Daily Photos

< April 2006 >

April 1, 2006
What are those doing in there? What`s that for? What`s he up to now? Is this sanitary? Oh, okay.

April 2, 2006
Later there was a bench-clearing brawl when the fullback suggested that the midfielder wasn`t a natural blonde. Remember November 12, 2005? Sure you do. Here`s looking at you. That dog is NOT getting in the car! Contemplating her lost youth.

April 3, 2006
Life is full of mysteries. My mysteries are probably quite ordinary to other people. So I tied three bunches of balloons to my belt. Now how do I get down? It took me a long time to figure out where to put the film in my digital camera. I guess I put the film in the wrong place, because it came out as slides.

April 4, 2006
Geometric girl. The sadly ignored photography studio sign-up sheet. My first picture taken [accidentally] with a studio strobe light. `Split light` (see March 28, 2006). `Loop light` (on a real person this time).

April 5, 2006
Before. After. All the students named Tzouras gathered here. It`s not heavy -- it`s light. With this around my neck, I can go anywhere I want (see tomorrow and Friday)!

April 6, 2006
Dayton hosts the color guard world championships, and I was there (just a spectator this year, due to my bad ankle). 300 teams came from all over the US and other countries. There were more squads from California than from Ohio. They performed to Bach, Elgar, Rossini, Copland, Kurt Cobain and Frank Sinatra -- all played deafeningly loud. Favorite: a no-look flag toss to a teammate, who catches it in one hand. Least favorite: music with sappy dialogue. When not on stage, teams sit in the stands and cheer for others (and then criticize their mistakes and costumes).

April 7, 2006
Since I never go on vacations, I took two days off work to utilize MY PRECIOUS [voice of Gollum] media pass. Favorite: peppy routines with no intellectual demands. Least favorite: slow routines about 9/11 or Helen Keller. These are athletes: they have strength and stamina, speed and dexterity, courage and competitiveness. A team`s long journey might end with a championship, or with the unmistakable clang of a flag being dropped. My arms ache, my shutter finger hurts, my ears are numb, but I still feel a tingle when capturing a photo like this.

April 8, 2006
Note the absence of flags or rifles: this is not color guard. Slow dances are easier to photograph than fast dances. Tired of the obscurity of Olympic figure skating, Sasha Cohen seeks fame in a Dayton, Ohio, dance ensemble. That`s good: nice and slow. Even slower.

April 9, 2006
Self-portrait. The bottle of Windex is an integral part of this system. Available for a limited time only (during daylight hours). A close relative of someone else often seen on this site. The Dominator.

April 10, 2006
I would never wear these colors, but they look good here. City blocks. Granular grandeur. The shutter snapped at 1/1600 of a second, and they`re still a blur. A rainbow, knitted by hand.

April 11, 2006
Is it really wildlife if there`s a parking lot 20 feet away? Porta-johns. A rare sighting of the `cranus plasterus.` An edible chocolate cup filled with cinnamon ice cream (actually shortening mixed with coffee grounds). All the cool kids hang out at the library.

April 12, 2006
Looks great, but there`s a price to pay {sniffle}. The inner workings of nature. `I can`t believe you just said that about my mother.` `I can`t believe he just said that about her mother.` A poor photo, sure, but it was my first butterfly sighting of the season. They will get better.

April 13, 2006
It might as well be spring. Safe in the cleft of the tree. Not exactly a proud owner, but it was free. I start down the slippery slope of popular fiction -- toward Harry Potter. Last seen on April 1. After that He poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples` feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. JOHN 13:5

April 14, 2006
April showers bring April flowers too. Scene of summer splashes and squeals. Sorry, that`s all you get. To the left of that white line is fowl territory. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. MATTHEW 27:45

April 15, 2006
Looks like an enormous white cat must live here. Actually just ordinary sized Kol. And Bebe. No word what this one`s name is. Why show the back? Because I read it cover to cover in three days.

April 16, 2006
Life in the gutter ain`t so bad. Guy Wire. One of two sparring males. Do not fold or spindle. What`s the big idea?

April 17, 2006
And why are they called bluebells? Probably poisonous, but photogenic. The burned prairie is recovering nicely (see March 20, 2006). Where barbecue potato chips come from. Where shivers down my spine come from.

April 18, 2006
Thanks to the clever camouflage provided by its yellow bill, I noticed this duck only when it made a sound. Automation is everywhere. Twolips. The darling buds of May arrived early. People near me who can`t park (Part One).

April 19, 2006
They`re up high . . . . . . they`re down low. With my new zoom lens, I can see all the way to Holland. I`ll tell you: it`s a slide tray [you would`ve never guessed]. Adam Alonzo, allergy sufferer.

April 20, 2006
Onelip. The color scheme scares away potential predators. Sidewalk capitalism. University of Dayton, 3:41pm - student making horse picture. Sinclair Community College, 7:22pm - student making horse picture.

April 21, 2006
Previously seen on November 2, 2005. Previously seen on November 16, 2005. See, I don`t ALWAYS zoom in close. This little gizmo is supposed to make my photos much better (and for $275, it better). Hmm, I just followed the guidance of this gizmo and here`s what I got. Maybe I should read the manual.

April 22, 2006
The sheer joy of living. To the tower!! I just saw a Keebler elf. There -- through the trees -- you can just make it out: the nest of a cast-iron warbler. Lunchtime!

April 23, 2006
Well, I can at least use my light meter to trigger a flash (that`s it in my left hand). But I still don`t know how to really use the thing. Wow! These photos are great! People near me who can`t park (Part Two). A bit far apart? I know from experience it`s hard to maintain a long-distance relationship with a pianist.

April 24, 2006
A city worker encased in a glass sculpture. I use the term `worker` loosely. Today someone asked me, `Do you ever take pictures of people . . . who know that you`re taking their picture?` As the sun descended, my front door cast a lacy apparition. My snowy gazebo picture (December 8, 2005) was so popular it will become part of a four-season set of cards. Ramona Quimby of the Oregon District. She saw this picture and said (of herself), `That`s really cute.`

April 25, 2006
My brain stem is giving me an instinctive warning not to eat anything this color. I knew I shouldn`t have eaten the psychedelic cupcakes. Now my head is spinning. Correction: everything BUT my head is spinning. And I`m seeing patterns in the wallpaper.

April 26, 2006
Did you know you can buy notecards of my photos? Hmmm . . . buzzards appeared as soon as I mentioned selling notecards. He won`t crack a smile . . . for good reason. A snake belt buckle, for only $100. I don`t think that`s going to fit in the overhead compartment.

April 27, 2006
Safety first! No exceptions! Well, except that guy. Someones` administrative professional shouldv`e checked their apostrophe`s. Catch the wave. WILL SKETCH FOR FOOD

April 28, 2006
Got a broken baptistry? A faltering alter? Call Chapman`s Chapel Repair. We`re economical and ecumenical. Bach in the park. Great moments in evolution. What`s good for the goose . . . would hurt my neck. I haven`t read any reviews of FOR SALE, but I did see Miller Valentine`s last picture and he was just great.

April 29, 2006
Photography classes make photography dull.

April 30, 2006
Time for somebody to put a flashlight on their keychain. Why I shop at thrift stores: books by authors you don`t see elsewhere. Why I shop at thrift stores: cheap items that can be spray painted without remorse. Why I shop at thrift stores: I`m there already dropping off donations (like this BRAND NEW pair of pants). In every engagement photo, you gotta show the rock.

×