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.

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