Daily Photos

< February 2005 >

February 1, 2005
Is it possible for birds to shiver? The sun on a stainless steel building. It must get hot in the summer. Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Red Hand. I took great panes to make sure this picture turned out well. Window to the world.

February 2, 2005
I`ll build a stairway to paradise, with a new step every day. I`m gonna get there at any price, stand aside I`m on my way. The same building as the final picture from yesterday. When I don`t have time to take pictures during the day, I resort to nocturnal wanderings. A cop car through the windshield.

February 3, 2005
Unused devices in my living room: metronome. Unused devices in my living room: my old camera. Unused devices in my living room: my really old camera. Unused devices in my living room: a vintage View-Master. Unused devices in my living room: haven`t watched TV in 372 days.

February 4, 2005
.retneC retsuhcS ehT `Romeo, Romeo, wherefore . . . HEY!! Can you hear me down there?` Yes, I looked like a tourist. With a drop in the crime rate, Spider Man is forced to find more ordinary employment. The Heritage Sculpture, created by thousands of Dayton residents.

February 5, 2005
Saturday was a sun day. Your classroom has been changed. Sorry for the confusion. Sitting round the lobby. More curves in the lobby. I thought I saw a thaw.

February 6, 2005
Forget what I said yesterday about a thaw. Nature renews itself, but everything WE make just deteriorates. Soon to be renewed by nature. Today`s lost and found item. Everybody loves a Slim Jim.

February 7, 2005
It`s sometimes comforting to know that there`s always someone having a worse day than I am. I`ve come down with a bad case of shingles. University Admissions tour guides must be capable of walking backward while holding an umbrella. Retired for the season? Slowly -- very slowly -- I`m preparing for my photo exhibit in THREE WEEKS.

February 8, 2005
Raindrops streaked down my window in uncannily orderly rows. Evidence of intelligent design? But the raindrops on my car were gloriously random. The once-fragrant rose bush has fallen on hard times. Shrub-berry. `Take my picture? Okay, but I want creative control.`

February 9, 2005
Sometimes it seems that life is nicely in balance. Yet we don`t realize just how precarious our equilibrium is. The delicate balance can be easily upset. The result is inevitable . . . . . . a dizzying spin out of control.

February 10, 2005
This kind of snow will stick to anything -- even a stick. Who wants an ice cream cone when you can have an ice pine cone? Don`t step on it! It`s too perfect. Let me know when you get tired of pictures like this. I thought I had my five shots for the day, then I looked outside.

February 11, 2005
Ah, college life. Giving newspapers away for free is nice, but that assumes they can read. `Between a rock and a hard place` doesn`t quite fit here, but close. Seeds of next year`s Christmas trees have fallen on the ground to germinate. Don`t fence me in.

February 12, 2005
Proud as a peacock. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. `I`m goin` down, down, down, down. I`m goin` down, down, down, down.` BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Boredom is the mother of invention. I`m pretty sure this one`s real.

February 13, 2005
To Floria Tosca: After meeting you, my heart will never be the same. Be my valentine, Baron Scarpia. After the opera, it was dinner at an authentically-decorated Mexican restaurant. Which one was mild and which was hot? `You ate FOUR enchiladas?` After dinner came dessert.

February 14, 2005
[Just read the balloon] Like most holidays, this one is just an excuse to eat. Just a bit too cute for me. A pair of Valentine`s Day socks will never wear out. Wow. Thanks. No one has ever given me one of these.

February 15, 2005
Thus in the winter stands a lonely tree, Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one, Yet know its boughs more silent than before. EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY Seek`st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chafed ocean-side? WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT They use this valve to turn off the river at night. SPANGLE (verb): To emit light suddenly in rays or sparks. Star spangled leaf.

February 16, 2005
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimmed. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE It`s art -- I think. I really HATE cleaning the kitchen. Where they have to put me sometimes. This might sting a little . . .

February 17, 2005
`Please take your cash.` I`ve been hearing this a lot lately while preparing for my photo exhibit. Ready for the media blitz. Wait -- I think I saw two exactly alike. Gotham City Hall. Who says the written word is dead?

February 18, 2005
Morning in America (see February 18, 2005). Relax birdbrain, it`s your own reflection. My hands get so dry and chapped during the winter. I was wondering what kind of car to buy, then I got a sign from above. Celebrating the 1854 declaration of the dogma of Mary`s Immaculate Conception.

February 19, 2005
Samuel Alderson, inventor of the crash test dummy, died February 11 at age 90. `Let`s play with the sheep eyes!` `Let`s play with the shark guts!` `Let`s [wash our hands and then] play with the gum drops!` Scientific evidence that I`m a cold-hearted person.

February 20, 2005
Today`s photo opportunities were either an orchid show or a volleyball tournament. Guess which one I went to. `It`s been a pleasure to serve you.` `You know, a sprinkle a day helps keep odor away.` Moral support. Coaching this team is difficult because all the players have the same name.

February 21, 2005
The ceiling of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. They put a purple cloak around Him, and having woven a crown out of thorns they put it on His head. MATTHEW 27: 28, 29 Having already eaten the worm, the early bird has little to do but wait until tomorrow morning. I`m looking over a four-leaf something that I overlooked before. The promised kiss of springtime that makes the lonely winter seem long.

February 22, 2005
They`re close to each other, but obviously elbows can never touch chins. I knew he composed music; I never realized he wrote books. Hey -- where`s my camera bag? Why should I pay money for food . . . . . . when I can find it for free on the sidewalk?

February 23, 2005
A passerby saw me taking a picture and asked what the occasion was. I said, `Sunrise.` One can`t be too careful with one`s bread. We think he looks cute, but he`s just trying to stay alive. It`s hard to create, but so easy to destroy. Hey look, I`m on TV.

February 24, 2005
Oh the weather outside is frightful . . . . . . but inside it`s relatively delightful. Snow-catching bushes from a distance. Snow-catching bushes up close. Bicycle icicle.

February 25, 2005
A sunny but cold morning. In another 24 hours, this snow will be gone. It lingers in shadows and in corners. Touched by the sun, ice becomes a glistening film. It weakens and cracks as it slowly melts into memory.

February 26, 2005
And our city, shall we fail her? Or desert her gracious cause? Nay - with loyalty we hail her And revere her righteous laws. She shall ever claim our duty, For she shines - the brightest gem That has ever decked with beauty Dear Ohio`s diadem. `A Toast to Dayton` PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

February 27, 2005
Considering how much it costs, it`s sad to see that my entire photo exhibit can fit into a box and a bag. 5:45pm: arrived at the gallery. The walls were bare and there was daylight outside. 6:17pm: pretending I know what I`m doing. 8:09pm: realizing I don`t know what I`m doing. It`s dark outside. 11:59pm: not nearly done, but no more time to take pictures today.

February 28, 2005
How am I supposed to run off more OUT OF ORDER signs? Sure the weather`s been nice for the past couple of days, but this is a bit optimistic. In fact, it`s supposed to rain later today. After the rain, they say there will be ice. If the weather turns bad, I`ve stockpiled everything I need.

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