#IfYouReadOneThingToday - Trump & Russia

Every once in a while, I come across an article that moves me. Or scares me.

This searingly honest perspective in the New York Times from former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice managed to do a little bit of both, and I recommend you read it, as well.

Then again, if you want to sleep tonight, maybe you won’t want to.

Why Does Trump Put Russia First?

By Susan E. Rice

Published June 30, 2020

The New York Times

Scanning a Boston neighborhood

The things we do and don't see
Boston, MA
April 2006
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Do you ever stare at an urban scene like this and wonder about all the lives and stories playing out within it?

I do that often, and almost always end my musings with a stark realization: There's no way to really know what's going on in any of them.

Something to keep in mind, I think, the next time any of us decides to fire up a social media app and weigh in on something or other.

We simply never know what life is like for others.

Words to live by.

#boston #throwback #random #urban #street #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Sharing a shake and a moment

Sweet scene
St. Thomas, ON
June 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Another scene from our ice cream adventure. Another moment in our little family’s life that I hope feels just as real in our minds years from now as it does now.

None of this is earth-shaking. It doesn't generate headlines. Or merit the attention of strangers. Whether we do or do not consume an ice cream on a hot summer afternoon won't change the course of anyone else's lives.

Or, to be honest, ours.

But here's the thing: Small things add up. And when you're looking at a life and wondering why it matters as much as it does, it's the combined total of tiny moments just like this one that give it just that much more color and flavor.

As I was shooting this seemingly weird pic, my wife took a photo of me cross-legged in the grass, doing what I do. And she posted it to Facebook. Again, nothing earth-shattering to anyone who doesn't know us. But very much a reflection of who we are and what makes us tick.

I can't imagine living any other way, with anyone else aside from my remarkable little family that understands why ice cream runs and impromptu photo shoots in the grass and games of catch with the dog matter as much as they do.

That's what sweetness feels like.

#stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #shaws #icecream #milkshake #food #foodie #foodporn #random #sun #grass #texture #green #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Ice Cream Sunday

Shadows on a blue wall
St. Thomas, ON
June 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We drove 45 minutes out of town today so we could get ice cream.

Why the heck would we do that?

Pandemic life means finding tiny opportunities for normalcy wherever and whenever possible, and ice cream with some of my fave peeps seemed eminently reasonable.

Clearly I'm less than reasonable, because not only did I not get an ice cream - the existential cherry milkshake beckoned - but I trained my lens on the pastel-blue-painted concrete-block wall just to the right of the hastily built ordering window.

Because nothing says ice cream like blue-painted concrete.

For the record, the shake was epic; the folks I shared it with even more so.

May whatever you choose to do - or eat, or spend time doing - be just as sweet.

#stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #shaws #icecream #random #sun #shadow #lines #geometry #texture #blue #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Light from far away

No ruler needed
London, ON
June 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The light from the sun travelled 93 million miles so it could end up magically squeezed through our fence and painted on our grass.

But no one would have known had we not tip-toed through the patio door in our bare feet and played with the lines and angles until we were pleased with the result.

Which reinforces a couple of truths that seem especially worth remembering today:

- Things that happen far, far away can absolutely touch us in a profound manner mere steps from home.

- We'll never discover the magic playing out mere steps away from where we sit unless we throw caution to the wind and get out there.

So if anyone needs me, I'll be out there, in my bare feet, waiting for the sun to reach out and paint my world some new shade of wonder.

As ever, there's plenty of room on the lawn, literal and figurative, for anyone who wants to join in.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #green #grass #sun #shadow #lines #geometry #nature #texture #plants #urban #suburban #landscape #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#Pride matters, now more than ever

I wish I could meet the folks who originally gave the #Pride movement its name and share a long-overdue thanks.

Because anyone who’s ever been singled out by those who see uniqueness as a weakness knows full well what it feels like to have to keep yourself below the radar.

You find yourself wanting to hide who you are. You avoid sharing details about yourself for fear it’ll invite more scrutiny. You keep your head down and cringe when you hear people begin to single you out because of who you are. Or more precisely, who they think you are, misguided as they may be.

You fear what makes you you. Rather, you fear people finding out. It’s the opposite of pride, because the last thing you’d ever want to do is call yourself out, or draw attention to yourself. Because you never know.

But that’s the beauty of the Pride movement. It reinforces the need to never live in fear because of who we are. It reminds us that we’re all part of the solution no matter what labels we may or may not carry. It reaffirms why we can never be silent when our fellow humans are being singled out. It ensures we all have the right to love and be loved, and no one else has the right to stand in our way.

It’s especially important now, at this moment in history. But let’s not kid ourselves: This has always mattered, and it always will. And we make this planet a better place by opening our eyes, by using our voices, by acting.

I count myself lucky to work side-by-side with colleagues at @infotechRG who have always made this a priority.

Because we’re all better people by not only having pride in ourselves, but in also embracing it in those whose lives touch ours.

Because we’re either human. Or we aren’t. And silence has no place here.

#pridemonth2020 #prideatwork #lgbtq #diversitymatters #PrideToronto #PrideLdn2020 #itrg

Scene from a glass storefront

Le chic
London, ON
December 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram

So my wife and I are walking through the mall a few years back. As I often do, my eyes are wandering around the environment, scouring for anything that's changed, that grabs my attention, that's worthy of a moment. Debbie's used to my creative weirdness. Part of me thinks it's one of the reasons why she married me.

We come across a store with a delightfully stark display, and I can't stop staring. Not because I'm a potential customer, mind you - my fashion sensibilities run more toward hoodies and cargo shorts - but because the aesthetic is impossible to ignore.

I think it would be a fun scene to shoot, but I'm in the middle of a crowded mall. After a few seconds churning it in my mind, I decide it's too much fun to pass up.

So I give my wife the look I've given her so many times since we first met, and detour toward the front window. Glass being glass, I have to press my smartphone right up against the surface to avoid icky reflections. I can feel the stares as I compose the shot amid the knots of shoppers walking, school-of-fish-like along the tiled corridor. I'm used to it, though, and I get why. It's abnormal behavior, and it attracts attention.

I'm done in seconds, and skip off to rejoin my wife, who has strategically walked a little ways on (smart woman!) It's just another weird little moment in the midst of my weird, little - and happy - life.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #shopping #mall #masonville #public #photography #retail #retailtherapy #retaildesign #retaillife #stilllife #glass #display #design #mannequin #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Many layers of pants

Stacked
London, ON
December 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I find myself missing scenes that were once commonplace.

Like this stack of neatly folded jeans. Relatively neatly folded. Relative to my admittedly limited folding skills, that is.

I took this a few years back in a hopefully-still-in-business store in a mall that's spent most of the pandemic gathering dust. It recently reopened as part of the province's gradual/staged/phased approach to restarting the broader economy. And at some point in the near future, when I need something I can't get any other way, I'll don my face mask and venture in.

But I won't wander to the back of the store for a spontaneous shoot under the display lights. I won't linger. I won't see it as an entertaining way to spend a bit of time away from the usual pressures of life. Because even the most basic act of local commercialism has been reduced to the cold calculus of managing risk:

- Get in
- Get your stuff
- Pay for it
- Get out
- Avoid others in the process
- Don't get sick

I cringe at the thought of mall and store employees, lucky to still have jobs, but still going into work terrified that the very thing that puts food on the table can also infect them and those closest to them.

And I miss the kind of carefree experiences that resulted in photos like this one, and hope the neatly folded jeans - and the healthy employees who folded them - are still there when I can actually take the time to take it all in through a lens.

If I knew then what I know now, perhaps I'd have lingered a little longer and appreciated the seemingly mundane moment just a little bit more.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #retail #store #shopping #stilllife #throwback #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Talking Contact Tracing This Monday

Canada’s COVID-19 contact tracing app goes live in Ontario next week - and you’ve probably got lots of unanswered questions.

I’m thrilled to be joining Naomi Parness Monday night (June 29, 8pm ET) to walk through every aspect of this critical new resource - and answer every question you’ve got.

Hope you can join us: Info & Registration

#VirtualJCC | VirtualJCC.com | Prosserman JCC | UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

After the rain falls...

Soon it'll be gone
London, ON
July 2015
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Don't cry because it rained.

Rejoice in the fact that something breathtaking was left behind.

Then head outside and dance in the puddles if you're so inclined.

Hint: You should be so inclined.

I'll see you there. Shoes off.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #weather #wx #rain #water #stilllife #monochrome #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Driving around the Monopoly board

Open-top motoring at its finest
Delray Beach, FL
December 2007
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I played a lot of Monopoly as a kid, and for reasons that remain murky to this day, I always wanted to be the car.

Thimbles and wheelbarrows didn't turn my crank, and if I was going to meander around a multicolored board doing my best impression of a heartless king of capitalism, it made sense to do it in style.

At least that's what eight-year-old me once thought.

Who am I kidding? I was still calling dibs on the car well into adulthood.

Old habits die hard, after all.

#delray #beach #florida #throwback #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #monopoly #game #board #stilllife #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Sleeping like a puppy

She dreams of play
London, ON
June 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She plays so hard that sometimes she falls asleep on her favorite ball.

I'm pretty sure there's a lesson in there for the rest of us.

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

An old Ford shines brilliantly in the sun

Endings...
London, ON
June 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Sometimes you remember photos because of when they were taken.

I came across this mint condition classic car in a parking lot last June a few blocks away from my downtown #ldnont office. I had taken a lunchtime walk, and remember the sun was so brilliantly bright that I couldn’t compose on my smartphone’s screen.

But you don’t come across Ford Fairlanes all that often, so I squinted my way through a very fast shoot before I headed back to work.

A few minutes after I got back, my wife called. Her father had died.

Sometimes pictures become markers. Sometimes you take them without knowing that they’re destined to forever mark beginnings. Or endings.

Father’s Day without him isn’t really Father’s Day anymore. I have no words to share with my wife that would soften his absence. I can only remember moments, many of which I was lucky enough to both shoot and share with him in the years we had him.

Which largely explains why I waited until today to post it.

I can't help but think he would have liked this car. I can’t help but think we would have liked one last look back.

#dad #zaida #family #everything

Dogs, roadsides, and flowers

Her latest find
London, ON
June 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m learning to pay closer attention when I walk the dog.

Like yesterday morning, when she happened upon a small patch of pink wildflowers growing just beside the curb and decided to thoroughly investigate them with her super-schnauzer-nose.

Once upon a time, I would have idly let her do her thing. I might have checked the weather on my phone. Or my inbox. And then I would have gently tugged her leash so we could get back on our way.

Back then, I watched the clock more than I watched her. Walks competed for time on the same sliver of a clock face as everything else. And all those slivers added up. The upshot for a small pup who couldn’t tell time: We had to finish up and get home.

Then one day I gently tugged her leash during one of our many, many stops along the way. And she whimpered.

I'm not sure why she did, but I knew enough by her tone that she was not pleased. So I crouched down as she stared right back at me, and we lingered like that for a couple of minutes. We don't speak the same language, but I'm pretty sure she was telling me to stop rushing her.

I'm slowly getting better at letting go of the clock when we're out, which is challenging given her propensity to eat everything she finds. But along the way, I've learned to soak up the small moments we'd otherwise lose in the rush to finish up and get back home.

And as I watch her follow her nose through places I'd otherwise miss, I come across tiny little wonders. Like these pink flowers.

Turns out those slivers on the clock face are a little more forgiving than we once thought. Turns out it doesn't take all that much more out of the day to appreciate the journey a little more.

Sometimes it takes a puppy to show you the way.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #flower #rose #pink #nature #texture #plants #life #stilllife #urban #suburban #street #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

More than a Hallmark Day

Frasier and his buddies
London, ON
July 2008
This photo originally shared on Instagram

These three remarkable human beings made me a dad.

I wasn't always as adept within the role as I could have been, and more often than not stumbled my way through the process. I'm still not all that adept, and I still stumble. Often.

But my heart has always been in the right place, and at every turn I've had the best possible partner to learn from. I am the dad that I am because I was lucky enough to convince a remarkable woman to spend her life with me.

Never let it be said that doofuses like me can't somehow figure it all out.

Not a day goes by that I don't pinch myself at how lucky I've been to have been gifted these kids. And what a journey it's been because of my wife.

Not always linear. Or predictable. Or easy. But I wouldn't change a thing.

Why am I writing this today? The calendar says it's Father's Day. Anyone who knows me knows I'm no fan of Hallmark Holidays, or the strictly commercial sentiment behind them.

But today is a day in its own right. And anyone who knows me also knows I'm a fan of celebrating the everyday. Today is worthy, then, because it's another day. And we're all lucky enough to be here to soak it in.

What better way to do that than by staying close to those who matter most? We shouldn't need a calendar to remind us of this.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #live #laugh #love #levy #fathersday #parenthood #monochrome #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Cycling in Shanghai

Time out
Shanghai, China
May 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Practicing street photography in a place where autocracy reigns may not be the wisest thing I've ever done. But sometimes you just have to get the shot, anyway.

I snagged this moment just over eight years ago, during a brief break from a tech conference half a world away from home.

And what I found there wasn't terribly different than what I'd witnessed anywhere else: Regular folks going through the paces of everyday life, just trying to make it through today, and hopefully tomorrow, as well.

I think we all need to wander a little more. And when we do, open eyes and minds probably wouldn't hurt, either.

What we learn along the way might come as a pleasant surprise.

#shanghai #china #throwback #may2012 #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #random #urban #street #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - Losing a mom

Today's #IfYouReadOneThingToday article is a heartbreaking vignette of loss and life. Admittedly, it's a hard read, but no one ever said important stories had to be easy ones.

Beneath the black rocks
By Danuta Hinc (@DanutaHinc)
Published June 8, 2020
Popula

We're gonna need a bigger boat

I just spent 3 months on a leaky boat
Shanghai, China
May 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Two crew members stand at the bow of a rusty Russian freighter as it carefully picks its way through the crowded Huangpu River that snakes its way through Shanghai.

As I stand on the shore and train my long lens on the surreal sight, I wonder what they're thinking, if they're as amazed by this place as I am.

Or perhaps they've been through here before, and are simply taking a break from the monotony of on-board life.

Soon enough, the ship disappears around a bend. I'll never get an answer to the question, and that is as it should be. Because some things deserve to remain mysteries.

Sometimes it's enough to briefly cross paths with strangers, then wonder ever after where they ended up.

To this day, I hope their travels were safe and peaceful. They'll never know I was there, of course, but it still feels right to cast that wish out there. Because you never know.

This life thing is quite the trip, no?

#shanghai #china #river #throwback #may8 #2012 #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Freezing breakfast in time

Fluffy and very, very temporary
London, ON
March 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm an adult, so I no longer play with my food. Much. But I have been known to shoot it with a camera.

To wit, these pancakes. Artfully created out of nothing more than batter and love by my ever-awesome wife. Who waited patiently while I positioned the plate just so in front of the kitchen window and composed this moment. Who puts up with my often-spontaneous outbursts of bizarro creativity, even though she didn't sign up for any of this all those years ago.

So to the uninitiated, these are simple pancakes. But in reality they reflect the story of us, the story we tell every time we gather around the kitchen table and share some time together.

Which hopefully explains why I want to have something to remember - even a silly picture of pancakes - after everything's been put away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #pancakes #food #foodie #family #life #remember #stilllife #photography #throwback #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #dslr #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Beechcraft's finest creation

Timeless in flight
St. Thomas, ON
June 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I remember the first time I saw it, a stainless steel vision from long ago, swooping over the hangars before circling back for a perfect landing on its tail-dragger landing gear, its nose pointed diagonally back to the sky where it had just been.

Any machine that can haul itself off the surface of the planet is special, but some aircraft are more special than others. The Beechcraft Model 18 first took flight in 1937, and Beech kept making them until 1970. The timeless ones are almost guaranteed that "special" label, and it's hard to argue this design doesn't deserve it.

The apron was littered with all sorts of crazily historic planes that windy late afternoon, all in town for the kind of airshow that I hope we get to enjoy again someday. But all I wanted to do was walk a wide circle around this flying piece of art and take it in.

Maybe soon I'll get to do this again.

#ldnont #stthomas #municipal #airport #ontario #canada #beech #beechcraft #throwback #aviation #flight #aircraft #airplanes #history #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #dslr #lifeinthemargins #family #everything