#IfYouReadOneThingToday - On bikes

Fun trivia fact about me: years ago, I survived being hit by a car while riding my bike through east end Montreal. Brain-dead middle-aged man was arguing with his wife as he accelerated through a stop sign into a bike path and proceeded to obliterate my bike. I miraculously walked away that day, and to this day don't understand how.

But the memory sticks with me every time I decide to take a ride. What if?

Which may explain why this Outside Magazine piece stopped me in my tracks. The pub decided last year to track every cyclist killed by a driver. This article tells the story of just a few of the nearly 700 cyclists killed on American roads in 2020, and I'm sharing it as our latest #IfYouReadOneThingToday article.

Please don't leave comments telling me about the cyclist who ignored the stop sign near your house. Or frightened your dog on the sidewalk. I share this not to start a driver-vs-cyclist holy war.

FWIW, I both pedal and drive, and however we choose to get around the planet, we all deserve to do so safely. The paradigm needs to shift, and it starts with important journalism like this.

Enjoy the read.

They Went Out for a Bike Ride. They Never Came Home.

Outside Magazine

December 22, 2020

#2020CYCLINGDEATHS

The sun rises on a new year

The fire above
London, ON
January 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dear 2021,

Please try to look more like this.

Thanks from all of us who thought 2020 looked (and sounded, and smelled, and all-around was) crappy.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #sunrise #dawn #silhouette #orange #pink #clouds #light #weather #wx #abstract #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Disney on fire

Castle amid a storm of light
Orlando, FL
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This morning’s photo of a patch of ice beside a nearby driveway was one of the final photos I took this year. The fireworks photo in this entry, shot just after midnight last January 1st, represents one of the first.

And they couldn’t be further apart.

Today’s photo was taken on a nearly deserted, frozen suburban street. The other was shot in a hot, humid Disney park, packed into crowds so dense I literally could not move my feet without bumping into a stranger.

No one’s vacationing this year. And if they are, they’re probably not sharing the experience on social media. Which makes the bookended pics that much more stark when I place them side-by-side.

I’ll never complain about losing a trip to a warmer place. We can fly again when this is all over, and I know legions of people who wish all they lost this year was a vacation. 3,800 people in the U.S. alone died from COVID yesterday. One life every 22.7 seconds. Last week, one of them was my cousin.

Whatever kind of year we’ve had, memories matter. In the end, memories represent the only tangible things that those left behind have to hold onto.

If we commit to anything as 2021 dawns, I’d like to humbly suggest that we try to make better memories for ourselves, and for those who matter most to us.

Nothing else matters, and nothing else represents a better use of the time we've been given. However much time that turns out to be.

Now, what memories will YOU be making in the year ahead? Let’s start the year with light, shall we?

#orlando #florida #fla #canada #throwback #road #trip #disney #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #magickingdom #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #fireworks #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

Let's blow this place to smithereens, March 2020

Disney castle, reflected, March 2020

Burn the sky down, January 2020

Driveway ice show

Flattened chaos
London, ON
December 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Calli the Wonderschnauzer discovered this frozen scene on this morning's walk, wedged in the usually-overlooked sliver of dirty asphalt where the driveway meets the sidewalk.

She's got quite the eye - and nose, as I had to pry her away from the ice before I could take this picture.

Our dog's photographic vision aside, this scene strikes me as an appropriate metaphor for a year many of us would rather forget.

Indeed, 2020 will be remembered as the year when COVID took away some pretty memorable folks, including Mary Ann, Darth Vader, and the guy who inspired Bull Durham.

The real numbers are even more sobering: as of today, over 1.8 million souls have been lost, with countless others' lives permanently altered by a scourge that will doubtless paint the next year as darkly as it did this one. From job losses to shuttered main streets, overwhelmed hospitals, mental health crises, and spillover impacts to health and life that we can't even begin to imagine, we'll be paying for 2020 for years to come.

Yet the mere fact that I write this - and that you're reading it - is testament to the fact that we survived when so many did not. Whatever the calendar may say, life will always throw challenge our way, and our choice will be to either face it or cave to it. Let's not fool ourselves that an arbitrarily defined 366-day period in history is any more or less special in this regard. It wasn't, and it isn't.

This morning, a dog who wants nothing more than to be loved by everyone she meets found something in the usually-ignored margins of the neighborhood that made her happy. She graciously stood by as I recorded the scene and pondered what it meant before we continued our journey. We'll be out again later today, and tomorrow, and every day for as long as the universe gifts us with the opportunity.

Maybe we'll find more scenes of random, fleeting, imperfect light in the margins. In fact, I'm counting on it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #photography #happynewyear #newyear #apple #iPhone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Puppy tuck-in

Bedtime at the zoo...

 

Video link here: https://youtu.be/mo2kwNirpi8

Originally shared on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJchBuIH4Ql/

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Fizzled sunrise amid the clouds

The view from the doorstep
London, ON
December 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The sky briefly teased us before reverting to its customary grey.

But still, we went out, looked up, and hoped.

Because you never know when the rewards will come.

And even if they don't, at least we made the attempt.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #sunrise #dawn #silhouette #orange #pink #clouds #light #weather #wx #abstract #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Waiting for the next train

Alone
Toronto, ON
February 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It's been a while since I took a train to the big city, and it'll probably be another long while before I do so again.

Which is my way of saying I kinda miss scenes like this one, furtively stolen moments of normality amid journeys far from home.

I shot this fleeting scene barely two weeks before the first lockdown began. It didn't occur to me at the time how profoundly things - and by extension, our views of them - were about to change.

At the time, I took days like this for granted, assuming I'd be back in a couple of weeks, assuming things would continue to roll along as they always had.

Funny how that works, though, because nothing is promised, and even if the pandemic hadn't painted over the landscape so thoroughly, the view could have just as easily been changed by some other singular factor, or combination of many.

It can be headache-inducing to ponder all the possibilities, all the coulda-woulda-shoulda moments that govern day-to-day life. But the answer is to simply stop pondering at all. There's no controlling what happens next, so we may as well refocus our efforts on enjoying what we have, in the now.

And on this Thursday late-February morning on a bitterly cold TTC subway platform, I took a moment to enjoy what I had before the rest of the day beckoned.

It may look like an ordinary shot of a stranger waiting for his train, another soul going through the paces of his own life. But for me, it was a rather timely reminder to continue recording seemimgly ordinary moments every day, wherever we may happen to be.

Because anything and everything can be extraordinary, but only if we allow ourselves to appreciate it.

#toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #downtown #subway #ttc #rosedale #station #commute #commuter #transit #landscape #building #travel #urban #photography #travelphotography #streetphotography #yellow #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Recharging her batteries

The nap pose
London, ON
December 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every once in a while, she sleeps. But don't worry: she'll be back at full strength before we know it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Water in many forms

One wave after another
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's no way to minimize it: there's a lot of water in this scene. So let's take a quick look at all the forms it takes, shall we?

1. The clear stuff closest to the camera, at the bottom of the frame, painted beige by the sand underneath.
2. The frothy white wave tops as they splash into the air in one last spectacular act.
3. The shades of blue and green, reflecting the deeper waters just above and beyond the surf zone.
4. The ominous clouds painting the horizon, contributing to the turbulence we see below.

I could probably slice the descriptive pie ever more thinly, describing every form of water in this photo in excruciating detail. But I won't.

What I will do is briefly explain why I'm sharing this in the first place.

Because we often stare at things and make snap judgments about them. We assume we know their whole story. We assume they all fit a similar mold.

News flash: we don't. And they can't.

Water isn't monolithic. It is shaped by the forces around it. By the vessels in which it finds itself. By the light that reflects off of it.

We can say the same about people. For we are all, after all, shaped by our environment, unique results of a combination of factors more complex than we'll ever hope to fully understand.

Perhaps if we spoke less and appreciated contextual nuances more, the universe might be a kinder place than it currently is. Perhaps if we stood in the pounding surf more and simply allowed our imaginations to wander, we'd realize how much something as random as wind-whipped water can teach us.

#delray #beach #florida #atlantic #ocean #throwback #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #waves #water #weather #wx #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A ship on the horizon

Churning to somewhere
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Somewhere along the horizon, a massive cargo ship claws its way through rough seas, another in a seemingly endless stream of vessels headed for ports unknown.

As I watch it almost imperceptibly make its way north, so loaded down with cargo that I can barely make out the superstructure, I briefly consider downloading a marine tracker app that will happily serve up every last data point. Owner, cargo, destination, track, you name it.

I've got an app for planes, I think to myself, so why not fetch one for ships, too?

I get as far as the app store before I stop myself. I decide it's perfectly acceptable for some things to remain a mystery. And to leave the data points aside for a bit in exchange for simply watching an unknown vessel make its way toward an unknown port.

Technology has allowed us to answer virtually any question we may have. But here, now, I decide not every question needs an answer. Sometimes it's absolutely sufficient to simply stand in the driving wind and feel the moment.

So that's what I did.

As I write this, a year to the day since I tripped the shutter, I smile at the notion of this mystery ship. She could be anywhere today, and I hope she and her sailors, whoever they are, are safe and well cared for.

#delray #beach #florida #atlantic #ocean #throwback #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #waves #water #weather #wx #photography #Canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Standing too far from the sea

Feel the surf
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A year ago today, I stood on the edge of a seemingly endless ocean and waited for the waves to come to me.

I didn't have to wait long. And I'm not ashamed to admit I stood in the same spot for an inordinately long time as wave after wave washed over my ankles, as my feet sank ever more deeply into the gloriously mushy sand.

Eventually the storm that had painted the horizon in ominous shades of grey moved inland and ended our day, but not before we created a pile of warm memories and packed them away alongside our sandy towels that now smelled like saltwater.

We obviously aren't in Delray Beach this year, and most folks with a shred of empathy and community-mindedness are staying home and sucking it up for the greater good.

Because the beach will still be there when this is all over.

Because sometimes we have to sacrifice our todays so that we - and others - can have some tomorrows.

Because whatever we're doing now doesn't even rank compared to what others have endured.

Because as much as we all love the beach, it's hardly the only spot on the planet that stands out.

Because memories can be made anywhere we wish. Anytime, too. And today is as good a time as any to make some new ones.

#delray #beach #florida #atlantic #ocean #throwback #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #waves #water #weather #wx #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - On Tomcats

I'm a fan of many things, but technology and aviation consistently rank near the top of my list.

They're intricately connected, of course, and they've both played an integral role in how my life has unfolded thus far.

I'm also a fan of long-form journalism, the kind of feature writing that digs deep into a story and imprints itself on your psyche. And if it moves me, then I hope it moves you, too.

That's the thinking behind the #IfYouReadOneThingToday series, and it explains why I've selected this particularly brilliant, personal story.

I hope you enjoy this read as much as I did:

The Secret History of the First Microprocessor, the F-14, and Me

By Sarah Fallon

Wired

December 2020

(Alternate link in case you hit the paywall: https://pocket.co/xhksJU)

The things we see in wintry parking lots

Blowing in the wind
London, ON
December 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Photography happens in the strangest of places, in the strangest of ways. But only if we're open to the possibility.

Exhibit A: Christmas Day, 12:29 p.m. I'm in a snowy parking lot on the western edge of town, where I've come to pick up lunch for the fam. We are, of course, following the time-honored Jewish tradition of picking up Chinese food on Christmas Day. Because nothing says Jewish like Chinese food. (And cue the judgy emails in 3, 2, 1...)

Setting aside the whole kosher thing for a bit, I focus on the task at hand. Which involves taking a photo amid a seriously intense lake effect storm. I magically had my camera with me, because part of me hoped the forest across from the resto would offer up something worth shooting.

I also wanted to try out the similarly time-worn photographer's trick of shooting through an open car window to minimize the potential of getting rain or snow on the lens. I'm strange that way.

Thankfully, the weather cooperated, and I liked what I saw enough to strategically park the car and grab a few million pixels.

I shot 11 frames over a 2-minute span - all the same variation of the photo you see here - then buttoned everything up and headed back to grab lunch and head home. I rather like the composition, the tone, and the flecks of snow, frozen in space above the top of the snow-covered rushes.

But beyond the visuals, I rather like how it makes me feel, how it reminds me of a smallish moment in the history of our family. A moment where all was right within our little world despite the storm brewing just outside.

Trivial? Of course. But I'm slowly learning that not everything needs to be monumental or eventful. And when you add up all the little moments like this one, you end up with a pretty substantial pile of triviality.

Which, on reflection, isn't so trivial at all.

#ldnont #hyde #park #london #ontario #canada #forest #tree #trees #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #winter #weather #wx #onstorm #mandarin #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #d750 #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

Escaping to an overgrown landscape, November 2020

The subtle art of finding colour, November 2020

The power of puppy socks

Happy feet, far from home
Orlando, FL
March 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Conventional wisdom has taught us that a pair of socks with paw prints all over them won't make much of a difference in the trajectory of the planet.

Conventional wisdom can stuff it.

Because this particular pair of socks, shot in a distant hotel room during a business trip, made me smile at a time when I needed a reason to smile.

I was in Orlando this past March, just days before the first COVID-19 lockdowns began. Murmurings were sweeping through the hotel, and people were worried. About gathering amid uncertainty. About getting home safely. About not getting sick along the way.

While wearing a certain pair of socks had no hope of stopping the wave that was to come, it became a topic of blessedly trivial conversation over breakfast. And again at lunch. These stupid socks somehow became the blessedly light-hearted break so many of us needed.

Despite our now-sequestered lives, I still look for the fun-themed socks when I need a dose of happiness. And I'm not so naive that I believe the impact ends with me: a well-timed sock-filled screen during a Microsoft Teams meeting has the same effect on colleagues, too.

Indeed, we never know how that one simple moment will ripple out into the universe. It may start small, but it doesn't have to stop there. History proves it won't.

So, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is a simple one:

1. Find your favorite pair of fun-themed socks - or anything fun-themed, really.
2. Take a photo of them. Or of yourself - or anyone else - wearing them.
3. Share the photo here.

Small things. Big impact. Go.

#orlando #florida #fla #throwback #conference #hilton #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #sock #selfie #hotel #room #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #google #pixel2 #teampixel #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

My big, old, magical plane, March 2020

When clouds look like fish, March 2020

Don't play with fire, except..., March 2020

Mountain of glass(es), March 2020

Before hitting the stage..., March 2020

Lost pink sock, August 2015

Thankfully staring out the window

Snow angles (not a typo)
London, ON
December 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Santa Claus didn’t come to our house last night. I’m thinking it may have something to do with the fact that we’re Jewish.

Or the fact that I used to mock him as he welcomed children into his village at the mall.

Or my lifelong doubts over his ability to fit down our chimney. Or any chimney, for that matter.

Whatever the reason, today is resonant regardless of who we are, who we worship, or what we choose to call ourselves. It’s a reminder to us all that family is always paramount, home is where we feel whole, and time is our most precious resource.

It’s also a reminder that many of us have been privileged with gifts of many forms - while others have not.

As I sit in my warm, comfortable home taking barely-artful pictures of fresh-fallen snow out the window, I say a quiet thank you to the forces of the universe that have allowed me to have what I have.

You may or may not have had anything under the tree this morning, but I’m reasonably sure if you’re reading this that you’ve got ample reason to celebrate. I hope you cherish your gifts not only today, but every other day of the year.

Because we shouldn’t ever have to wait to be thankful for all we have and all we are.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #christmas #holiday #weareone #winter #snow #weather #wx #photography #apple #iPhone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

The Physics of Santa Claus, December 2004

Saying hi to Santa, May 2012

Staring down at the Arctic Ocean, December 2012

A different kind of beach

Reflecting on the forces of nature
Port Burwell, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Part of me would like to conjure up my best pirate accent and narrate this scene with a perfect "The seas were angry..." monologue.

But this is a lake, not a sea. And the size of the waves suggests not so much anger as, I suspect, mild irritation.

But I share this particular image on this particular day because of a rather particular reason.

See, with few exceptions most of us are waiting for this year to end. We've rightfully consigned 2020 to the lousy pile, and eagerly await the promise of 2021, namely a vaccine that works, a population generally smart enough to take advantage of it, and at least the beginnings of a return to whatever we call normal.

But that won't happen overnight, and much of 2021 will likely feel a lot like 2020. Which means holding on until the light gets brighter. And holding on to snippets like the one you see here.

Or finding ways to steal out to places that inspire us. That make us think a little. That allow us to get away, even if only for a brief period of time. That remind us how small we truly are in the overall context of the planet. That reinforce the power that defines life here - power that predated COVID, that will be reshaping beaches and landscapes long after all this is over.

I'll be back on this beach before long. It won't be remotely warm, or lined with palms. I'll be wearing a parka instead of shorts. The sand will likely be frozen hard. I'll probably complain the entire time. But if it offers up a sliver of reflection and escape in a year that needed more of both, I'll take it.

#port #burwell #ontario #canada #beach #great #lake #erie #waves #water #sand #weather #wx #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

No longer just a kid, September 2020

Welcoming the New Year, Differently, September 2020

Bench by the water, October 2020

Ice amid flowing water

Life in many forms
London, ON
December 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Frozen. Not the movie.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #water #ice #frozen #thames #river #walkabout #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #d750 #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Reflecting in a frozen parking lot

Welcome back, old friend
London, ON
January 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Once upon a time, I dropped the kids off at school on my way to work, an ordinary start to an ordinary day.

On this particularly frigid January morning almost four years ago, the skies were just starting to put on a show as I slowly left campus on my way downtown. It’s one of the upsides of long Canadian winters: the timing works out perfectly for a spectacular show.

But only if we look up.

And on that morning, I looked up.

Fast-forward to 2020. Yesterday was winter solstice, the dawn of a new season and the shortest day of the darkest year. Every day from here on out gets longer. The angles of the light will also change. Brighter, tighter, more intense, warmer.

Look up, of course, but also look more closely. Appreciate the tones, the shades, the warmth.

Because even the darkest, coldest nights don’t stand a chance once the sun decides to show up. Just imagine what else we’d discover in empty early-morning parking lots if only we took the time to stop and look around.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #sky #sunrise #dawn #reflective #reflection #orange #clouds #light #weather #wx #abstract #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #car #carporn #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Light, up close

An evening at the beachside BurgerFi
Delray Beach, FL
July 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Light is a fascinatingly multitalented thing. It shows the way, inspires action, banishes the darkness, and fights evil.

I've got about 300 words at my disposal to explain how it works, but I'd rather you simply close your eyes and figure out how to harness it.

Because all of us have that power within us. How we exercise it is entirely our call.

#delray #beach #delraybeach #florida #throwback #random #light #bulb #led #power #lines #geometry #design #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

City held hostage

A business model that makes no sense
London, ON
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

London’s downtown core is filled with empty buildings, many of them plastered with signs begging someone, anyone, to rent them.

You’d think they’re devoid of economically viable human activity because of the pandemic. You’d think wrong, as I shot this in January, and scenes like this have defined the landscape for years.

At some point, we’ll emerge from this historic cacophony, and I imagine we’ll spend years thereafter blaming COVID for all that ails us.

But let’s be honest with ourselves: the planet was broken long before a certain virus decided to go on its first world tour.

And fixing it won’t be as straightforward as giving everyone a shot in the arm.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #random #urban #downtown #richmond #street #monochrome #photography #building #architecture #ruinporn #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #google #pixel2 #teampixel #lifeinthemargins #family #everything