Thursday, September 30, 2021

What's with all the orange shirts today?

Never forget
London, ON
September 30, 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


If you have any Canadians in your feed, you’ve likely been seeing a lot of orange today.

It’s our country’s first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday where we remember the child victims of the residential school system. More broadly, it is a reckoning for our country around a history stained with sustained efforts to forcibly assimilate Indigenous peoples.

Also known as Orange Shirt Day, it is an important step toward, if not necessarily righting the wrongs of the past - because history cannot be rewritten - then understanding where we’ve come from so we can work toward building a better, common future that is fair for all.

Lofty goals indeed, and this is a critical step in that journey. But if I’m being brutally honest, it worries me.

Because it isn’t enough, yet there are many who will assume wearing an orange shirt, on this day, is sufficient. Or maybe posting an orange frame around their social media profile photo. Or retweeting the work of others. Or some other easily-accomplished digital activity that suggests solidarity.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with any of these activities. Awareness is, after all, a critical foundation to action. But that’s the problem: slacktivist-social-media responses to real-world issues are so often heavy on symbolism, not so much on action.

And this, on a supposed national holiday where only four provinces and one territory even bothered to legislate it as a day of observance.

Indeed, wherever we live, we will still be wrestling with the action part tomorrow, and every day thereafter. Too many Indigenous communities will lack drinkable water. Or resources to move forward.

What we all do to drive change matters far more to their - and our collective - future long after we’ve taken our orange shirts off and tossed them in the laundry.

#ldnont #EveryChildMatters #NDTR

The grocery store dating scene

Green with saucy envy
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Grocery shopping remains an exercise in frustration, surrounded as we are by people who haven’t adapted to the new norms of personal space in public places.

I loosely define those norms as follows: kindly stay as far away from me as is feasible.

Yet, strangely, I rather enjoy the in-store experience. Because foraging for food has become a pandemic-era excuse to go on dates with my wife.

We define dates differently in these bizarre times, because grocery stores are pretty much the only places we can reasonably go when we leave the house.

So while I’m busy deking in three directions at once to maintain my personal bubble, I’m also thanking the universe that I get to go on these not-so-grand adventures with someone who finds it funny when I deke at all. And smiles when I lag back because the tomato sauce jars with the bright green lids were talking to me.

We’re learning a lot of lessons during this historically significant moment in time, and the one that keeps coming back to me is the need to find joy in the margins.

Grocery date night - or afternoon, in this case - is just the right kind of margin, and I hope this silly photo from the back of our local Farm Boy store inspires you to look at your own margins.

I’m reasonably sure you’ll find joy in there, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #farmboy #supermarket #grocery #store #sauce #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

A green glow, deep in the woods

Here for now
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


In the deepest corner of the darkest forest, a thin shaft of light pierces the otherwise impenetrable canopy and lights up a single string of leaves.

They glow a brilliant green for a few fleeting seconds before the sun moves on, leaving a gloomy darkness in its wake once more.

We never quite know when Planet Earth will put on a bit of a show, so we'd best get out there and be ready when it does.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #green #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #stilllife #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Desperation on Dundas Street

Life on the street
London, ON
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram


A while back, a local business association launched a marketing campaign to boost engagement with retailers in and around the downtown core.

Big, bold, blue "London is on!" signs like this one started popping up everywhere.

I captured this poignant moment on a cold January afternoon on the main retail drag that forms downtown's spine. Dundas Street has seen more downs than ups since its largely-forgotten heyday, and this ironic scene practically screamed at me from across the newly renovated, fancily-bricked flex-street.

I've never been comfortable with this kind of hyperbolic messaging. It feels shouty, even a little desperate, like you're trying to convince people you're once again successful, when every reasonable metric suggests otherwise.

Cold realities have a way of telling stories more truthfully than polished catch-phrases. Indeed, downtown streets may be rougher than we wish, but they don't lie.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #random #urban #downtown #dundas #street #building #architecture #homelessness #streetphotography #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #google #pixel2 #teampixel #lifeinthemargins

Monday, September 27, 2021

Murals? We've got murals.

Art, exposed
London, ON
December 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Once upon a time, I took a drive on a bitterly cold Christmas Day to London's Old East Village. The goal: street photography. Because this, apparently, felt like an appropriate Christmas Day activity.

It's been a few years since I captured this scene, one of many murals that dot the urban landscape in a city otherwise averse to spontaneous expressions of creative brilliance. So I've had enough time to reflect on the strange stories that lead to some of the photos I take.

I'm good with it. Life's short. There is no "right" time for anything. And if we wait for that mythical "right time" - like maybe the day AFTER Christmas Day - we may not get the shot.

So no more waiting, k? Just grab your camera and go. Or do whatever it is that you've been wanting to do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #downtown #urban #city #dundas #oev #oldeastvillage #street #photography #streetphotography #art #color #alley #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Leaves at our feet

And so it begins...
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Down. But nowhere near out.

Indeed, there’s wonder happening just underfoot.

But we’ve got to look down first.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #leaf #leaves #red #green #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Behold the epically giant 787

Not to scale
London, ON
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Let’s zoom back to November 2018, shall we? To the Before Times. When we idly toyed with our smartphones while jetting from here to there and back, never once cowering within our masks, terrified that our fellow passengers could, you know, infect us.

It was amid one of those blissfully innocent moments that I grabbed this quick photo of the moving map from the seatback display of a 787 Dreamliner descending toward a landing in Toronto.

It was my first time on Boeing’s carbon fibre-bodied wonder, and I had spent most of the trip from Vancouver playing with the trick electronic window dimmers and enjoying the slick software Air Canada had built into its in-flight entertainment system. It’s totally a plane for nerds.

To this day, the sheer size of the virtual plane amazes me. If this were a true, to-scale representation, my hometown of London would have been darkened by our shadow, Independence Day-with-Will-Smith style, and the wings would have stretched hundreds of kilometres between Lake Erie and Lake Huron.

Part of me would like to imagine that this imagery was to scale. And I’d be the guy sitting by the window, waving frantically to my family as I flew overhead.

How hilarious would that be?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #road #trip #air #flight #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #photography #aircanada @aircanada #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Visiting the cathedral in the woods

And breathe...
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Today was a day to walk in the woods and drink in the green before it evolves into something decidedly different.

As is often the case when we come this way, it felt like a cathedral, of sorts, a quiet, resonant place that seems to compel us to slow ourselves down and turn the voices in our heads off.

The only noise we could hear was the river, still flowing high and fast after this week’s epic rains. Squirrels loading up for the winter and birds arguing over something we couldn’t quite figure out rounded out the soundscape.

Standing in this spot made us feel small in the most comforting manner. We’ll have to keep returning as nature repaints itself over the next few weeks and months.

Because the places that matter most are always evolving. And we’d hate to miss out on any opportunity to tell their story.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #green #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Hawkeye cubed

Corner velocity
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Because we believe in fairness, and we've already shown both top- and side-views of this particularly fetching US Navy E-2C Hawkeye, I wanted to end off our little tour of this wicked aircraft with a bottom view.

I can't imagine when anyone would ever fly a plane like this so aggressively, but considering where it spends its life - way out over open ocean, vulnerable to enemy fighters and missiles because it carries no armament of its own - I'm strangely comforted to see it capable of such maneuvers.

Fly safe, friends. And thank you for protecting the rest of us.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada @usnavy #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #northrop #grumman #hawkeye #hummer #awacs #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

Friday, September 24, 2021

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor come home

Finally.



Hawkeye from the side

More antennas, please
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


If one photo of an E-2C Hawkeye is a recipe for avgeek happiness, then I can only imagine what two photos might be.

Come to think of it, no one can place any limits on how many photos we can share on social media, so there's no need to imagine.

Here you go. Side view.

I've got more if you want...

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada @usnavy #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #northrop #grumman #hawkeye #hummer #awacs #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Tossing a Hawkeye around the sky

I've got my eye on you
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Not every plane has a pointy nose.

Some look...funny. Even, dare we say it, homely.

Yet the laws of aerodynamics, aviation, and naval warfare take precedence over the final form of a thing. And considering how critical the airborne early warning (AEW) function is to those who fly into harm's way, this is one of the most beautiful machines to fly off of a carrier deck.

Seriously, that giant radar dish is a work of art.

To oversimplify the importance of the Northrop-Grumman E-2C Hawkeye, it is the eyes and ears of the fleet, a high-altitude air traffic controller with a God's-eye view of the battlespace. It's roughly the Navy's equivalent of the famous AWACS, a precious asset that literally controls everything it can see. Without it, those pointy jets fly blind.

And my goodness, can they be thrown around the sky. Which, on reflection, only enhances its worth.

Because pleasant surprises are always more beautiful than the obvious stuff - in aviation, and well beyond.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada @usnavy #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #northrop #grumman #hawkeye #hummer #awacs #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Thursday, September 23, 2021

12 years without dad

A familiar face
London, ON
September 12, 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I lost my dad 12 years ago today.

This is one of the last photos I took of him, just weeks before he died. Likely the last time I stuck my lens in his face.

Sometimes I’ll look in a mirror and see bits of him in me. Sometimes I’ll say something and realize I’m echoing either what he might have said, or how he might have said it.

Which is weird, because for much of my life before he died, I was the typical kid who bristled at comparisons, who turned left when mom and dad said right, who pursued a path - writing, creative, media, nerd - that was decidedly different than what most parents of that generation liked to brag about to their friends.

I was the square peg in my family’s round hole, and I’m not entirely sure I was ever able to bridge that divide.

Still, I turned out fairly ok. He did the best he could, with whatever he had. I could have done far worse in the growing-up-in-modern-times sweepstakes, and the past dozen years have given me ample opportunity to reflect on the foundation he both built for me, then helped me build still further, on my own.

It’s what parents do. And he, like his youngest son, was far from perfect. But he accomplished his mission. And then some. And for that and more, I’m thankful.

12 years can pass in a blink if you let it. Indeed, any length of time can feel impossibly short, especially when you spend it wondering about the why.

There is no answer to this why. Only a lifetime of memories I feel compelled to keep alive in spaces like this.

#ldnont #throwback #family #everything

Waiting for the leaves to fall

Nature's carpet
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Yesterday was a special day up here in the Northern Hemisphere, as summer quietly gave way to autumn.

You're forgiven if you missed out on it, as changes of season don't tend to announce themselves in any obvious manner. They just...happen.

But if you spend any time outside, you can feel it in the air. The temperatures are easing back from their summertime highs. The humidity is over. The jackets come out. The shorts get tucked away.

The Canadian in me knows what comes next: snow. But living in dreaded fear of weather isn’t my jam. Enjoying what we’ve been given today, on the other hand, is.

And the landscape is about to redraw itself, which means lots of quality time wandering the woods with a camera in my hand so I can snag more scenes like the one you see here, taken last autumn. I hope you end up doing the same.

[But wait…there’s more…]

I keep re-reading the intro to this entry, and before I sign this one off, I'd like to correct myself. Because while yesterday was a special day because of the change of season, pretty much every day is special if we choose to perceive it as such.

So let's enjoy it. Because soon enough, it’ll be gone.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #medway #valley #heritage #forest #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #texture #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #everythingchristian #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Kindred spirit across the bridge

Got the shot
Laval, QC
June 22, 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram


When the world around you feels irrevocably sad, a random encounter with another street photographer could be just the ticket.

I spotted this gentleman from the other side of the bridge as I wandered my old neighborhood looking for inspiration through glass. Nice to know I wasn’t the only one.

I hope he found as much satisfaction in his photos that day as I found in mine.

#laval #chomedey #montreal #yul #quebec #canada #throwback #promenadedesiles #roadtrip #road #trip #urban #street #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #lifeinthemargins

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

The day-after-election hangover

Be heard
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Not much of a photo this time out.

Then again, I don’t have much of a story to tell today. Canadians went to the polls yesterday just over a month after the minority Liberal government called a snap federal election in the middle of the pandemic.

Never mind the fact the prime minister had earlier said no one wants to vote during a pandemic. He saw an opportunity to perhaps turn his party’s minority into a majority, so he pounced.

Canadians had other ideas, of course, and as the snowglobe of election night data settles out, we’re right back where we started: another Liberal minority, and if history is any guide, another trip to the polls within a couple of years.

I could whine, but I won’t. Many folks have called this a wasteful and cynical exercise, and perhaps they’re right.

But here’s the thing: democracy is, by definition, messy. It is imperfect, dirty, and illogical. But no one ever said distilling the will of millions of people would be anything but.

It’s the best system we’ve got, and looking around the planet at the alternatives, I’ll happily dive into whatever disgusting mess the often-opportunistic, power-hungry politicians who lead - or wish to - lead us have cooked up.

Because it’s beautiful in its own way. And while those who choose to participate in the process are human, and fallible, the thing that sticks with me is exactly that: they choose to participate in the process. They serve. I may not agree with their world view or their politics. But they’re still putting themselves out there.

And being a part of this far-from-perfect process by having my voice heard through the simple stroke of a pencil is a privilege I’ll never take for granted.

It’s the least we can all do, and I’ll happily do it again when the next election is called.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #election #elxn44 #cdnpoli #vote #itsourvote #democracy #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Monday, September 20, 2021

On learning what you love

"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible."

The view from my handlebars

Show me the way
Thames Centre, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Grab life by the handlebars.

Point them where you want to go.

Start pedalling.

Don’t stop till you get there.

Assuming you stop at all.

#thorndale #thames #centre #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #random #roadside #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Jet fighter photobomb

Now I know why they call it special
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Don't you just hate when you're minding your own business on a taxiway and you get photobombed by a Hornet?

#littleplaneproblems

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #pitts #S2BSpecial #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #cf18 #hornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Protect the booze at all costs

Historic variety
Thorndale, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Can we ever get tired of scenes from quiet small towns nestled among endless farmland?

Didn’t think so.

Thank you, #Thorndale, for serving up a much-needed dose of peacefulness as I cruised the last few kilometres toward home.

#thames #centre #ldnont #london #thames #centre #ontario #canada #main #street #history #landscape #landscapephotography #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #random #roadside #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Dog in fog

Sniffing out her friends
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


She doesn't much care that the fog hasn't yet burned off, or that it's early on a Sunday morning and we need to get back home before the rains return.

These are human worries, and none of them apply to her.

She's just happy that she's out and about, and that she gets to sniff out her neighborhood before we return home for treats and cuddles.

It feels like the right kind of mindset for managing the day-to-day, and she's very much mastered it in the few short years she's been on this planet.

We could learn from her.

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

Saturday, September 18, 2021

The corn grows tall here

Ready for harvest
Lobo Township, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Today’s mission was a simple one: ride the bike out into farm country until I encountered corn.

There’s a lot of it growing in the agricultural hinterlands around #ldnont, and as you can see in the picture, some of it has gotten impressively tall.

As I continued the ride home, the roads were covered with windswept remnants of harvested corn, and I waved at a massive truck loaded with it - probably on its way to market.

As the driver waved back, the wind shifted and I got a whiff of the freshly cut corn, a reminder of how rich these lands are, and how much we owe those who bring them to life year after year.

Needless to say, I was fairly hungry by the time I got home. Anything corn-related will do.

#london #ontario #canada #farm #corn #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #instabike #orange #devinci #hatchet #gravelbike #nairn #ilderton #road #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Ghostrider requests a fly-by

Controlled flight
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


[Maverick]: Tower, this is Ghostrider, requesting a fly-by.

[Tower]: Negative, Ghostrider, the pattern is full.

[Cue to Maverick doing a fly-by, anyway, and Air Boss Johnson spilling his coffee because he apparently thought an open-topped mug near sensitive electronic equipment was a good idea.]

I always felt Air Boss Johnson was a bit of a hard-head anyway. And I'm sure #CYXU ATC were far more polite to the @usnavyblueangels as they not-quite-buzzed the tower here in #ldnont.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #london #airport #ontario #canada #TopGun #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #superhornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins

Blue Angels, white lines, blue sky

In alignment
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Somewhere in my development as a human being, a creator, and a photographer, I must have decided that straight lines and patterns spoke to me.

I'll never be able to identify the where and the why, but I'm perfectly OK with some things remaining unexplained.

Whatever the reason, I'll happily take that moment of giddiness when I see a particularly striking example of clean geometry play out in the skies just above my head.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #superhornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:
Rhino takes to the skies, September 2021
Gas station in the sky, September 2021
Return of the Snowbirds, September 2021

Friday, September 17, 2021

Life is a highway

The endless road
Highway 401, Eastern Ontario
August 2013
This photo originally shared on Instagram


This photo tells a story of a very specific moment in the history of our family.

August 26, 2013. We were on our way home from Toronto. Just over six months after Debbie lost her mom, and three weeks since my stroke. It was my first significant trip away from home, so I was a little, um, nervous.

This isn't much of a photo, taken from an early-generation iPad because that's what was closest at the time. I was fidgety and needed something to focus on, hence the passenger-seat photo shoot. We were somewhere on the 401 westbound, but I can't be any more specific than that because, frankly, the entire highway looks just like this. Guessing by the timestamp, we were probably somewhere approaching Toronto.

My photo archives are filled with tiny photos like this one. Taken on a lousy camera, during those in-between moments that don't allow much time for finessing the composition or exposure. They'll never merit a frame on a wall, or considered discussion with friends. Or much consideration at all.

Yet they fill in those otherwise-empty spots in between the otherwise significant moments. They tell stories of the everyday, of the little things we do to fill the time between here and there. Of what it felt like to be in a space, at a moment, either alone or, as was the case here, surrounded by family, all enjoying the subdued adventure of a road trip.

We no longer have this car. So many of those we drove in to see are no longer with us. We live in a different world, of different languages and experiences. Yet going back to soak up memories like these feels like the right thing to do when the here-and-now feels a little unsettled.

Memories as buoys in a turbulent sea. Sounds like a plan to me.

#ontario #canada #throwback #onroute #highway #roadtrip #road #trip #travel #photooftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #instagood #apple #ipad #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Shaping the alien landscape

A river runs through it
Near Las Vegas, NV
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram


In case there was ever any doubt, wind and water always win.

(Sorry, I'm in a stare-at-the-desert-from-way-up-high kind of mood.)

#las #vegas #lasvegas #throwback #road #trip #air #flight #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #nevada #desert #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #aircanada @aircanada #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:
Vegas-bound, November 2018

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Building sand castles in the desert

Planetary sense of scale
Near Las Vegas. NV
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram


When we were young, we built castles in the sand.

Now, we peer longingly at the desert from miles above and dream of what once was.

Or what might be.

#las #vegas #lasvegas #throwback #road #trip #air #flight #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #nevada #desert #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #aircanada @aircanada #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Feeling small over the Nevada desert

Textured landscape
Approaching Las Vegas, NV
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram


On a flight to Las Vegas, in the Before Times, I peered out the window and realized just how small we really are.

Planet Earth can be a humbling place if we let it. Every once in a while, we should allow ourselves the opportunity to let that happen.

#las #vegas #lasvegas #throwback #road #trip #air #flight #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #nevada #desert #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #aircanada @aircanada #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Wet parked car window

Nature leaves her mark
London, ON
February 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The rain likely explains my current mood.

Yes, sometimes I perceive the world in tones of grey. And not everything in my world is always sunshine and rainbows. Shocker, I know.

But if anything can drag me back, it’s the realization that storms always leave something behind. Like little lenses through which we might be able to see hope.

Assuming we choose to look.

So let’s look.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #parked #car #carporn #automotive #rain #weather #wx #water #droplets #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #mental #health #ishealth

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

On deeds, not words

"A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed."

Signs by the side of the road

Fresh off the farm
St. Thomas, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Roadside signs are big deals in farm country.

I'm particularly drawn to the various signs farmers use to sell produce. The older and grittier they are, the better.

Because no modern replacement will ever look - or feel - as glorious.

#stthomas #ontario #canada #shaws #roadside #signs #summer #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #instagood #photooftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Monday, September 13, 2021

Another reason to celebrate

Snapshots...
This collage originally shared on Instagram

Shh, it's someone's birthday today. And if this all feels a little familiar, there's a reason for it: Debbie's birthday is the day after Dahlia's. Every year. The best birthday present ever.

The one thing I've noticed over the years of trying to capture Debbie through a lens is that she's always in the middle of things. Which is no surprise, as she is the very centre of our world. Every photo of every family get-together somehow features her. Every photo, and every moment, is better because she's right where she needs to be. And where we need her to be.

I looked around the house last night and thought about both where we had come from and where we are now. The entire journey happened because we crossed paths long ago while working at a local community centre. Because she saw me and realized something that took teenaged-me a little longer to clue into.

The house we live in is a home because of her. Our kids exist - obviously - because of her, and they are so much like her in the way they carry themselves, drive themselves, the way they smile and laugh and look out for others. The intangible atmosphere that seeps into every corner of our home, the humor, the warmth, the smell of freshly baked bread, soup, or even chocolate cake, the welcoming embrace of a house that is a home to all - all because of her.

So today we celebrate, because as she's always told me, everyone deserves to feel special on their birthday. But some people are just that much more deserving, and I promise we'll do our best to ensure she feels special tomorrow, as well.

Because every day is better with some Debbie in it. And we're so incredibly lucky to get another spin around the sun, with this remarkable woman right where she needs to be, at our centre.

Happy birthday, my sweet.

#LiveLaughLevy #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #happy #birthday #happybirthday #birthdaygirl #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Behold the last Boston cream donut

Singularly yummy
London, ON
July 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


There’s only one donut left.

And it happens to be my favorite, the classic Boston cream.

I think we all know what that means.

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

Continuing her shift into adulthood

In her favorite place
Grand Bend, ON
July 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Peanut Girl - better known as our daughter Dahlia - turns 24 today.

I’m reminded how the universe plays games with time, especially when you’re a parent. That’s the only way to explain how, despite the passage of almost a quarter-century, it feels like yesterday that I first held her, mere seconds after she was born.

Yet yesterday this remarkable young woman went with us to vote, finished off her first round of assignments in graphic design school, and helped Debbie work on her curriculum plans. She has answers for everything, throws herself full-force into whatever comes her way, and never seems to run out of energy.

Oh, and everyone who knows her absolutely adores her.

Some days it’s hard to imagine how quickly we went from there to here. Which, I’m going to guess, reaffirms how lucky we are to have her.

I’d say today was worthy of celebration, and I wouldn’t be wrong. And being Levys, rest assured the celebrations are already well underway. Donuts may or may not be part of the equation.

But in Dahlia’s world, every day is worthy of celebration. So don’t be surprised when she offers up some more light tomorrow, too.

In fact, we’re counting on it. And on her.

Happiest of birthdays, our sweet girl!

#LiveLaughLevy #ldnont #london #grandbend #ontario #canada #happy #birthday #happybirthday #birthdaygirl #beach #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Blackfriars at the end of the day

History up close
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I was riding home yesterday when I decided to take a mid-cycle break and visit an old friend.

She looked particularly fetching in the fading sun.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #blackfriars #bridge #green #history #tvp #thames #river #walkabout #landscape #landscapephotography #sunset #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Rhino takes to the skies

Gear up, burners lit
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The Boeing (nee McDonnell-Douglas) F/A-18E Super Hornet isn't so great at hauling cargo.

But she's pretty adept at protecting the fleet, securing the borders, and generally waving around the biggest stick in the neighborhood.

Yes, it sucks that we need these instruments of war in the first place. In the ideal world, none of this would be necessary.

But we don't live in an ideal world. And 20 years on from September 11, 2001, it’s reasonable to consider what we’re willing to invest - and sacrifice - in the name of our individual and collective security.

I, for one, am thankful for folks like the pilot you see here, who willingly position themselves at the very tip of the spear. When they’re not wowing air show crowds, they’re operating from carrier decks and keeping enemies away from our skies.

Without them, all we have here could very well look rather different.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada @usnavy #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #superhornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Swimming in the abstract

Optical physics lesson
Thornhill, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s been too long since I played with the camera in search of weirdly abstract pics.

So consider this my overdue offering, because some of my favourite moments with a camera have involved being hit with strange creative visions, then trying to make then come to life. So it’s time to play with light and see what develops.

I took this at our friends’ backyard pool. The waves weren’t quite what I was aiming for, so I helped things along by sitting on the side and kicking my legs for a bit.

I’m not above making waves to get the shot. I’m not above messing around for a while until something reasonable shows up in the viewfinder.

Something tells me this isn’t strictly an exercise in photography.

#toronto #thornhill #ontario #canada #water #swim #pool #reflective #abstract #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Friday, September 10, 2021

Starting to see red

The only constant is change
St. Thomas, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Look what’s headed our way.

Please don't hate me, but I can't wait. Even now, the tiny glimpses of change peeking through the forest canopy can't help but make me smile.

Maybe it's the fact that we're 18-ish months into this global fecal matter show, but seemingly insignificant things like the color of a leaf seem to be taking on outsized importance.

I can't explain it. I'm just glad it's happening.

#stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #elevated #park #railway #train #bridge #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #green #red #leaves #autumn #color #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Thursday, September 09, 2021

On having the courage to lead

"You can tell a pioneer by the arrows in his back."

Life is a (dog) ball

Someone found her happy place
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


She looks so comfy as she sleeps in her bed, curled up in a tight ball beside one of her favorite toys.

I don't have the heart to disturb her, so I grab a quick photo to remember the moment, then leave her to her puppy dreams.

I'm sure they're happy ones.

#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

Wednesday, September 08, 2021

Tres saucy encore

Happiness in the sauce aisle
London, ON
May 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Everyone liked the photo I posted a couple of months ago of the weird-looking pasta jars in the local Sobeys supermarket, so I thought I'd also share option 2.

Whoever is responsible for their product photography clearly deserves a raise.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sobeys #supermarket #grocery #store #pasta #aisle #sauce #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Tuesday, September 07, 2021

The tree that protects us

Enjoy it while it lasts
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The large sugar maple tree on our front lawn has been protecting our house since long before we moved in here.

Its canopy casts a deep shade over the giant rock beside its base, itself a touchstone of our family.

Our beloved tree is rapidly approaching the point in the season where it begins to shed its glorious leaves. Already, they're showing the signs of a rough season, the spots where fungus blighted them, or insects chewed holes in them. It's a tough world out there by the corner of our yard, and our tree wears these scars with grace.

So I headed out the other night in the fading sun to play under the leaves before they disappear, one last chance to remember what it felt like to be so fully embraced.

To others, it's just a tree, one among countless others in our ironically named Forest City. But this is very much our tree, and I barely have the words to describe the comfort it's offered to us in the years we've lived here.

All it takes is one good tree, I guess. We should all be so lucky.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #green #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #stilllife #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Monday, September 06, 2021

Staring down at a crossroads

Pick a direction
St. Thomas, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


When you come to a crossroads, which way should you turn?

Is there even a right or a wrong way?

#stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #elevated #park #railway #train #bridge #landscape #green #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Men Without Hats (without t-shirts)

No hats beyond this point
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Disclosure: old t-shirts make me nostalgic.

In fact, I have some ratty old examples that have been around since long before our kids were born.

Most of these shirts are, to put it charitably, no longer wearable in public. Not that "in public" is really a thing these days, but the truth is that I have scads of old tops that I probably should have turned into bike maintenance rags years ago.

So the other day our daughter offered to help me start working through the backlog. She suggested I take photos before I trash them.

Any Montrealer will know the logo here - Men Without Hats, the 1980s synth-pop band probably best known for Safety Dance. True fans know there’s much more to this Ivan Doroschuk-led band than a single song, and they have been a hugely influential force in the Canadian music scene for over 40 years.

Alas, my old t-shirt hasn't aged as well as their music has, and it was time for it to go. So my photo roll is now packed with pics like this, of shirts that had some or other significance at various moments in my tangential life.

It's odd, because I'm not really a "stuff" person. But there's something about a pile of t-shirts I've had forever that speaks to me.

Thankfully we've got digital photography to ensure the memories never fully fade away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #spontaneous #tshirt #shirt #menwithouthats #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Sunday, September 05, 2021

Shooting a captain on the shiny orange floor

Not a real captain
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The scene: Our local Loblaws supermarket. My wife and I have come here to top off the pantry before the no-retail-for-24-hours apocalypse that is the Labor Day stat holiday.

It’s also return-to-Western time of year, with beleaguered parents shepherding their stunned-looking university-student kids through the crowded store as they stock up on necessities before turning them loose on their own, hoping they don’t starve in the process. Ah, good times.

Debbie and I jokingly call this date night, because you take joy wherever you can find it. So we’re waiting in the lineup to check out when Debbie notices a Cap’n Crunch display across the front aisle facing the registers. But it’s a special kind of Cap’n Crunch. Cotton candy. Limited edition.

I decide I must have photographic evidence. So I duck under the imitation not-quite-velvet rope and grab a box for a fast shoot. I drop to the floor and set up the still-life scene, taking great care to ensure I’m nowhere near anyone else.

When I’m done, I pop the box back where I found it and return to my wife. The woman behind us starts laughing as she reaches into her basket and pulls out the same box. We have a delightful conversation about reliving our childhoods through cereal before the automated screen directs us to register #4.

In the car on the way home, I complain to my ever-patient wife that Cap’n Crunch isn’t a real captain, yet generations of children have been led to believe that he is. She smiles that smile of hers that reminds me how lucky I am.

Thank you for joining us for another Levy Date Night. End scene.

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

Related:
Bananas in the round, February 2020
Really expensive bread, December 2006
Up, up and away, September 2006

On the power of necessity

"Nothing has more strength than dire necessity."

A Rhino leaves a trail of jelly

Light the burners and keep the nose down
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The average takeoff doesn't look anything like this.

Then again, Blue Angel jet No. 6 is hardly average. Unlike the milk-run 737 (hopefully non-MAX) you took to your last pre-COVID business conference in Poughkeepsie, this one has an afterburner. And permission to keep the nose low and the burners lit to maximize acceleration and deafen anyone within earshot.

It is as awesome as it sounds. And it never gets old.

The roiled air the fast-moving Super Hornet leaves in its wake - aka jelly - is an added bonus, a temporarily tangible reminder that the laws of physics aren't negotiable.

That school bus? There for a reason, as well - they park a few of them around the airfield to denote the "box" within which the aircraft can perform their aerobatic maneuvers. Except the Blue Angels, who use their own decidedly more sophisticated equipment to provide land-based markers for their significantly higher-energy performances.

You learn something new every time they fly. But even if you don't, it's more than enough to stand by the flightline as the tips of our democratic spear rip holes through the sky.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #superhornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Gas station in the sky

Sustainer of the fleet
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It's a big sky out there, and we all need a mothership to help us find the way home.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #kc135 #stratotanker #tanker #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:
Ground stop in Hong Kong, September 2012

Saturday, September 04, 2021

Gradient morning sky

Nature serves up another pattern
London, ON
September 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Some mornings, it pays to look up.

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

Return of the Snowbirds

Paint the sky
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The skies over #ldnont were filled with a special kind of rainbow last Sunday, courtesy of our national flight demonstration team, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

I've lost track of how many times I've seen them in my lifetime, and I get goosebumps every time they fly.

Long may they continue to paint the skies and inspire the rest of us to raise our game - whether we're in the skies or planted firmly on the ground.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @cfsnowbirds @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #snowbirds #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Where I introduce myself to the Blue Angels

Gear up, burners on
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


They say you always remember your first time.

And so it was with me, as before last Sunday I had never seen the Blue Angels fly.

It was a nice streak to break, as they were, and are, remarkable.

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #usnavy #blueangels #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #superhornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything