Tuesday, January 31, 2023

On true leadership

“The best managers figure out how to get great outcomes by setting the appropriate context, rather than by trying to control their people.”
CEO
Netflix

 

Cinnabon would be jealous

Waiting by the windowsill
London, ON
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


An entire diet based on sticky buns is probably not an ideal nutritional choice.

But an occasional batch, freshly baked and cooling beside the kitchen window on a particularly cold winter’s day, probably does the soul some good.

At least it did here.

Bon appetit.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #stickybuns #danish #dessert #snack #food #foodporn #cinnabon #wannabe #random #kitchen #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Let them eat cake, January 2019
Let them eat cake, November 2017
White wedding, January 2010
Unreal color, April 2006
Let them eat cake, April 2006
Let them eat..., December 2005

Monday, January 30, 2023

Dino frozen in ice

The things we find in unassuming places
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Behind a strip mall convenience store, our dog follows her nose across the crumbling, frozen pavement.

High up the brick wall covered with peeling brown paint, an ancient exhaust fan squeaks relentlessly against its rusted mount.

I step onto a sheet of black ice, only to have my boot crash through the crusty surface into the deep water below. My eyes swing down to ensure the rest of me stays vertical.

Assured that disaster has been averted, I watch our pup happily explore this forgotten patch of land. What attracts her here I’ll never know, but not everything needs an explanation or a reason as long as the dog is happy.

While she quietly sniffs, I just as quietly compose and shoot quick photos with my smartphone, careful to not further disturb the fragile, temporary scene below us.

It’s a relentlessly grey day, yet somehow the lens sees a spectrum of blue. I decide to call this shot “Dino”, another moment of impossible beauty in an improbable place.

Before long, Calli decides we’re done here. Her nose will doubtless lead her in new directions tomorrow, and I’ll follow along, ready to capture whatever it is that she finds.

We’re a good team that way.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Fog gives. Fog takes away.

Lean in
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


They say fog erases color and sound as it turns the world into a flat scene of muffled monochrome.

Far be it for me to disagree as I wander the empty path through the woods and ponder the absence of brightness and volume.

Yet the further I walk into the murk, the more this blanketed place reveals itself to me.

It isn’t colourless. Grey is a color, and the closer I look the more shades I can see, all pulled from a seemingly limitless palette. Yes, it’s subtle, and yes, you have to work a little to appreciate it. But it’s there.

Likewise the sounds. What felt silent as I first walked in is now a gently emerging song of the sleeping forest. Definitely muffled, or otherwise suppressed by the thick pea soup that still chokes the senses. But, like the greys that brush my eyes, they’re there, talking to my ears in hushed tones. I just have to listen for them.

Soon enough it dawns on me that the fog is telling a bit of a broader story.

That in the woods and in life, we do well to work a little harder to tease out the inputs that don’t always scream.

That we miss too much if we choose to ignore all that goes on around us.

That paying attention pays off. Often in subtle, meaningful ways.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #fog #weather #wx #monochrome #medway #valley #heritage #forest #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #streetphotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Puppy pillow talk

This is my spot
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


There are days when all you really want to do is hang out on your favourite pillow.

This little one figured it out all on her own, and I wish I could be more like her.

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

Friday, January 27, 2023

Why we must remember

Light amid darkness
July 2012
London, ON
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Auschwitz was liberated 78 years ago today.

Let that number sink in.

Because those who managed to survive this darkest chapter of human history are rapidly leaving us.

Soon there will be no first-hand witnesses to the Holocaust, no victims left to tell their own stories.

Which, against the backdrop of deniers and Jew-haters who would deny that any of this ever happened, and the historic rise in anti-Semitic activity across the globe, should chill us all to the bone.

I wrote the following passage three years ago. It is as valid today as it was then.

Actually, more so:

The #Holocaust can happen again.

In fact, the conditions for the rise of Nazism - or something terrifyingly like it - are ripe.

The signs are all around us. Ignore them at our peril.

Those who survived the Holocaust are reaching the end of their natural lives, and the number of living witnesses to this unfathomable atrocity is moving inevitably toward zero.

Their story must continue to be told even after they are gone.

The storytelling is our responsibility. Every single one of us.

Anti-Israel, BDS, and anti-Zionism are all anti-Semitism. Full stop.

Those who practice it, and deny it is anti-Semitism, are anti-Semitic.

The Token Jew excuse doesn't hide that fact.

Jew-hatred was around long before Hitler.

He and his henchmen raised it to industrially, massively scaled levels.

Jew-hatred isn't going anywhere.

It is the canary in the coal mine of hatred.

It touches us all.

We are all barely removed from someone deciding we are worthy of being singled out. Of extermination.

Jewish. Or not.

We are more alike than not.

Hitler was elected to office.

Those who follow his ideologies are being elected to office as we speak. Check the European map. The American one, too.

It's not much of a jump between random spewing of racist thought to participation in national policy implementation.

And it's happening now.

We say "never again".

The world seems to be ignoring this.

Silence is not an option. For any of us. Jew or not.

Tell their story. Stop history from repeating itself. Be the light.

Related:
Not quite never again, January 2022
Never forget, April 2012
Kristallnacht + 70, November 2008
Never forget, May 2005

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Brake for snow

Always follow the light
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


No matter how much snow may fall, how deeply it may bury everything in our midst, how heavily it may weigh on us, the light always seems to find a way to be seen.

Maybe this is a post about snow.

Maybe it isn’t.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #snow #onstorm #frozen #winter #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #red #light #car #carporn #driveway #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Does Q*bert enjoy a good bagel?

Dimensional
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It all started with bagels.

More precisely, we were out of them. So we added the bagel store to our list of places to visit during our Saturday afternoon family grand adventure.

(Some folks call them errands. Sorry I’m weird.)

As we walked into the store, the floor grabbed my eye. I date myself by referencing the ancient Q*bert video game, but whenever I see patterns like this, it’s all I can think of.

While my wife and daughter played the part of the responsible adults who took care of our needs, I hung back and appreciated the floor. I discovered the 3D effect played fun games with my brain as I moved around the space and stared at it from different perspectives.

Like I said, weird.

There were, as expected, a number of challenges. It’s winter in Canada, so there were a couple of spots of tracked-in dirt in the middle of an otherwise pristine space. Similarly, rubber mats near the display cases further encroached on the once-vast expanses of patterned loveliness.

So I played with my phone and came up with something that seemed to work. Or at least encouraged me to try again the next time we run out of bagels.

Because there’s always a next time. Because local treasures like this place - Old Bagel House - continue to add color to a community that needs it. Because my life seems to be filled with weird moments in the middle of grand adventures with my favorite folks.

Q*bert would doubtless approve, even if he’s never had the pleasure of a Montreal bagel.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #oldbagelhouse #local #store #shopping #retail #bagel #random #floor #abstract #pattern #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #family #everything

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Snowy night in the neighborhood

Where light meets snow
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Scene from a Canadian winter.

Some folks may complain about the cold and the shovelling and the sniffling.

But then there’s this. So…

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #random #night #tree #sidewalk #neighborhood #streetscape #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Monday, January 23, 2023

Bright tree on a dark night

Covered
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It shouldn’t take much to be wowed.

A sleeping tree on a quiet night.

A sprinkling of snow.

A nearby security light.

Simple, really.

The best things in life truly are simple.

As long as we’re willing to notice.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #random #night #tree #sidewalk #monochrome #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Sunday, January 22, 2023

An icy fish tale

Hey, this isn't the lake!
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Made a new friend yesterday on a visit to my favourite corner of the grocery store.

Should we give this little (former) swimmer a name? Suggestions welcome.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #farmboy #grocery #store #retail #random #frozen #fish #ice #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Fish. Stacked. November 2021
Octopus on ice, May 2021
Dead fish society, February 2012
Dead fish on ice, October 2011
One fish, two fish, January 2011
A fish pic, November 2004

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Penguin power

Birds of a (flightless) feather
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Another day, another weird fact about me: I have a number of favourite animals.

Manatees, pandas, dolphins, pelicans, turtles, koalas, elephants, seals, flamingoes, camels…

And penguins.

Another weird little habit of mine is I love fun-themed socks.

Put the two together and we’re having a footsy party before breakfast.

The why is easy: it makes others happy. It doesn’t need to be any more complex than that.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #throwback #kitchen #penguin #sock #selfie #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Lost pink sock, August 2015

Friday, January 20, 2023

Even Teletubbies have to wait

Patient little girl
Winnipeg, MB
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


We’re at the gate waiting to board a delayed flight. It’s late, and we’re still far from home. Everyone around us is frustrated and cranky, and you can both hear and feel the collective mood in this crowded space.

The lineup hasn’t moved in a while. Kids are getting antsy. Overwhelmed parents are looking for salvation. Airport and airline staff are almost nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly I realize Po the Teletubby* hasn’t had her now-traditional beauty shot this trip. So I lay my backpack down on the carpeted floor and set up the shot.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice a couple of side glances from our fellow travellers. I quietly hope the sight of a grown man taking spontaneous snaps of an old, frayed, tiny children’s stuffie is able to bring them a tiny bit of joy.

Because life is just frustrating enough that an unexpected diversion by a stranger far from home just might be enough to crack open the sky and shine a little light into the darkness.

Because we all need more light, even if it comes from a faded, tattered little doll who once made my kid smile.

* In case you’re just joining us, first, welcome! By way of background, Po was our son’s McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. He is now 28 years-old - and a husband and a dad - so the math suggests she has been around far longer than any Happy Meal toy has a right to. When our then-toddler got tired of playing with her, I scooped her out from under the couch and hung her off my camera bag with a carabiner. She’s been my little travel gnome ever since. Wherever we go, she joins us, and inevitably I take weird pictures of her in weird places. Just because. I’m odd that way, and my experiences with Po suggest that’s always been the case. I’m strangely okay with that.

#winnipeg #manitoba #canada #ywg #road #trip #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #po #red #teletubby #spontaneous #stilllife #photography #travelgram #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Po stares into the wind, September 2022
Office park, November 2020
Po takes on Vegas, November 2018
Teletubby news anchor, October 2017
Po takes a vacation, January 2010
Travel delay, September 2006

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Words on an airport wall

Perfect sense of direction
Hamilton, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The walls of Hamilton’s airport are lovingly covered with all sorts of travel-themed quotes.

Almost everywhere you look, there’s an inspirational missive designed to make otherwise rushed travellers stop and think.

This particular one made me stop a little longer and think a little harder, because it felt like it was meant for me.

Because I’ve been getting lost as a means of exploration for as long as I’ve been able to go places on my own. And while it may look a little chaotic to an outsider, it’s really just how I try to make my way through a world that sometimes takes a little time to give up her secrets.

We don’t all follow a conventional path. It took some paint on a wall far from home to remind me of that.

#hamilton #international #airport #ontario #canada #yhm #road #trip #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #quote #quotation #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Fog gets a bad rap

The trees that protect us
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


We’ve been looking at fog the wrong way all along.

It doesn’t hide things from view. It forces us to focus in on the things that really matter.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #fog #weather #wx #monochrome #medway #valley #heritage #forest #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #streetphotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Fog takes. Fog gives. December 2022
Highbury Avenue in fog, November 2022
No humping, March 2020
Medway Valley, muted, January 2018
Foggy tower, January 2017
Set phasers to...fog, January 2013
Into the night, November 2008

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Hot dog still-life

Tuck in
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


In the early days of Instagram, we took artsy pictures of our meals and shared them with complete strangers.

The early days of Instagram are long gone, but we still need to eat. And we still need to connect with people because we’re all, you know, human.

So here’s my offering from yesterday’s lunch. The sun had come out for what seemed like the first time in weeks, and the shadows were particularly fetching.

I’ll sheepishly admit my menu choice wasn’t my finest nutritional decision of the day, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that I have a very serious addiction to honey mustard.

But I’ve always viewed the hot dog as something of a happy food, one that reminds us of moments when life was a little simpler or a little brighter. Or maybe both.

And it was a Monday. Blue Monday, at that. So a little simple brightness was called for.

It took less time to eat than it did to shoot this photo. But the moment made me smile, and I’m hoping it made you smile, too.

Which, I’m thinking, is why we started shooting food pics way back when.

And why we still do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #hotdog #lunch #food #foodporn #random #kitchen #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Did you pack a lunch? February 2021

Monday, January 16, 2023

When kids stared into the sky

Where the wonder is
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


When we were children, we often looked up to the sky and wondered about things we couldn’t yet understand.

Like how the clouds got up there.

Why the sky was blue.

How day and night worked.

Who made the buildings that blocked the view.

Why those same buildings didn’t come tumbling down.

Who made the wind.

How birds stayed in the air.

And where they went at night. Or when it rained.

We always had more questions than answers. So we looked up with whimsy and wondered how and why and when and where and who and what.

Now, we’re no longer children, and for reasons that aren’t clear, we no longer look up with whimsy.

Maybe we’re too busy. Or cynical. Or we think we now have all the answers. Or we simply forgot what whimsy felt like.

But there’s always room on the sidewalk. And room for a little childlike wonder. Even if we’re no longer children. Even if we think we have all the answers.

Because no matter our age, we never really do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #blue #sky #weather #wx #cloud #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #city #dundas #street #walkabout #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Osprey vape show

Spontaneous aerobatics display
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I learned many things at last year’s air show, namely that the MV-22 Osprey is more than capable of putting on a vape show.

Who knew?

I’ll just have to attend the next one, too. Because there’s always a new lesson awaiting in the sky.

@airshowlondon #ldnont #london #throwback #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #bellhelicopter #boeing #usmc #mv22 #osprey #tiltrotor #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Saturday, January 14, 2023

May your future find fortune

Unintentional double entendre
London, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Every family has its quirky little traditions, and ours is no different. This one revolves around fortune cookies, and our tendency to take pictures of the particularly memorable fortunes.

I’ll admit this one stopped me dead in my tracks. As much as I do my best to follow the advice printed on the tiny slips of paper, I think I’ll politely decline to, ah, take this one any further.

(Not gonna lie, though: wouldn’t it be neat to be the person who writes these? Talk about a sweet gig!)

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #kitchen #table #spontaneous #mandarin #restaurant #supportlocal #food #fortune #cookie #doublemeaning #kindadirty #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Friday, January 13, 2023

Stare into the dying embers

Look but don't touch
Dryden, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


After the fire dies down, the embers that once fed it continue to glow.

There’s a metaphor here somewhere, but sometimes it’s more than enough to stand there, stare into the abstract orange hellscape and feel the warmth.

#dryden #ontario #canada #throwback #fire #firephotography #abstract #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Thursday, January 12, 2023

When puddles freeze

Grab it while you still can
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Today’s mission: find wonder in the shadowy nooks and crannies where nobody bothers to look.

Where will you look?

What will you find?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Leaf frozen in ice, March 2022
Branches in ice, January 2022
Frozen, a new season, December 2021
Visions in the ice, January 2018

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Traffic light down

Oops
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Wanted to send a heartfelt thanks to the flatbed truck driver who drove through this intersection with his box raised, and managed to take out the traffic light in rather spectacular fashion.

He then drove off.

Nothing like taking responsibility for your actions.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #519ldn #519london #traffic #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Blood on the street, December 2011
Green means go, September 2010
Mixed signals, December 2006

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

The grocery deli section funhouse

Magic in an unexpected place
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


My wife and I are on a date in the grocery store* when I see something out of the corner of my eye.

The deli display has glass on its sides (most of them don’t, which to my jaded eye makes them boring), and all it takes is a blink-of-an-eye side-on view to convince me that my next bizarro public photo shoot is about to happen.

I detour over and crouch down as I pull my phone out. It looks like a circus funhouse, with the edge-on curved glass and shelving turning what would normally be a plain display of foods I’ll never eat into a photographic toy store for idiots like me.

I shoot quickly before I rejoin my wife at the other end, where she’s already kindly telling the friendly employee, Trudy, that I’m odd but unthreatening. But Trudy is a special one: she isn’t annoyed at all. In fact, she tells us all about this group of guys who came by and shot weird videos of hummus. She’s happy to chat, so we’re happy to chat right back. Her eyes smile behind her mask, as do ours.

In the end, I get the shot, we make a new friend, and we cross off everything on our shared To Do list before we head over to the Tim Hortons drive-thru to continue our oh-so-fine date night.

Just don’t tell anyone it’s still the afternoon. Dates happen anytime. So does magic. If you let it.

* Life gets busy, so we take our moments wherever and whenever we can find them, often in the middle of the ordinary things that fill up a typical family’s calendar. Everyday errands become dates, even if the fine dining ends up being a snack from the Tim Hortons drive-thru.

Remember those two words: ordinary and typical. In reality, nothing is either with her.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #metro #cheapside #adelaide #shopping #retail #random #glass #perspective #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Monday, January 09, 2023

The things we see from our doorstep

Another day begins
London, ON
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Some days get underway with a bit of a light show.

It never lasts as long as we’d like, so we grab whatever camera is within reach and run for the front door.

Socks, shoes, and even coats can wait, so it might be a little chilly.

And neighbors passing by on their way to work or school may think you’re a little odd for standing on the porch in your flannel jams pointing a camera at an indistinct spot above the horizon.

But the cold, inconvenience, and compromised neighborhood cred are well worth the effort. Moments like this aren’t always easy, but we need them more than we might think.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #519ldn #519london #sun #sunrise #sky #cloud #clouds #trees #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #silhouette #doorstep #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Sunrise, sunset, November 2020
Instagram 2K, February 2020
Pink morning sky redux, November 2017
A new day dawns, February 2007

Sunday, January 08, 2023

Fat Albert reflects the sun

Carry me home
Winnipeg, MB
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Far above the surface of the Earth, invisible air slices above and below this wing - and its mirrored twin - and creates enough lift to keep this miraculous machine doing what it does best. Fly.

While it’s still dark and cloudy on the ground, light from the Sun is already completing its 147 million kilometre journey up here, which ends in a reflective flourish just outside the scratched plastic window.

Just as it does, the plane banks to the right, almost as if we’re waving thanks to our awakening star, ready to welcome the new day as we begin our descent into a frozen grey Winnipeg.

What lies ahead for the souls on-board? That’s anyone’s guess. The hope, though, is that enough of us had a chance to look out the window and be inspired by the light show just outside.

#winnipeg #manitoba #canada #sky #sunrise #weather #wx #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #aviation #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #boeing #737max #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Leading edge, July 2007
On a wing and a prayer, November 2006
Wing, revisited, November 2006

Saturday, January 07, 2023

Where the waters run shallow

Liquid life
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Stand beside the gently flowing river.

Close your eyes.

For a minute. Or ten.

Listen to nothing but the sound of the current.

Feel the gentle breeze on your face.

Hear the rustling of the branches high above your head.

Or the occasional flock of errant birds who missed their flight south.

Thank you for attending my TED Talk.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #forest #thames #river #valley #tree #water #waves #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
One tough leaf, February 2022
Not-so-still waters, February 2022
More fast water... November 2021
Endings... March 2021
Half frozen river, February 2021
Back to the creek, November 2020
Brushed by time, September 2017

Friday, January 06, 2023

Rack 'em up

Green felt playground
Ingersoll, ON
November 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Geometry. Physics. Biology. Time.

#ingersoll #ontario #canada #elmhurst #spontaneous #green #pool #billiards #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotobiphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Ready Player One, February 2020
Balls at rest, May 2006

Thursday, January 05, 2023

A beacon in the fog

Still far from home
Ingersoll, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The scene: It’s 11:35 p.m. on a dark, rainy, fog-shrouded highway near Ingersoll, Ontario.

We’re on the last leg of a long journey home, the fog so thick the massive lights from the rest stop are invisible even as we decelerate into the off-ramp.

Then, out of the darkness, the service station emerges like a beacon, deserted and silent save for the sales receipts flapping, forgotten, in the mist-flecked wind.

I pull my coat tightly shut as I get out of the car, but I needn’t have bothered: it’s a damp cold, and it seeps right into my bones.

Tonight’s mission is a simple one: food, then go. And as the rest of my brood heads inside to see what’s left at the Tim Hortons, I grab some garbage from the car and head for a garbage can.

Note: “a” garbage can. Not “nearest”. I pick the one across the way, perfectly positioned for me to size up the Automotive Age architecture and decide if it’s worth a ridiculously quick photo shoot before I rejoin my peeps.

Spoiler alert, it’s always worth the pixels. Because I’ve always been attracted to this dead-quiet oasis of refined petroleum products like a moth to a flame.

I’ve had plenty of opportunity over the years, and stations just like this along Highway 401’s entire length have played a strangely central role in my family’s life. We’ve moved away, welcomed little people into the world, said goodbye to others, and cared for those who mattered no matter how far away they may have been.

And every drive has revolved around stops here. To refuel the car, and ourselves, as we moved from here to there and back.

It shouldn’t make any sense that I find them fascinating. Comforting, even, for the way they provide safe harbor on the longest, most difficult journeys.

Thankfully tonight’s journey is happier than previous ones have been, as we’re returning from what I like to call “a happy”. But the sight, the sound, and even the smell of this place unlocks some deep-seated memories. So here I stand next to a puddle whose waters tremble gently under the invisible droplets, feeling not just this moment, but years of them.

I take a single shot, the light spilling into the darkness before night swallows it once again. I’ve found what I came here to find. It’s time to rejoin my family and get them home.

#woodstock #ingersoll #ontario #canada #onroute #random #urban #street #night #fog #pools #light #photography #highway #roadtrip #travel #car #auto #automotive #carporn #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Life is a highway, September 2021
Lost pink sock, August 2015
Here at the oasis, December 2010
Energy oasis, January 2008

Wednesday, January 04, 2023

Arrows everywhere

Exit stage right
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Some days we’re free to set off in whatever direction we wish.

Other days the direction is chosen for us.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #street #traffic #signs #wanderlust #streetphotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Happy Hollow Road, December 2020

Tuesday, January 03, 2023

Two Eagles dance in an overcast sky

Fly, they said
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The only thing that’s more fun than dancing in the sky is dancing in the sky with your best friend.

Even if you don’t fly Eagles for a living, I hope you find a way to dance with someone special today.

Even if it looks a little unconventional.

@airshowlondon #ldnont #london #throwback #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:
Caption This 128, July 2009

Monday, January 02, 2023

Where we stress over cauliflower

Touch this
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Grocery shopping in 2023 feels a lot like it did in 2022: expensive and frustrating.

And I’m one of the lucky ones: as much as I grumble, I’m one of those blessed souls who can still afford to feed my family.

And I still have the bandwidth to stop myself every once in a while so I can take in the stark loveliness of a perfectly laid out pile of cauliflower.

Not everyone can. And the disparity in the lives we live - simply because I was born in a certain time and place, and was lucky enough to have been surrounded by advantage and opportunity - breaks my heart.

If humanity can grow vegetables at scale and offer them up so artfully (among other things), then surely we can figure out better ways to ensure more haves and fewer have-nots.

Maybe that’s a reasonable goal for the coming year.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #loblaws #grocery #store #fruit #vegetables #cauliflower #fruitography #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Three kinds of peppers, September 2022
Radiccio, February 2007