Back to school. Sort of.

Life at the threshold
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Millions of kids in Ontario are returning to class this morning.

To be frank, our provincial government doesn’t have a clue. Fun fact: throughout the pandemic, the province has kept kids home more days than any other North American jurisdiction.

And once we’re piling on, the feds aren’t any better. But this isn’t about politics.

My wife is a teacher, and I joined her yesterday as she got her classroom ready yet again. We’ve been here before, carting her stuff back as she transitions yet again from remote to in-class teaching.

As the clock ticks down to these doors being thrown open, debate rages. Parents fret over what the right choices are. Kids try to shift gears amid a landscape they neither control nor understand. Educators move heaven and earth to keep kids learning despite the challenges. Critics on all sides of the issue miss no opportunity to criticize.

So wherever you may find yourself in this impossibly chaotic mess of politics, community, parenthood, childhood, life, whatever, please give yourself and those around you a break. We’re all just trying to muddle our way through despite checked-out politicians, ignorant populations, and unpredictable variants. There is no ideal path.

And whether or not you and/or your kids will be walking through doors like these today or any day, we’re all simply doing the best we can.

And some days are harder than others. In school. Anywhere.

Please keep this in mind. Please lead with kindness.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #school #backtoschool #teach #teacher #education #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Twin buildings (almost)

Always look up
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Permanent architectural standoff.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #architecture #design #architecturephotography #geometry #building #street #photography #masonville #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

No cars available here

Nature reclaims her territory
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When car dealerships die; next Geraldo.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #oxford #street #old #building #architecture #ruinporn #streetphotography #monochrome #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #google #pixel2 #teampixel #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Same street, different angle

Nearby compression effect
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I've been walking, cycling, and driving this particular stretch of Oxford Street in #LdnONT for more years than I can recall, and I've never seen it quite like this.

I guess if you stand on a traffic-choked street corner, stare into the distance, and squint your eyes just so, you'll see the familiar in an unfamiliar light.

Funny how that works, huh?

#london #ontario #canada #urban #street #photography #oxford #road #traffic #zoom #compression #hydro #wires #utility #electric #company #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Parking lot nightmare

Jammed
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As I stand on the edge of a parking lot the day after Christmas and watch the bargain hunters frantically look for places to park, I can’t help but think we’ve gotten it all wrong.

Sorry, Earth.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #parking #parkinglot #car #cars #street #photography #masonville #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

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A dozen eggs fall in a parking lot..., October 2020

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Driver's Ed dropout, April 2020

Homemade pickup truck, April 2020

Losing Henrietta in an empty parking lot, March 2020

Kiss my asphalt, November 2019

Snowy parking lot in the pre-dawn cold, November 2019

Scene from a (wet) parking lot, September 2019

Homelessness in the light of the 7-Eleven, August 2019

Scene from a parking lot, April 2019

Red-tinged reflection in a parking lot, April 2019

Yellow inspiration at my feet, February 2019

Caught a horse in a parking lot, September 2018

Voices of Fire - in a parking lot, November 2017

Because Mother Nature always wins, September 2012

They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot, December 2006

The lion tree sleeps

Branched
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They say there's no color in winter.

I rather disagree. So would this tree. If it possessed that ability. Story for another day, I guess.

And who are "they", anyway?

Whatever the case, I just can't say no to a bare tree standing on its own in a wintry valley.

And there doesn't have to be a story attached to it as long as it catches your attention.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #walkabout #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

On making mistakes

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

Albert Einstein

 

Mapping the ice fields

Tectonic-like
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On occasion, we'll come across scenes that leave scale completely to the imagination. This could be a close-up/macro shot, or viewed from space, or something in between.

It's one of the many reasons why I freaking love Canadian winters. They play with our brains in ways we can't even anticipate when we first set out on an adventure.

(FWIW, this is river ice from about 4 or 5-ish metres up. It paints a uniquely different picture every time we visit, which is precisely why we keep coming back for more.)

#ldnont #exploreldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #thames #river #water #snow #ice #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The rivers we cross

It's all in the details
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Still waters have always run deep.

But what if the waters are neither still, nor deep? What if this is the scene that presents itself when you stick a camera over the edge of a bridge, point it downward, and gently squeeze off a few frames?

I try to avoid overthinking it, because I AM holding a camera high above flowing water, and I'd rather not have to explain to my wife why I'm putting my beloved Nikon into a giant-sized, rice-filled Ziploc(tm) bag. (Note: no cameras were harmed in the taking of this photo. We're all good.)

My fears of gravity aside, I find places like this - shallow water, clear sights all the way down to the bottom, lots of nooks and crannies to take in - to be kind of addictive. Which is why living in a town criss-crossed by rivers and creeks is another one of those tiny little blessings I should probably spend more time appreciating.

Speaking of overlooking, I'll be the guy by the railing on the bridge. There's always a show going on far below, and I'd hate to miss it.

#ldnont #exploreldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #thames #river #water #rocks #texture #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

On brilliant minds

"Sometimes, the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds."

Diane Ravitch

Fire truck, head-on

Someone to watch over all of us
London, ON
November 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Remembering the day that firefighters visited the neighborhood.

Heroes. All.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #fire #firetruck #firefighter #emergency #ems #random #street #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Watch your step

Level up
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
October 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Conventional wisdom says stairwells aren't worth shooting.

Aren't remotely interesting.

Or unique.

And most people would believe the conventional wisdom and stay away.

As you've probably guessed, I'm not most people.

And I'm guessing neither are you.

It's worth shooting if YOU think it is.

What anyone else thinks is, to be polite, wrong.

Your call. Your lens. Your life.

Happy shooting. See you in the stairwell.

Or wherever else you happen to find some inspiration.

#saultstemarie #ontario #canada #throwback #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #hotel #stairs #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #instagood #photooftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

This way, please

Sign of the times
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Remember those arrow stickers that showed up on the floors of retail stores and other public spaces in the early stages of the pandemic?

They largely disappeared around last summer as we lulled ourselves into believing things would open up soon.

We all know what happened next. And given Omicron's greater transmissibility, it kinda makes sense for strangers to stay as far away from each other as possible.

I can't explain why I chose this particular arrow sticker to shoot. I think freezer aisles with highly polished floors speak to me. And I think looking for the light in strange places like this is one of the ways we're all going to make it through this next chapter.

So if I see you also framing up the supermarket floor the next time I'm there for some double-chocolate ice cream, I'll quietly wave at a distance before leaving you be.

Deal?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #metro #cheapside #adelaide #grocery #shopping #retail #store #arrow #covid #pandemic #kindness #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

6 feet apart, please, August 2021

Sour cream down! June 2021

You don't gotta eat here, May 2021

Signs of the times, May 2021

Please follow the arrows, April 2021

The signs under our feet, April 2020

Grocery Shopping 101 for the Pandemic, April 2020

The lonely icicle

Here for now...
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At first glance it doesn’t look like much: a small-ish icicle hanging under the railing of a pedestrian bridge in the middle of this quiet river valley.

It probably formed in the couple of hours since sunrise, and it’ll probably be gone just as quickly, a victim of meteorology or a curious child passing by.

Yet here I am captivated by it. Why? Not entirely sure. Icicles are rather common in these parts, and I’ve probably encountered - and shot - countless examples over the years.

Still, there’s never been one precisely like this one. All the tiny details in its surface, and and buried deep in its frozen middle, betray every moment of its creation.

It is anonymous, unique, temporary, ignored perfection. And we owe it to ourselves to look a little more closely as we walk past.

Because these things never stick around as long as we’d like them to. Nothing worthwhile ever does.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #winter #icicle #icicleworks #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

Icicles from way above, January 2021

Frozen solid to the ground, December 2019

The Icicle Works, Revisited, February 2019

Icicles - and everything else - are temporary, December 2016

Frozen wonderland, lost to time, June 2012

Thematic Photographic 110 - Blue, August 2010

Thematic Photographic 86 - Water in any form, January 2010

Icy spine, February 2007

The icicle works, February 2006

Branches in ice

Guttered landscape
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’ve been taking entirely too many photos of the icy worlds that form just under our feet.

Which begs the question: how many is too many?

Something tells me we’re not quite there yet. So here’s another one.

I’m like that.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #streetphotography #photography #apple #iPhone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Frozen miracles at our feet, February 2021

Another frozen miracle, February 2021

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Driveway ice show, January 2021

Calli the ice-hunting dog, January 2021

As the snow begins to fall, January 2021

Frozen solid to the ground, December 2019

On ice and life by the river's edge, January 2019

Frozen lights in the sky, January 2007

Winter's new color palette

Random sumac tree
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When your daughter asks you to join her on a hike through the woods on a cold, sunny, windy winter’s day, say yes.

You’ll inevitably see some neat things along the way.

More to come.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #red #stilllife #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Footsteps amid the waves

For now...
Delray Beach, FL
January 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'd like to continue the 10-years-on theme from my last entry with a bit of an observation about beaches: everything is ephemeral here.

Nothing stays the same, on this beach, or any beach, really, for very long. Between wind, waves, animals, and people, anything within your field of view will likely be reshaped within seconds or minutes or hours.

That's the joy of this place, where we can close our eyes for a few seconds, only to open them to an entirely different scene.

It's a small thing, really. But you know how I feel about small things: they're really the big things.

Which is why these are the most giant footsteps imaginable, and I'm lucky to have captured them just after my kids danced through the frame, and just before Mother Nature decided to wield her brush yet again.

#delray #beach #throwback #florida #fla #atlantic #ocean #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #waves #water #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #naturephotography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The 10-year-old wave

Washed away
Delray Beach, FL
January 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Whenever I'm feeling melancholy - which, to be blunt, is often these days - I pop open my photo archives and go back in time.

Sometimes I'll focus on specific milestones, like 10 years ago today.

Which explains why you're looking at a wave mere milliseconds before it ceases to exist as it breaks on the Delray Beach shore. I'm a bit obsessed with waves for reasons that make even less sense to me than they probably make to you.

It's a very Zen thing to stand amid the breaking waves with a lens trained on the churning, foamy, ever-changing surface. You hear and feel the pounding surf and the swirling winds, and you can probably taste the salt in the air, too, as the death-cheating gulls fly frantically mere inches above the roiled waters.

Your brain races as it tries to capture something, anything amid the chaos. It's an insanely fun state to just get lost in. You. The camera. Nature. That's it.

I do this every time we come to this place. Or any other beach-like spot where land ends and water begins, that magical place where worlds collide and the everyday gets put on pause while kids play in the water and adults pretend to be just like them.

We'll get back here eventually, and while the waves and the wind and the screaming gulls will still be there, I probably won't be able to capture this particular scene again. Because randomness only occurs once in a lifetime.

Still, I'm sure whatever I do capture will be just as worthy of reflection later on. A different random, then.

May we all be so lucky to be gifted the time to appreciate it.

#delray #beach #throwback #florida #fla #atlantic #ocean #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #waves #water #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #naturephotography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Light the burners

Everything is a tradeoff
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The afterburner is the ultimate hot rod device, a theoretically simple piece of engineering that literally dumps fuel into the exhaust stream of a jet engine, then lights it.

It's a quick-and-dirty means of giving military planes a huge boost in power, which matters in a business where speed, acceleration, and agility could mean the difference between victory and not getting back home.

Fuel economy? Not so much. A typical F-16 Fighting Falcon in full burner would dry the tanks in 20 minutes. The twin-engined F-14 Tomcat that Tom Cruise flew in Top Gun? Around 10 minutes. The F-35 Lightning's B and C variants can handle about a minute's worth of full burner before the plane's antennae, sensors, and stealth coatings begin to degrade.

So it's a powerful tool, but one best used only when absolutely necessary. But, my, what a sight when it's used during an air show, as this CF-18 from the RCAF demo team illustrates in this photo. I have video of this moment somewhere, as well, but it doesn't do it justice. It's something more felt to the base of one's soul than anything else. And it isn't something that's easily forgotten.

We're in the midst of a long, cold winter - literally and figuratively - so I've been spending more time rooting through my photo logs, lingering over pics that make me feel something. Because photography isn't so much about the picture as it is about the impact it has on your soul.

Pictures of planes impact my soul. What kinds of photos impact yours?

#nikonskydrive @airshowlondon @nikoncanada #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #fa18 #hornet #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins

Snow dusted

Ready for the season
London, ON
November 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The forest shrugs off an early dusting of snow.

Soon enough, there will be more.

Much more.

Can't wait.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #gibbons #park #tvp #thames #river #walkabout #nature #forest #tree #trees #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

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Same trees, slightly different perspective, October 2021

It all started with greyscale, May 2021

The things we see in wintry parking lots, December 2020

Staring at trees beside the Walmart parking lot, September 2019

Trees stand sentinel, November 2017

Thematic Photographic 291 - Chaotic, April 2014

Rotting in plain sight, March 2012

Thematic Photographic 95 - In memory of trees, March 2010

Waiting to pay for my groceries

Automation for all
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m still taking pictures that say “pandemic” to me.

Because someday we’re going to look back at this overly long moment in history, and strange as it may sound now, we’re going to want to remember what it looked and felt like.

So photos like this - of changed landscapes, and maybe even changed people, or both - end up littering the archives. Mine, specifically, and I’m guessing if you think about it, yours, too.

When the first lockdowns were first implemented in March of 2020, our local Loblaws grocery store set up a velvet-rope area where shoppers would line up and wait for an employee to direct them to the next available cashier.

Eventually they replaced the traffic-cop employee with this automated system. Which saddened me then and continues to sadden me whenever I return.

I’m all for technology, after all, but replacing a human with a talking screen, especially now, just feels wrong. It’s a sign that somehow we’ve lost something along the way, an opportunity to connect in some tangible manner with someone at a time where we could all use a little more (safe) connection.

In the bean counter-driven pursuit of bottom-line efficiency, they made the experience less human.

So on a quiet Friday night in an almost empty store, I felt the need to shoot this scene. Because it’ll probably change yet again without warning. And it seems wrong to not do more to freeze it as it currently is, mundane as it might seem at first glance.

On further reflection, nothing is mundane anymore.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #loblaws #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Losing the sun at Loblaws, March 2021

Goodbye, Aunt Jemima & Mrs. Butterworth, July 2020

Loblaws from above, May 2020

Grocery Shopping 101 for the Pandemic, April 2020

Scene from a (wet) parking lot, September 2019

Up, up and away, September 2006

Get your ducks in a row

No goose here
London, ON
November 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The Gibbons Park Council of Ducks is now in session.

On today’s agenda: lunch.

Then, maybe we take a swim.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #gibbons #park #tvp #thames #river #walkabout #birds #ducks #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The PlayPlace falls silent

No kids ever?
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every parent has been here: a McDonald's PlayPlace or its more generic counterpart. Wendy and the Burger so-called King who isn't really a king, I'm looking at you.

Our kids long ago outgrew indoor playgrounds. All playgrounds, really. So it's been a while since I sat in the spine-killing plastic fantastic chairs around the edge, and squeezed myself into the slide when one of our munchkins needed a little extra attention.

I used to good-naturedly mock these places for being filled with germs and other people's bratty kids. But on reflection, they fulfilled a critical role in our growing kids' lives, and they still prompt smiles and memories whenever we come across one.

So when I ended up beside this pandemic-shuttered example one morning last week, I found myself drawn to the glass.

It feels abnormal for places like this to be empty and silent, and I wonder where kids these days blow off steam through vigorous play.

The pandemic is messing with all of us in ways that'll take decades to fully understand. And as trivial as a fast food joint playground might seem, kids not being able to be kids is hardly trivial.

Just add it to the list of things we wish we could fix, but can’t.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #mcdonalds #fastfood #restaurant #parenthood #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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An unplanned evening, November 2005

Babies don't turn 5, do they? July 2005

Balls of color, September 2004

A face in the bark

Magic in nature
London, ON
November 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Ever look at something and think you see something weird? I think this may be one of those photos.

Perhaps the universe is messing with my head. Or maybe I just need to lay off the guacamole.

Anyway, please let me know if you see something here.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #gibbons #park #tvp #thames #river #walkabout #nature #forest #tree #trees #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #photooftheday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

Barking up the right tree, May 2021

The not-so-dead tree stump, January 2021

More warts. More wonder, November 2020

Visiting the Wart Tree, October 2020

Craggy bark deep in the woods, November 2017

History written in a tree trunk, October 2017

Aged wood, August 2006

Winter gets its first blanket

First light of the new year
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The first major snow event of the new year means different things to different people.

Many will grumble at the prospect of digging the car out and clearing the driveway. Or wearing parkas and hats and mitts and whatever else keeps the cold at bay. Or the inevitable melting mess in the vestibule as we return home and try to avoid soaking our socks in an unseen puddle.

Others will welcome it, embrace it, even.

I’m generally in the latter camp. Sure, I resent the shovel as must as anyone, but there’s something resonant about those early hours of a snowfall, when there’s just enough of the white stuff on the ground to mute out the usual sounds of everyday city life, where everything seems to slow down as the planet and its people adjust to the freshly repainted landscape.

Don’t get me wrong: I could live without the melting, slushy mess, the dressup dance we must endure every time we step outside, and the same thing in reverse whenever we return. Or the added dangers on the road. Or the extra time added to ordinarily simple tasks. This winter thing can be exhausting.

But when it’s just you and the dog under a dark grey sky, when you can both hear and feel the driving snow slowly covering the neighborhood, where the snap of the cold on your cheeks makes them feel both numb and alive at the same time, you begin to wonder why anyone wouldn’t want to experience a moment like this at least once.

Maybe I’m a little too Canadian for my own good, and perhaps I wear my optimism a little too proudly on my sleeve. I’m sure I’ll be grumbling soon enough as the brownish sludge soaks through my socks for the third time that day.

But for now, amid the near-silence of the falling snow, it’s enough to stare down the middle of the seemingly endless tire track and wonder about the path that we’re all on, and ask whether we’re doing enough to extract whatever little bits of joy we possibly can.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #random #street #night #snow #winter #weather #wx #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

Chasing snow at night, November 2021

Winter still sucks, February 2020

Snowy parking lot in the pre-dawn cold, November 2019

Fly away home (again), February 2019

Hashtag parking lot, April 2018

Happy girl in the snow, March 2018

Winter arrives. Deal with it. November 2013

The morning after, December 2006

When maple leaves fade

Still here
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Long after its color blazed with glory.

Long after it fell off the tree.

Long after it faded into a crinkly, forgotten mess.

It still had a story to tell.

I keep thinking this singular leaf holds a broader lesson for us.

I keep thinking we need to shift our understanding of what is and is not beautiful.

I keep thinking this is the year we’ll finally figure it out.

Perhaps not.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #suburban #sidewalk #street #brown #leaf #texture #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Look to the light

The origins of life
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Always look to the light.

It’ll show us the way.

Inspire us.

Keep us safe.

Keep us alive, even.

As much as this feels like the right way to start the new year, a little voice inside me says it’ll be just as relevant tomorrow, and every other day that follows.

See you out there.

#london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #weather #wx #tree #trees #silhouette #ross #park #tvp #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #random #photography #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Two minutes to midnight...

2021

-30-

Related:

Original tweet

Wikipedia

Cinderella's house gets lit

It sure looked different back then
Orlando, FL
December 31, 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m generally not one to celebrate arbitrary dates on calendars, because I believe every day is worthy of celebration.

But as 2021 fades into 2022, I’d be remiss if I ignored it completely. Because we’re living through an extraordinary moment in history, and it can’t hurt to put a stamp on our second such celebration under the shadow of an invisible-to-the-naked-eye virus.

What you see here is the fireworks show at Disney’s Magic Kingdom just before we rang in 2020.

What you can’t see is the scene on the ground, with crowds packed so tightly that I literally had strangers standing in my face, and I could barely move my feet on the ground lest I step on theirs.

We had been hearing stories about something called coronavirus coming out of China, but like so many headlines of any given day, we had no clue it would ultimately become a generation-defining global event.

Still, I tossed the headlines around my head as I stood still enough to maintain my personal space amid the tightest crowd I had ever been a part of. And despite the insanity, our little family made indelible memories that night.

Two years later, this photo, along with the moment it represents, seems as if it came from another lifetime. And returning to the so-called way it was seems like such a hopelessly quaint notion.

And so we won’t.

As we prepare for 2022, we don’t know any more about what tomorrow might offer than when we were preparing for 2020, or 2021, or any other arbitrarily defined milestone.

Every day is a mystery. Whatever that calendar says, we’re blessed to have it at all.

Maybe that’s the so-called resolution we all need. Just be thankful.

I know I am.

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

Betty White dies

I don’t normally comment on celebrity passings, but Betty White was special.

May we all learn from her example.

May her memory be a blessing to everyone who was inspired by her.

Related:

Betty White Dies: The Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore Show Star Was 99, People

Betty White, beloved and trailblazing actress, dies at 99, CNN

Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl, dies at 99, AP

'He stays': Betty White refused to remove Black dancer from her show in 1954, USA Today

IMDB

Wikipedia

Twitter

Playing in an icy gutter

Tiny. Temporary.
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some things never change.

As a child, I played in gutters and other unmentionable places of hidden wonder. I don’t seem to have changed much in adulthood.

This tiny frozen world formed at the end of our driveway, and the dog and I discovered it as we set off on our first walk of the day.

I’m learning to look for joy wherever it presents itself. If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you’re probably not following me.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #photography #apple #iPhone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

French (feathered) flag

Celebrate
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
October 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Vive la France!

Seriously, I'm reasonably certain the unnamed and invisible retail employee who set up the feather boa display wasn't harboring subconscious thoughts about the French flag.

But there was something about the sequencing here that made me linger over the feathers.

I don’t know why. I’ve learned to stop asking.

#saultstemarie #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #retail #store #michaels #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #instagood #photooftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The third of three trees

Singular
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was a lousy day for photography.

Cold, windy, grey, with a flat light that reminded me of Soviet-era street scenes where everyone’s huddled against the seen and the unseen and no one cracks a smile.

I probably should have headed home as soon as I started to lose feeling in my fingertips five minutes after first setting out. The ideas just weren’t percolating in my head, and Planet Earth wasn’t cooperating.

But something told me to keep at it, to wander further and keep looking. For what I had no idea. But this is the pandemic…what else is there to do?

This photo is the third of three trees I came across on this initially ill starred walk. The more time I spent here, the more I saw, the more reasons I had to stay out.

Perhaps I’ve been looking at it all wrong. Maybe the cold, windy, grey days are the ones that offer up the most. Maybe they encourage us to look at things a little differently. Maybe the results feel better when we have to struggle a bit more in the process.

Or maybe we should just shoot the damn trees whenever we can carve out the time to do so.

Because they may not look like this the next time we’re here.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tvp #walkabout #forest #tree #trees #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:

Shutter therapy among the craggy trees, December 2021

Struck by lightning? December 2021

One tree among many, February 2021

We found Scooby-Doo's tree, December 2020

An unforgettable day in a bitterly cold park, December 2013

One bright tree in the middle of the afternoon, December 2012

White wisps on blue

Ever changing
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Someone painted the sky again while we were sleeping.

Whoever it was, good job.

And thanks.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #weather #wx #blue #sky #clouds #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

On being me

"I am a clown … and I collect moments."
Heinrich Böll

The Clown

1963

 

Struck by lightning?

All that's left
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Everything has its time.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tvp #walkabout #forest #tree #trees #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Finding joy in a storm

Snowdog
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Do Schnauzers like being outside in the driving snow?

The photographic evidence suggests they do.

Well, ours does, at least.

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

Shutter therapy among the craggy trees

It stands alone
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I call it shutter therapy: throw the camera in a bag, head out the door, and take random photos of whatever interests you.

This craggy old tree interested me, just one of countless craggy trees in an impossibly peaceful forest.

Yet something made it stand out enough for me to keep coming back to it until I took this shot. The final one of the day. The one that made me happy.

Funny how that works. Therapeutic indeed.

What should I shoot during my next round of shutter therapy? It won’t be long before I’ll need another round of it.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tvp #walkabout #forest #tree #trees #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Water always wins

Infinite patience
Las Vegas, NV
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Planet Earth is a never-ending study in contrasts.

Like this one, which reinforces my airplane-window observation that the greatest beauty can often be found in the most desolate of landscapes.

For what it’s worth, water always wins the geologic tug-of-war. All it needs is time.

#PandemicPics #las #vegas #lasvegas #throwback #roadtrip #air #flight #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #nevada #desert #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #aircanada @aircanada #flying #aviation #avgeek #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The ice beneath the dog's paws

Nature's been busy again
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I tend to look down when I walk, primarily because I fear tripping over something unseen, and the nasty things that happen when gravity gets involved.

The dog does this, too, but I'm sure she's just following her nose. When you've got four legs and the bulk of your 15 pounds is distributed right around where the average person's ankles would be, winter is a lot less frightening.

It's given me a new appreciation for what's going on literally right beneath us. Like this icy patch in the grass. It looked, I don't know, different. And the dog seemed to enjoy walking on it, her paws leaving tiny radial cracks in the brittle surface.

It was a scene, and a moment, that begged to be remembered. Who was I to say no?

We often think winter is a monolithic landscape, a blanket that starts out white before slowly devolving into a slushy, dirty mess.

We might want to take a second look. Or a third.

Because winter isn't monolithic. Nothing is. Nobody is, either.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #photography #apple #iPhone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The Christmas Day walk

Me and my leading ladies
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Facebook

Our family has evolved a bit of a tradition for Christmas Day: we take a long walk with the dog, then order Chinese food. I'll admit we've at least partially co-opted an age-old Jewish tradition, but it feels like the right thing to do.

Because no matter what your background or what you celebrate, spending time with the folks who matter most is what it's really supposed to be about.

A foggily imperfect morning in the woods

The seasons march on...
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Today dawned foggy, rainy, and gloomy - hardly the picture-perfect mythically white Christmas morning.

But perfect all the same.

Humans are funny like that. We wind ourselves into a lather about narrowly cast definitions of perfection, moments and places and experiences that have to look, feel, and play out according to a rigidly specific script.

And if they fail to meet the bar, then they’re somehow not worthy. Failures, even.

Forgive me for my contrarian nature, but I find that notion laughable.

Life is just too random, chaotic, and vast to be boiled down into unchanging pigeonholes of expectation. Experiences that matter to one person don’t necessarily matter to all. Limiting ourselves to one specific set of parameters, outside of which nothing is worthy, feels all sorts of wrong.

We’re all unique. Why aren’t we embracing the possibilities?

So when a warm, rainy night washed away the prototype for a picture-perfect Christmas morning, I looked for joy in other places, in other ways.

And I found some here in the woods, transformed as they were, temporarily, by a sudden late-December bloom of water, color, and perfectly diffused, muted light.

Maybe you’ll see what I saw, and maybe you won’t. It almost doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is whether or not you, too, will ignore the limitations imposed by others as you seek your own joy.

#PandemicPics #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

The James Webb Space Telescope takes flight

Witnessing history
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Godspeed, #JWST. Ad astra. And say hi to #Hubble on your way to L2.

#JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #JWSTlaunch #Ariane5 #astronomy #space #time #magic

Londoners for a quarter century

Where it all began
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Today is a bit of a milestone for our little family, as it marks 25 years since we uprooted ourselves and our then-2-year-old son and moved to London.

It was a bitterly cold day in the wake of a major winter storm that had followed us in from the moment we first left Montreal.

And I remember pulling into the snow-covered driveway, staring out at our new home and and hoping we’d somehow figure out a way to fill in the emptiness.

Time has been good to us. Zach grew and thrived. We welcomed Dahlia, then Noah, and somehow our definition of home eventually shifted 730 kilometres west of where it once had been.

I stood in the driveway earlier today, thinking about the journey that had brought us here, about all the other journeys we’ve since taken, from this unassuming driveway in an unassuming corner of the planet.

Our corner.

And while it might have taken some time for us to make it ours, I can’t imagine being anywhere else, and I’m thankful to have been on this journey, surrounded by these remarkable people I get to call my own.

They say you should never move on Christmas Eve, and the next time we pull into a new-to-us driveway, it’ll be any other day but this one.

But for now, I’m perfectly content to reflect on what it took to get us here, and what it took for us to turn what was once a strange, lonely place into the only place we want to be.

May all of our journeys be so charmed.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #stella #red #car #carporn #automotive #tire #tread #driveway #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins