A single drop

Under tension
London, ON
April 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The world is an ugly place these days. So please allow me to share a photo of a single water droplet on a tablecloth.

There, I feel better already. I hope you do, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #stilllife #water #macro #macrophotography #monochrome #photography #throwback #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A bearded lady in our midst

The view from below
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

How's this angle, guys? Does it make my beard look puffy? A girl's gotta know.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

An old bike heads to the crusher

No more gears
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The night before garbage pickup in #ldnont always offers up a poignant curbside story or two, and this week was no different.

This long-ignored Fuji racing bike could have talked for hours about the places it had been, the adventures it had been on.

But the rust told another story, and reinforced the sad truth that eventually all rides must come to an end.

If only the road could be truly endless. If only endings didn't have to look this forlorn.

#london #ontario #bike #bicycle #bikesofinstagram #cycle #cyclist #cycling #forever #perspective #cyclingislife #wheel #wheels #round #random #abstract #street #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Purple grows at my feet

Life, in another form
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I noticed this in the garden this morning as the puppy and I headed out for the first walk of the day, perfectly purple spontaneous bursts of flowery life.

My first thought was that life had returned once more. But then I thought about it a little more and came to the conclusion that I had been mistaken.

Saying that life had returned implied that it hadn't been there previously. Which was most certainly not the case.

The earth in the shadows of our doorstep may have been dormant and grey for months. But it was anything but lifeless. Life had been there all along, lying dormant below the surface, waiting for just the right time to re-emerge.

Just because we can't see the blooms doesn't mean there is no life.

As the dog pulled on her leash and we put this miniature emerging miracle behind us, I smiled at the prospect of life taking on many forms, of the precious color taking shape just below our noses, and of our collective need to appreciate the little things no matter what they might look like at any given moment in time.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #nature #purple #flower #suburban #landscape #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The great swans of Stratford

Feeling reflective
Stratford, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Swans exist because we all need the occasional reminder that beauty takes many forms.

At first glance, they've got it all. Long, graceful necks. Pristine white feathers. Brilliant orange-on-black beaks that would look at home on the nose of an experimental fighter jet. They move through the water with ease and grace, the perfect alpha bird to all others. It's no wonder Stratford celebrates them as icons of the city.

Yet as I stand in the shadows of the city's shuttered theatres and watch the swans glide across the water, they're hardly alone. They share the space with quacking ducks, bickering gulls, and seemingly fearless robins and crows and a whole bunch of other birds I can't recognize.

All of them are captivating in their own way. All of them pull me in as I stand transfixed by the ever changing action playing out on and above the water.

The other birds may not have lovely long necks or fighter jet-esque color schemes, yet they don't seem to mind the seeming deficit one bit. They are, in a word, content. They've been given what they've been given, and this is the life they now lead.

Probably not a bad analog for humans, too.

#stratford #ontario #canada #landscape #travel #lake #victoria #avon #river #bird #birds #swan #nature #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A tree falls in London

The many stages of life
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Walk the same streets enough times and eventually you start to notice little things. And not-so-little ones, too.

Like when a tree that's been there forever no longer is.

I hovered over what remained of a once massive shade tree and tried to count the rings in the sawed-off stump while the dog quietly sniffed the grass nearby.

I stopped counting at 30, long enough for most folks around here to have never remembered a time before it was planted.

I thought about perspective: A seeming-eternity for mere mortals, a blink of a celestial eye for the planet.

Doesn't make it any less sad a loss for the day-to-day lives of the people who call this place home. But at the very least it reinforces the continuity of a cycle that began long before we were here, and will still be evolving long after we're gone.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other trees in the neighborhood. And lots of spots for new ones to be planted.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #suburban #street #landscape #photography #tree #trees #stilllife #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Scene from a restaurant in another lifetime

The waiting isn't necessarily the hardest part
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: An IHOP restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida on a sunny and warm Saturday morning this past December. As is often the case, folks are lined up out the door.

This is Sam. The hostess never asks his wife's name, so she'll forever remain a mystery. But Sam is another story. He chitchats with anyone within earshot, seemingly enthralled with the experience of waiting for a seat at an otherwise unassuming family-friendly pancake resto. He's having a good time, and he wants us to have one, too.

I pull out my phone and surreptitiously shoot this tiny, fleeting vignette because moments like this are anything but unassuming. We cross the path of strangers every day, and in doing so we'll be exposed to a full spectrum of experiences. Sometimes we'll smile and hope the moment never ends, while other times we'll simply want to turn away.

Something in Sam's genial manner made me choose the former, and wherever he is, I hope he's still got a lot of IHOP experiences ahead of him.

Because we all deserve to randomly meet up with strangers who seem to revel in brightening our lives.

Soon enough, I hope we get to return to this particular IHOP in Delray. If we're particularly lucky, we'll run into Sam again.

#delray #beach #delraybeach #florida #fla #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #ihop #restaurant #food #foodporn #throwback #random #stranger #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related: Watching a stranger wait for his wife, December 2017

And dream of sheep...

Schnu siesta
London, ON
April 2020

Many things come to mind as I watch our sleeping dog:

1 - I wish I could roll myself up into a little ball.
2 - I hope her dreams are sweet.
3 - I wonder where her "smells like sleep" smell comes from, because the world needs more of it.
4 - Being a dog looks like a fun way to live.
5 - I hope she knows how much we love her.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Quarantine and a screen

Window on what matters most
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Scene from a quarantine: Noah video chats with Katie.

Because we all find light in many ways, in different places.

And when the world throws obstacles in our way, we look for creative means to connect.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #parenthood #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The smell of burned toast

One of these things does not belong
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Had a bit of a toaster meltdown over breakfast, and didn't want the moment to go unnoticed.

The good news is the house is still standing. The bad news? The mishap threw off the crucial havarti-cheese-to-bread-slice ratio. The humanity.

Tomorrow, I learn how to use the knobs on my toaster.

Wish me luck.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #burned #toast #plate #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #stilllife #covid19 #coronavirus #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Fur only grows in one direction

Someone pet me, please
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Her fur is starting to get a little long. Being a dog, she doesn't care in the least. We should be more like her.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Life grows defiantly in a swamp

Finding color in an unexpected place
London, ON
April 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a day when the world seems irrevocably broken, it's an unassuming photo from a few years back that serves as a reminder that life has a way of prevailing.

Never underestimate the power of determination in the face of unspeakable difficulty.

Never stop reaching for the light above.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #nature #walkabout #water #photography #throwback #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Grocery Shopping 101 for the Pandemic

Empty, for now
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Grocery shopping isn't what it used to be. And at this rate, it'll probably never be the same.

I admit I'm struggling with it not because the act of maintaining appropriate physical distance while out in public is difficult - it isn't and it shouldn't be - but because we're surrounded by people who Just. Don't. Get. It.

They follow too closely. They brush right past. They ignore the arrows on the floor. They shop in groups. They deliberately disregard store employee directions. They stand right where you need to be, patently oblivious to all that goes on around them.

It means there's no such thing as a quick trip to the store anymore, and what was once a fun diversion from the stresses of life has now become a stressor itself.

Yet there are still slivers of light amid the rampant stupidity, tiny scenes that whisper to you when you least expect them to.

Like the bulk food dispensers you see here, emptied of their wares until the pandemic is over. Another easily overlooked signature of an unreal period in history, another aspect of life that deserves to be remembered.

Even if I have to stand in one spot for 10 minutes to get the shot.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #suburban #grocery #store #retail #stilllife #abstract #photography #loblaws #masonville #covid19 #pandemic #physical #distancing #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Play ball, responsibly

This one's mine
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Calli would like to remind us all to play more ball.

Hers is the purple one you see here - which she adores beyond words - but feel free to use whatever you've got, as any ball will do.

Precisely how you play is also up to you.

But play.

Now more than ever, we need to play.

Have a wonderful week. Take lots of pictures. Share them.

Then play some more. It'll make Calli happier than she already is.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The metal tree legacy

In the eye of the beholder
London, ON
February 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Let's play a little game I like to call "Remember When", shall we?

Remember when a business improvement association in #LdnONT decided to commission a local artist to install a few dozen colorful metal trees in the downtown area?

Citizens who couldn't be bothered to, you know, read, freaked out at the prospect of ferrous trees being planted in a city whose tagline is, I kid you not, The Forest City. "Our tax dollars are being wasted on fake trees," they whined. "Where are the real ones?" they begged. "Get off my lawn," they ordered.

Never mind no tax dollars were ever spent on them. And they were "planted" in places where real trees would not have been otherwise feasible. The whiners who often dominate civic debate here never met a good fact they wouldn't summarily ignore because, you know, London!

To this day, the mere sight of one of these "trees" will touch off hours of grumbling among these wannabe-treehuggers who, to the best of my knowledge, still haven't bothered to learn, you know, the actual facts about this project.

I've always liked these non-tree trees. Art should provoke discussion, thought, and engagement, and there's no doubt that's been the case here. To this day, when I see them, I slow down and think about the gift artists have to impact the lives of total strangers strictly through whatever it is that they've created from nothing. I find that remarkable.

Wouldn't we all love to go back to a world where this represents front-page news? Wouldn't we all want to live in a place where trivial idiocies like fake-tree controversies dominate the day-to-day?

If only we could go back to this delightfully simple time. If only, then as now, we were better at putting life into its proper perspective.

Maybe I'll go for a stroll later so I can add to my pixelated fake-tree collection. I'd ask you to join me, but you'll have to adhere to physical distancing regulations.

#london #ontario #canada #519london #519ldn #519shooters #random #urban #downtown #king #street #walkabout #metal #tree #trees #art #attack #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #google #pixel2 #teampixel #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Homemade pickup truck

Like no other Chevy you've ever seen
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Serious question: What would be your ideal vehicle for surviving the apocalypse?

I'd like to think mine would be the pink wonderbike. But then I realize I'd need room for the fam, supplies, and enough peanut butter M&Ms to see us through to the other side.

So no velos. Think Tesla Cybertruck. Or Mercedes G-Wagen with tank tracks. Or that old Toyota Corolla with the mismatched bumper that got you through college, because everyone knows they'll last forever.

I saw this one from afar in the grocery store parking lot this week. At first glance, I thought it was a Chevrolet SSR, the low-volume, Corvette-powered pickup truck that answered a question no one ever asked. But as I got closer, it seemed, I don't know, a bit off.

Soon it became crystal clear: Someone decided to turn a Chevy HHR into a mini pickup.

Disclosure: I once owned a black HHR, and at no point during its time in our driveway did I ever imagine going to town on it with a sawzall and gobs of hand-applied bondo.

But I'm glad we live in a world where someone thought this should be a thing. We'll leave crash performance discussions for another time. But for now, we all need to have moments like this, when we can be stopped dead in our tracks by a rusty homemade frankenmobile with dangerously mismatched tires.

Anything, then, to distract us from the darkness that would otherwise envelop us. It took a weird-looking zombie apocalypse vehicle to remind me that light always prevails.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #suburban #street #grocery #store #retail #parking #lot #photography #car #carporn #chevrolet #hhr #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The bird that torments her

Hey, this is MY yard!
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There’s a battle playing out in our home, and I’m reasonably sure it won’t end well.

Our dog, Calli, likes to sit on the back of the couch and look out the window, often for hours on end. She guards our back yard like a hawk, and will freak out loudly whenever she sees - or THINKS she sees - a bunny, a squirrel, a bird, or any other member of the animal kingdom.

This is no surprise: She’s a hunting dog, so we’ve gotten used to everything else stopping - conversations, meetings, interviews, whatever - whenever she spots anything. I do the really important stuff from my car in the driveway these days, just in case. On the plus side, we have the best home alarm system in the neighborhood.

There’s a certain robin that likes to land in a particular spot. I’m sure it’s the same robin, every time, because she stands there in the grass and stares right back at the dog as she bounces off of the window. For all her Schnauzer brilliance, Calli has no idea that this tiny little bird clearly has her number.

It would be more amusing if we weren’t slowly going deaf in the process, yet somehow this isn’t a bother. We knew this when we brought her home, and it adds yet another layer to our unconventional little family.

Besides, a little craziness, especially now, is just what we all need.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Staring at trees during a snowfall

Follow the empty path
London, ON
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I've been taking random photos of the neighborhood lately. Nothing earth-shattering. But the world looks so different now that I feel a responsibility to record it in some way.

I'm weird like that. And in so many other ways. But I digress.

On this morning, it snowed. I know what you're thinking: "Duh!" I also know what the citizens of Socialmediastan were thinking. In short, they freaked.

My feeds that morning burned with posts complaining about the unfairness of it all. As if a certain kind of daily weather - like a warm day with sunny blue skies - was something that was owed to them.

Meanwhile, our dog walked happily through the snow, her nose skimming just above the surface, as schnus are built to do. She was clearly enjoying herself, and I was clearly enjoying watching her.

It's called perspective, and I realized that morning that my dog has more of it than many of the people whose lives cross mine online.

Pandemic or not, I think I need to get some new online friends. We can shoot snow scenes together (while following appropriate physical distancing best practice, of course.) Who's with me?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #suburban #street #lsndscape #photography #snow #white #frozen #winter #tree #trees #weather #wx #monochrome #stilllife #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Someone made tracks in the snow

Strictly temporary
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We woke up yesterday to a sprinkling of snow that was already starting to disappear by the time I got home from walking the dog.

We came across these tracks on and otherwise empty sidewalk beside a similarly empty street.

For weeks, no one has had anywhere to go, which made this highly temporary scene that much more worthy of a moment's thought.

Who was it? Where were they headed? Were they safe and healthy?

Lots of questions from a simple set of tracks in the snow. But never any easy answers.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #suburban #street #photography #snow #white #frozen #winter #monochrome #stilllife #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Walking together in the shadows and light

Together at night
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I wonder what she thinks when I stop to take a photo.

Come to think of it, I wonder what she thinks all the time.

I wonder what goes through her head.

If she's as happy to be with me as I am with her.

If she enjoys these quiet moments on the hushed streets as much as I do.

I hope so.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything