Same trees. Different view.

Pray here, if that's your thing
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

These trees really do make you feel small, don't they? As if you're an insignificant, transient being standing at the very altar of a place that's been slowly evolving since the beginning of time.

Come to think of it, that's exactly what we are. Mere blinks of history, easily missed when we zoom the timeline out. We think we run this place. Dominate it, even. Well, we think wrong.

As my daughter and I walked through this resonant valley cloaked in a hushed silence you could feel more than hear, we kept reminding each other that we needed to come back, needed to spend more time here. 

And indeed we will. But we're under no illusions: We'll still be all but invisible, historical afterthoughts through the broader lens of how the planet tells time.

But for a couple of all-too-temporary visitors to this magical place, that'll be more than enough.

--

 BTW, this scene looks familiar, no?

I shared a very similar shot three photos ago. Have a look in my feed. I'll wait.

And we're back...

These are the same trees, only with a slightly different perspective: Wider angle, lens angled up instead of straight-on. This one was shot a minute after the first, another example of seemingly small changes netting big differences.

But perhaps these two images aren't so different after all. They're really only two ways of looking at the same scene.

Which, come to think of it, feels like yet another life lesson.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #silhouette #forest #trees #tree #nature #naturephotography #landscape #green #light #perspective #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - Drew's Brain

#IfYouReadOneThingToday, make it this piece by journalist @drewmagary, who walks us through his experience suffering a brain hemorrhage and fighting his way back.

 

This is deeply resonant to me - and hopefully to you, too. And he's a hero for sharing it.

The Night The Lights Went Out

By Drew Magary

Deadspin

May 2019

#longreads

Taking an overdue walk in the woods

Hearts fluttering in the breeze
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Our daughter and I did something on Saturday that we haven’t done in far too long: We picked up our cameras and took a walk in the woods.

We didn’t have much of a plan beyond walking the few blocks to the trail and letting whatever moved us be our guide.

We hadn’t done that in a while - photography for the sake of photography. We hadn’t been using our cameras much, and it felt a little strange to feel their weight in our hands.

And comforting. Because while smartphones have taken over as the dominant everyday photographic tool for most of us, nothing feels quite as affirming as that moment when you first cradle your camera in your hands. No smartphone can touch it.

So we wandered through the forest and stopped whenever something or other reached out to us. We chatted endlessly about technique, and marvelled at a trail we had never taken previously, despite living a short walk away.

I’m happy with the pixels we brought home, but even happier to have had the opportunity to spend some quiet time with my kid, looking for inspiration through a lens, and finding it within, and beyond, the glass.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #parenthood #walkabout.#green #leaf #leaves #forest #trees #tree #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Seeing her through clear glass

First light, redux
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She lets me poke my lens in her face far more often than I have any right to ask.

But she's way prettier than I will ever be, so it's just as well that I point the lens toward her.

Now you know why I hide behind the lens. With subject matter like this, it's a great place to be.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #firstlight #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #d750 #dslr #live #laugh #love #levy #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Where the forest covers the sky

Life not quite at rest
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It's difficult to stand deep in the woods, under a canopy of trees this lush, and not feel a little humbled.

It's resonant here. Hushed. Disconnected from anything that might get in the way of silent reflection. The rest of the world can wait a while.

These trees first sprouted long before the city that now hems them in was even a glimmer in a developer's eye. And I imagine most of them will outlive us all. Assuming we don't allow those developers' glimmers to go any further. Who, after all, would ever want to live life without forests nearby? Who wouldn't want a spot to temporarily turn everything off and soak in the shady green?

Because everyone deserves to have a refuge like this. Even if we don't get out here as often as we'd like. 

That last thing is, of course, entirely within our control.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #silhouette #forest #trees #tree #nature #naturephotography #landscape #green #light #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A plethora of bananas

Bet you can't eat just one
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Bananarama is (still) a thing.

Indeed, was this ever not the case?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #loblaws #fruitography #bananas #yellow #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Seeking safety under a threatening sky

Connecting
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the skies grew angry yesterday afternoon, I stepped outside to secure the deck amid the strengthening winds.

I quickly finished up and pointed my camera skyward, only to scramble back inside at the sound of an enormous crack.

After the storm, we learned a tree across the street had half its canopy stripped away, but thankfully no one was injured, and it somehow managed to miss nearby homes and cars.

But I was struck by this hastily captured shot, where the threatening sky almost seems to reach down to the earth, while the tree seems to reach up to it, almost oblivious to the danger. Danger or not, trees need light and water. And when the sky turns from azure blue to threatening grey, they have little choice but to stand their ground and do what they can to survive.

In many respects, we’re much more like trees than we might have thought. We, too, have little choice beyond looking to the sky and hunkering down when things get rough.

We, too, hope to hold onto what we have and who we are, so we can emerge unscathed and thankful once the storm has passed.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #weather #wx #storm #onstorm #sky #clouds #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Lost acorn on concrete

Where's Scrat when you need him?
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I came across this single acorn lying on the sidewalk in the early morning sun, and the only thing that filled my brain at that moment was hope that it would somehow find its way to a place where it could take root and grow.

Indeed, this is something of a universal truth, isn't it?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #suburban #street #stilllife #abstract #nature #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Every day is #NationalDogDay

This is my pillow now
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The calendar tells us it's #NationalDogDay, but let's not kid ourselves: EVERY day is dog day around here, and I'm certain we're not alone.

Calli Finnegan Levy is, as you can imagine, an integral part of our little family. She doesn't speak our language, but she is ridiculously well understood. Hardly a day goes by that I don't wonder what's happening inside that little Schnu* head of hers. It must be a fun place.

As you can see here, when she isn't freaking out at rabbits in the backyard or whining for treats, she spends a lot of time curled up in a ball on her favorite pillow. Or blanket. Or human. Or all three. She's not too picky when it comes to finding a place to crash, and we're not too picky, either, about sharing our home with such a remarkable being.

We're lucky to have her, and I'm reasonably certain tomorrow will be another day worthy of celebration simply because she'll be a part of it. 

--

* What is the meaning of "Schnu"? Calli is a Miniature Schnauzer, so we've evolved the term "Schnu" for her, largely because it's short, it sounds kinda fun (like her), and she seems to respond to it. I'm pretty sure our neighbors think I'm insane, because I talk to her while we walk. But it seems to make her happy - and it makes me feel, I don't know, more content - so I don't expect the chatting-with-my-dog thing will stop anytime soon.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Watching the city come alive

Seize the day with light
Toronto, ON
September 2015
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You never quite know what the new day will bring, but it never hurts to look out the window first.

There's so much potential here, so many stories waiting to play out, so much barely contained anticipation of what will - or could - happen next. I'll never get enough moments like this, where anything seems possible.

I shot this five years ago, so I already know that this particular day lived up to the promise of the skyline-silhouetted sunrise, and then some.

But even as I stood there and drank in the scene of the big city coming alive, I already knew that I was in for a good day. Sometimes you can just tell.

#toronto #yyz #ontario #canada #throwback #photography #sunrise #sky #urban #landscape #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #design #lines #streetphotography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Stories from the desert

Texture and life
Somewhere in Nevada
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A fascinating story plays out in the sand and stone far below my airplane window, with small communities fighting to survive amid some of the most challenging topography on the planet.

There's a certain poetry to the sheer breadth of the scene. Desert formations seemingly clawed out of the Earth's crust, built and evolved over millions of years with sheer contempt for life or continuity.

And in the middle of them all, farmer's fields, neighborhoods, homes, all carved out of the seemingly hostile landscape over a miniscule few decades, defiant for simply being there.

They call this flyover country, a place to be ignored as we move from here to there, populated by people whose opinions seem to matter less than those who inhabit the coasts. Of course, "they" weren't elected by anyone to decide which parts of the planet matter more than any others.

And while I may be miles above the heads of invisible folks just going about their lives in a place they call home, I quickly come to appreciate just how much of their story I can tell from the topography, and how much I wish I could spend some time at ground level and learn a little more.

#las #vegas #lasvegas #throwback #landscape #desert #nature #landscapephotography #naturephotography #mountains #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Always pet the dog first

See the softness
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Mondays are hard. So touch a soft puppy if you can.

Or stare at this photo and channel the unconditionally sweet energy of this dog.

Or any dog, for that matter.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Leaves in the fading light

Safe haven at night
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: Saturday, 9:29 p.m. It's been just over an hour since the sun went down and made way for the streetlights to cast their yellowish light on the streets below.

I'm walking the dog as she sniffs her way through our usual route, her nose firmly pressed to the ground, seeking treasure I try to avoid thinking about lest it make me queasy. She doesn't pay much attention to the shadows around her, or to the silhouetted canopy far above her, which shouldn't be much of a surprise given the way Schnauzers operate.

But I can't avoid hearing - and almost feeling - the rustling of the leaves in the gentle evening breeze. It's been hot and humid for an age, so a comfy night like this is almost an invitation to linger outside for just a little longer.

And so we do, protected by the friendly roof of thick branches and leaves, swaying gently in the shifting air, reminding anyone within earshot that their job isn't done just because the skies have gone dark.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #silhouette #night #trees #light #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Staring Atlantis in the nose

Protector of all
Merritt Island, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Does this light make my nose look too big?

#kennedy #space #center #ksc #kennedyspacecenter #florida #fla #spaceshuttle #shuttle #atlantis #ov104 #rocket #science #rs25 #aviation #avgeek #spaceflight #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Really weird butter

Natural texture
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm rather enjoying this new #LookDownShootDown photographic thing I've started, so here's another one. This time, we've swapped out the ice cream in favor of butter. Really weird butter.

I take it as proof that the cows are playing games with the dairy equipment again. Silly moo-moos.

Don't for a second think I'm the only one with permission to play with stuff in the kitchen. Go have some food fun with your own lens, then post it to social media using the hashtag. I guarantee you it's COVID-free and at least somewhat nutritious.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #butter #dairy #moo #abstract #texture #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #random #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Introducing: #LookDownShootDown

A frozen world's last untouched moments
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Let’s play a game, shall we? We’ll call it, “Looking down at foods just after we’ve opened them up.”

Or, if you’re into hashtags, #lookdownshootdown.

I’ll start with this monochrome view of vanilla ice cream just before an impromptu late-night movie-watching sundae extravaganza with the fam.

There is no after photo. This series is all about the befores, and my gut (ha, see what I did there?) tells me you all have many to share, as well.

Can’t wait see ‘em.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #icecream #abstract #texture #snack #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #random #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Leave the last donut for me

Not long for this world
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I try to avoid eating too many donuts.

There are many reasons for this. Because I'm not 18 anymore, when I could eat limitless anything and shrug it off. Because food back then was rocket fuel, and I was your typically non-stop teen.

And if we're being blunt, donuts are horribly unhealthy at any age.

But a pandemic has a funny way of subtly shifting our behaviors. And bringing home the occasional treat "just because" seems to be one common example.

Because in the pursuit of random, unexpected smiles in my house, I've decided a slight nutritional lapse every once in a while is a reasonable price to pay.

Sometimes we ditch the donuts and go with apple fritters. Or ice cream. Or whatever happens to be strategically placed in that last stretch between the bakery section and the checkout aisle. Those grocery folks are sneaky.

But I'll do anything for that moment of levity and light when I get home and everyone helps unpack. When someone discovers the treat amidst the expected piles of veggies, packages of pasta, and boxes of granola.

And we make plans for when and how we'll share in this unexpected dessert. Together.

Because whatever the treat may look like, the only part that really matters is how it manages to bring us together.

Those moments of light amid darkness really aren't that tough to manufacture. Start with a little sugary something-or-other in a messy-looking box and see where it ends up.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #chocolate #donut #donuts #snack #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Erasing the shadows

Shine, differently
London, ON
June 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You'd think returning to the same scene day after day - like this light bulb - would be an exercise in relentless monotony. I'll politely suggest you'd think wrong.

Because there's always a new way to look at the familiar, an opportunity to shift your perspective, and perhaps open your eyes in ways you hadn't previously considered.

Because it isn't so much what we see, but how we choose to see it.

And if we're only allowing ourselves one kick at the can, so to speak, we miss out on all the stories that would have been told, the secrets that would have been revealed, the nuances we would have felt if only we had taken the time to return. To learn more.

And to think the first time I ever laid eyes on this I thought it was just a simple light bulb.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #light #bulb #led #power #light #lines #geometry #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Extraordinarily ordinary architecture

Straight lines against the sky
London, ON
August 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This rather plain-looking building may never win awards or be an iconic tourist draw, but that hardly means it isn’t worthy of a second look.

Think about that for a moment: We’re often so focused on celebrating the spectacular that we ignore the everyday. We fail to take the time to take it in, and appreciate it for what it is.

In doing so, we miss the opportunity to see the ordinary from another perspective. And we lose our curiosity to discover the untold story of the mundane, likely because we’re content to passively consume the known story instead.

To wit, Paris is filled with structures that would take a lifetime and then some to explore. Yet all we ever talk about is the Eiffel Tower. Why is that? Why can’t we feel similar wonder when looking at any old building?

And why do I suspect this isn’t just about mere buildings?

#ldnont #ontario #canada #downtown #concrete #building #architecture #architecturephotography #design #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #photography #blue #sky #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Snow rises from the desert

Amazing what a little altitude can do
Somewhere in Nevada
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Once upon a time, we had the luxury of going places without worry. Or, to be more direct, at all.

And when we did, I'd often stare out the window and drink it all in. Fellow plane passengers would sometimes smile dismissively at the guy who defied the norms of adult travel and seemed to actually enjoy the experience. But there was, and is, something about seeing new sights from far above that'll never get old for me.

And so we come to this scene somewhere in the desert approaching Las Vegas. From a packed flight on an old plane, we got to witness an incongruous, natural wonder - snow-capped peaks rising out of an otherwise lifeless desert, proof positive that the universe is a pretty remarkable place to be.

Well, not everyone got to witness it. Only those of us who took the time to look out the window.

Maybe when we all take to the skies again someday, we'll all be more inclined to look outside in wonder.

Maybe missing out on scenes like this will make us want to treasure them just a bit more than we might have in the past.

#las #vegas #lasvegas #throwback #landscape #desert #nature #landscapephotography #naturephotography #mountains #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Life in an old cemetery

Remember what once was
Williamsburg, KY
January 2011
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A long-abandoned service station sits wedged between an exit off Interstate 75 and a cemetery, rusting into oblivion under a steel-grey sky.

There's no fuel to be had here as we road-trip home from vacation on this cold January morning in 2011, but taking a few minutes for a fast shoot before continuing on our way seems like the right thing to do. 

You can almost feel what once was, the non-stop lineup of cars looking for their next fillup, the once-active lives of those who have since been laid to rest next door.

All of that is deep in the past now, shadows and echoes, all but ignored by those who rush past at freeway speeds, late for whatever awaits them next.

Life left this place, and the people who lived here, behind, as it will ultimately do to all of us. Yet two red flowers poke out from the otherwise bare tree overlooking the gravestones, tiny symbols of rebirth in a place where beginnings no longer seemed to be part of the script. Perhaps they are. Perhaps the universe has plans for another chapter for this place. At least that's my hope as I tuck my camera away and turn for home. #williamsburg #kentucky #ky #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #cemetery #i75 #stilllife #throwback #landscape #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Pink fairy dust

Scene from a sidewalk
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You see a lot of weird things on the sidewalk when you’re walking the dog.

And given the fact that the particular dog on the other end of the leash is a Miniature Schnauzer who will eat anything if we let her, constant vigilance is rather necessary.

And so it was on this morning’s rather rushed walk before the thunderstorms moved in. The horizon was already ominously dark, and the winds were picking up. Yet Calli was delightfully oblivious to it all as her relentlessly sniffing nose led us to the scene you see here.

Was it a candy dropped from a now-saddened child’s stroller? Or was it a crushed Molly pill left over from someone’s night of too much partying? Is that the shape of an abstract fish I see?

We’ll never know, and thankfully neither will she. Because I'm the paranoid one in this relationship, I saw this coming almost as soon as she did. She obediently sat off to the side while I quickly shot the scene. We do the spontaneous-street-shoot thing often enough that she already knows the drill.

We made it back home just before the skies opened up, a small-ish smear of pink the only evidence left of another tiny adventure in the life of a tiny dog with an outsized personality.

I’ll keep my eyes open next time, too, because we never quite know what her nose will find along the way.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #suburban #street #stilllife #abstract #pink #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Art Deco against a blue painted sky

Feel that texture
Orlando, FL
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I think I love Art Deco a bit more than I probably should.

Having grown up in the era of the soulless concrete box, maybe I just hunger for something with color and texture. Maybe I'm drawn to things designed by people who seemed to really care about what they left behind, and how it would shape the lives of those who encountered it.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for pastels, or the stucco textures that quietly invite passers-by to run their fingers over the myriad surfaces. Maybe it's the brushed, matte-surfaced metals that manage to look ultra-modern and historic, all at the same time.

Maybe I want to imagine what life was like when all this was new, when it would have seemed ordinary to those who lived then.

Whatever the reason, it didn't take much convincing to explore this particularly lovely example backdropped against a perfectly blue Florida sky.

Even if I was standing in the middle of a Disney park, and the building was as "real" as everything else in this decidedly unreal place, what I felt as I stood there was quite real indeed. And I found myself wishing for more moments just like this one.

#orlando #florida #fla #throwback #road #trip #disney #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #mickey #mickeymouse #hollywood #studios #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #design #artdeco #photography #google #pixel2 #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Fritos in another form

Before the munchies hit
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I started the day with something healthy. So it seems logical - to me, anyway - to end it with something decidedly less so.

Behold this humble pile of Fritos. I know they don’t look like Fritos, because these are O-shaped and not...hang on, how DO you describe regular Fritos, anyway? Wavy?

Whatever they’re called, or however they’re shaped, they made for a fun, five-minute diversion from the dark clouds that have hung over us all for too long.

Which is why I wanted to share them here, now. Because the planet is a jumble of chaos and meanness these days.

Yes, that’s always been true to a certain extent, but it’s safe to say a few well-known global factors are adding to the perception, at least, that the snow globe has been shaken somewhat more violently than average.

So we look for places of refuge, spots, places, moments, both where and when we can somehow find a snippet of happiness.

Today's place of refuge was this scene of corn chips on my kitchen table. I know it seems trivial, but I promise you it’s not.

And for the record, the Fritos were excellent. And they made me smile. So, on balance, worth it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #fritos #chips #snack #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Where purple meets green

Pick a color, any color
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It's Friday, which means...nothing, because every day under pandemic more or less looks the same, and weeks sort of blend into weekends.

Hence the shot of veggie-infused color in this morning's photorama.

Because even the smallest things can warm the soul.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #loblaws #fruitography #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Shooting strangers in a small-town McDonald's

Scene from a restaurant
Mount Vernon, KY
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It seems like only yesterday that our little brood road-tripped up the spine of the continent, stopping in little towns along the way as road-trippers do.

And wherever we stopped, I took random pics. While there was no way to predict just how radically life was about to change, I'd like to think that some quiet voice was whispering in my ear, imploring me to just as quietly make a record of it all before the planet shuddered.

The universe can be sneaky like that, and we'd do well to listen.

We stopped at an otherwise unremarkable McDonald's in an otherwise unremarkable little place that the EXIF data on the photo tells me was - and presumably still is - Mount Vernon, Kentucky.

Time seemed to move more slowly here, and I wish we could have lingered longer. But you know how it is: The clock was ticking, and we had someplace faraway to go. Home.

Folks came in and greeted the staff by their first names. Customers idly chatted in the dining area, often meandering from table to table as more friends dropped by and settled in for a meal and a catch-up or three. The red-hatted gentleman at frame-left sat quietly, alone, by the window and stared wistfully toward the rolling hills across the parking lot as he nursed a coffee long enough to require another zap from the microwave. No one seemed to have anywhere else to go. Clocks and watches had no place here.

I thought about that McDonald's today, and wondered where everyone went when the pandemic forced it, and others like it, to close. I wondered when it reopened - if it reopened at all. And what folks in an isolated town of barely 2,400 would do if they lost their McD's for good.

Because to an outsider like me, it's just an unremarkable place to grab a bite before I've got to be somewhere else. But to the man in the red hat, it's something else entirely, and wherever he is today, I wish him - and the dining room bunch - well.

#mountvernon #kentucky #ky #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #i75 #mcdonalds #restaurant #street #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Paws for effect

Resting comfortably
London, ON
July 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The paws always get me. I don't know why, but they just do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Lights and shadows, together

Life, lit
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Sometimes light falls on us, and sometimes we find ourselves in darkness. Often it's both.

We may not be able to control the forces that act upon us, but how we choose to respond to them is another story entirely.

If this leaf can figure it out, so can we.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #green #tree #leaf #sun #shadow #lines #geometry #nature #texture #urban #suburban #landscape #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Phasers on stun

Chasing sunbeams through the trees
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It doesn't matter who you are, what you do, where you live. You've been given another day. Make it brilliant.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #green #tree #leaf #sun #shadow #lines #geometry #nature #texture #urban #suburban #landscape #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

One last look before we go

Wish we could stay longer
Cocoa Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm terrible with good-byes, so when it's time for me to leave someplace special, I move slowly, linger, make excuses, and and as you can see here, look back.

Any beach anywhere easily meets the "someplace special" bar, probably because it's so elemental. Wind, water, sun, life...it all mixes together here, in a place where the rest of the world kind of gets left behind. 

No one works in this place where land meets sea. We're drawn to it precisely because it allows us to truly get away from the everyday.

Which likely explains why it's so difficult to leave. And why one last look always seems to be called for before it's time to return to our regularly scheduled lives.

#cocoa #beach #cocoabeach #florida #fla #atlantic #ocean #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #sunrise #waves #water #landscape #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything @floridaspacecoast

Someone's selling seashells by the seashore

Scattered
Cocoa Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every shell has a story to tell. Every shell leaves evidence, however subtle, of its journey.

Hmm, maybe we're not just talking about shells.

#cocoa #beach #cocoabeach #florida #fla #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #sunrise #waves #shells #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Moon crashes into CN Tower

So close, and yet so far
Toronto, ON
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Toronto's CN Tower is an iconic part of the skyline of Canada's largest city. Indeed, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it is the very signature of this place.

And like all signature buildings, we'll never run out of new ways to appreciate them.

To wit, this scene that I managed to grab in the middle of my morning commute to the Toronto office from my home in London. As I stepped out of Union Station on my way to the subway, the sight of the moon almost intersecting with the tower caught my eye, and I knew I had to extricate myself from the seething herd.

I was amused at how the visual suggested they were incredibly close together, but reality dictated otherwise. 240,000 or so miles, all compressed into a tiny sliver of sky.

For the rest of my journey to the office, I tossed around the duality of that simple moment: Things aren't always as they seem. And we're never as close as we think we are.

#toronto #london #ontario #canada #cn #tower #cntower #architecture #architecturephotography #building #design #moon #blue #sky #downtown #building #photography #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Where you bean?

Natural goodness
London, ON
February 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Eat your greens.

Or shoot them first, then eat them.

Because we all need a little more color.

Because even the tiniest amount of spice makes all the difference.

Because freezing moments in the kitchen - or anywhere else - makes people smile.

Because food is the great human connector, and everyone's got a great meal story. Or ten.

Maybe someday I'll tell you some of mine.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #green #beans #vegetables #veggies #food #foodie #foodporn #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #stilllife #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - On Empathy

Our latest #IfYouReadOneThingToday suggestion is a searing read from the dean of American journalism.

Since he retired from the anchor chair of the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather has carved out a niche as one of the sharpest-penned observers of the American condition. An entire half of our super-polarized population probably will never read him, but they ignore his perspective at their peril.

Sadly, I fear those most in need of understanding what empathy truly is are the ones least likely to read, and understand, this article.

Dan Rather On Why America Needs More Empathy

By Dan Rather

Buzzfeed

#longreads

Seven years on...

Where magic happens
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

7 years ago today, I had a stroke.

I've written about this jarring experience just about every year since it happened, so there isn't a whole lot left to say about it that I haven't already shared.

In a blink, a few tiny misplaced clots of blood turned my life in a new direction. Lesson learned: The smallest things can have the biggest impact.

I often get asked what it's like. Well, I am now the proud owner of a terrible sense of balance, and I'm dizzy. All. The. Time. When I walk, I often have to fight the feeling that I'm about to melt back into the pavement. I've learned how to deal with it in the day-to-day, almost as a background thing. In other words, I suck it up.

Compared to other stroke survivors, I'm freakishly lucky. I suffered no cognitive or physical impairment, and I still get to do all the stuff I love to do. That's blessed in any language.

I freak out whenever I get a headache, and worry if it's a sign of something worse.

I linger over small things way more intently than is probably healthy. Small joys aren't so small, so I hold onto them especially tightly, sometimes to the annoyance of folks who know me.

I've become very picky about the people I hang out with. Because I'd hate to think I chose to spend precious time with the wrongs when I should have been surrounded by the rights. It isn't mean-spirited: Just pragmatic.

I worry about falling asleep and not waking up. Not so much for me, but for everyone else. Which brings us to my biggest worry:

Something I did has reshaped my wife and kids, and will shadow them indefinitely.

Debbie often waves her hand over me while I sleep to ensure I'm still breathing. Our kids were exposed way too early to the terrifying reality that parents are mortal. That wasn't supposed to happen until they were much older. But "supposed to" isn't ever promised us by the universe, no matter how much we wish it could be.

I blame myself for taking that ride, for choosing that particular route that ended in a construction zone, for not knowing you could tear an artery with a simple shoulder check. If I had played it differently, none of this would have happened. These past seven years are all on me. My fault.

But on balance, I got seven bonus years. I was given the chance to look, hard, at my life and try to be a better person. I should just can the guilt and be thankful.

And so I shall.

--

About this photo: I was on my bike north of the city when I accidentally tore my left carotid artery and touched off my medical adventure. University Hospital is where some of the best doctors and nurses on the planet gave me back my life. It seemed appropriate to ride back there for a photo. I owe them a lot more than mere pixels, though.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #stroke #awareness #university #hospital #cycling #life #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #health #everything

Related entries:

- So, about that stroke - August 2014

- When even "thank you" seems lame - August 2014

- More stroke stuff... - August 2014

- Coming up on Canada AM - Lookahead to February 2015 interview

- Winding down the day that was - February 2015 - incl link to Canada AM/Heart/Stroke Month segment

- Life at the crossroads - April 2015

- Two years on... - August 2015

- Three bonus years - August 2016

- Four years later - August 2017

- Five years on - August 2018

- Luke Perry could have been me - or any of us - March 2019

- The day everything changed - August 2019

Little girl on a Shanghai street

Always hold my hand, Mom
Shanghai, China
May 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It's been eight years since I shot this fleeting scene on a crowded, hot, humid Shanghai street.

The little girl seen here is hopefully a lot bigger, and hopefully pursuing whatever it is that she hopes to pursue.

I often wonder about the strangers I happen to capture in a photo. I think about where they've ended up, and I quietly hope they're doing OK.

#shanghai #china #throwback #may2012 #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #random #urban #street #photography #child #parenthood #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Life is a blur

Oops
Knoxville, TN
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Behold the accidental photo.

My archives are littered with them, and I don't have the heart to get rid of them because each one tells a story of where we were when it was taken, what we were doing, and even how it might have felt.

This time out, we were in the parking lot of a lovely new hotel in Knoxville, TN. Obviously, this was a "before" photo, before the world changed.

We were on our way back from Florida, starting the second day of a planned two-day drive. The kids were happy. The car bubbled with good-natured grumbling about long drives, lousy weather, and the fact that we were pointed in the wrong direction. Because everyone knows when you're vacationing, you'd rather be headed toward the beach and not away from it.

Road trips, like pretty much everything else in my life, come with their own rituals. Before we set off, I plug the phone in and take pictures of the odometer and GPS screens. The geotagged pictures then become indelible memories of a trip that might otherwise be lost to time.

Somewhere along the way, I accidentally snapped this blurry mess of HVAC controls, hazard button, and a few other things I can't recognize. Once upon a time, I probably would have deleted it outright as I reviewed the photo logs, but I hesitated on this one.

Because more than any other photo I took at 9:19 a.m.-ish on January 4th, 2020, this one puts me right into the driver's seat, and replays the moment in my mind's eye in perfect fidelity.

Powerful stuff from a picture that probably deserves to be round-filed. But I'm glad I didn't. And I'm guessing you probably have some doozers in your own archives - along with infinitely rich stories to accompany them.

If you're so inclined, I'm certain I'm not the only one who would love to learn more about your own accidental photo experiences.

#knoxville #tennessee #tn #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #i75 #tru #hilton #hotel #blurry #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Watching SpaceX nail the landing

Space puppy!
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She wanted to witness history, so who was I to deny her?

We threw NASA-TV up on the big screen and watched every nail-biting moment of the Crew Dragon ship Endeavour's return from orbit after yesterday's departure from the #ISS. It was, in a word, awesome.

Welcome home, Bob and Doug. Profound thanks to you, and the entire #SpaceX and #NASA family, for reminding us what achievement, humility, and leadership look like.

Next up, Crew-1. We'll be watching. Because hope knows no borders, even for a dog.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dm2 #crewdragon #endeavour #splashdown #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

An oasis in the dark

You'll find warmth here
Elginfield, ON
July 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This restaurant is a beacon in the darkness for so many, an oasis of welcoming warmth for travellers criss-crossing the agricultural hinterlands of southern Ontario.

It's been here forever, and I can't imagine this corner, tucked as it is between farms and intersecting regional highways, without it.

I suspect I'm not the only one who sees this place as something more than somewhere we eat.

#elginfield #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #northstar #restaurant #random #night #country #rural #roadside #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #nightphotography #nightmode #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

It's a spaghetti squash extravaganza

Bet you can't eat just one
London, ON
August 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We ran low on groceries - who knew that kids eat? - so off to the store we went. While we were there, I couldn't resist the urge to shoot some fruitography*.

We didn't pick up any spaghetti squash on this trip, but the sheer loveliness of the display was impossible to ignore.

Whether you're in a grocery store or anywhere else, I hope you, too, look for these tiny little below-the-radar scenes. They're everywhere. All we have to do is find them.

*Fruitography is my completely made-up concept whereby I take a camera into the fruit/vegetable section and go wild. Optically, that is. I've been doing it for years, and it makes an otherwise routine food run infinitely more fun.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #loblaws #fruitography #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Countryside at night

Crossroads
Elginfield, ON
July 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Scene from a roadside in Elginfield, Ontario.

Because every once in a while, it soothes the soul to drive into the country and take in the view.

It isn't always spectacular, but that's actually why this place captivates so.

The view, in every direction, is dominated by simple shapes, colors, and textures, all sculpted by forces unconstrained by overbuilt urban infrastructure.

Or maybe it isn't as simple as the eye first perceives. I'll leave that for my next visit. Or maybe the one after that. I'll just have to keep coming back to try to figure it out.

Maybe I'll never figure it out at all - and that's perfectly okay, too.

#elginfield #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #night #sky #country #rural #roadside #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything