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

Driver's ed dropout

Someone missed the lines
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If you're going to park like an idiot, you probably don't want to have a vanity plate on your car.

I'm pretty certain the driver of this current-generation Honda CR-V, Ontario plate FLIK, was the same guy in the adjacent grocery store who wandered way too close for comfort multiple times in his quest for the perfect box of Lucky Charms.

Not that anyone wants to be parked next to anyone these days - I was parked as far away from the rest of humanity as was physically possible - but the sheer violation of basic parking etiquette, principle, and kindness grated on me in the midst of a period when our behavior needs to be far more principled and empathetic.

Some days, I have serious difficulty understanding why some fellow humans insist on behaving so detestably.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #suburban #street #grocery #store #retail #parking #lot #photography #metro #adelaide #cheapside #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Homeless in New York

Alone
New York, NY
November 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This photo has haunted me since I snapped it on a New York City street just over a decade ago.

It's a stark reminder that we don't have to look far or hard for those who are worse off than we are.

They're always out there, never far away.

Something to think about when we're inclined to complain about the challenges of our own lives.

It could always be worse.

#newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #throwback #homeless #stranger #random #urban #street #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Fur, up close

Softness in two dimensions
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dogs are funny creatures, always seeming to know when their people need them.

Clarification: We always need them. But in a world of varying degrees, sometimes that need is more acute than others.

Our pup, Calli, is no different, and she's been curling herself up next to - or on - us more often of late. Which means we're spending more time either staring at or smoothing out her fur.

It may be a small thing in life, but I wanted to remember what these moments felt like.

Because small things aren't so small after all. And I see more furry still-life moments in our family's future.

#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

Not every day merits a postcard

Dance in the sky with me
Cocoa Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some days you wake up to grey skies and wind-whipped rain. Some days you wake up to birds playing in the warm breezes just above the sunrise-kissed ocean waves.

Not every day will start off with the right color, temperature, or conditions. Not every day will you be able to stand on a beach and feel your toes sink slowly into the cool sand. Not every day will be worthy of a postcard.

This morning wasn't a postcard morning. This morning was grey, wet, and windy.

But I had to believe as I rolled out of bed and hooked the puppy up for our first walk of the day that somewhere far away, birds were frolicking in the warm glow where earth meets water. I had to believe that, despite the way things looked in the gloom of the present-day, things would find a way to get better.

Inevitably, they will. That's how this life thing works.

And in the meantime, grey is a color, too. We should appreciate it for its own merits.

#cocoa #beach #cocoabeach #florida #atlantic #ocean #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #sunrise #waves #water #birds #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Standing in the middle of an endless road

Follow the line
Middlesex County, ON
June 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Crouching down over the centre line of a regional two-lane road probably isn't the smartest thing to do.

But this wasn't the first mildly questionable decision of my photographic life, and in the nearly 8 years since I took this, I'm reasonably sure I've made a few other somewhat idiotic decisions.

It was a perfectly lovely June day, and when I pointed my bike north of the city, I was looking for a couple of hours of alone time. Just me, the spinning pink machine, and the feeling you get when all is right with the world.

Eventually I stopped for a snack (cycling rule # 479: always bring snacks) and the road seemed to beg for a photo. So out came the camera (cycling rule #480: always take enough gear to grab a shot or two along the way) and soon enough I found myself standing in the middle of an otherwise empty road trying to figure out how to capture it.

Part of me was intrigued by the uneven paint job, a remnant perhaps of someone who simply couldn't be bothered to do any better. Or maybe it was the imperfectly rolling asphalt, a sign that nature always wins no matter who's at the wheel.

As I stood there and drank it in, some clouds started to roll through. As they unpredictably painted the landscape, I knew I had my shot.

That sun you see way down there? It's called hope. Never stop cranking, hard, down the endless road as you pursue it. The clouds may add some challenge to the journey, but still you've got to ride. We've all got to ride.

Eight years on, the truth of this photo and moment is more vivid than it's ever been. Even if I had to engage in some mild stupidity to uncover it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #endless #road #trip #cyling #cyclist #life #texture #shadow #sun #country #landscape #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A boy and his dog

Chillin' with my buddy
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There are a lot of amazing things about dogs, but the one that stands out for me is how they can have unique relationships with each of us.

To wit: Calli and our youngest son, Noah. She's normally not the easiest dog to get close to. She'll growl if she thinks you're crowding her space. Or simply disappear beneath the dining room table when she doesn't want to go outside.

Except when Noah's around.

She responds to him. Allows him to hold her as you see here. Goes completely chill with him when, if it were anyone else, she'd be bouncing off the walls.

I can't explain how any of this works beyond the fact that she sees something in him, and he connects with her in ways no one else can.

The funny thing is, she has other "uniques" with each of our kids: our eldest son, Zach, and our daughter-in-law Michaela, our daughter, Dahlia, and her boyfriend, Josh, and Noah's girlfriend, Katie. Calli responds to each of them as if there's no one else in the world who matters more to her at that moment.

Some among us think dogs are simple. Stupid, even. They couldn't be more wrong. And connecting in this way, at this level, with a being whose language isn't English, is one of those little - or maybe not-so-little - blessings that comes along with welcoming a dog into the family.

I don't even want to imagine what life without her would be like. For Noah and for all of us.

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

We're very much spongeworthy

Historic cake
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This isn't just a piece of sponge cake.

It's something our kids look forward to every Passover.

It's another specialty that my virtuoso-chef wife has been making for as long as I've known her.

It's something she learned from her late mother.

It's a source of comfort for us when the world seems to offer none.

In other words, not just another piece of cake. But an example - one of countless - of what makes our little family unique. Of what binds us together. Of what sticks in our minds and hearts long after the last crumbs have been eaten and the dishes have been washed and put away.

It's a small part of the story of us. But in this family, even the smallest things, like this slice of cake, seem to matter far more than they might appear at first glance.

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

The trees that guard us

Reach for the sky
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm guessing this tree has been around for longer than I've been alive, and it'll probably outlive most of us.

It makes me wonder about time, our relationship to it, and how insignificant our experiences are when viewed through a planetary lens.

Soon enough this global crisis will slip into history. And when it does, this tree will still be here, standing guard over a landscape that will continue to evolve as it does, regardless of whether we do or do not stay home.

It's comforting, in a way. Because some things never change. Or they change slowly.

Or we can count on them to be there, deeply rooted in the earth, no matter what kind of drama may be playing out above it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #trees #tree #dark #night #sky #random #urban #suburban #street #monochrome #photography #socialdistancing #covid19 #coronavirus #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Watching a dog roll around on the carpet

I rarely share video here, but after watching the dog entertain herself earlier today, I may need to throw some more moving pictures into the mix.

There's nothing profound about this moment. It's a small, happy moment in the life of a small, happy dog.

Maybe that, in itself, is profound. I'll have to mull that one over.

In the meantime, here's Calli being Calli.

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

Cherries forever. Almost.

When the sweetness comes to an end
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You know times are weird when I resort to writing food-centric haikus:

No more cherry jam
I ate too much at breakfast
Now I feel sadness

Could be worse, though: This could have been a jar of gefilte fish.

Ew.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada ##cherry #jam #jelly #glass #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #stilllife #covid19 #coronavirus #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Electric trees in a changed neighborhood

After the storm
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The neighborhood looks, feels, and even sounds different now.

With barely any traffic on the streets, you can hear things you previously couldn't, like birds singing to each other, squirrels diving into bushes, dogs' paws scraping against the sidewalk as they tug against their leashes (wait, that last one's mine.)

But there's more to it, and I don't think I have the words to describe it. I get tingly whenever history is made - think Desert Storm, 9/11, Indian Ocean & Japanese quake/tsunami, etc. - and I often feel a sort of electricity in the air when I first realize things are about to change. When your world is rocked, you seem to sense it in ways that defy description.

The streets feel that way now. And as I walk them, I feel like I want to capture that.

I'm going to guess that silhouette-like trees captured soon after an apocalyptic rain and hail storm rolled through seem like a reasonable place to start. I keep staring at them, wondering what's changed, wondering why I never noticed them In This Way before. Maybe I need to pay more attention.

Of course, no photo or video can faithfully - or even unfaithfully - record something as ephemeral as a feeling. But maybe it'll trigger a memory, a reflection years from now when I look back at what our chaotic world looked and felt like.

And that'll have to be enough.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #trees #tree #dark #night #sky #random #urban #suburban #street #photography #socialdistancing #covid19 #coronavirus #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Cheetos were meant to be orange

Distracted at the window
London, ON
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm ashamed to admit I've been snacking more than usual of late. Tension does that to me.

I'm trying to offset the dietary pothole by walking whenever I can, but in a world where the mere act of going outside is now fraught with danger and fear, my smartwatch regrets to inform me that I've become a couch potato.

During one of my full-combat grocery runs earlier this week, I loaded up on snack foods because, let's face it, they bring us comfort. And the thought of the fam smiling at my haul when I got home weighed heavily on my mind as I carefully assembled a pile of goodies that would have made a nutritionist squirm.

There's that word again, family. If they smile, it's a good day. End of story.

Among my unhealthy haul was a bag of Cheetos. Specifically, white cheddar. I chose them over the more traditional orange ones because I hate making a mess. A few bites in, I decided this would be my first and last attempt to challenge junk food history.

Because when you're looking for comfort, new-and-improved means little if it fails to remind you of what made it comforting in the first place. Childhood Carmi ate the orange ones. He made a mess in the process, and many a white t-shirt never fully recovered because of his cheesy addiction.

This...just wasn't the same. The kids smiled when I got home, but they ate the Snickers bars instead. Smart kids.

The dog? She was too busy barking at the squirrel on the other side of the patio doors to notice. Some things never change.

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

I keep seeing signs

Where children lead the way
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm seeing more signs pop up in our #LdnONT neighborhood, spontaneous examples of community spirit that never fail to prompt a smile.

It's hard to put into words how much I look forward to seeing them as I make my rounds with our dog. It may seem like a small gesture, or even a useless one, but I can guarantee you it is neither.

Nor will it be quickly forgotten when we eventually put all this - whatever "all this" is - behind us. Like so many facets of the current crisis, signs in sidewalk chalk, or taped to front doors and windows, and streetlamps, are fast becoming signatures of our time, indelible markers that will forever seal what it felt like to be right in the middle of it.

Like so many other aspects of our strangely turned-around day-to-day life, this is one loop that won't be closed anytime soon. The artists are largely invisible. We're all boxed into our homes. Or deftly avoiding each other when we're out. So there are no thank yous. No impromptu discussions with chalk-wielding neighbor-kids and their parents about how appreciative we are to be blessed by these small-but-not-so-small gestures.

Instead, there's a moment of warm realization of the goodness of others as we quickly do what we need to do outside before scurrying back to the safety of our homes. A reminder that kids and the rest of us alike are lucky at all to have ample supplies of chalk, great parents who show us the best way to use it, and safe homes to return to.

I'll keep looking for these signs, I'll keep sharing them, and I hope you will, as well. Because it's the small things that will help see us through. And I'd like to think some pretty powerful seeds of kindness are already being planted in the minds of children who are trying to make sense of what must seem, to them, to make no sense at all.

#london #ontario #canada #chalk #circle #signs #messages #socialdistancing #physicaldistancing #random #suburban #street #photography #coronavirus #covid19 #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The case of the missing donut

Glazed over
London, ON
April 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#3YearsOn, the mystery of who ate the sixth donut persists.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #donut #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphography #foodstagram #stilllife #throwback #blackberry #priv #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

The case of the TV-addicted puppy

What's on?
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Reason #1,822 why she's annoying: She hogs the remote.

We love her regardless, and can't imagine what this sliver of history would feel like without 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

Because somewhere, it's somebody's birthday

Always celebrate
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Yes, this is a birthday cake. No, nobody in our home was having a birthday. But we celebrated anyway.

Like so many others, we've been looking for little ways to find joy. Shared movie nights, board games at the kitchen table, puppy parkour, reading our favorite memes, counting birds out the window, whatever.

I've become our designated shopper. My wife builds comprehensive grocery lists, which I then take on full-combat missions to the store. Death stares to anyone who gets too close? Of course.

Sometimes she includes a treat or two on the list. Again, that little-ways-to-find-joy thing. Or maybe it's the counting-our-blessings thing. Or maybe it's a little bit of both.

Either way, this time the ask was for a simple white cake with white icing.

As you can imagine, the pickings were slim. So when I saw this one, I knew the smile back home would be a smidge wider than it would have been otherwise.

The cake was just okay, but the moment it came through the front door was priceless.

Whatever crosses your front door these days, keep finding those priceless moments, keep counting your blessings, and keep celebrating, even if it doesn't qualify for calendar status.

Rules, after all, were made to be broken. Some of them, that is. You'll still get the death stare if you get too close.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #birthday #cake #celebrate #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphography #foodstagram #stilllife #covid19 #coronavirus #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The endless wait

Empty bench on an empty road
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Friday, 11:15 p.m.

Not too long ago, this bench was covered by a glassed-in bus shelter. Then one day, it wasn't.

No matter, because no one waits here anymore. The busses still run. They're empty, but they run, driven by those unsung heroes who keep society from collapsing into abject dysfunction despite it all.

I wave at them as they drive past because it feels like the only thing I can do in the moment. It's a powerless gesture, but it's something. A little something. And little somethings still matter. Indeed, they always did. Somewhere along the way we just decided to forget.

This is a lousy photo, constrained largely by the bouncy puppy at the other end of the leash, and the ridiculously low light. In another time, I'd come back dogless, armed with my DSLR and tripod. I'd wait for the moment; make it a proper shoot.

But this isn't another time. So this is what we end up with. An empty bench where no one waits because no one goes anywhere. Where we wait, elsewhere, for any sign that the trajectory of this dark nightmare is showing any signs, however small, of a shift toward the light.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #suburban #street #night #monochrome #photography #stilllife #coronavirus #covid19 #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Someone's got a really big mouth

Tired? Bored? Hard to tell.
London, ON
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I clearly need to do a better job keeping her entertained. Suggestions welcome.

#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

Looking for life in high places

Emerging under a bright blue sky
London, ON
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It can often be hard to see the forest for the trees.

At least that's what we've been told. And I'm writing this because I no longer believe it.

We see forests when we deliberately look for them. Same goes for individual trees. Or branches. Or, as I'm trying to illustrate by this really lousy photo, tiny buds.

Which explains why I'm sharing this, now. We're surrounded by so much darkness. Yet just above our heads, the trees are still going about their business as they have since, ah, forever. And the buds are starting to appear.

That's it. Nothing more profound than that. Life has an inspiring habit of being far more defiant than we'd imagine. Amid chaos and each headline becoming more frightening than the last, life finds a way to embed, to emerge, to thrive.

Just make sure you're finding the time to deliberately look for it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #trees #tree #blue #sky #random #urban #suburban #street #photography #socialdistancing #covid19 #coronavirus #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

When chalk circles disappear

Inspired messaging
London, ON
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The rains washed most of #LdnONT's sidewalk chalk signs away, but the sun is out again this morning, so perhaps they'll sprout again soon.

Until then, here's one I grabbed before the heavens opened up. Of all the ones I saw that day, it's the one I fervently hope we hold onto most tightly as we begin to eventually put this chapter in history behind us.

Wouldn't that be an amazing legacy?

#london #ontario #canada #chalk #circle #signs #messages #socialdistancing #physicaldistancing #random #suburban #street #photography #coronavirus #covid19 #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Dog of thirds

Look me straight in the eyes
London, ON
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You may have noticed something funny going on in my Instagram feed of late.

No, I'm not smuggling bootleg electronics across international borders. Nor have I suddenly taken up a bad habit, like smoking lawn clippings. Or drinking moonshine out of the back of a '74 Dodge pickup. Or registered for a competitive full-contact origami league. I'm not planning on changing my name anytime soon, either, or becoming a goth dark lord.

It has to do with our dog. You may know her: An almost-3-year-old Miniature Schnauzer named Calli. She whines constantly, barks loudly enough to wake the dead, and listens to us about as well as eight-year-old Carmi once listened to his teachers.

I got it into my head that it would be fun to give her some regular love in my feed. Because these are tough times, and we've all got to find creative ways to make them not so tough. Happiness amid darkness and all that, and what's happier than a dog?

So for the past couple of weeks or so, every third photo has been of her. Why every third one? Because Insta uses a three-photo-per-row layout, and my bizarro brain thought it would be fun to have a vertical line of dog pics running through my feed.

So I'll start with her, but for extra variety maybe I'll throw in pics of other dogs, as well. Or other animals. Because we love all living creatures.

I know, lame.

Either way, I'll use the #ActOfDog hashtag, and invite you to do the same if you know of any dog or animal whose photo or story or both would make others smile.

Aaaaaand....go!

#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 signs under our feet

Keep away, please
London, ON
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Is this a sign of the times or a hint at our new normal?

I stood over this sticker that had been stuck to the floor in the vegetable aisle of our nearly empty local grocery yesterday for an inordinately long time, pondering this very question.

I was musing about how quickly the visuals of our day-to-day lives had changed: Separation stickers on floors, sneeze guards on cashier checkout stands, the inevitable dance of distance as two dog-walkers approach each other at an intersection.

It seems somewhat disrespectful to even think about it - here I am, pondering the meaning of stickers while hundreds of thousands of people are fighting for their lives, and for the lives of others. But it's difficult to ignore how profoundly this event has already altered the planet and shifted how we live.

Long after the story fades from the top of the news cycle, I suspect we'll be living with the permanently altered landscape of a society that's far more aware of the dangers of invisible pathogens - and the limits of what we thought was once invulnerable medical technology.

We hear politicians speak about timelines for returning to something approaching normal, yet I wonder what "normal" even is, and whether or not that's even something we should be holding out there for ourselves, like a giant carrot at the end of a very long stick.

Normal didn't exist before reports started emerging of this mysterious new illness, and it doesn't exist now. The world has changed, there's no going back, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just the way life plays out, and change is simply how we live.

Sometimes, it looks like this, is all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #stilllife #grocery #store #retail #farmboy #covid19 #coronavirus #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything