fear of becoming permanently stuck in the mud, I instead stood in one spot and just listened.<br /><br />
I heard the soundtrack of the woods at a fidelity I’ve never before experienced. I could hear droplets falling off of branches, and trunks creaking in the soft breeze. Even squirrels looking for food had their own audio signature, and soon enough I felt immersed in a rich, unexpected soundscape.<br /><br />
The camera stayed tucked away, because none of this was about taking pictures, anyway. For once, I just wanted to feel in the moment without the weight of having to record it. I’ll admit it was incredibly freeing.<br /><br />
I don’t know how long I stood in that one spot, but it would never be long enough, anyway.<br /><br />
Before turning for home and carefully picking my way out of this boggy mess, I took a single image with my phone. I wasn’t looking for The Photo as much as I simply wanted a marker to remind myself of a memorable walk in the woods.<br /><br />
But as is often the case, a simple picture becomes much more when it plugs into the story that made it possible.<br /><br />
And so here it is. I suspect there will be more walks like this to come.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #cathedral #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/where-trees-watch-over-us.html">Where the trees watch over us</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/10/sun-kissed-cathedral.html">Sun-kissed cathedral</a>, October 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/10/whats-cathedral-shot-anyway.html">What's a cathedral shot, anyway?</a> October 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-forest-stretches-skyward.html">The forest stretches skyward</a>, April 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-trees-that-protect-us.html">The trees that protect us</a>, August 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/02/finding-peace-in-snowy-valley.html">Finding peace in the snowy valley</a>, February 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/10/deep-in-wide-angle-woods.html">Deep in the wide angle woods</a>, October 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/10/standing-in-cathedral-of-green.html">Standing in a cathedral of green</a>, October 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2011/10/cathedral-where-nobody-prays.html">A cathedral where nobody prays</a>, October 2011</i></div></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-78207004743299503702024-03-06T06:45:00.016-05:002024-03-06T12:15:38.452-05:00Remember: You are beautiful<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h3eZOYR721OhM9zeqtO-QigJRgAVooRibi-UVnRkdBRXG1EuWgKvYbHHo4m2clNxMP6shnmelUzDlrvhHld8SRedCvg5vJnWqdHuuUSstTr9SNG22yyb5d_HDFut8C6z7vRorbf9HXqzaxVMS54gZCqBJ8Dt95UgmoIbOsFQWXIWiF4JQk2gag/s3844/IMG_5866%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2909" data-original-width="3844" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h3eZOYR721OhM9zeqtO-QigJRgAVooRibi-UVnRkdBRXG1EuWgKvYbHHo4m2clNxMP6shnmelUzDlrvhHld8SRedCvg5vJnWqdHuuUSstTr9SNG22yyb5d_HDFut8C6z7vRorbf9HXqzaxVMS54gZCqBJ8Dt95UgmoIbOsFQWXIWiF4JQk2gag/w400-h303/IMG_5866%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pause for an important message<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4K-3mVLhRo/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I’m the last person to applaud the appearance of graffiti*.<br /><br />
It’s a form of insidious vandalism that drags down neighbourhoods and opens the door to the kinds of breakdowns in the urban and community fabric that make us want to live anywhere else.<br /><br />
But I’m going to make an ever-so-slight exception this time.<br /><br />
I found this particular example under a bridge beside a creek through the woods not far from our home. The smooth concrete walls are frequent targets of the taggers, and the cat-and-mouse game between paint and primer has been playing out for as long as we’ve lived here.<br /><br />
I generally ignore it when new tags show up, figuring it won’t take long for the forces of good to do their thing. But this one stopped me in my tracks.<br /><br />
Because we are each, indeed, beautiful in our own way. And sometimes we need to be reminded of it.<br /><br />
Don’t get me wrong: there are better ways and places to share an inspirational message. But in a world where inspiration is in short supply to begin with, we should amplify the sentiment whenever we happen to see it.<br /><br />
Now wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing?<br /><br />
* I appreciate the blurred-line relationship between graffiti and art. I also appreciate that lots of street artists are immensely talented, and their work deserves to be celebrated alongside that of any other artists working in any other medium. I draw a huge distinction between these artists and those whose work amounts to little more than random squiggly tagging with whatever they managed to shoplift from the closest Canadian Tire. Thanks to the investments of the former kind, our city is blessed with a richly diverse mix of murals and related works. The world needs more of that kind of art.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #wonderland #graffiti #mural #art #street #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/10/beauty-in-unexpected-place.html">Beauty in an unexpected place</a>, October 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/09/underpass-art.html">Underpass art</a>, September 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/12/bird-on-brick.html">Bird on brick</a>, December 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/09/finding-hope-on-desperate-street.html">Finding hope on a desperate street</a>, September 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/06/grazing-in-concrete-forest.html">Grazing in the concrete forest</a>, June 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/04/art-around-icy-corner.html">Art around the (icy) corner</a>, April 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/04/bambi-has-been-found.html">Bambi has been found</a>, April 2022</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-67399454848779850232024-03-05T07:08:00.031-05:002024-03-06T12:11:49.435-05:00Mushroom mania<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsf2hyphenhyphen_AfWqLm8yADnsVawzktQZtcFmPu7KU-PF9DXRo8UfJK_ZErz5R2VgyQ8lf9pTMLWHiYd0xxqWG-XVTaQgiUwR0RJX_veK8aN0OrzIJq_LkVJ5JWLzKz6-d3JYN1-irSV0L4hmTzzHf-RrmuRWoZHo-Lljb078gBMARdNFGREzFqQ3Cg1JQ/s2415/IMG_5881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1811" data-original-width="2415" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsf2hyphenhyphen_AfWqLm8yADnsVawzktQZtcFmPu7KU-PF9DXRo8UfJK_ZErz5R2VgyQ8lf9pTMLWHiYd0xxqWG-XVTaQgiUwR0RJX_veK8aN0OrzIJq_LkVJ5JWLzKz6-d3JYN1-irSV0L4hmTzzHf-RrmuRWoZHo-Lljb078gBMARdNFGREzFqQ3Cg1JQ/w400-h300/IMG_5881.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Random growth<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4IcaIxLlWF/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Wild mushrooms grow randomly beside a decaying tree stump on a suburban boulevard.<br /><br />
It isn’t the kind of thing that normally attracts much attention, but maybe it should. Who writes the rules about what is and is not worthy, anyway?<br /><br />
Which explains how I end up shooting an early-morning spontaneous still-life shoot while the dog sniffs the overgrown grasses just out of frame.<br /><br />
It’s another ordinary moment in an ordinary place, but by now it should be apparent to anyone who knows me that there are no ordinary moments or places.<br /><br />
Despite whatever we may have heard over the years, there are no rules to any of this.<br /><br />
And whatever merits attention is entirely up to us.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #street #streetphotography #mushroom #stilllife #roadside #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/12/its-almost-gutter-ice-season.html">It's almost gutter-ice season</a>, December 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/11/more-wonders-on-forest-floor.html">More wonders on the forest floor</a>, November 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/11/defiance-deep-in-shadows.html">Defiance deep in the shadows</a>, November 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-dogs-nose-blocks-sunset.html">A dog's nose blocks the sunset</a>, November 2023</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/08/when-wildflowers-shrivel-in-shadows.html">When wildflowers shrivel in the shadows</a>, August 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/07/green-leaves-on-sunny-morning.html">Green leaves on a sunny morning</a>, July 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/06/dogs-roadsides-and-flowers.html">Dogs, roadsides, and flowers</a>, June 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2016/11/shooting-magic-mushroom.html">Shooting the magic mushroom</a>, November 2016</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-76975620058997162532024-03-04T06:14:00.017-05:002024-03-06T12:01:04.181-05:00Waiting for twilight<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDwKdsCJCLgbNIW47-kBTYqtgnQMFiQaSwM44aQBGvIBQRQLeDaI39rMnZAe-p6YrFczVk1nUfkFIHJC-Y1FeOnlV5K3yZ4fSJ2FW5lSCop9aW1nkZWIHDMG3awNhLYYtfwvIVO-dPfSWGv3RJWmu9fLx3JidhNKxQWZttlSq-8GA3nRvNVI-MQ/s4192/DSC_4403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2358" data-original-width="4192" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDwKdsCJCLgbNIW47-kBTYqtgnQMFiQaSwM44aQBGvIBQRQLeDaI39rMnZAe-p6YrFczVk1nUfkFIHJC-Y1FeOnlV5K3yZ4fSJ2FW5lSCop9aW1nkZWIHDMG3awNhLYYtfwvIVO-dPfSWGv3RJWmu9fLx3JidhNKxQWZttlSq-8GA3nRvNVI-MQ/w400-h225/DSC_4403.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">But wait, there's more...<br />London, ON<br />March 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Fx1_xuohI/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The sun disappeared 20 minutes ago. Not that anyone would have known, though, because when it did the skies were relentlessly grey.<br /><br />
I probably should have given up back then, but a little voice whispered in my ear: stay.<br /><br />
So I did.<br /><br />
And soon enough the clouds began to slowly break up. And by the time I leaned against a tree and captured this image, the rays of twilight were doing their thing from well below the horizon.<br /><br />
I get that this is all just optics, a massive, ever-shifting illusion that plays out in and around the terminator, where the sun shows up, and leaves, in a never-ending race around the planet. I get that this has been happening for billions of years, and will likely continue for billions more.<br /><br />
But the thing is we’re not here for billions of years. I don’t know how many sunrises and sunsets we get, but it’s a lot less than billions.<br /><br />
I do know that witnessing one of these transitions makes me feel, I don’t know, warm. Good, even. It forces me to slow down. To block out distractions. To think. To reflect.<br /><br />
I’d like to think this is a healthy thing. So here I am. Even if some nights I end up wasting my time while the sun hides behind thick layers of grey.<br /><br />
Because not coming out at all would be an even bigger waste. As would never trying in the first place.<br /><br />
Because when you quietly wait it out, there’s at least a slight possibility you’ll be pleasantly surprised.<br /><br />
Sounds like a reasonable trade-off to me. At sunset or any other time.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #tree #trees #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #optimistpark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/03/when-cloud-animals-play-in-sky.html">When cloud animals play in the sky</a>, March 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/everything-ends-eventually.html">Everything ends eventually</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-accidental-sunset.html">The accidental sunset</a>, February 2024</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/08/finding-life-at-crossroads.html">Finding life at the crossroads</a>, August 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/sunrise-sunset.html">Sunrise, sunset</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/11/electric-sky.html">Electric sky</a>, November 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2019/08/chasing-sunsets-with-our-daughter.html">Chasing sunsets with our daughter</a>, August 2019</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/03/staring-out-window.html">Staring out a window</a>, March 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/12/sunset-from-parking-lot-on-hill.html">Sunset from the parking lot on the hill</a>, December 2017</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2017/11/sunset-on-sunningdale-drive.html">Sunset on Sunningdale Drive</a>, November 2017</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449503.post-35800511754291395112024-03-03T08:34:00.028-05:002024-03-05T15:54:18.639-05:00Weird cloud overhead<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zpKUIeJvXhe_NE5VOJcoszg4l5iv4yK96-MsIkIcur_TQKbNmlg7EkLfbAZEQMqIVQa_K_kJzv9miYphSAFIwZpsITXZjvdjurMKoumFhWQ3bVEDdapFo9MM8OEj6A2V1FEETfBqsDArS7-7op8ZARNLWQF6d52OvMZKmUEm-y1bJGRIXPFqWw/s3796/IMG_5763%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2135" data-original-width="3796" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zpKUIeJvXhe_NE5VOJcoszg4l5iv4yK96-MsIkIcur_TQKbNmlg7EkLfbAZEQMqIVQa_K_kJzv9miYphSAFIwZpsITXZjvdjurMKoumFhWQ3bVEDdapFo9MM8OEj6A2V1FEETfBqsDArS7-7op8ZARNLWQF6d52OvMZKmUEm-y1bJGRIXPFqWw/w400-h225/IMG_5763%20Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The late, late show<br />London, ON<br />February 2024<br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4DdDVWLTma/">This photo originally shared on Instagram</a></span></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Strange things understandably happen on February 29th, and this year’s leap day was no exception, as this weirdly shaped cloud decided to accompany the sunset over our neighbourhood park.<br /><br />
These random sunset walks that I’ve been taking are teaching me the value of patience. Because despite the fact that the sun had officially set at 6:14 p.m., the light was still reflecting off the clouds long after our beloved star had disappeared below the horizon.<br /><br />
I wasn’t alone in the park this night, as a couple of other folks had stopped nearby to shoot the disappearing sun. They disappeared as soon as it had set, though, the darkening clouds suggesting the show had ended for good.<br /><br />
But nature always has surprises up its sleeve, and tonight was no different. So I waited a bit, and was rewarded with the scene you see here. The reflected light intensified for just a few seconds before it faded out for the night.<br /><br />
I’m glad I hung around, and I wish more folks who stop to take in the spectacle would do the same.<br /><br />
We’ve been taught that patience is a virtue. What better way to bring that lesson to life than to linger a little longer when the skies decide to bid farewell for the day.<br /><br />
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #forest #tree #trees #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded<br /><br /><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/08/thirsty-trees-crying-tears-of-joy.html">Thirsty trees crying tears of joy</a>, August 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/06/thanks-again-sun.html">Thanks again, Sun</a>, June 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2022/06/when-twilight-fades.html">When twilight fades</a>, June 2022</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2021/06/watching-evening-light-fade.html">Watching the evening light fade</a>, July 2021</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2020/07/say-goodnight-sky.html">Say goodnight, sky</a>, July 2020</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2018/09/red-skies-at-night-revisited.html">Red skies at night, revisited</a>, September 2018</i></div><div><i><a href="https://writteninc.blogspot.com/2008/07/flying-into-twilight.html">Flying into the twilight</a>, July 2018</i></div><div><br /></div>carmilevyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00360045114379957605noreply@blogger.com0