Saturday, April 16, 2022

Negative is the new positive

Looking over my own shoulder
London, ON
April 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 12

I’ve finally tested negative. Still dealing with some crazy symptoms, but this simple, binary milestone seems to bring with it a welcome sliver of light. Maybe this truly will be over soon.

Speaking of light, I finally got back to shooting photos the other night. Nothing major, just a slow stroll over to the nearby park with our daughter to capture the sunset.

But what I shot mattered far less than the fact that I got out at all. It had been so long since I hefted my camera over my shoulder that I had almost forgotten how good it made me feel to use it.

Almost.

It’s a heavy thing. Not terribly convenient to shlep around. But that’s entirely the point: you’re supposed to pay attention to it, to be aware of its relative weight and bulk, to focus on the act of using it without being distracted by anything else.

Indeed, in an age where we play with our smartphones during dinner and stream Netflix while commenting on TikTok, there is no multitasking when we park the smartphone and use an actual camera to take pictures.

It forces us to be deliberate. To do only one thing. To be in the moment.

I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I picked the camera up again and played with it my hands, watched it come alive as I uncovered the lens and allowed light to flow through it. Toyed with the scene in my brain.

Being able to get out there, even for just a few minutes before the exhaustion caught up with me, was a welcome change from the past couple of weeks.

Maybe I’ll get out there again soon. I’m kind of counting on it.

More to come…

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #daytwelve #sunset #nikon

Previous COVID Series Entries:
COVID comes for me, April 4, 2022
Rail cop run-in, April 12, 2022
Duck, duck... April 13, 2022
The B-52 history lesson, April 15, 2022

Related:
Smoky sun redux, July 2021

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Friday, April 15, 2022

The B-52 history lesson

Ahead by a century
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 11 - Part 2

I got some sleep last night, so I’ve got a bit more energy and thought I’d go for two posts in one day. Radical, no?

Anyway, the calendar tells me today is an important day in aviation history, as it was 70 years ago today, April 15, 1952, that the B-52 Stratofortress first took to the skies.

I find it astounding that something designed so long ago continues to guard our skies, and with additional investments will be in the air for another 20 to 30 years. A century of flight is an unbelievable achievement, especially considering it will outlast the two aircraft - the supersonic B-1B Lancer and the stealth B-2A Spirit - that were intended to replace the BUFF*.

What’s notable - and a little sad - about the B-52 is that it was created in an era when Boeing could do no wrong. This company was once the very engineering standard of the world, an icon of the nation that set the tone for some of the most notable advancements in aviation technology for much of the century.

The BUFF established the groundwork for the podded-engined jetliners - think 707 and beyond - that have dominated the skies ever since. It’s no surprise why it’s lasted so long, and through so many different missions and iterations: its basic design was created within an organizational culture that we may never see again.

Contrast that with the Boeing of today, a culture that spawned the ill-starred 737 MAX, KC-46 Pegasus, and Starliner, among others, and reinforced just how significantly this once- bright-light has been diminished.

We got to see this leviathan in flight a couple of years back, and the moment sticks with me to this day. It was special then, and it’ll be special decades from now when it lands for the last time.

To some these are just machines, but we do ourselves a disservice if we ignore the stories they can tell about what mattered most when they were first designed and built.

* Every military airplane eventually gets a nickname, and the B-52’s is BUFF. We’ll say it stands for Big Ugly Fat Fella, because we’re family-friendly here.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayeleven #throwback #airshowlondon

Previous COVID Series Entries:
COVID comes for me, April 4, 2022
Rail cop run-in, April 12, 2022
Duck, duck... April 13, 2022

Related:
Follow the mama plane, September 2020
Warthog meets stuffie, September 2019
1 MiG, dead ahead, September 2017
Vapor trails, July 2009
Caption This 128, July 2009
Hornet's nest, July 2009

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A reflective icon of the skyline

Light, in reverse
Toronto, ON
February 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 11

We’re always told to look forward, but sometimes we need to look back instead.
I’m glad I turned around on this Toronto street. I’m glad I looked in the opposite direction, otherwise I would have missed this weirdly reflective view of the iconic CN Tower.

As we continue to grapple with COVID, I continue to look back at images like this, moments that I captured long before the pandemic was even a thing. Standing on the sidewalk that morning, it never occurred to me or anyone else what loomed ahead.

Indeed, trying to predict what lies ahead is something of a fool’s game, anyway. We can plan all we want, but the universe will always have its own agenda. And the universe will always win.

So we may as well stand on sidewalks - or wherever else we happen to be - and look in whatever direction we wish. And sometimes we’ll see reflections that allow us to see the familiar in ways we could have never imagined. Sometimes those reflections will be murky and imperfect. So much the better.

None of this prepares us for what comes next, but that’s not the point of any of this, anyway. It simply needs to be enough to make us smile in the moment as we squeeze just a little more pleasure out of the ordinary.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayeleven #throwback

Previous COVID Series Entries:
COVID comes for me, April 4, 2022
Rail cop run-in, April 12, 2022
Duck, duck... April 13, 2022

Related:
Let's play peekaboo, September 2013

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Thursday, April 14, 2022

Climbing a long staircase

Step carefully
Chomedey, Laval, QC
August 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 10

The good news: I think I’ve managed to put the worst of the acute symptoms behind me.

The bad news: This thing lingers. The fatigue is unreal. I doubt I have the strength to get back on the bike - though I’ll have to eventually give it a go. My sense of taste and smell is gone, and the headaches are epic. While our youngest is feeling a bit better today, my wife is still working through the worst of it. It’s been a challenge, and we’re not quite done.

Still, my newfound somewhat-better status means I can do (some) stuff again. I’m down for a Costco run (we need tissues). And a pharmacy run (to resupply our rapid antigen test supply). And perhaps ice cream will be involved. And while I’m back to taking the pup out for short walks, maybe I’ll take her for a real one, to an actual destination, like I used to, when we’d walk for ages as I attempted to tire her out. Alas, Schnauzers don’t tire out.

I’m hoping that this will be a good thing for us, that on top of our two-shots-plus-booster, the fact that we were infected will give us some kind of improved immunity. There are no absolutes in any of this, of course, but I’m down with elevated levels of antibodies that hopefully cut down future risk and allow us all to regain something approaching a normal life.

Whatever happens, we’ve learned much along the way, and we’re viewing this ongoing global event through new and more refined lenses. We can’t change the fact that we got sick. We can certainly choose to focus on the positive.

About this photo: a steel fire escape bolted into a concrete wall normally wouldn’t be worthy of our attention. But when the light shines just so, and we look at it a certain way, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Now that I think about it a bit, this isn’t limited to staircases.

#ldnont #laval #quebec #throwback #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayten #monochrome

Related:
Watch your step, January 2022
Caption This 102, December 2008
Concrete stairs, January 2007

Previous COVID Series Entries:
COVID comes for me, April 4, 2022
Rail cop run-in, April 12, 2022
Duck, duck... April 13, 2022


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Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Duck, duck...

Considering her next move
London, ON
April 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 9

I can walk the dog again, which is a welcome return to something approaching routine. I’m moving more carefully than before - COVID kills lung capacity, and it looks like that’ll be hanging over me for a while - but I’m outside and vertical, which is more than enough for now.

Tiny steps, right?

Calli the Wonderschnauzer remains an energy-abundant handful, the kind of dog who needs two hands on the leash at all times. Recall she broke my finger during a walk a while back - it was my bad, as I wasn’t paying attention to the other dog who popped up around a blind corner. She of course didn’t mean to. But still. She’s got strength, this one.

On this particular walk, she wanted to play with a couple of ducks who were waddling across a nearby lawn. I wouldn’t let her because, you know, ducks. This led to another bark-filled circus-dog-like dance on her hind legs, probably another reason for the neighbors to hate me.

I was too busy to capture the moment in pixels, as photography and a non-calm pup don’t mix well. Something to do with keeping still while shooting.

But this archived pic of another duck who surprised me during a dogless walk in the swampy woods a few years back echoes the moment rather nicely. I wasn’t even looking for birds at the time, but suddenly there she was (he? Sorry, I’m no expert) and I shot through the imperfect branches to remember the scene.

It’s an interesting lesson in photography and life. You plan, plan, plan, and then a duck wanders in and rewrites the story.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #daynine #throwback

Related:
A tale of two birds, January 2007

Previous COVID Series Entries:
COVID comes for me, April 4, 2022
Rail cop run-in, April 12, 2022

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Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Rail cop run-in

Pick a direction
London, ON
March 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 8

A little over five years ago, this photo got me into trouble with the train cops.

I was on my way to work on a super foggy morning. And as I had done so often before, I thought it would be fun to grab a few murky frames before the sun burned it off.

Of course I had my camera, and of course I happened to be passing by a rail yard. Time was of the essence, so I stood on the sidewalk beside the crossing and snagged a few. I uploaded one of the photos to my social feeds and then continued to the office.

I had largely forgotten about my adventure when the receptionist called me later that morning to let me know there was a call waiting for me. The rail folks have a police force (who knew?) and apparently they saw my post and, um, had concerns.

The officer rather belligerently asked why I had been trespassing earlier. He mentioned the photo I had posted, and lectured me about the dangers of entering railway property.

I explained how I had shot from the side of the road, and used my longish lens to make it look like I was closer than I actually was. I held off on explaining compression theory to him, as I figured he was already not my biggest fan.

In the end I don’t think he was convinced, but by the time we ended the call he was no longer threatening to have me charged. So we’ll call it a win.

Why am I sharing this story? Because every photo has one, and it’s good for the soul to revisit them every once in a while. Share them, even.

Because when pandemic reality prevents you from getting out there to make new memories, there’s ample opportunity to resurface old ones.

Which begs the question: what memories are waiting for you to rediscover?

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayeight #throwback

Related:
A view from the train, November 2014

Previous COVID Series Entries:
COVID comes for me, April 4, 2022

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Monday, April 11, 2022

Looking into the lives of strangers

So much to see
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 7

This isn’t a cold or the flu, and while I’m better than I was, I’m nowhere near where I’d like - or need - to be.

But Planet Earth spins regardless of how we’re feeling. So thanks to the wonders of virtual technology, we’ll sit in front of our webcams and pretend everything’s great.

I’m reminded that mid-pandemic life makes it difficult to truly connect. And that behind the rectangular Zoom or Microsoft Teams or Google Meet window, people struggle with a whole litany of issues that may include, but certainly aren’t limited to, COVID.

The mental health impact alone could easily be the story of our time given how significantly our lives are being jostled around. Even as we recover, we struggle to care for those around us. Ask around: it’s touching us all.

So if I can start the workweek with any one sentiment, it’s this: please be kind. Please look out for others. Reach out to them, too.

It matters.

About this photo: countless windows, each one representing a story, a life. We can stare all we want from far away, but we’ll never really know what’s going on on the other side of the glass.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayseven #monochrome


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Sunday, April 10, 2022

Frozen in time and space

Blink and it's gone forever
Chomedey, Laval, QC
June 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 6

It’s hard to photowalk when you’re having trouble staying vertical.

So you dig through the archives in search of photos and shoots and moments that made you feel something. It’s been an interesting few days rediscovering beloved old pics, a welcome diversion from a relentlessly lousy week.

This is the fountain outside my late father-in-law’s building, taken soon after we lost him three years ago this June. Amid the darkness of a chapter no one wants to write, I had taken my camera outside looking for comfort in some spontaneous shutter therapy.

I found it in the fast moving waters. And even if each shot barely lasted one four-thousandth of a second, it was cathartic to play with the dancing water through glass.

Soon enough I’ll get to play with the shutter again. Until then, I’ll do my best to resurface random snippets from long ago. I hope you enjoy them, too.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #daysix #throwback #monochrome

Frozen water, part 1, January 2021
Frozen water, part 2, January 2021
Frozen water, part 3, January 2021
Hidden figure, January 2018
Statuesque, January 2009
Flashed fountain, December 2006

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Saturday, April 09, 2022

Perfect Boston trees

Natural and artificial lines
Boston, MA
April 2006
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 5

Since our family’s viral adventure began, one thing has become abundantly clear: we’re not alone.

We’ve been inundated with offers from kind friends near and far. Whatever we need, they’re willing to pick it up, drop it off, or otherwise do whatever it is that needs doing.

With delivery services and apps galore, we’ve been pretty well covered on the logistics front, but just knowing so many folks have our back is one of those surprising blessings of the pandemic. People truly are good.

I’m slowly getting out ahead of this. While I no longer feel like I’m about to hack up part of a lung, the headaches, body aches, fatigue, and dizziness are insane. I wish I could wave a wand and fling my wife and kids further along the recovery path, because we’ll all feel better when this is behind us.

However long it takes, we’re comforted by the community of friends that stands behind us. And we’re immensely grateful.

About this pic: Boston, almost 16 years ago to the day. When naysayers complain about spending on urban design, show them this. It matters.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayfive #throwback #monochrome


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Friday, April 08, 2022

Comfort dogs for the win

Always there for her humans
London, ON
April 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 4

I learned as a kid that when you get sick, your family comes along for the ride, too.

This stark truth is even more applicable during a pandemic, and my mind can barely absorb how profoundly our family dynamic has been changed by the arrival of an unseen virus.

First our daughter got sick. Then it was my turn. Now my wife and youngest son have tested positive. And because our family does nothing halfway, our eldest and his wife also have it and are isolating in their own home.

Each diagnosis kicked off a flurry of shifts - who would isolate where, which sections of the house were considered COVID-free, who took on the weight of care. But all that’s kind of up in the air now that we’ve all got it. Free-for-all, anyone?

It’s insane, easily the sickest I’ve been in years. And now we (figuratively) hold our breath and hope their cases are milder than mine.

As crazy as all this is, I’m once again reminded how lucky we are. We still have the means to keep the lights on and the pantry filled, We aren’t (yet) battling it out in hospital. And to the best of our knowledge, this thing has a finish line, even if it still feels somewhat arbitrary.

I think back to my last time in hospital - as brilliant doctors probed my brain and tried to figure out how to give me back the ability to speak and walk - and realize this isn’t in the same league. So many others have diagnoses that are infinitely more serious and permanent, and their challenges cannot be forgotten amid the blanket coverage being given to the pandemic.

We’re still frightened, and the days and nights are still hard to navigate. Some days, you wish you could just wave a wand. But I’m finding perspective helpful as we try to get through this admittedly messy chapter.

What blessing are YOU thankful for today?

About this pic: I thought we could all use a dog photo. Life always seems better with a dog photo, doesn’t it?

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #dayfour #actofdog #callithewonderschnauzer

Related:

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Thursday, April 07, 2022

Breathe in the forest

Reflecting in the woods
London, ON
December 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 3

Last night was a challenging one, the first time I was conscious of just how tenuous this whole breathing thing can be.

It’s frightening to cough so much that you feel you can’t stop, to feel like you can’t keep up with your next breath.

It’s even more sobering when you wake up later feeling like you’ve gone 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali (or maybe Will Smith).

Bottom line, this is no joke. And as much as the vaccines we’ve been blessed with are able to minimize the impact for most of us, this is still way more than a bad cold or flu equivalent.

Which is why I’m heeding calls to rest. It’s never been my nature to disconnect, but this isn’t just some average bug to be ignored, and I’ve got to give my body every possible chance to recover.

Not spreading this to my family, or ending up in hospital will be a nice bonus, too. So that will be my focus going forward.

And when they say nothing matters more than health, believe them. And govern yourself accordingly.

About this pic: A watery scene taken last December not far from the Thames. I’ll get back there soon enough. Until then, I’ve got tons of archived photos to work through. Hope you enjoy ‘em.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #daythree #throwback

Related:

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Wednesday, April 06, 2022

Making lemonade from lemons

There's always a good side
London, ON
October 2013
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 2

We tend not to value things until we no longer have access to them. Around dinnertime Monday, I was walking the dog through the woods near our house. She chased squirrels while I listened to the birds and tried to keep her from eating things she had no business eating.

Less than an hour later, I tested positive, and almost immediately I headed into isolation. It’ll be a while before I’m again out with the dog.

I share this not to lament the temporary loss of a trivial activity. But to remind myself that we don’t do enough to appreciate those trivial activities while we’re right in the middle of them.

Years ago when my brain was clotted up and I couldn’t speak or move, I thought of what it was like to be in the moment.

I made a deal with myself that if I somehow got my mobility and speech back, I’d never again ignore just how cool those capabilities are. This may sound strange, but I vowed to appreciate the simple joy of sounding out words, or even feeling a hug.

So for now I stare at walls and through windows while I wait for COVID to run its course. But unlike my brain fart experience, this time I know what waits on the other side. I’ll have a lousy few days on the inside, and then it’ll be done. I’ll go back to healthy life and welcome hugs. And dog walks that are divine for me, though not so much for the squirrels.

Either way, I’m sure I’ll learn to cherish them all even more than I once did.

That lemonade thing, again.

#ldnont #CarmisCovidChronicles #covid19 #pandemic #daytwo #perspective #gratitude #throwback

Related:
COVID comes for me, April 2022

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Tuesday, April 05, 2022

My first day on the inside

Random scene from the archives
Toronto, ON
August 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

#CovidDiary, Day 1*

(I feel like I should be echoing William Shatner’s Captain Kirk. Maybe “Captain’s log” would be a more dramatic entrance for these daily entries from the pandemic isolation ward.

Perhaps. But I just can’t muster the energy. So this is whatcha get.)

As soon as we realized I was positive, my mind flooded with worry about how this would wreck our day to day routine.

Then I stopped myself.

We live in a comfy home and want for nothing. I moved my laptop in, and I can work from the other side of the room. No one’s bombing my neighborhood. The three jabs I’ve had thus far will significantly reduce the severity of whatever happens over the next few days.

And then it’ll be over.

So I’ve got nothing to complain about, and less than zero reason to hold a pity party. Someone always has it worse than we do. And no one should ever complain about a small wave rocking their otherwise well equipped boat.

So I won’t.

Instead I’ll share rando pics from the archives, because I’m sure you don’t want to see my jammies. Do you like this Toronto skyline scene instead? Vintage 2019, even.

More soon…

* The day you test positive is apparently Day Zero. So today, the second day, is really Day One. Weird, I know, but I don’t make the rules. #ldnont #covid19 #pandemic #dayone #throwback

Related:
COVID comes for me, April 2022

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Monday, April 04, 2022

COVID comes for me

Always be positive. Except now.
London, ON
April 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m starting something new; I’m calling it #CovidDiary.

Today is Day 0. Our daughter tested positive a week ago, and today I found out I’m the latest member of the rapid antigen test red line club.

Since I’m apparently some kind of writer, I’m going to write about the experience. I’ll do my best to be funny, edumacational, and even slightly poignant. Whatever I’m feeling or thinking, it’ll show up here.

I’ll also answer any questions that come up along the way. Because throughout the pandemic, we’ve been saturated with what I like to call 50,000-foot details. Big numbers. Big stories. But it’s always the on-the-ground details that seem to stick with me. Isolation. Treatment. Impact on family.

So why would I do something like this?

Because I can’t just sit in isolation and wait for the clock to tick by. I’ve been given time, and I want to use it wisely.

Because if words help others, then that’s what I’ll offer up.

Because just because life throws the occasional curve doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to smack the ball into deep left field.

Lemonade from lemons and all that.

Not going to lie, though: this terrifies me. I feel guilty about whose path I crossed before I was symptomatic. I fear for what my family is going through - and might yet experience. I shudder at the prospect of this thing that we’ve managed to keep at bay for two years, but still, it got in.

But here’s the thing: we can’t control this globally historic event. But we certainly can control how we choose to ride it out.

So let’s do this.

You in?

#ldnont #isolation #covid19 #pandemic #dayzero

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Disney memories

Golden Hour EPCOT
Orlando, FL
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In the Before Times, we went places and saw extraordinary things.

Like geodesic domes, iconic mice, and even the occasional magic castle.

We’ll eventually find new ways to go new places and see extraordinary things. Indeed, we’re already taking some tentative steps in that direction.

But we’ll doubtless never again take these privileges for granted.

Which, on reflection, isn’t necessarily a negative.

#orlando #florida #fla #throwback #road #trip #disney #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #epcot #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #photography #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:
Disney on fire, December 2020
Blue neon at night, January 2020
Art deco on blue, January 2020
Mouse ears in the sky, January 2020
Burn the sky down, January 2020
QOTD: On deadlines, January 2020


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Sunday, April 03, 2022

Big little blue pickup truck

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

Pickup trucks sure did look different back in the day.

So. Much. Smaller.

#saultstemarie #ontario #canada #throwback #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #retail #store #canadian #tire #blue #ford #pickup #truck #stilllife #tiltshift #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #instagood #photooftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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G'day, GO Train

The things families remember
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

To most people, this isn’t much of a photo, a commuter train sitting in the late-night shadows of an almost empty Via Rail station.

To me, though, it’s a quiet reminder of a cherished moment of parenthood.

See, GO Transit is the regional transit organization that services Toronto and parts of southern Ontario. Its double-decker trains are kinda iconic, and they played a role in our little family’s journeys when the kids (and we) were younger.

On our regular drives back to Montreal to visit extended family, we took the ginormous highway known as the 401, which took us through Toronto. The commuter trail lines ran - and presumably still do run - parallel to the highway, so we’d often see the GO trains doing their thing.

For reasons we’ll never understand, our kids would spontaneously break into cheers whenever they saw one. One of them would scream, “G’day, mate!” upon seeing the familiar green and white shape, and then they’d all just fall apart in shared joyous celebration of the cool-looking train.

To this day, they can’t explain where the Australian reference came from, or why the sight of these specific trains somehow set them off. But I smile every time I see one, and I’m guessing that deep in my brain, I’m holding onto a few more quiet little memories that matter to no one else but us.

Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Either way, I hope the GO folks never change their branding. But just in case they do, pictures like this will instantly take me back.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #via #viarail #go #train #gotrain #metrolinx #rail #urban #city #downtown #travel #travelphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Saturday, April 02, 2022

CN Tower hide-and-seek

Hi there
Toronto, Ontario
August 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A couple of years back, an icon of the #Toronto skyline played a spontaneous game of peekaboo.

It’s a game that never gets old.

#yyz #ontario #canada #throwback #cntower #architecture #architecturephotography #building #buildingporn #architectureporn #perspective #design #lines #urban #street #photography #streetphotography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Please love this lock

So many questions
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is, from what I can tell, a love lock.

It isn’t keeping this fairly new and sleek-looking pedestrian bridge from being stolen. Love locks are often fastened to the railings of bridges, usually with poignant messages scrawled on them. Each one signifies a relationship, a story that hopefully is or was a happy one. It’s up to us to imagine what that story might have been.

In Paris, there’s a bridge called the Pont des Arts that a few years ago became so encrusted with love locks that authorities eventually banned the practice. Something about excessive weight that was never factored into the original engineering.

Still, I’d like to think that matters of practicality shouldn’t always prevail over matters of the heart, and that there’s lots of room for compromise in the shades-of-grey middle ground between engineers trying to keep bridges from topping into rivers and everyday folks just trying to connect.

We live in a world where not everyone is blessed with human connection. If a lock on a bridge can offer up hope, who are we to deny our fellow humans the chance to hold onto it a little more tightly?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tvp #thames #river #bridge #detail #heavy #metal #bokeh #walkabout #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Friday, April 01, 2022

One last walk in the snow

Someone's not a fan
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A lot can happen in four days.

So please make sure you’re taking the time to appreciate tiny moments like this.

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

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It only takes one branch

Standing out from the crowd
London, ON
February 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At risk of sounding like the guy who yells at clouds, I am not a fan of April Fool’s Day.

If I had more control over the universe, I would happily opt out of this annual artificial fest of sanctioned bullying masquerading as thinly veiled forced humor.

For the record, it isn’t funny when you expect it. But who am I to tilt against this deeply entrenched windmill?

For what it’s worth, this photo of a nearby forest is as real as any other in my feed. I share it not to be funny. Or offensive. Or to fool or trick anyone into believing it’s something that it isn’t.

It just is. Today, and any other day. No fooling.

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

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Thursday, March 31, 2022

Half frozen river

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

As winter paints the landscape one last time, I can’t resist the urge to look back to this moment I captured just a couple of months ago.

I could stand forever at the railing of this lovely little pedestrian bridge in the river valley and never run out of things to see.

Places like this, so perfectly disconnected from the ebb and flow of urban life, have become more critical to my mental health than I once thought. I’m sure it’s not just me.

Soon enough the snow will melt for good, and Mother Nature will offer up a whole new set of reasons for me to return. Maybe I’ll see some of you out there.

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

Related:
Ripples are limitless, October 2017

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Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Walk a mile in someone else's shoes

Snowy pathway to anywhere
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We’re all on some kind of journey.

Something to keep in mind when we cross each other’s path.

So let’s lead with kindness, shall we?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #hyde #park #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #winter #weather #wx #random #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Empty downtown storefront

Gone for good
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s hard to ignore the pangs of sadness when a business fails.

An entire little community - a family’s livelihood, a place where customers and suppliers spent time, where employees worked, a fixture in the neighborhood - simply disappears.

What’s left is another drag on an already-challenged streetscape, another gap-tooth in an area filled with them, all these pockmarked storefronts serving as ghostly reminders of a more prosperous past.

We can’t catalog every last one, but an occasional photo serves as a reminder of how much entrepreneurs add to the life of a city, and what we lose when they’re forced to close their doors for good.

Note to self: shop local.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #empty #store #retail #retailapocalypse #urban #downtown #walkabout #richmond #street #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:
Suitcase on church steps, September 2019
Caption This 17, May 2007

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Monday, March 28, 2022

The nose always knows

Ever the helper
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: a worn-out interior door lies dirty and discarded on the boulevard grass.

I decide it’s a perfectly trivial spontaneous photo opportunity, and reach for my smartphone to figure out a composition that works.

I’m not alone, as Calli the Wonderschnauzer is conveniently hanging out on a leash whose other end is coincidentally wrapped around my wrist.

As you can see here, she has no intention of standing quietly off to the side while I figure out the shot. I’m lucky indeed to have such a dedicated helper.

Not necessarily the scene I originally had in mind. But as dog people have known since the beginning of time, it helps to just roll with whatever the pup decides.

They’re kind of in charge, after all. And I’m strangely fine with 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

Related:
A dog's nose knows, March 2020

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Sunday, March 27, 2022

Return to the river ice

Temporarily perfect
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Soon we’ll peer over the edge of the pedestrian bridge and there won’t be any river ice covering the water below.

So we capture the image now. While we can.

Once again, a seemingly simple photo becomes a metaphor for life. And time. And the things we value most.

#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

Related:
Half-frozen river, February 2021
Ice amid flowing water, December 2020

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We're gonna need a bigger shovel

Near-permanent detour
January 2022
This screen grab originally shared on Instagram

Reason # 5,792 why we shouldn't always trust technology.

This is a screen grab off of Google Maps following an epic winter-storm-caused closure on I-95. I was trying to get a sense of how major mapping services like Google Maps and Apple Maps responded to the event, and what we might learn in the process.

To clarify, I'm a huge Google Maps fan, and use it all the time before and during any journey - ranging from the local grocery store to the longest family road trip. It is gamechanging, time-saving, life-saving technology that takes large chunks of worry out of any trip. Whether I’m walking, cycling, or driving, even if I technically know the route in my head, I'd never leave home without it.

But technology isn't always perfect, which should surprise no one because it is created by humans. And if WE are subject to imperfection, then so, too, is anything that we create in the process.

I'm fine with that - that's just life - but that doesn't mean I won't laugh at the prospect of a 7-year road closure following a winter storm.

Maybe we'll keep Apple Maps on standby. And for good measure, perhaps we should throw a few paper-based maps into the glove compartment, too. Remember those?

#screengrab #i95 #google #googlemaps #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

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Are you a rock star?

Drink up. Or not.
London, ON
March 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Fun fact: the first photo I ever took with a digital camera was of a soda can.

If memory serves, I believe it was ginger ale, and I remember looking at the screen on the back of the digicam and thinking that everything was about to change.

So every once in a while, when a certain scene involving an aluminum can - or multiples thereof - presents itself, I find myself thinking back to that moment.

Strange how memories work, no?

Anyway, I found these cans while shopping. I believe they contain an energy drink, which isn’t really my thing. But I liked the somewhat messy view from overhead, and thought it would be a fun fast-shoot subject before we headed toward the checkout.

As subjects go, this one is, at best, meh. Misaligned. Imperfect, frankly.

Then again, aren’t we all?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #green #sobeys #grocery #store #pop #can #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:
Please don't shake, March 2013
Bottled disaster, February 2010
Green Coke, January 2007
Diner memories, August 2006
Crushed, December 2005

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