Little Man: not so little anymore

Lilly meets Funcle Noah for the first time
Dryden, ON
June 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

And just like that, he’s 22.

Noah is our youngest, our baby, and it feels like we blinked, like he grew into this funny, smart, kind, driven, remarkable human faster than we could register.

That’s how time works when you’re having fun, though. It moves fast. It’s filled with rich memories. And when you’re this guy’s parent, it changes you for the better - as it does everyone lucky enough to have been connected with him.

If you know him, you love him. And in this photo taken just last month, Lilly is learning this first-hand as she meets her Funcle Noah for the first time. Just as we surrounded him with family from the moment he first arrived, he now does the same for her.

It’s been a big year for him - studying at university, moving into his first apartment, working at a job he loves - and we know the coming year will be filled with even more opportunity and change. That’s how he operates, though, filling each day with things, and moments and people, that (and who) matter.

Today we’ll celebrate him with cake and candles and somewhat harmonized song. But here’s the thing with Noah: he makes every day worthy of celebrating. From spontaneous dinners and texted song recos to hugging his mom and being there for his beloved sibs, he’ll turn the ordinary into a moment worth holding onto.

He’s learned well. Happy birthday, not-so-little-anymore-man. Know you’re loved.

#LiveLaughLevy #ldnont #dryden #ontario #canada #happy #birthday #birthdayboy #happybirthday #parenthood #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

Little Man is now legal. Everywhere. July 2021

Little Man finishes his teens, July 2020

Little Man enters adulthood, July 2019

Babies turn 18 faster than we think, July 2018

The age of 17, July 2017

Sweet 16. July 2016

A decade-and-a-half, July 2015

Noah. 14. July 2014

Getting reflective in a sweltering park

There are two sides to every story
Arva, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was a lousy day for photography.

Between muddy light, stifling heat and humidity, and a tiny insect that somehow managed to weasel itself inside my camera, I probably should have bailed before I left the house.

But I went anyway, because there are never enough days to do the things that matter, and it’s always a worthwhile challenge to tease out something workable from a scenario that literally doesn’t want to have its picture taken.

In other words, game on.

So I wandered a quiet neighborhood north of the city and waited for my annoyed brain to be triggered by something. Or anything.

Eventually I found a bench beside a pond, and as I sat there trying - futilely - to resolve my little bug issue, the reflections in the water caught my eye. I had my trigger.

I shot in between the bug wandering into and out of the viewfinder, and in the end I think I managed to bring home a few pixels that justified all the day’s frustration.

The lesson, I think, is a simple one: ignore the voices inside and outside your head that try to prevent you from venturing out. You’ll see things differently when you do, and the journey is always worth it.

Because we never know how many opportunities we’ll be given.

#ldnont #london #arva #ontario #canada #weldonpark #walkabout #forest #tree #trees #water #reflection #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

The deep end of the lake, August 2021

The final waves of the day, July 2021

Playing with light, water, and time, May 2020

Watching the waves roll in, February 2020

Stare into the reflective waters, December 2019

Counting the things that cannot be counted, October 2013

Shadows on the water, December 2012

Thematic Photographic 13 - Watery, August 2008

Looking over the railing, January 2007

You're a berry good bird

Almost lunchtime
Grand Bend, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It had been a while since I dug my feet into the sand and chased seagulls across the beach.

So we loaded the car up and took a drive. The weather, um, didn’t cooperate, and we drove through increasingly intense rainstorms almost all the way to the lake. Not my finest weather-predicting hour.

The rains eventually gave way to a grudgingly grey sky. Not a prototypically glorious sunny day, but we reminded ourselves of those two magical words: good enough.

The gulls didn’t seem to care, and eventually I trotted off for a spontaneous action photography session with them by the water.

They didn’t disappoint. And as I madly tried to track them through the sky, I thought about how much fun it was to disconnect from the rest of the world and just do one simple thing in one simple moment, to the exclusion of everything else.

I didn’t realize how much I had missed the singular joy of putting my eye up to the viewfinder and watching birds do their thing.

They may be the scavengers of the sky, but their power to light up the souls of strangers is as unmatched as it’s ever been.

#grand #bend #grandbend #ontario #canada #beach #great #lake #huron #bird #birds #gull #seagull #flight #sky #summer #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Poetry in a clear blue sky, July 2020

When a bird chases the sunset, July 2020

My father's pelican, December 2019

Playing peekaboo with the birds, November 2019

Taking off into the unknown, February 2019

Two birds, one sky, January 2018

Headed out to sea, January 2018

High-g turn, January 2018

Pelican on final approach, January 2018

The Pelican Brief, January 2018

Big beak, setting sun, January 2018

A bird dances above turbulent waters, September 2017

Through my daughter's eyes, August 2013

Thematic Photographic 228 - Faves of the Year, December 2012

Bird on a...car, December 2012

On curved wings, February 2011

Caption This 80, July 2008

Gull flies on New Year's Day, January 2007

Made a new friend at the beach, January 2007

Free bird. Distant sun. October 2006

Tall corn and drive-through coffee

Before it becomes popcorn
Parkhill, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Beauty can be found in the most obscure places, even at the edge of a Tim Hortons parking lot.

The corn reaches for the sky here, not far from where drive-through customers wait in never-ending lines for their pre-fab coffee and donuts.

No one notices the farming miracle playing out mere inches away from them, so busy they are trying to navigate the tight confines of the drive-through lane.

The things we miss when we’re focused on the things that don’t necessarily bring us joy.

#parkhill #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travel #timhortons #farm #farming #corn #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Listening to the grasses in the winds, March 2022

An almost-monochrome throwback, November 2021

Life outside a smalltown Tim Hortons, October 2021

The corn grows tall here, September 2021

Bright lights among the stalks, July 2021

Riding my bike to see the corn, July 2021

Hitting the road, again and again, April 2021

Fear Factor, July 2007

One last show of brilliance

'Night
London, ON
June 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Life lesson #742 in a series: never miss an opportunity to allow the universe to take your breath away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #clouds #silhouette #walkabout #hydepark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

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When twilight fades, June 2022

Long after the sun sets, May 2022

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Golden Hour over Wonderland Road, November 2020

A perfectly imperfect sunset, June 2019

Another hilltop sunset, May 2018

Sunset from the parking lot on the hill, December 2017

Looking for a hidden sunset, August 2016

Sunset in a faraway place, July 2015

Lights out in the midwest, June 2012

Thematic Photographic 5 - Sky, July 2008

Dog hogs the remote

I've got my eye on you
London, ON
May 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Are you absolutely sure you want to take the remote away from me?

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

Standing in the very middle of the country

Primary colors
Taché, MB
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Welcome to the Centre of Canada Park.

If you blink, you’ll miss this spot just off the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Winnipeg.

It’s where some kind, community-minded souls decided to carve out a bit of farmland to put up a billboard to celebrate - what else? - the longitudinal middle of this vast country.

Never mind the debate over where the actual, geographic middle of Canada truly is, or whether such a determination is even possible given our complex, varied coastlines and borders.

What matters is that this place exists at all, that weary travellers have a quiet spot to rest, reflect, shoot weird pictures, and laugh a little before continuing their journey.

Even better, no one’s trying to sell you anything here. Just stop, hang out, and leave when you’re ready.

True to form, the thing that grabbed me wasn’t the selfie-worthy billboard or the giant red Muskoka chairs. It was this pretty red service building tucked off to the side, ignored by the clumps of road-tripping parents and kids who intermittently wandered through this place on this brilliantly sunny and hot afternoon.

It felt very Canadian to focus on the underdog. So I did just that before we got back in the car and continued on our way.

#tache #manitoba #mb #centreofcanada #canada #farm #country #roadside #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #blue #sky #red #architecture #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

The things we see in farm country, July 2021

Playing in the water, metaphorically

Transient
Ingall Falls, near Dryden, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As kids, we played endlessly in and beside the water. Getting soaked was part of the deal, and it was the very definition of gleeful fun.

As adults, we stopped playing.

As I stood on the spray-slicked rocks and carefully shot the midstream rapids, I asked myself why.

I had no answer, but I promised myself I’d return to places like this, as often as necessary, to figure it out.

#dryden #ingallfalls #ontario #canada #forest #river #water #rocks #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Water in many forms, December 2020

The energy at the edge of the planet, March 2019

Same day, same beach, March 2019

Pounding surf on a windy day, April 2018

Returning... January 2018

Relentless, pounding surf, January 2018

Splat goes the ocean, January 2018

Broken wave. Or not. July 2012

Where waves go to die, June 2012

The end of the big blue ocean, June 2012

A dead tree tells its story

Through the years
London, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A big old tree in the neighborhood had to be cut down, its remnants left unceremoniously in a roadside ditch.

I stared at one of the sliced-away sections, its rings silently echoing a half-century of history.

I couldn’t continue past this scene without wondering about the stories reflected in each ring - and the fact that they remained hidden for so long, revealed only after the chainsaws had come and gone.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #hydepark #walkabout #forest #tree #trees #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Po returns to the skies

Someone isn't a Teletubby fan
Hamilton, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Po took her first ride on an airplane in 28 months - and her first flight ever on a Boeing 737 MAX.

Thankfully we landed safely, though I’m pretty sure the lady to frame left was not amused when I paused for the Teletubby selfie just before we deplaned.

Oh well. Everyone else smiled, which is all that mattered.

#hamilton #ontario #canada #po #teletubby #red #random #travel #roadtrip #vacation #cominghome #flight #aviation #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

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Where Po craves ice cream, August 2021

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Teletubbies need groceries, too, December 2013

Po, the CBC, and me, July 2012

Teletubby in the sky, May 2012

Caption This 14, April 2007

Where do you want to go today? April 2006

Deer cubed

Lollipop?
Dryden, ON
June 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Good things, like deer, come in threes. Which explains this third-in-a-row photo.

They regularly wander through the neighborhood where our son and daughter-in-law live.

And one day soon, I imagine our granddaughter will be just as enthralled with them as we are.

#dryden #ontario #canada #walkabout #deer #bambi #wildlife #outdoors #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded

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Bambi returns, July 2022

Oh deer! July 2022

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Bambi returns

Is that a tongue?
Dryden, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Another day, another deer pic. Because I really like deer.

Further to yesterday’s shot of a deer momma and her two little ones, I wanted to share this one from the same series.

Taken less than a minute before yesterday’s photo, this one stands out because, well, she’s sticking her tongue out at me.

Razzed by a deer. I’ll take it.

#dryden #ontario #canada #walkabout #deer #bambi #wildlife #outdoors #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Oh deer!

Protective
Dryden, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This lovely creature wandered through the neighborhood the other day, stopping occasionally to feed her two spotted fawns. I quietly followed the three of them from a distance, hoping a long lens and some hastily contrived deer impressions would help me record the moment.

(Quick aside: my deer impressions are terrible. I’ll stick to the writing and technology thing.)

Eventually, momma deer must have taken pity on me, as she approached where I was standing, carefully positioning herself between me and her munchkins. We stared at each other for what seemed like an age as I silently wished she knew I meant them no harm. It felt like she was staring into my soul.

Soon enough, she turned back toward them and they sauntered off to the next block, leaving precious pixels and memories in their wake.

I’ve got to learn how to speak deer. Maybe that should be my next summer project.

#dryden #ontario #canada #walkabout #deer #bambi #wildlife #outdoors #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Ten wrinkled weiners

Processed meat still-life
London, ON
June 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Weird moments in still-life photography: 10 wrinkled wieners.

Because it’s summer, the world can be frightening, and we all need a reason to smile - even if said reason is a pointless, trivial photo of processed meat products.

On second thought, maybe none of this is pointless after all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #hotdog #meat #carnivore #food #foodporn #texture #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

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Color your morning, December 2019

Guacamole frenzy! May 2018

And in the morning, I'm making waffles (redux), January 2018

One dozen donuts in a box, December 2016

Put on a happy face, August 2006

And in the morning, I'm making waffles, February 2006

Fat Albert from another angle

Lift vs. drag
Hamilton, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Boeing’s 737 has never been the prettiest thing in the sky.

It’s easy to understand why: when they set out to create a short-range, twin-jet almost 60 years ago, the company’s engineers basically took the fuselage of a 707, lopped off a good chunk of its length, and mounted it on landing gear low enough to allow easy access at smaller airports.

It was lovingly nicknamed Fat Albert because of its short, pudgy look, and the name has stuck as Boeing has stretched and morphed the original design into today’s ill-starred MAX models. But it’s easy to see those old, chunky bones if you look closely enough. Check out the entry for “Frankenplane” in the dictionary and you’ll see a 737.

And yet, if you look at something Just So, sometimes you’ll see an angle or a facet that betrays that engineered-in ugliness.

So when I found myself staring straight-on at the wing and split-scimitar winglet of a 737-800 Next-Gen, I paused for a few minutes to take in its perfectly engineered loveliness.

Nice job, Boeing, even if you’re long past the point at which you should have come up with a clean-sheet design for the rest of the plane.

#hamilton #international #airport #ontario #canada #yhm #road #trip #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #swoop #flight #flying #aviation #boeing #boeing737 #avgeek #plane #planes #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

When giant planes disappear forever, November 2020

Climbing out of Pearson, November 2019

Swooping in from a grey sky, September 2019

A dark day for aviation, March 2019

Hurtling headlong into a rainy sky, November 2018

Celebrating Winglet Wednesday, November 2013

Before she takes flight, November 2013

Light dancing on a winglet, June 2012

Pretty plane (757 at rest), January 2007

My badass 5G adventure

Avoiding arrest. This time.
Dryden, ON
July 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every once in a while, the little voices in my head that come up with photo ideas manage to overcome common sense.

Exhibit A: this lovely transmission tower. On a perfectly clear morning, it called to me from the sky, a veritable beacon of technology that usually fades into the background of modern life.

But you know me: nothing fades. And nothing is too trivial.

The problem was one of location: it sat in back of the local Bell building. I didn’t technically see any no-trespassing signs, but I was rather sure the folks who work there wouldn’t take kindly to strangers walking around the property.

But I was having one of those visions of mine, and I really wanted the shot. So I wandered out back and worked as quickly as I could.

In the wake of The Great Rogers Meltdown of 2022, it makes sense - to me, anyway - to shed a little light on the hardware that (usually) connects us across this vast country and beyond.

Even if I have to break a rule or two along the way.

#dryden #ontario #canada #tower #rogers #bell #telecom #perspective #design #lines #engineering #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Parking lot power trip, May 2021

Rebuilding the sky, March 2019

Life after Frosted Flakes, March 2019

The wires that connect us, June 2018

Touch the sky, October 2011

Thematic Photographic 168 - Metallica, October 2011

Super soakers of the sky, May 2011

Flying fish over #LdnONT

Swim, little one, swim!
London, ON
June 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Just in case we’re looking for proof that fish can fly…

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #weather #wx #fish #silhouette #walkabout #forest #tree #trees #jaycee #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

PODCAST: Lessons to my Younger Self

I am beyond honoured that Sam East invited me onto her amazing podcast, Lessons to my Younger Self. In this latest episode, we talk about my stroke, and what I learned in the process.

I hope my experience offers up some light to you all, no matter what you've been through in your own life. Enjoy - and when you're done, please subscribe. We'd all be better people if we followed her work.

Find the episode here.

Here's what Sam had to say:

Mensch (noun, Yiddish): a person of integrity and honour. Also the first word that comes to mind when I think of Carmi Levy 🙌🏼

You might know Carmi as the very insightful technology journalist, who's been making appearances on Canadian TV for years. You might not know that Carmi suffered a very unexpected stroke in 2013 - an experience that he doesn’t shy away from talking about. Nope, Carmi leans all the way into life. And the perspective he has, which is the very essence of carpe diem, is one we could all probably lean into a lot more.

Check out my chat with the amazing Carmi Levy wherever you get your pods 🎧 https://anchor.fm/sameast

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Ketch

Tablecloth abstract

Surreal still life
London, ON
July 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Looks like they’ve found water on the Moon.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #water #droplet #random #stilllife #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

BREAKING: Twitter down. World stops.

Twitter is down globally. Let the conspiracy theories fly.

UPDATE - 8:27 a.m. ET - Aaaaaand we’re back. Service is apparently returning to normal.

Which means today’s weird photo is now live on my feed. Priorities, y’know.

Related:

Twitter service appears to return after outage, July 22