When colors fade

Painted
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We’re well past peak autumn colors now, but I’m not yet ready to admit the greys are winning the war.

Which explains why I find myself reaching back a few weeks and sharing images from earlier in the season. This one’s from October 14.

Why the throwback? Because color has the power to turn darkness into light. To inspire us. To make us smile. To repair the world.

I’m just naive enough to believe this is true. I hope you are, as well.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

The most beautiful red leaf, October 2022

A tale of two trees, October 2022

Walk softly among the giants, October 2022

Traffic comes to the forest, October 2022

The canopy puts on a show, October 2022

Monochrome autumn, October 2022

When milk runs take a turn, October 2022

After a tree falls in the forest, October 2022

Thankful for color and whatever else, October 2022

At least we found some color, November 2021

When leaves end, October 2021

Trees from Venus, October 2021

Leafy patterns in nature, October 2020

Peering into the woods, October 2020

Creeping along in silence, October 2020

One last flash of red, October 2020

Fire on the water, October 2020

Help others find their color, October 2020

#FindTheLight, Part 2, October 2020

#FindTheLight, Part 1, October 2020

Don't stand so close to me, October 2020

Red leaf down, October 2020

Temporary red blanket, October 2019

Racing the sun to the horizon, October 2019

Reflecting by the water... October 2019

The ravine gets painted again, October 2019

The crossroads next door

Rushing every which way
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At the corner of Gainsborough and Wonderland, countless souls rush from here to there, barely conscious of those whose paths they cross along the way.

Overhead, the setting sun lights up the wispy clouds, a fiery orange glow painting the landscape for a few fleeting moments before the shadows move in.

I’m reasonably sure no one else is paying much attention to any of this. All that rushing to and fro, apparently.

But that doesn’t make it any less worthy of a fast photo before darkness temporarily wins this daily battle.

The sun will return tomorrow. Perhaps those countless souls will pause long enough to notice.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #519ldn #519london #sun #sunset #sky #cloud #clouds #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #streetphotography #gainsborough #wonderland #silhouette #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

The most beautiful red leaf

One last blast
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Weathered by time, battered by the elements, chewed up by insects. But still brilliant for this fleeting moment.

I can think of so many analogs for this leaf, but only one seems to be relevant: us. Or you, if you will.

We’re all kind of like leaves. We’ve got beginnings, middles, ends, and lots of moments and chapters in between.

So we may as well make ourselves pretty along the way - inside and out - and give those around us reason to stop in and smile.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #road #street #stilllife #photography #autumn #red #color #colors #leaf #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Revisiting Wonderland and 9 Mile Road

I wrote this - Wonderland and 9 Mile Road - 9 years ago today, a couple of months after the life-altering accident that led to my stroke.

It seemed appropriate to revisit it with a post on Instagram. Here's what I wrote:

Nine years ago today, I wrote an entry on my blog, Written Inc.

It was 12 weeks after my stroke, and I had returned to the intersection in the countryside where a simple toss of my head while cycling touched off a life-changing sequence of events. The title, Wonderland and 9 Mile Road, echoed where my life took a tangent. Here’s the link:

http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2013/10/wonderland-and-9-mile-road.html

For reasons I still don’t fully comprehend, I needed to stand in that spot - still torn up from the construction that prompted me to make the u-turn in the first place. I hadn’t been back there since, and I hoped returning to this otherwise ordinary rural crossroads might help me continue to process something that, until then, had felt too overwhelming to truly internalize or accept.

While my immediate circle of family and friends knew what had happened, I hadn’t yet shared the news publicly. That would happen a year after that insane day. It wasn’t so much that I ever felt I needed to bury it, but I didn’t feel ready at that moment to shine the light on my experience.

Some things take time, I guess. Whatever.

I’m not one to dwell on things like this, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t somehow color my every waking moment. The time since then has been a bonus, a gift. And I’d like to think I’m leading a better life - and am hopefully a bit of a better human being - because of what happened.

Regret has never been part of this journey.

Gratitude, on the other hand, always has.

#ldnont #middlesexcounty #throwback #life

Related:

Today's Instagram post

Nine years on..., August 2022

So, about that stroke - August 2014

Streetlights at sunset

Lights in many forms
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Before the sun goes down. Before the lights go on.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #519ldn #519london #sun #sunset #sky #cloud #clouds #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #streetphotography #gainsborough #wonderland #silhouette #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

The wires that light us up, July 2022

Sunset from a mall parking lot, November 2021

Parking lot power trip, May 2021

Power by the side of the road, September 2020

Electrical infrastructure and geometry, May 2018

No juice, no go, March 2014

Power to the people, July 2013

Power comes from many sources, April 2013

Welcome to a strange, electric landscape, September 2012

Life in a northern town, September 2007

Mixed signals, March 2007

A tale of two trees

One last blaze
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Two ancient trees stand forlornly in an overgrown yard just north of a major arterial road.

The deafening sound of four-plus lanes of high-speed traffic betrays the fact that not long ago, this road was a country lane in the middle of sleepy farmland. Now, entire subdivisions are sprouting from nothing, their residents rushing to the big box power centre a kilometre to the left.

The spot where these two trees - one stripped bare, one flaming orange and red - stand is still thickly green, but it’s only a matter of time before the bulldozers come for them, too.

I spot them from clear across the road and am taken by the combination of color covered by empty branches, as if the two interdependent trees know they’re putting on a bit of a show.

I’m shooting from hundreds of meters away, through random knots of traffic, the drivers completely oblivious to the strange guy with the long lens standing deep within the treeline well beyond the sidewalk.

Every image seems to have its own story. So does every moment in life. Some will be told. Most won’t. On one particular Sunday afternoon, I’m glad this was the story, however trivial, that decided it wanted to be told.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #orange #leaves #branches #fanshaweparkroad #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Walk softly among the giants

Hush, hush
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’ve been disappearing into the woods more often than usual of late.

I’ve always found places like this good for the soul, oases of quiet refuge from a planet that needs to be put on pause every once in a while.

And as the sounds of traffic slowly fade into the background, the sounds of the forest just as gradually take their place, buffered as they are by the soft, muted colors under the thinning canopy. Once again, nature has reaffirmed who’s in charge.

I’m not alone on this particular visit, as autumn’s colors seem to have attracted the crowds. But the walks here are just as cathartic any day of the year.

We’ll keep that our little secret, though.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #leaves #branches #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Traffic comes to the forest

Nature's palette
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Autumn forest. Pretty colors. The resemblance to traffic lights is strictly deliberate.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #red #orange #green #leaves #branches #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Democracy rules (for some)

Don’t forget to cast your ballot. Democracy is counting on us all.

#ldnont #election #election2022 #vote

(Please see Instagram for original post.)

Shadows on brick

Making an impression
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Along the side of our house, there’s a wild lilac bush that spends a few weeks every spring stealing everyone’s attention, then the rest of the year tucked in, ignored, under the protective cover of our beloved maple tree.

On this brilliantly sunny autumn morning, it casts long shadows across the brick, its nearly empty branches blowing gently in the breeze.

For now, the maple’s leaves frame the scene, but soon enough they, too, will fall victim to those same winds. Nothing lasts forever, after all.

Oddly enough, this is the first time in recent memory that I’ve stopped to take in the shadowy scene. We live inside these very walls, and I walk past this spot multiple times per day. Yet it almost never occurs to me to take in the shadows playing on the brickwork.

While I process this strange oversight, the dog quietly sniffs the grass at my feet. I remind myself to stop and smell the roses - or lilacs - more often than I have been.

Or stare at the shadows. Whatever the scene, we don’t get enough of them to begin with.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #monochrome #shadow #leaves #branches #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Broken window theory

Wearing the years
Dryden, ON
June 6, 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram
 

Some houses age well.

Some don’t.

#dryden #ontario #canada #throwback #perspective #thisoldhouse #house #brokenwindowtheory #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #city #walkabout #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Goodbye, Jysk

Final sale
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

What happens when retail stores die? Funny you should ask.

We went out for ice cream not that long ago, and as I happily devoured my cherry-flavored cone on the sidewalk out front, I noticed the big box store next door had quietly gone out of business.

The emptiness saddened me, though I quickly reminded myself that I hadn’t shopped there - for plasticky storage solutions - in, well, forever. So perhaps its disappearance was my fault.

Blame notwithstanding, the aesthetic of a giant, empty, fluorescent-lit store in the corner of a shadowy strip mall struck me as emblematic of a landscape undergoing generational change. So it was a preordained certainty that I’d frame up my smartphone against the shuttered front door and grab the photo.

The result you see here betrays the retail logic that not so long ago dominated the cities and towns we call home. That logic was fairly simple: retailers could print money if they built the right store in the right location.

We don’t shop the same way anymore, of course, and as I stare into the empty store not far from my house and ponder the why, I’m guessing it became just as easy to find Tupperware(™)-like storage boxes on Amazon.

I’m not sure where the e-commerce revolution leaves places like this. I don’t know who or what will fill the giant spaces in the urban or suburban landscape rendered obsolete by our Digital Age ability to buy anything we can imagine by pulling our smartphones. Similarly, I’m not sure what post-tech cities will look like when the once-dominant icons of local commerce cease to exist.

I do know, however, that the aesthetic of dead retail speaks to me. And I’d feel my own form of emptiness if I didn’t record the transition as it plays out not only in my own neighborhood, but anywhere we all used to congregate.

Where we all go next is anyone’s guess. Hopefully the ice cream store sticks around.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #masonville #random #retail #store #retailapocalypse #jysk #street #streetphotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

A dog amid the leaves

Happy in her own world
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Planet Earth continues to spin faster and less predictably than is optimal, so please don’t mind if I seek comfort in a trivially leafy moment of Calli the Wonderschnauzer happiness.

Wait, maybe there’s nothing at all trivial about moments like this.

Let’s go with that, then.

Good dog.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #autumn #color #leaves #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #ınstagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Stealth fighter down

Vapor in many forms
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The U.S. Air Force lost an F-35A Lightning II yesterday.

Thankfully, the pilot was able to safely eject after the plane apparently lost power on final approach to Hill Air Force Base near Salt Lake City, Utah, and crashed just short of the runway.

I captured this image a couple of years ago during a demo flight here in London. The stealth fighter put on quite the show, capped off by this vape-filled topside pass.

It’s hard for folks on the ground to appreciate the risks these pilots take every time they lift off. Despite being stuffed with technology that makes Star Wars look quaint, these machines aren’t immune to the basic laws of physics, and something as mundane as a bird strike can, in a blink, turn a routine flight into a life-ending or altering event.

Yet they continue to fly.

All so you and I can have the freedom to live lives free from tyranny and fear. Or simply stand on the ground and watch a vape show.

@airshowlondon #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #airport #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #lockheedmartin #usaf #f35 #lightning #stealth #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

The canopy puts on a show

A different kind of roof
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Soon enough, the autumn canopy will be gone, the forest floor open to the sky before winter’s snows move in.

But not before this place puts on one final show far overhead, a spectacular flash of brilliance that fades to memory just as fast as it first appeared.

It teaches us a few lessons along the way, chief among them the need to stop and appreciate the brilliance around us while we still can.

Maybe I’m talking about autumn leaves.

Maybe I’m not.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #leaves #branches #medway #valley #heritage #forest #carhedral #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Monochrome autumn

Muted in the valley
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I went looking for color, and instead found this.

Dying grasses beside a weed-choked creek don’t exactly scream vitality, but I’m starting to realize I don’t always control what grabs my attention.

It’s funny how creativity works. You put your mind into that dreamy gear where the cogs are churning, absorbing everything around you, waiting for a trigger, a spark that this scene or sound or whatever is the one worth separating out from the rest, digging into, taking further,

I can’t explain how any of this works. I can, however, be thankful that I can do any of this in the first place.

See, the photo you see here matters less than the story that led to its capture, to the sheer ability any one of us has to take a blank canvas and make it our own.

Most of us would call all of this trivial.

I’d beg to disagree.

Colourfully.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #monochrome #leaves #branches #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

When milk runs take a turn

Forest on fire
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We were out of milk.

So for some reason apparent only to me, the occasion called for a walk, not a drive, to the grocery store. Planet Earth, good health, and all that, right?

For some other reason, I needed to pick the furthest-away grocery store. Because logic obviously has no place in my brain.

I also tossed the camera into my backpack, because I figured there might be something fun along the way.

As I wandered back from the store, the chilled carton of moo juice comfortably weighing down the bag over my shoulder, I detoured through the woods and came across a few worthwhile flashes of color. I couldn’t not stop and snag a few frames.

I’ve used the term “in-between moments” for years, and I think it applies here, as well. Life is filled with stuff that needs doing, which doesn’t always allow us the luxury of carving off huge amounts of time to engage in trivial fun. But if we find a way to creatively mix the trivial fun into the everyday, maybe we’re on to something.

Indeed, maybe I need to find grocery stores even further from home.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #orange #leaves #branches #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Off the air

No TV for you
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Shattered.

Shared for no other reason than we came across this sad scene by the side of the road, and it seemed right to remember it with a context-free photo.

For what it’s worth, this was once a Samsung television. I’m no expert, but I’m going to conclude this one isn’t remotely repairable.

Makes for a fun abstract, though, doesn’t it?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #road #street #stilllife #abstract #monochrome #photography #television #tv #samsung #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Shattered... December 2014

Shattered beyond repair, April 2013

Shattered window, shattered life, November 2012

Smashed to bits, November 2008

Shattered and forgotten, December 2006 

Shattered, May 2005

After a tree falls in the forest

Getting reflective by the water
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some days need a walk in the woods more than others.

Yesterday was just such a day, so after signing off from work I put on my hiking shoes and coat and climbed down into the leaf-covered river valley.

I wasn’t there long, as the light was fading. The colors melted into an increasingly murky mess as the sun disappeared and the deep shadows embraced the forest floor.

Light challenges notwithstanding, I had just enough time to slowly walk among the trees and put the day’s insanity behind me.

Often, that’s all it takes, a few minutes alone in the deep woods to wonder about what was, what is, and what will be. A few minutes to think about anything but, to enjoy the fading brilliance of a place that will soon be a monochromatic canvas.

The random pictures that get picked up along the way are a tiny bonus.

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

Finding the light far from home

That joyous glow
Laval, QC
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Recipe for random fun in a restaurant far from home:

1. Stare intently at the cool-looking - and highly efficient - LED lightbulb hanging in a fixture over the table.
2. Grab a quick picture with your smartphone.
3. Decide the smartphone won’t cut it.
4. Pull out the slightly bigger camera.
5. Carefully zoom in, using the articulating screen to compose.
6. Smile wickedly as everyone around you looks at you like you’re insane.

They’re probably right. But since my weird-photography-in-public addiction involves neither controlled substances nor violence nor harm to myself or others, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

The photos are always worth it. The moments they spawn even more so.

#chomedey #laval #montreal #yul #quebec #restaurant #led #light #bulb #abstract #stilllife #photography #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Playing with light (bulbs), January 2018

Let there be light, February 2017

An old bulb lights the way, August 2016

Thematic Photographic 374 - Lightbulbs, June 2016

Whose bright idea was this? February 2012

Thematic Photographic 122 - Electric, November 2010

Burned out, September 2010

Take your tummy to Chenoy's

Have a seat
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A lifetime ago, we lived a few blocks away from a beloved local restaurant.

We didn’t come here often, but it seemed to be our go-to whenever major life milestones happened.

Bought our first house. Brought our firstborn home. Celebrated birthdays and holidays. Sold our house and moved far away.

All communities have anchors that just always seem to be there, and many of these anchors seem to revolve around food.

And a generation after we first set foot in here, we returned.

Our firstborn now has a firstborn of his own. Three of the four grandparents who were waiting when we brought him home are no longer with us. This is no longer our hometown. The roots that once bound us to this place slowly and inevitably lost their connection as we dug new roots in a community 9 hours west of here.

Yet this restaurant remained right here, unchanged, this entire time. Walking back in through the doors covered with tattered stickers felt much the same as it did way back then. The place even smelled happily familiar. Like home.

Except we were no longer a couple of kids dealing with their first mortgage or pacing the floor with a fussy newborn just before dawn.

Instead, we were back to close out another chapter, to remove yet another root, so to speak, that once connected us to a place, this place, that was once all we knew.

The vinyl booth hadn’t changed. Neither had the menu. Or the mirror-backed bar in the corner.

We’re the ones who changed.

That’s how life works, after all.

#ddo #dollard #montreal #quebec #canada #chenoys #restaurant #history #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #family #everything

Head in the clouds

Some real. Some not.
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s Wednesday, so please consider this our semi-regular reminder to get outside so we can stare up at the clouds and wonder about the possibilities.

Of what? That’s entirely up to each of us.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #weather #wx #blue #sky #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #contrail #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Dash 8 photobomb

Engineering on the ground and in the air
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I call this one Powered Flight.

Because every once in a while, magic happens right over your head.

#ddo #dollard #montreal #quebec #canada #tower #hydro #electric #power #aviation #plane #photobomb #dehavilland #dash8 #perspective #design #lines #engineering #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Thankful for color and whatever else

Painted
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The calendar says today is a day to give thanks.

Far be it for me to disagree with the calendar.

But here’s the thing: tomorrow will be just as worthy of thankfulness. No turkey required.

I took this on Friday morning while the dog and I explored the neighborhood. According to the calendar, there was no reason that day to carve an overpriced bird, or set the table for 20, or argue football and politics with relatives we hadn’t seen since the last Thanksgiving.

In other words, an ordinary day.

Yet as I stood beside the ravine and watched the colors unfold in the canopy above, I thought about the extraordinary-ness of this moment, in this place, on this day.

And it didn’t take a calendar to make it so.

So my takeaway is a simple one: every day is extraordinary, and calendars don’t get to define which days are more extraordinary than others.

We do. As long as we stare into the canopy and allow ourselves to be wowed.

So whatever you do today, wherever you may be, and whoever you’re with, I hope it’s filled with color and joy. And when you wake up tomorrow, I hope that’s just as true.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #thanksgiving #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

A moment at Staples

So. Much. Choice.
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: It’s 7:02 on a Thursday night, and I’ve come to this nearly empty Staples office supply store in search of a proper felt tip pen (it’s a writer thing.)

The balding gentleman we see here walks straight up to me and starts asking about keyboards. He’s right up in my face, and I’m not sure why he thinks I work here.

What I AM sure about is despite the fact that I’m wearing a mask, I really don’t like strangers getting into my personal space. So I quickly shrug my shoulders and back away.

As I reach the end of the aisle, curiosity strangely gets the better of me, so I tuck myself behind the giant pile of laser printers to see what he does next.

(Confession: I find it great fun to watch folks shop for tech products. They tend to say the darnedest things when doing so.)

I surreptitiously snap this photo, then hang around until an actual staff member approaches him - and soon regrets his decision.

“My cat pissed on my keyboard and now it’s dead. I don’t know why. He just walked right up to it and let go. He never does this. Well, only a couple of times since we got him.”

Awkward silence ensues as the staffer stares at his shoes. He obviously doesn’t have a cat, but he does know a thing or two about keyboards, and soon recovers sufficiently to explain the merits of Logitech’s latest.

These are, unfortunately, a bit more expensive than the no-name house brand keyboards sitting at the back of the dusty bottom shelf.

“I don’t want to overspend. He’ll probably piss on it again, so why spend the extra money?”

The man has a point. He grabs a battered box and makes his way to the front. I never do manage to find that felt tip pen.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #stranger #random #vignette #retail #street #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

One leaf, after the rain

Life begins and ends
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Mother Nature giveth, and Mother Nature taketh away.

Wherever we - or random leaves on a rain-soaked suburban street - happen to be along this ever-turning cycle of life, it probably can’t hurt to stop what we’re doing and take it all in.

Because it may not be blessed with the spectacular colors of autumn, but it’ll have its own subtle beauty all the same.

Which begs the question: are we even bothering to look for it?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #road #street #stilllife #photography #autumn #leaf #water #droplets #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Clouds have two sides, apparently

Textured vapor
London, ON
July 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A storm can threaten. Or it can bring much-needed water to a landscape that desperately needs it.

I keep reminding myself to take the time to read the clouds and learn their actual story.

Does this also apply beyond mere clouds?

Perhaps.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #sky #cloud #clouds #storm #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Purple and proud

Pollen for ages!
London, ON
August 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Somewhere deep in the woods, a bee lands on a flower and does its thing.

Despite the fact that I don’t speak bee, I feel the need to say thanks.

Good bee.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #purple #flower #flowers #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #walkabout #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Puppy sunset photobomb

Taking in the fallen leaves
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m walking Calli the Wonderschnauzer when I get a sudden photographic vision. This happens all the time when i randomly see something and my brain begins to churn photo ideas.

This time, it’s a patch of red maple leaves in the grass at the edge of a nearby park. They’re kinda sitting in the setting sun just so, and I think they’re neat.

So we double back and I lie down in the grass - told you I was weird - to play with the angles.

The dog rather patiently grazes in the grass while I play. Which gives me about 30 seconds before she loses interest and starts to wander into my field of view.

I briefly contemplate moving her ginormous 15-pound frame before I realize I’m being a doofus. I rack off this one frame of her pensively taking in the scene, brush myself off, and head for home.

I quietly thank her for being her. She may get in the way sometimes and keep me from realizing my original vision. But without her, I’d never get to tell stories like this, the unplanned ones that just happen to randomly play out because a perceptive little pup decided to wander a bit.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #ınstagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Pulling out the red paintbrush

And so it begins...
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

My favourite moment in autumn isn’t when the trees are on fire with countless shades of brilliance.

It’s when a tiny unseen force repaints a similarly tiny corner of the canopy. As if it’s a sign of things to come, an ever so slight hint from the universe that subtle gestures are every bit as meaningful as grand ones.

It’s also a gentle reminder that there’s wonder all around us not only on certain days of the year, but on any and every day, at any given moment.

And all we have to do is look up.

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

On-the-road selfie

Painting with the help of the sun
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Ride.

Cast a giant shadow.

Ride some more.

Yup, sounds about right.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #shadow #instabike #random #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Cast a giant (round) shadow, June 2022

Sun-striped bridge, October 2021

The shadowed bicycle, August 2021

Wheel meets grass, August 2021

Pink bike. Red protector. April 2021

Back 2 wheels, March 2020

Pink bike in a blue studio, August 2015

Cranked, July 2006

Afterburners, power, and meaning

Feel the burn
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Like all technologies, afterburners present something of an enigma.

They’re quite simple, really: dump fuel into the exhaust of a jet engine - because even jet exhaust has lots of oxygen in it - then light it.

The net result is a massive increase in thrust, which in addition to looking insanely cool, is rather handy when you’re trying to shoot down the enemy.

That whole energy is speed is life thing.

The flip side is fuel consumption that would make a 60s muscle car blush. At lower altitudes and max afterburner, the F-15C Eagle, burning just under 400 gallons per minute, could empty its main tanks in around 6 minutes. Definitely not a Prius.

This teaches us a bunch of things about power, all of which apply in the air and, presumably, in life:

1. All power comes with tremendous costs and tradeoffs.
2. We must choose wisely how and when to use it.
3. Understanding the subtleties of its use/non-use can be a form of power on its own.
4. Often simply having it in our pocket is enough to achieve what we seek.
5. The truly powerful always strive to keep it in their pocket in the first place.

Thank you for attending my flyboy TEDtalk and giving me yet another excuse to share a moment with a screaming Eagle. @airshowlondon #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #usaf #f15 #eagle #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:

The business end... September 2022

An Eagle makes jelly, September 2022

Screaming Eagle, September 2022

Jets and jelly, September 2022

A Hornet burns a hole in the sky, August 2021

Raptor. Burner. Vapor. June 2021

A Raptor creates its own weather, September 2020

An Eagle among the corn, October 2017

Watching an F-35A split the sky, October 2017

Scene from a Pizza Hut parking lot

Just look up
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was a good night to stand in a suburban parking lot with our daughter and stare at the clouds in the sky.

Who am I kidding? Every night is a good night.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #cloud #clouds #weather #wx #hydepark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

The persistent sunset, September 2022

Look into the fading sky, August 2022

The things storms leave behind, August 2022

Thanks again, Sun, June 2022

White wisps on blue, December 2021

Where clouds (hopefully) bring better days, July 2021

Paint the blue morning sky, October 2020

A face in the clouds, September 2017