Daily Photos

< February 2010 >

February 1, 2010
I don`t understand art. It`s over my head. WIMPS! Summer will come . . . inevitably. Playground bubble. Somewhere in America around suppertime.

February 2, 2010
This year my neighbors couldn`t part with their pumpkins (see January 26, 2010, and December 14, 2009). I`m no square. I`m more of a diamond shape. James Brown`s mother gets around (see January 3, 2010). Merry Valentine`s Day! Fall into winter.

February 3, 2010
I waited around to see if the groundhog would give a second opinion. When it`s cold outside and I don`t try very hard and I end up with boring pictures, I feel bad. Today it was cold, I tried pretty hard, and still got boring pictures, but I feel better. Sometimes photography is about color, sometimes not. During February in Ohio, photography is rarely about color. Today it was about shape, texture and contrast.

February 4, 2010
Umm . . . hot chocolate? Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm`d. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE `There won`t be anything at the river,` I thought. `Why am I walking toward the river?` I often argue with myself. Urban renewal. Sharing is caring.

February 5, 2010
Totally useless, totally cool. Newspapers can`t really provide up-to-the-minute weather forecasts. A more current weather report can be seen on the Web. Or you can just look out the window. As long as I was looking out the window, I took a picture of the nearby streetlights -- slightly out of focus.

February 6, 2010
I had planned to shoot pictures at two events today, but they were both cancelled. So instead, you get this guy. I wish it WOULD stop. So light, so heavy. Dude, put on some pants! Snowstorm in the Oregon District.

February 7, 2010
She`s the shy one in the family. Most of the cheerleaders just wore excessive makeup on their faces, but this team also had stars upon thars. The Green Hornets. This is why I always carry earplugs in my camera bag (see January 17, 2010). Shouldn`t these kids be home studying?

February 8, 2010
It`s small now, but if the weather forecast is correct, it`ll get bigger soon. I`m not going down there. I might not get back up. Sneeze and it`ll all come down. Iceberry. Dude, put on a sweater!.

February 9, 2010
It ain`t easy bein` a squirrel. Now they`re happy to have a snow day, but wait until they have to go to school extra days in the summer. Today I saw Deere tracks in the snow. `Look at the instructions again and see where we`re supposed to put this.` Sometime in the spring this will be usable again.

February 10, 2010
Remember the musician in Israel I interviewed by phone on January 17, 2010? Behold the man: Chen Zimbalista. He performed with the legendary American jazz drummer Lewis Nash. For the life of me, I can`t marimba the name of this instrument. Chen told me, `My love is to play Bach.` He does it well. He also told me a joke: `What do you call a guy who hangs around musicians? A drummer.` An oldie but a goodie.

February 11, 2010
Melt! MELT!! WARNING: May contain stems. I`d hate to shovel their driveway. This picture of a kid sledding down a hill was the result of significant effort and patience on my part. The sun sparkles, on the other hand, were a fortunate accident. Where marshmallows come from.

February 12, 2010
We`ve got enough already. I don`t know why they keep hauling in more. I will never understand the concept of cigarette smoking. Fortunately, the gnome family anticipated the storm and stocked up on roots and herbs before being snowed in. If you can read this, you`re too close. Love is in the air.

February 13, 2010
I like to tell myself I`m an observant person, but I walked right past a live band on stage and didn`t notice them. By an amazing coincidence, a picture of this fellow (whom I`ve never met) appeared in the next day`s newspaper alongside an article I wrote. A recent research study reported that chewing gum can `improve focus, concentration and alertness.` The study was funded by the Wrigley Company. Lotsa locks. It took me forever to decide which one looked best on me.

February 14, 2010
Long-term followers of this Web site may have learned to expect pictures of certain events at regular times of year, such as volleyball around Valentine`s day. The significance of today`s date is not lost on these players. Can you see the little red hearts on the ribbon? Different team, different `heart` ribbons. That`s really gotta hurt. That`s really gotta be embarassing.

February 15, 2010
Robert Frost Paul Laurence Dunbar Dylan Thomas William Shakespeare Emily Dickinson

February 16, 2010
An exhibition of cardboard? Mardi Gras is one of those `whatever` holidays. I wish my sidewalk was that clear. It`s not MY fault that the icicles outside my window . . . . . . make my neighbor`s steps look like this.

February 17, 2010
Once somebody makes up their mind to get a tattoo, it`s hard to talk them out of it. Do referees practice tossing up jump balls? Is it appropriate to cheer on the first day of Lent? Drive to the hoop. `Here, let me get that for you.`

February 18, 2010
Going out for a spin. `And you say this improves circulation to the brain?` They`re two of a kind. They were good, and this was only rehearsal. I recognize many of these students from dance shows in past years, but I never see any of them in the library.

February 19, 2010
Having attended dress rehearsal the previous night, photographing the actual performance was like shooting fish in a barrel. I knew exactly what was going to happen. I`ll never understand why, after all the effort of choreographing and teaching a dance routine, a director will then choose to have it performed in near darkness. They held this pose for maybe 1/4 of a second, but I was shooting at 1/160th. GOTCHA! I guess she`s dancing. Dancers really like to stick together.

February 20, 2010
All I have to do is find one indoor performance per day to photograph, and I`ll never have to go outside during winter. I got in the door for free because I have a media pass, but I heard a parent behind me say, `We paid $28 for this?` Music for the masses. Perhaps she`s named after the Shakespeare character Cymbeline. There`s usually at least one show that`s kinda freaky.

February 21, 2010
When spring comes, I can take a test drive. The ecology flag flies proudly in Yellow Springs. A cold night in the Forbidden City. A homeless snowman. Did I mention I was in Yellow Springs?

February 22, 2010
The Lenten season has begun. Staff meeting. I DO NOT have time to start reading a 375 page biography of Flannery O`Connor . . . . . . `When Flannery O`Connor was five years old . . . ` The fifth picture was taken at 45 seconds until midnight, and not because I planned it that way.

February 23, 2010
A stranger carries her individual joys and sorrows along the riverbank. She walks left, I drive right. No connection. So it`s NOT an exhibition of cardboard (see February 16 above). Who doesn`t? The news is: more snow. The Oregon District newsletter asked residents for their opinions about a proposed bocce court in the park. Meanwhile, somebody is already building one.

February 24, 2010
Hearts for Haiti. Where I hang out. Very Famous Drummer Matt Wilson. I learned a lot from this workshop, and I`m not a drummer. When all else fails, take a picture of eggs (see November 25, 2009, and October 4, 2009).

February 25, 2010
Worry dolls by Leesa Haapapuro. Tamales by Leesa Haapapuro. I was hiding in the curtains just off stage. `God bless the child that`s got his own.` Window dressing.

February 26, 2010
Spinning in the living room as midnight approached. Spinning in the living room as midnight approached. Spinning in the living room as midnight approached. Spinning in the living room as midnight approached. Spinning in the living room as midnight approached.

February 27, 2010
Traffic patterns. Playing basketball serves no useful function in society, but I guess it`s nice to know that some people are good at it. `I`m ready to go in, coach. All warmed up. Ready when you are, coach. He looks tired, don`t you think? I think so.` Nothing but net. You can tell by half-court when a guy plans to take it all the way to the hoop.

February 28, 2010
You might appreciate it or make fun of it, but color guard is the only good thing about winter. Unlike an ordinary sport, where I hope one team wins and another one loses, I wish each color guard team could win. Although all of these performers are strangers, I am proud of their accomplishments and grateful for what they have given to me during an encounter of just a few minutes. I am a better human being after a color guard show: I am more attuned to my own emotions, I can better sympathize with others, and I can cherish good and beautiful things. I will forget the seven hours I spent today sitting in an uncomfortable chair, and the pain of my camera hand and shutter finger, but I will never forget this photograph.

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