The view under the pier

Standing firm
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Whenever we come here, I like to stand in this very spot under the pier for what seems like an inordinately long time.

I’ll quietly watch the waves roll in and crash into the footings. Again and again, an endlessly shifting kaleidoscope of water, spray, color, light, and energy.

I’ll think about what it took to build a structure capable of withstanding the relentless power of the ocean. Wave after wave. Day after day. Year after year.

I’ll also think about the people who built this pier, a strip of territory in a place where such things probably shouldn’t exist.

Yet this one does. This backdrop to so many moments in my family’s history, in photos of our kids as they played in the sand, unaware of the turbulence playing out around them. This constant, comforting beacon to us as we visited this resonant place on too many vacations to count.

Too many by one estimate. Not enough by every other.

Today, it’s just me in the shadows. The waves glow a shade of green I’ve never seen before. A sign, perhaps, that you can return to the places that shaped you, but the story always has new chapters to be written.

So we stand in the shadows in the places that once meant - and still mean - something to us, and hope we’re taking enough time to let their ever-evolving message sink in.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #pier #green #blue #gameoftones #waves #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Winter takes one last shot

Blanket in the valley
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Winter decided she wasn’t quite done with us yet. So it felt entirely appropriate to wander over to the valley and watch it get painted white one last time before the final melt.

Social media might have exploded with coast-to-coast-to-coast complaining, but this is one of those unique facets of Canadian life that defines who we are.

The experience - a short, sharp storm that just as quickly turned to sunshine - served as a reminder that Planet Earth is, still and always, a tempestuous, unpredictable, even dangerous place. But she’s also beautiful, resonant, and breathtaking.

This was, and is, just as true on every coast as it was, and is, in this small wooded valley close to home.

Soon enough all this will change again, from white to green. And some folks will still find it in them to complain. But not me.

I’ll be the guy wandering back to this place so I can have my breath taken away yet again.

May it never get old.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #winter #snow #onstorm #medway #valley #heritage #forest #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Holding the keys to the keyboard

Touch this
London, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

My keyboard has apparently been quietly trying to send me a message:

• Be prepared to shift your perspective.
• Control yourself.
• Keep your options open.
• Command the situation.

Or maybe it’s more than one message.

Whatever.

What matters is the fact that lessons always seem to be hiding in plain sight. And it’s our call - option, even - to take the time to take them in.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #logitech #mac #computer #keyboard #random #homeoffice #writerlife #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

A memorable evening at the Neptune Diner

Dinner is served
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Once upon a time, we stopped what we were doing and shot artistic photos of our food.

It’s safe to say Instagram became a cultural force thanks to influencers who turned their restaurant tables into mini-studios, often to the detriment of the poor folks who shared their tables.

I don’t think resto-table-photography is as much of a thing anymore, as the really cool social media influencers have moved onto TikTok, and they’re more into dancing on rooftops and beating each other up with pool noodles in the never-ending quest to go viral. Kids these days.

But I had a resto-table-moment the other night, and suddenly I was back on Instagram seeking years-old glory through a lens.

The place was the Neptune Diner, a delightful recent addition to London’s trendy downtown Richmond Row. For years, this building housed Prince Albert’s Diner, and while the new place has nothing to do with the old, a steady trickle of customers still asked about it as they took their first sip of a 50s-style milkshake across the formica counter.

The space was filled with lovely people, great food, and a checkerboard floor underpinning brushed steel and period-perfect vinyl. Just across from us, a customer wearing a green Power Rangers suit finished his meal, amiably chatted with the just-as-amiable server, tucked his wallet into his superhero fanny pack, and went on his way. It was impossible to sit beside the teal-tinted wall and not smile.

So when the food arrived, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to remember the moment with a photo. On the one hand it was a perfectly laid out plate of edible nostalgia. On the other hand, it was a placeholder for a moment I didn’t want to end.

This is why local matters. This is why communities thrive when places like this take root. This is what we lose if we don’t support them.

Next time, we’ll go for milkshakes, too. Photos will, of course, be taken.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #food #foodporn #diner #burger #random #restaurant #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Facing the waves head-on

Shades of green
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Ocean waves are born of forces both mysterious and intense.

They’ll seemingly rise out of nowhere, turning once-calm waters into churning riots of energy and color.

They’ll pile into the shore relentlessly, with barely enough time to recover from one set before the next one hits.

They’ll take down everyone and everything in their path.

And when they do, we get back up so we can face the next swell.

Head-on.

Because in the ocean as in life, there is no other choice.

We can’t turn off the turbulence, after all. But we can certainly control our ability to steel ourselves against it.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #green #blue #gameoftones #waves #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Raging over really expensive lemon cake

Here's how it started:

I tweeted this: "Hey Sobeys, I think you might have misplaced the decimal."

Here's how it ended:

Yahoo News Canada picked up the story - and my appreciation for giving this issue the attention it deserves:

'Sobeys, do better': Lemon cake for $54.99 sparks question – how do grocery stores set these prices, anyway?

An Ontario shopper spotted such a high-priced dessert - he thought it was a typo: Turns out, it wasn't

By Elianna Lev

Yahoo News Canada

March 28, 2023

Skyscraper in progress

Taking shape
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

People will eventually live here.

Until then, though, hundreds of other people who are experts in crafting somethings from nothings will create the spaces in which lives will be lived and memories will be made.

For now they’re concrete slabs, open to the elements.

But close your eyes and imagine the future stories, yet to be told.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #city #downtown #construction #talbot #street #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - Gordon Moore has left us

We have lost a giant of modern computing, the man behind Moore’s Law and the driving force behind the technology you’re probably using to read this post.

Gordon E. Moore, Intel Co-Founder Behind Moore's Law, Dies at 94

By Katie Hafner and Holcomb B. Noble

The New York Times

March 24, 2023

The red valve by the ocean

Grab on
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Part of me wants to imagine that a few turns of this valve would let out just enough water from the ocean to reverse rising sea levels and preserve the future of coastal communities like this one.

Part of me wishes the solutions to complex problems could be this simple.

Part of me still needs to dream.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #pier #texture #red #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Looking into - and beyond - dark waters

Textured waves on a a cloudy day
Boynton Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The water only seems dark.

It merely shapes itself to all that is around it, the curve of the surrounding wetlands, the color of the sky above.

The one constant is the life it barely conceals. Impossibly vibrant and diverse. Integrally critical to those who stand above. Or those who never even visit this reverent place.

Those first impressions can be tricky indeed. We owe it to ourselves to hang around long enough to consider what we’re really seeing. And what it really means.

#boynton #beach #florida #greencay #wetlands #vacation #throwback #water #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

White lines. Blue sky.

Where's my ruler?
Boca Raton, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Straight lines against a brilliant blue sky.

Simple.

Or maybe not.

#bocaraton #florida #vacation #throwback #travel #hotel #blue #sky #weather #wx #building #geometry #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Reflecting pool, fading light, February 2023

When infinity...isn't, February 2023

Looking up, looking back, February 2023

Blue ice on a dirty road

The plus side of winter
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Beauty is everywhere.

Even at your feet.

Just look for it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #abstract #xray #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Let the bike season begin

Shaking off winter's dust
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was time for the rubber to hit the road.

So yesterday I rolled out the beater bike, topped off the tires, wiped the dust off, and pointed the front wheel away from home.

The mission was identical to other first rides: spin the legs and make sure they still work; shake the bike down and make sure it still works; feel that wondrous feeling of balance you only get by riding a bike.

The data from the Garmin was far from impressive, but I don’t ride for numbers. I ride because once not so long ago I couldn’t walk or speak after my brain had an unplanned reboot.

I ride to prove to myself that I still can. That I can spin my legs and feel the wind on my face and the ripples of the asphalt through my fingertips. That the faster I go, the more balanced I feel. That I’m not just surviving post-stroke, but I’m thriving.

Maybe that’s how I feel about everything I do. Maybe every article I write, interview I do, or talk that I give is a giant middle finger to the universe, another affirmation that I won’t simply let uncontrollable things happen to me without at least trying to control them right back.

Maybe that’s why a Very Bad Thing may not have been Very Bad at all.

Because I used to just ride without giving it much thought. But now it’s an experience to be savored.

Just like every other experience - on a bike or not - since that life-changing moment where it could have all gone away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #pink #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #firstride #instabike #random #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

On-the-road selfie, October 2022

Lines by the side of the road, June 2022

Cast a giant (round) shadow, June 2022

Back in the saddle, April 2022

Let's roll, shall we? March 2022

The view from my handlebars, September 2021

The corn grows tall here, September 2021

The shadowed bicycle, August 2021

Wheel meets grass, August 2021

Riding my bike to see the corn, July 2021

Bright lights among the stalks, July 2021

The orange machine heads west, July 2021

Today was a day... June 2021

When cows become cyclists. Next Geraldo. June 2021

Hanging out with the cows, June 2021

Golden hour by the side of the road, June 2021

Early morning rides through the countryside, June 2021

Cycling from pink to orange, June 2021

Hitting the road, again and again, April 2021

Pink bike. Red protector. April 2021

And we ride... April 2021

Back to 2 wheels, March 2020

This is why I ride, May 2019

The first ride, April 2019

Where old bikes go to die, April 2019

Pink bike in a blue studio, August 2015

Kindly make room for cyclists, November 2014

Rolling out, rolling on, April 2014

Do bikes belong here? October 2011

Scrubbing away the years, March 2010

Where the rubber hits the road, July 2007

Cranked, July 2006

Always look to the sky

There's beauty in turbulence
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

No matter how stormy things may be down below, there’s always clear blue sky above.

So let’s look up, then.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #waves #surf #green #water #blue #sky #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #gopro #goprohero #adventure #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Thanking the invisible brick-layer

Crafted shelter
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m out for a walk with the Wonderschnauzer, and while she’s busy sniffing the half-frozen grass at the foot of this brick wall, I find myself staring at the mason’s handiwork.

I do this often - stare at things while waiting for her to finish up. Or anyone/anything else, for that matter. Some folks scroll Facebook or TikTok to pass the time. I observe.

I like to call these in-between moments, little slivers of time that might otherwise fade from memory because they aren’t monumental.

But the thing is, who decides what is - or is not - monumental? Or otherwise worth remembering? Or somehow worth holding onto.

Years ago, someone built this wall. Brick by brick, using techniques handed down through generations. Today, someone lives within this wall, safe from the world outside, because of a stranger’s expertise.

We all live better lives because strangers came before them and worked to benefit others they’d never meet. The least we can do is try to mark their passage, their contribution, their impact in some small way.

Monumental? There’s only one answer.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #city #brick #perspective #texture #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Chasing rainbows at the beach

All are welcome
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Color is everywhere.

That is all.

For now.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #rainbow #umbrella #atlantic #ocean #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Quoted - taking pics of dead bodies

Easily one of the more jarring stories I’ve commented on - and a reminder to families of the need to include digital assets in end-of-life planning discussions. Uncomfortable? Sure. But so is running facial rec on dead bodies at the funeral home.

Families locked out of dead relatives' phones face 'grisly problem' accessing fingerprint, FaceID

CTV News Toronto

Natalie Johnson

March 14, 2023

Green Cay green leaf

Patterns in nature
Boynton Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Never doubt what sunlight, water, earth, and nutrients can accomplish.

Remarkable things can happen when all these resources come together for the common good.

But nothing happens at all if these things stay in their respective corners.

Lesson for humanity, perhaps?

#boynton #beach #florida #greencay #wetlands #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #green #leaf #abstract #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Airport at rest

Shadows at Pearson
Mississauga, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Before we leave the planet for a little while, there’s always enough time to stop and reflect on what’s about to happen.

So we stare out the window and wonder about what will be.

Somehow, this cuts this enormously overwhelming place down to size.

#pearson #international #airport #toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #yyz #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Quoted - on AI and airplanes

I have many thoughts about AI. And airplanes. And AI and airplanes together.

Cybersecurity expert has questions about Toronto Pearson's new AI partnership

CTV Toronto

Phil Tsekouras

March 15, 2023