Where geometry meets decay

Don't get too close to this edge
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Rust in peace. Rust in power.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #bridge #forest #trees #tree #fall #autumn #color #colors #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #andscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Seeking sanctuary in the woods

Drink it in
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm not generally one to pray, because dogmatic repetition of ancient verse has never really been my cup of tea.

But here's the thing: We all need a buffer, a break, a place where reflection is part of the landscape. We all need to get away, even if we live in a time where getting away isn't really an option.

So I took a walk with our daughter yesterday. My wonky finger meant the real camera stayed home, but I still had an iPhone in my pocket.

We explored a new-to-us part of the valley, and found this rather hushed spot in the woods overlooking a bubbling creek below. It struck us as just the kind of spot where we could get away no matter what the world decided to throw as us.

Because we all deserve to stumble upon resonant places like this, natural cathedrals, if you will, where everyone is welcome to pause and reflect. And I hope you find yours, as well.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #trees #tree #green #fall #autumn #color #colors #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #andscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - School Tech Fail

#IfYouReadOneThingToday, make it this piece by Slate’s director of technology on how parents can help their kids fight anxieties over remote learning tech.

TL:DR version: The technology is a failure, and teachers, parents and kids are paying the price.

Why I’m Teaching My Kids That Computers Are Dumb Machines

By Greg Lavallee

Slate

October 01, 2020

Canine destroyer of worlds

More fiber
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is what our pup does when she thinks no one's looking.

Unlike most other - read normal - dogs who simply leave a mess behind, she likes to finish off by eating it whole. Paper towel, toilet paper, even good old letter-sized sheets left too close to the edge of the desk are all fair game for her.

Yes, imagine the gift-wrapped fun we then have on our walks. Just awesome.

On top of this week's broken finger incident (I'll be fine - and I deeply appreciate everyone's kind wishes) it begs the question of why we have a dog in the first place when she gets herself, and us, into so much trouble.

I can't logically answer this question, because by the numbers, pets simply don't add up. Take a quiet home, subtract sleep, add expense, increase complexity around travel and day-to-day scheduling, expand the noise envelope, and slide in heartache when they leave us. It shouldn't be a thing.

Yet it very much is. Because she shadows you a little more closely when you're having a rough day. Because her wet-nose-nudges on the back of your lower legs remind you you're never alone. Because returning home is always an event for the ages. Because this is what unconditional love looks like. 

Besides, life itself isn't always logical. And not everything has to add up to make sense.

The equation, then, is a lot simpler than we might think: Life is better with them than without. Especially now.

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Busted finger. Same old perspective.

Helping those who need it
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

So the dog broke my finger.

It was an accident, and I'll leave the story of how a 15-pound Miniature Schnauzer can snap the right pinkie of a much larger human being for another day.

Suffice to say she didn't mean to hurt the guy who feeds and walks her before dawn and shoos those nasty rabbits and squirrels away from her favorite window. Suffice to say we love her more today than we did yesterday.

It meant a trip to the hospital, and another grand adventure for my old standby, Po the Teletubby. Taking her along was as deliberate this time out as it's been every time I've taken her anywhere over the past couple of decades. We were going to a place where smiles were needed, and a grown man toting a tiny stuffie couldn't help but make strangers smile. And it did.

I'll leave it at that for now, because when viewed through the lens of perspective, this is little more than a hiccup, and a minor inconvenience - a missed day of work, some lost sleep, slower typing speeds, and hilarious moments when I try to eat dinner.

And as I walked the pandemic-tension-filled halls of a place where health is never a guarantee, I was reminded, as I was when I spent large chunks of my childhood in another hospital that looked a lot like this one, that there was always someone else who was worse off than I was. That I should be thankful this was as bad as it got. That I had the privilege of laughing about my experience after the fact.

Because not everyone can say the same. Not everyone gets to post about it to Instagram or Twitter. Not everyone gets better.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #hospital #health #healthcare #po #teletubby #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A Warthog leaves its mark

Let's play some Twister
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There are days when you feel twisted. Today would be one of those days.

Fortunately we live in a world where Thunderbolts occasionally visit our burg and paint vapor trails in the sky.

It doesn't fix the chaos elsewhere, or make stupid people smart, or unkind folks kind. But it does provide a neat, albeit temporary, distraction.

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The echoing trees

I'll be there for you
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

One look at this group of trees, standing quietly in a meadow a short walk from where we live, and it becomes obvious that they're special.

They may be separate from one another, each uniquely rooted in the ground. But they've clearly grown in a sort of lockstep, as if some kind of force wanted to ensure they echoed each other's lives. Not identical, but parallel. Connected, in some way.

I often stop to take them in when I pass by, partly because of the way they look, and mostly because I think they're trying to tell us something.

Because this isn't mere coexistence or tolerance. They're actively protecting those beside them, their growth providing cover against whatever threats the environment can throw at them. It's like a sign from Mother Nature, a message that if the trees manage to find a way to reflect each other's twists and turns, then perhaps the lesson need not end with the trees.

Even if this turns out to be little more than my wandering-suburbanite's attempt to seek resonance and refuge amid a world that seems to offer none, I'll take it.

Because even if we never notice the trees to begin with, a walk in the woods is a pretty good way to find that elusive break from the relentless strain that lurks just beyond this resonantly peaceful spot.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout #forest #trees #tree #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #gameoftones #texture #monochrome #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Bridge over somewhat troubled water

A quiet spot on the way home
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Like many of you last night, I watched the presidential debate. And I was appalled.

I've worked in and around media long enough to know that politics is a tough, dirty game. But I never thought I'd see a sitting president refuse to denounce white supremacy, then literally call out to a specific group to "stand back and stand by."

I was pretty sure my brain would explode at that point, but I had another thought, as well. Hear me out.

This world, our world, is composed of elements far more diverse than a grifting, hate-filled narcissist who can't string a coherent sentence together. Someday, hopefully soon, American voters will finally get a clue and ask for leaders who focus on them instead of lining their own pockets.

But whatever happens November 3rd, we all have lives, at home and closer to home, that continue to unfold as they must despite what happens on an electoral stage or at the ballot box.

To wit, this bridge over the river beside the bike path that I often take on the way home from the office. I like to stop here on occasion, to reflect on the day that was and appreciate that I live in a city that routinely offers up places and moments like this. I'll stand in the middle of the span, almost feeling the energy of the water below and the light from above.

The pandemic has obviously put a stop to the daily bike commute, but I still like to return here now and again.

Because it helps me turn off the outside world and just be alone with my thoughts for a few minutes. Because we all have places that resonate with us. Because we all deserve moments like this.

Because not even a shameful display of anti-humanity can erase the blessings we all have right in front of us.

I hope you have similar places near you, and I hope you make the time to go to them. You deserve it. We all do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout #thames #valley #parkway #tvp #river #springbank #park #bridge #debate2020 #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Saying goodbye to the day that was

Airglow
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's a moment at the end of the day, just as the sun ducks out of sight, that the skies come alive.

The show often ends mere seconds after it begins. But if you're lucky enough to be there when it happens, it's just long enough to imprint on your memories forever.

Colors become shades. Shades become tones. Tones become textures. Textures become something you can practically feel from your little spot way down on the ground.

Tonight's walk with the dog coincided with this magic moment. So I looked up. The rest is history. Nothing else matters.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #sunset #dusk #blue #sky #clouds #light #tree #abstract #landscape #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Quasi-Charlotte's Web

The things we find when we look
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Spider. Not from Mars.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #spider #insect #bug #medway #valley #forest #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #texture #stilllife #macro #macrophotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #everythingchristian #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Thunderbirds are go

Four-ship formation
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Before this year's airshow, I had never seen the @afthunderbirds fly. My, was I missing out.

The F-16 has a pretty expansive flight envelope, and it's pretty clear the show, as designed and performed, uses most of it. The energy and precision are off the charts, and I stopped counting how many times I was left without words as they tore up the skies above us.

It was a privilege to watch them. Alas, they flew away too quickly for us to give them a proper thank you.

Thanks team. Godspeed to you all.

#ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #lockheedmartin #f16 #fighting #falcon #viper #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

When life ends

No more to give
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The one constant in life is that it ends. For all of us.

We can argue until we’re blue in the face about what a “fair” amount of time might be, but it’ll never change that singular, stark reality.

So we make the most out of what we’ve been given.

No choice, really.

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

Getting lost in the tall grass

The things that grow tall
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

"In the plains the grass grows tall, since there is no one to cut it. There is no one to water it either."

Vera Nazarian

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout #thames #valley #parkway #tvp #river #tall #grass #monochrome #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #qotd #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Look closely at the purple flower

Nature's little miracle
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Always look for the color. It is as true alongside a path through the forest as it is in everyday life.

And with that, I think I'm about due for another one of those walks through the forest. See you there. 

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout.#green #purple #flower #macro #bokeh #forest #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Schnauzer in fog

The nose always leads
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We're trying to teach her to take in the beauty that surrounds her, but all she's really interested in is sticking her massively sensitive nose into the grass in an eternal search for bunny poo, or possibly the occasional dropped Goldfish (tm) cracker remnant.

So, no, she didn't much care for the fog. But she was still happy to be out, which is a win by any definition.

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Bridging a longstanding gap

 Bridge to a sustainable future
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Mmm, it has that new bridge smell. Can’t wait to take my first ride on it.

It may seem strange that of all the things that tickle my soul, a bridge would rank near the top of the list. But this isn't a simple structure.

You're looking at the latest addition to the Thames Valley Parkway, the multiuse path network that's supposed to make it easy for cyclists, runners, pedestrians and other non-motorist folks to get around town without having to wrestle with traffic.

Nice in theory, but somewhat lacking in practice.

Because unlike other towns, our car-culture-led burg built a network with huge gaps in the middle. That doesn't serve entire swaths of the city. That stops mysteriously outside a given neighborhood. That often forces cyclists and others to cross high-speed roads, with nothing more than paint to protect us.

The bridge you see here is part of a pair - the other is around a kilometre to the left - designed to close a yawning gap in the path and open non-stop access to the city's northeast sector.

We'll take it, because any new piece of infrastructure that gets more people out under their own power is a blessing. And when they finally cut the ribbon on this new section, I'll be there on my own two-wheeled machine. To ride. And appreciate.

But it won't stop there. It can't. Because sustainability is never truly done.

And we're nowhere near the point where we - individuals, cities, society at-large - can, with a straight face, say we're doing everything we can to change the script.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout #thames #valley #parkway #tvp #river #cycling #cyclingislife #bridge #monochrome #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Praying in a forested cathedral

Humbled and hushed
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I've been doing this thing lately: I pick up my camera and go for a walk in the woods.

Part of it is exercise: Those step goals silently mock me from the smartwatch on my wrist, and I owe my family a healthy Carmi.

Another part is creative. Exploring the world through new glass is a privilege, and only by using the thing with my bare hands will I figure out how to unlock its - and I'm guessing my - visual storytelling potential. 

The final and likely most critical part is disconnection, because it's overwhelming to be alive these days. 

Don't get me wrong: It absolutely beats the alternative. But still, Planet Earth has become an insanely noisy place, and we all deserve some refuge. Disclosure: Some days I need it more than others. So here I am, in a valley carved over the millennia by the quiet brook just behind me.

A stand of towering trees covers the entire sky way above my head, casting a protective shadow over the slope you see here. I stop in the hushed silence to take the scene in, not so much look at it as feel it in my bones. You can smell the peacefulness of this place. I wish I could bottle it up and take it home.

"Cathedral" often floats through my head when I stand under tall trees. I'm not one to pray, and even if I were it wouldn't be in a cathedral. But it somehow feels right to appreciate this spot for what it is: A place to reflect, connect, and recharge.

The rest of the world can wait for a while.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout #forest #trees #tree #green #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Losing the leaves for good

Ephemeral
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Autumn’s colors are starting to show themselves here in the Great White North, so I’ve been looking for flashes of green wherever I can.

Because the planetary clock is ticking. And we miss the show if we don’t make the effort to get out there for a bit.

On the one hand, it won’t be completely game over once the leaves you see here turn some fiery shade of red or orange before falling to the ground. Next spring will bring new leaves, new life to this quiet path through a hushed valley.

But on the other hand, they won’t be these particular leaves. They won’t catch the light in this specific way, on this very afternoon. Different lives, different times, different experiences.

All the more reason to appreciate what we’ve got before it flutters to the shadowy earth below one last time, never to reflect the rays of the sun again.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #walkabout.#green #leaf #leaves #forest #trees #tree #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Follow the mama plane

Poseidon the protector
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When I first showed this photo to our daughter, she said it reminded her of a mother bird shepherding her babies across the sky.

Indeed, we’d all do well to have some mother-like guidance during long, perilous journeys. Perhaps on shorter ones, as well.

#ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #airbus #cc150polaris #cf18 #hornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Wheels up!

A Hornet leaves Earth
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It may not seem apparent, but this is the most dangerous moment of any flight.

You've just unstuck from the runway, your wings tasting lift for the first time, the engines clawing out as much speed and altitude as possible. If something happens here, there's little room below you to recover, little runway ahead to land once more. Your options are limited.

Of course, this is a supersonic, twin-engined fighter plane with seemingly limitless power. Why not simply point the needle nose up, mash the afterburners and put it all behind you?

If only it could be that simple. Sadly, the laws of flight can be cruel: We've lost 20 Hornets since they first joined Canada's fleet 38 years ago.

But if you're going to be part of the global community, this is part of the cost of membership. Some may decry the need for machines like this in the first place. They're expressly designed for war. The money spent on them could be better spent elsewhere.

Valid points all. But this is an imperfect world, and our neighbors don't always have our best interests at heart.

Ask anyone who lived in London during the Battle of Britain if they would rather the government had spent the money allocated to Spitfire production on something else. This is how you deter aggression - or resist it when it comes knocking on your door. This is how you maintain sovereignty. This is how you keep the forces of darkness at bay.

Fast-forward back to today, and I doubt the dictators in our modern neighborhood would waste much time shifting their military strategies if we decided to get out of the fighter plane business altogether.

So let's call the need to arm ourselves not optimal, but necessary. Which makes me thankful for folks like this pilot, willing to brave basic physics and risk leaving the planet behind so the rest of us can sleep soundly at night.

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