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Sunday, June 30, 2024

At the edge of the wheat field

Almost ready for harvest
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


They say farmers feed cities, and that’s particularly obvious here in London, which sits in the middle of one of the most productive agricultural regions on the planet.

We live near the edge of town, so I could be hanging out with cows and horses just a few minutes after leaving home. In fact, I plan most of my bike rides that way, because cows and horses are delightful.

So is a wheat field. Or anything else that grows from the ground. So sometimes I’ll stop by the road and carefully step to the edge of the ditch for some bizarro photography.

As is often the case when I have a camera in my hand, the goal isn’t so much to capture a particular image. Rather, the image becomes the trigger for the experience that led to its capture.

And on a grey afternoon with cars whipping past me at near-triple-digit speeds, it occurred to me as I tried to avoid tumbling into a water-filled moat that this wasn’t going to be my best photographic day. In fact, maybe I need to be picking my spots a little more carefully.

But that wasn’t the point, anyway. I got out there and played with light for a bit. That alone made it worthwhile.

This picture? I’ll call it a bonus.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #nissouri #road #farm #wheat #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #street #streetphotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Leave the grass alone, January 2024
Bent but not broken, October 2023
Random straw poll, October 2023
The corn grows tall here, September 2021
Wheat, chaff and light, November 2006

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Speed. I am speed.

Blink and you miss it
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Can cars fly?

Based on our understanding of currently available motive technologies, it’s easy to conclude that decades after George Jetson signed off for the last time, the vast majority of consumers still can’t walk into a dealership and order their own bubble-topped flying cruiser.

This is criminal, and humanity deserves better.

Be that as it may, if you stand beside a ruler-straight country road and play with light just so, there’s a just as reasonable chance that we’ll see things a little differently.

No, the cars aren’t actually flying, but they sure look like they could be.

Which, to an adult who still dreams of flying cars, will have to be good enough for now.

So, yes, dear motorists, I was the weirdo standing in the ditch beside a farmer’s field yesterday taking longish exposures of speeding cars. The blur was indeed the point, and I played with different shutter speeds for a while before I started to capture some interesting results. Well, to me, anyway.

I call it playing with light. And there is no plan beyond a vague idea, followed by severely improvised experimentation that usually goes nowhere. Every once in a long while, though, the fumbling pays off.

I hear the iconic whirring sound mixed in with Lightning McQueen’s “I am speed” monologue. I feel every dream of every kid who ever wondered what it would feel like to grab the wheel and control their own destiny. I imagine a future better than the present.

Not a bad haul for an afternoon spent walking in dusty gravel mere feet from high-speed traffic, wondering if any of this was worthwhile.

For the record, it’s always worthwhile. Because even if the cars aren’t actually flying just yet, I’m not yet ready to give up on an indelible childhood dream.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #car #carporn #automotive #nissouri #road #street #streetphotography #speed #blur #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Life is a highway, September 2021
Trainspotting, August 2018
The open road, October 2009
The open road - redux, October 2009

Friday, June 28, 2024

I've been staring at balconies again

They only look empty
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The one where we stand on a busy street corner and play with angles and lines.

It’s therapeutic.

Really.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #concrete #balconville #monochrome #sky #geometry #springbank #wonderland #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Balconville redux, February 2018

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Written Inc. turns 20

The story of a lifetime
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Does anyone still blog? For what it’s worth, I do. In fact, today marks 20 years since I launched my blog, Written Inc.

It’s difficult to remember what the digital world was like before blogs came along. We were just a few years into the commercial internet, and while the web was well on its way toward maturing into a broadly used, everyday platform, it was still largely a read-only affair for most of us not blessed with the developer gene.

Blogging changed the narrative, as it put easy-to-use publishing tools into the hands of millions of people. You didn’t need to know code or be a nerd. If you could write, or take pictures, or create any form of content, blogging was your jam.

Blogging’s shift into the mainstream just predated a little thing we now call social media, and many of the community connections that took root in the blogosphere set the tone for the larger-scale conversations that eventually transitioned over to Facebook and others.

Of course, once social media went mainstream, blogging felt increasingly quaint. Eventually the comment numbers trailed off as we shifted our time into socialmedialand.

But here’s the thing: we still want and need to connect. And while social media apps are far more efficient at networking, they come with their own algorithmic baggage - as well as increasingly Draconian rules about what can and cannot be posted or shared.

Which is why I still regularly post to my blog. Sure, it’s largely a mirror of my regular social media posts. But as a platform of record, a journey of my digital life, a searchable story that I’ll often dig back into when I need a warm fuzzy, nothing tops it.

While the blogging era might have been brief, it set the stage for so much of what we consider routine today. In so many ways, its simplicity explains why we gaze into the rearview so fondly.

What’s your blog story? What did this medium mean to you? What does it still mean to you?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #blog #blogging #blogger #writteninc #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography

Related:
https://writteninc.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Drink up, little ones

The water cycle, pictured
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


After the rains have come and gone, they leave behind a gift that is as vital as it is simple.

We can choose to walk on past the droplet-covered leaves.

Doesn’t make them any less remarkable, though.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #green #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography

Related:
One leaf. One zoo. January 2024

Monday, June 24, 2024

Chasing Canada's Stanley Cup dreams

Feel the history
Toronto, ON
August 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Tonight, most of Canada - the hockey-mad part, anyway - holds its breath as the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Florida Panthers in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers have fought back to tie the series at 3 games apiece after losing the first 3 matches - a feat that has forced sportscasters to dig through the history books.

For the record, no team has evened a series in this manner since 1945, and no team - the Toronto Maple Leafs - has done so, and won the series, since 1942.

If we’re being frank, I wouldn’t describe myself as a dyed-in-the-wool fan of any sport. It strikes me as odd that anyone would devote so much energy to the pursuit of one group of strangers scoring more points than another group of strangers. Fandom is awesome when you’re sharing a common experience with your community - and a bit less so when it becomes a kind-of religion that drives the kinds of behaviours that no one would be proud of.

But, still, I’m a fan of community, and it’s been inspiring to watch Canadians - most of whom wouldn’t have called themselves Oilers fans before their Cinderella run - find common ground around a team that’s [this close] to bringing the cup back north of the border for the first time since 1993.

If sports can give us all a brightly coloured experience to share amid a modern world consistently stained with darkness, then who wouldn’t be moved in some way by the hype?

On my last visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto, I stood next to the glass display and hovered over the Stanley Cup for what seemed like entirely too much time.

I carefully read the engraved names and traced back the years to my childhood when my hometown Montreal Canadiens could do no wrong. It felt strangely comforting to connect to each community that stood behind each team that brought the Cup home. The pride they all must have felt while the world churned outside.

We all need a reason or six to just be fans, to simply take in the game.

When the dust settles after tonight’s game, either Edmonton or Florida will be added to this storied artifact.

For now, though, it’s enough to ponder the magic of an historic trophy, the reasons teams give it their all to bring it home, and the reasons ordinary folks like us put life on pause for a bit so we can wrap ourselves in that very same dream.

#toronto #yyz #ontario #canada #throwback #hhof #hockey #hockeyhalloffame #sports #stanleycup #stilllife #photography #history #canon #canonphotography #canon_photogrpahy #photography

Related:
A hometown hockey hero, November 2021
They play hockey here, February 2021

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Steampunk abstract mystery

Frozen in time
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Where am I? Or what the heck is this?

Creative guesses only.

And…go!

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography


Saturday, June 22, 2024

Soaring seagull seeks the sun

Yes, I'm posing
Port Stanley, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Dear human friends,

I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Icarus, the guy who strapped makeshift wings to himself using wax, only to have them fall off when he flew too close to the sun.

I’m just a seagull, so we’ll set aside the physics lesson for another day.

But for now, all I ask is for you to behold the sight of wings that were built for flight.

Of a being crafted by evolution to live in the sky.

Of structure so light you can see through it, but so strong it can reach heights few could ever dream of.

We all have our gifts.

I’m lucky enough to know mine.

With love,

Sierra the Seagull

#portstanley #beach #ldnont #ontario #canada #great #lake #erie #bird #gulls #flight #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography


Friday, June 21, 2024

Harnessing the power of the wind

A grand day out
Port Stanley, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Everyone’s on some kind of journey.

Some are near.

Some are far.

Some point in this direction.

Or that.

But the good ones always seem to find a way to look out for each other.

#portstanley #beach #ldnont #ontario #canada #greatlake #erie #sailing #sailinglife #sail #boat #sailingphotography #sky #water #waves #nature #nature #photography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Sailing symmetry, July 2023
A ship on the horizon, December 2020

Thursday, June 20, 2024

She graduates...

Achievement unlocked
London, ON
June 2013
This photo originally shared on Instagram


We are so incredibly proud of this kid, who a day after graduating with distinction was back at her keyboard cranking out stunning digital assets for her richly deserved dream job.

Every parent wishes the world for their child.

So when they start achieving some of that early promise, check those critical boxes, receive recognition in their own right, take the reins and head off on their own, we stand quietly to the side and beam.

This one gives us ample reason to beam.

Always has. Always will.

Well done, Peanut Girl. Words haven’t been invented yet to cover off just how proud we are of what you’ve accomplished, and the kind-hearted way you’ve gone about it.

#grad #life #lifeofdahlia #family #everything

Related:

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Defiant tree in the middle of a bog

Stripped
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The universe seems to have it in for this tree.

Yet despite losing much of its bark and having staples driven into what remains of its trunk, it continues to stand tall, almost defiant in its determination to stay alive.

The cynics among us would dismiss the scene as trivial, for it is just a tree.

Everyone else will see it for what it is, and walk away from an encounter inspired to carry its lessons forward.

Because if a silly tree in the shadowy woods can stay the course despite everything thrown its way, so can we.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #tree #trees #trunk #bark #siftonbog #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #texture #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Feel the bark, March 2024
Tree trunk texture, February 2024
Knots in the wood, September 2022
Urban palm tree forest, February 2019

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Three geese. One direction.

Feathered friends
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Dozens of geese graze an empty field under a late afternoon sun, all but ignored by the heavy rush hour traffic on the other side of the tall grasses behind me.

The relative peace of this place is occasionally shattered by the odd argument that breaks out between random members of this flock. Canada Geese may very well be iconic ambassadors of the Great White North brand, but some of them - okay, just about all of them - have a bit of an anger management problem.

Still, they’re mesmerizing to watch, even as they slowly pick their way through a forgettable stretch of grass. And I get the feeling they know when they’re being watched, as they seem to be posing for their moment as I carefully compose from afar.

I’ll probably always be a little terrified of them, but beauty and grace aren’t necessarily dimmed by a healthy dose of nastiness.

#ldnont #london #hydepark #ontario #canada #birds #angrybirds #geese #canadageese #flight #wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Geese aplenty, August 2023
Flight into the wind, September 2018
Your goose is cooked, October 2011
Wounded bird, December 2006

Monday, June 17, 2024

Holding onto a cycling memory

Just roll
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Fact: a day with a bike ride is better than a day without.

Today is going to be spent talking about high-tech car theft with CBC radio stations across the country, then helping seniors recognize - and protect themselves against - cyberfraud. So unfortunately today will be a no-ride day for me.

Hopefully this picture from a ride last week will tide me over. Hopefully we’ll all have more days when we get to spin our legs and leave the rest of the real world behind.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #instabike #tvp #thames #river #downtown #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography

Sunday, June 16, 2024

On fatherhood. Every day.

Levys, the next generation
Dorval, QC
June 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram


If life is little more than a series of interconnected choices, then the choice my lovely wife and I made to become parents easily ranks as our best.

I’ll never lay claim to being anywhere near the perfect or best father - in a world of imperfect humans, I wear my imperfection in so many ways. But if I’ve succeeded in ensuring our kids know how fiercely proud I am to be their dad, how I will both quietly and loudly be there for them as long as I am able, and how much satisfaction I derive from watching them thrive - and exceed me in the process - then we’ll call my fatherhood experience a successful one.

I’m lucky to have taken this parenthood journey alongside a woman who teaches me something new every day. She makes it easy for me to figure out what to do next, because more often than not I simply follow her lead.

I realize too many families don’t have roots this strong, and I hope ours kids know how lucky we all are. Those interconnected choices? We somehow made the right ones, and our days continue to be blessed because of it.

Tomorrow won’t be a Hallmark-defined day, but I’m sure we’ll all find some way to make it stand out as much as today. Maybe we’ll go on an adventure. Or maybe we’ll eat some leftover cake on either end of a FaceTime conference call. Or maybe we’ll sit quietly on the couch.

It can be anything, really. Whatever it is, it’ll add another chapter to the story of us.

And I hope it reminds us all how much it matters that we keep telling those everyday stories, and we keep ensuring those who parented us, and those we have helped raise in whatever capacity, appreciate who we’re connected to, and how much those connections matter.

#LiveLaughLevy #dorval #montreal #canada #throwback #fathersday #dad #dads #life #parenthood #family #everything

Related:
On being a Dad, June 2005

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Meeting seagulls in desolate places

Seeking shelter from the rain
Innisfil, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s the final stop on a long drive before we (finally) get home, and the first few flecks of spitting rain are streaking across the windshield as we pull into a highway rest stop and park near the edge of the largely empty lot.

Angry seagulls are walking between the freshly painted yellow lines, looking for castoffs from the nearby Starbucks drive-through. I feel more than a little sorry for them as the rain intensifies, and hope they find shelter from the weather before too long.

Since Lilly loves seagulls, I get it into my head that I should take a picture of them while Debbie calls the fam - 1,700 kilometres behind us - via FaceTime. So before I can explain my ridiculous plan to my ever understanding wife, I’m grabbing the camera out of the back for the most insane photo shoot I’ve had in a while.

I follow a few gulls as they walk between the drops, then crank up action photography mode as they run into the wind and take off. I think I take no more than a half dozen frames before I snag this one and decide I’m done. The skies are really opening up, and I’d rather not be cold soaking my equipment for a silly bird pic.

I return to the relative peace of the car and show Lilly the shot on my camera’s screen. She likes it. Mission accomplished. Nothing else matters.

Technology makes weird moments like this possible. But crazy birds flying aerobatics in a rain-soaked OnRoute parking lot make said technology come alive.

Those seagulls? Our next generation is learning early on how much these often ignored birds seem to matter in our family’s story. I can’t explain any of it. I’m just thankful that we get to tell - and share - that story with her, birds and all.

#innisfil #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #seagull #gull #bird #flight #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdwatching #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography


Friday, June 14, 2024

When the sky fires continue to burn

Hanging on to the day
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s been 4 minutes since the sun slipped below the horizon, yet it still casts fire onto the clouds at the edge of the twilight sky.

The optics are easy to understand, but on occasion it helps to set the science aside and stare at the resulting spectacle with wide-eyed wonder.

If an invisible star can still reflect its brilliance millions of miles away into places we might not expect, then where should we be shining our own light?

It’s a reasonable question, and it bounces through my head repeatedly as the fire overhead fades to black one last time.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #twilight #silhouette #jaycee #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography


Thursday, June 13, 2024

Touch the green iron

The strength of history
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It was a good day to ride a bicycle.

Wait, let’s clarify: every day is a good day to ride a bicycle.

That said, the weather was perfect, the roads and bike paths weren’t too crowded, and there was a lovely breeze coming off the river that whispered gentle encouragement in my ear.

Since I’m never one to disagree with the wind, I soon found myself crossing a London treasure, Blackfriars Bridge. So of course I had to stop and spend some up close and personal time with this iconic structure that’s been around since long before any of us existed.

For the record, the old green-painted iron feels as good under the fingertips as it looks.

Words to live by: always touch the iron.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #blackfriars #bridge #green #history #tvp #thames #river #cycling #cyclist #nature #naturephotography #abstract #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography


Wednesday, June 12, 2024

The case of the dump-diving eagle

This is my good side
Dryden, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


We find wonder in the most unexpected places. Like the city dump, where an aerie of eagles hangs around waiting for the next arrival.

I never thought these majestically iconic birds would sully themselves by spending their days waiting for the next pile of garbage to be dragged across a desolate landscape covered with shattered glass and rusted appliances - patriotic American mythology is a powerful thing, people - but I guess it makes sense. Go where the hunting is easy.

The eagles have clearly learned their lesson, and are well fed because of it.

I’ve learned another lesson, too: life happens even in places we choose to ignore. Maybe we’ll want to take a second look more often than we already do.

#dryden #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #eagle #bird #flight #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram ##birdwatching #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Duck, duck... April 2022
My father's pelican, December 2019
Big beak, setting sun, January 2018

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

The sky welcomes the darkness

Peekaboo
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Sometimes we take the time to say goodnight to the sky, and sometimes the sky takes the time to return the favour.

There’s no order or logic to what may or may not be floating through the sky as the sun winks out of sight. Clouds don’t work on any kind of schedule, and we have no control over what the resulting scene might look like. We get what we get.

Which, if we pause on that concept for a bit, feels a lot like the life we’ve put on pause so we can stand here staring out toward the ends of the Earth for a bit. The unseen forces shaping the sky are a lot like the ones that surround us day-to-day. We have no control over any of it.

Instead, we control where we stand, where we look, what we think, and how we feel. All of that? Entirely up to us, within our control.

Forget the cause. Focus on the response.

Seems like a decent lesson to hold onto as I tuck the camera away one final time for the night and head for home.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #forest #tree #leaves #jaycee #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography


Monday, June 10, 2024

The magical puppy's magical tongue

It's what I do
London, ON
May 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Lick your own nose if you’re happy.

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

Related:
Bambi returns, July 2022
Happiness is... January 2021
Lick this, January 2005

Sunday, June 09, 2024

Accidental exposure

I took this?
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


At the end of an unimaginably long drive, I accidentally trigger my smartphone’s camera as I exit the parked car and somehow take the mess of a photo you see here.

My photo archives are filled with them, badly focused, terribly composed, randomly blurred, accidentally taken images that are often only discovered hours or weeks later. And if I’m guessing correctly, I’m sure we’ve all taken countless pics like this.

Once upon a time I would have deleted them and moved on, and I certainly would have never shared them in a carefully cultivated feed. In a social media landscape where perfection is all we see, it should be unheard of to see…this.

But I wasn’t around when this so-called rule was first created. I wasn’t aware that storytelling always needed to be filtered, edited, and refined down to the very last pixel. So please forgive me if I choose to ignore convention as I allow this botched image to see the light of day.

It reflects a moment - coming home - that matters to me. That’s it. That’s the only criteria that should matter. Whether it’s perfect or horribly flawed, if it matters to whoever takes it, then it has worth.

And no one else gets to determine otherwise. Your shutter, your rules, even if you never intended to press the button in the first place.

Yet again, I seem to be drawing parallels between photography and life. Which means I probably have more messy photos, and stories, on the way. I’m sure you do, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #accidentalphoto #roadtrip #travel #car #carporn #stella #blur #focus #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography

Related:
Life is a blur, August 2020
Bokeh and color, March 2018
A life on rails, October 2012
Life moves too fast, August 2012

Saturday, June 08, 2024

Chaotic sky

Embrace the uncertainty
London, ON
May 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The messiest skies can tell the most interesting stories.

Messy people, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #contrail #silhouette #optimistpark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Shadows in the sky, December 2012

Friday, June 07, 2024

Remembering Juliette the Jeep

Shine the light(s)
Fort Lauderdale, FL
December 2011
This photo originally shared on Instagram


A few years ago, we rented a Jeep Liberty while on vacation.

The kids adored it, even nicknaming her Juliette before we had even left the airport rental lot.

Our big boxy beauty drank fuel like a fish - I swear the fuel gauge was directly linked to the accelerator - and if I’m being honest I don’t think Florida’s sun-drenched streets represented the ideal landscape for this unabashedly off-road machine.

But the more we drove it, the more I got why owners love their Jeeps. It just had a certain straightforward honesty about it, a simplicity of purpose that most vehicles today seem to lack. I smiled every time we climbed in, and by the time we headed home, I fully understood the “It’s a Jeep thing” mindset.

They don’t make the Liberty anymore, which makes me a little vaklempt for a sweet moment in my family’s shared history.

Strangely, it was the one driving experience that seemed less about the machine and more about the meaning. It helped me appreciate that we live in a world where it’s okay for a vehicle to be a little different than everything else on the road, and it’s perfectly acceptable if not everyone appreciates what makes said vehicle unique.

Come to think of it, this is just as true with people as it is with cars.

#deerfield #beach #florida #throwback #vacation #travel #jeep #liberty #red #itsajeepthing #jeepsofinstagram #car #carporn #automotive #oldparkedcars #opc #street #streetphotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Ducking Jeep, May 2024
Only in a Jeep, August 2018
It's a Jeep thing, November 2014

Thursday, June 06, 2024

Mysterious patio furniture

Come sit
London, ON
June 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Old chair. Old building.

Who sits here? What’s their story? Where are they now?

Some questions can be answered. Others are destined to remain mysteries forever.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #adelaide #streetphotography #street #walkabout #monochrome #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Hotel room chair, June 2021
Waiting, uncomfortably, December 2018
Sitting by the pool, October 2013

Wednesday, June 05, 2024

Let's skim the sand

Watch my six, please
Port Stanley, ON
September 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It takes immense courage to fly so close to the ground that the slightest shift in the wind or miscalculation will piledrive you into the terrain.

Birds are built for the task, every fibre of their being optimized for life in the sky. And even when that sky happens to be inches above potentially instantaneous disaster, still, they fly.

As you’ve probably guessed, I don’t fly unless I’m buying a ticket for a window seat on the red-eye. Which likely explains why I’m in such awe of any being that can leave the Earth for a bit under its own power.

We’re different. And that’s what makes us so compelling to each other.

I originally thought this photo was about birds and flight and the stupid things I do with a camera when I go to the beach. Now I’m not so sure.

#portstanley #beach #ldnont #throwback #ontario #canada #great #lake #erie #bird #gulls #lowlevel #flight #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Dirty bird, April 2019
I need more cowbell, January 2014
Low-level flight, February 2006
Liftoff, September 2005

Tuesday, June 04, 2024

Stroke Month, FAST, me, and maybe even you

June is Stroke Month, and I’m thrilled to be working with Heart & Stroke to raise awareness of the FAST protocol. Four simple letters that can save your life - indeed, my wife knew them, and she saved mine.

I was privileged to speak with Kerri Breen from CBC News Windsor, and the resulting story is here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/ontario-stroke-signs-poll-1.7223257

Please share as widely as you can. Stroke can happen to any of us. It happened to me.

Branches in the sky

Water cycle
London, ON
May 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The sky brings the rain that nourishes the tree and allows it to grow.

The tree converts carbon dioxide to oxygen that allows everything else to grow.

On the one hand, it’s science. On the other, it’s collaboration at its finest, and a life goal for us all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #jaycee #park #nature #naturephotography #tree #landscape #landscapephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Related:
Even when the sun hides, September 2023
The persistent sunset, September 2022

Monday, June 03, 2024

Fun with contrails

It only looks scary
London, ON
May 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It isn’t a rocket ride, but wouldn’t it be amazing if it was?

Sometimes all we can do is look up and dream.

This is one of those times.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #blue #sky #weather #wx #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #contrail #aviation #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography

Related:
Shadows in the sky, December 2012

Sunday, June 02, 2024

2 years of Lilly

More yogurt, please
Dryden, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


This is Lilly at 2.

This is time moving faster than we might have once thought.

This is what limitless curiosity looks like.

This is the face of all that is possible.

This is joy.

#family #everything

Related:
4 years of family, September 2023
A year of Lilly, June 2023
Lilly at 6 months, December 2023
Their third... September 2022

Hotel room still-life #7

It only looks like home
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Room 412, 7:08 a.m., far from home.

#saultstemarie #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #hotel #lamp #light #stilllife #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography #family #everything

Related:
Hotel room chair, June 2021
Just before checkout, February 2020
Light from below, January 2008

Saturday, June 01, 2024

Always be a ham

Carnivore vs. herbivore
London, ON
January 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I’ve never eaten ham. But something about the way it looks has always captivated me.

I know, weird.

Still, you don’t have to be a foodie to appreciate the aesthetics of a particular dish or ingredient. And I had it at the back of my mind for years that someday I would take a bizarro photo of ham.

An opportunity presented itself a few months back during a routine grocery run with my wife. We do them together because, well, time is short and even something as seemingly everyday as pushing a cart can be just as special as candles and wine.

So when she stopped at the deli counter, I occupied myself with the display case - and I was particularly enamoured by all the exotic-looking stuff I’d never eat. Thankfully the attendant was quite understanding.

Making the ordinary seem somewhat less so. It’s a thing, apparently.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #farmboy #shopping #retail #random #glass #perspective #ham #deli #meat #onelittlepiggy #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography

Related:
Deli meat under glass, January 2024
Octopus on ice, May 2021
Forbidden pizza, October 2019