Daily Photos

< June 2011 >

June 1, 2011
I`m taller in the morning than I am at noon. Law schools don`t just grow on trees. Condensation piece. This sculpture wasn`t here yesterday. The people at Wright State University Library went to extraordinary lengths to make my visit there pleasant.

June 2, 2011
Today a group of preschoolers visited the UD Library. The kids got to make their own books to take home. Then there was storytime, where they were read a book about libraries. Hopefully they`ll be lifelong booklovers. The concept of what a `book` is has changed. `Want ssssome chocolate? Yessss you do.`

June 3, 2011
Hairy rodent eating garbage: awww, so cute!! Does he get a new license plate every time the AP rankings are announced? One guy works hard while the other guy points out flaws. Guess which one I would be. Audrey Hepburn lives! I am so telling.

June 4, 2011
There are very few butterflies around this year. This morning I presented a photography workshop about how to take pictures of water. Then the class went outside to a pond and practiced, and I played lifeguard. I told her: You`re a Civil War southern belle who has risen from the mist to await the return of your young man in gray. I take her picture often now, because once she becomes famous I won`t be able to. This was a troublesome shoot: we were separated by a lagoon and had to walk a long way to get into position.

June 5, 2011
Working on a Sunday? This kind of climbing vine is very resistent to herbicides. As usual, I had the wrong lens on when this guy appeared. Oh, for the good old days when I owned only ONE lens. Softly, as in a morning sunrise, the light of love comes stealing into a newborn day. OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II The Ghost of Siebenthaler Avenue.

June 6, 2011
`Uh, dude, could we talk about this later?` Cookout season! I can`t get that Rebecca Black song out of my mind! Watching for chipmunks. Watching for hawks.

June 7, 2011
I`ve really gotta get one of these machines at home. I like photos of patterns, but this really crossed the line. Kitchen door. Do bugs know that it`s really hot outside? Fake rose on a pine tree. There`s a story here.

June 8, 2011
Robin doesn`t live here anymore. The Milky Way galaxy, in a sprinkler. Looks like a library. `Ah, Evian!` You`ve been eating marshmallows wrong all these years.

June 9, 2011
Picnic, as seen from above. Picnic, as seen from below. After eating, then it`s time for a little competition. If winning isn`t everything, then why keep score? {Sigh!} If only I knew how to take good photos of people.

June 10, 2011
Undercover duck. H two oh! The river level is back to normal (see March 7, 2011). But I didn`t say that the river itself was normal. `Held in Silence` (mobile with antique lenses) by Deborah Barr, now on display at the Dayton Visual Arts Center.

June 11, 2011
What did my camera and lens cost? Who cares, just look. A little color contrast is nice from time to time. Who needs color contrast? {Sigh!} If only I knew how to take good photos of nature. The more time you take on a photo, the better it turns out.

June 12, 2011
Warming up for Flag Day. There was a group of picnickers nearby, but it`s far too late to start caring about what people think of me. No, not another hawk already. This was much bigger. A building on my street is getting a nice new coat of paint (see June 3 above). A long time ago, I would`ve really liked this picture, but I wouldn`t have understood why it turned out like it did.

June 13, 2011
When BlueSky kids arrive on campus, very strange things start to happen (see July 6, 8, 15 and 22, 2010). I need very little reason to shoot the beautiful blue sky. After the party. I haven`t been arrested yet for taking pictures of buildings, but there`s always tomorrow. I got the blue sky I wanted (see May 18, 2011) but it was a little too sunny. It`s hard to please a perfectionist. I waited a long time for the cloud, to help clarify what the scene is.

June 14, 2011
Excuse me? Mutual curiosity. Haven`t been back through the pines for a while. Did you know you can drink a flower? Another perfect blue sky day . . . almost.

June 15, 2011
Today I bought two hardback books and a drink, and the drink cost more than the books. CLEARANCE SALE! Chilly. Windy. Rainy. Perched on a low branch, I think he was just trying to dry out. The beak is fearsome, and there are sharp talons to go along with it, so I took a photo and then backed away. A soldier`s final resting place. In my eighth year of taking pictures, I finally get a bluejay.

June 16, 2011
I`ve been really busy and the place has gotten a bit messy. This says `come hither` to passing bees and butterflies. Symbol seen from afar. We construct buildings so we don`t have to be outside very much, but we still want to see outside all the time. After working all day in a freezing cold library, it feels good to come home.

June 17, 2011
Evening falls on Jackson Street. Oops, my eyes were closed. Descent into the abyss. The price is right. Raspberry tea cures what ails you.

June 18, 2011
Housing crisis in the Oregon District. Three days until summer. Our garbage cans offer an endless buffet, but squirrels still eat nuts every now and then just to keep their teeth sharp. Unique. Only those who have something to hide will complain.

June 19, 2011
The face of unrequited love waits for me on the porch. Veins and drops. I`ve told you before not to point your camera at the sun. But when you do, close the aperture to make sparkles. Majestic weeds. Unlike Lassie`s noisy barking long ago, modern dogs just send text messages: TIMMY N MINE SHAFT. SRSLY!

June 20, 2011
How troubleshooting calls are handled at the Help Desk. When I neglect to take pictures during the day, I have to go outside in the evening, where I become mosquito bait. I`m half crazy, all for the love of you. Untouched by Photoshop, this flower had its own glow. At least it has the magic word.

June 21, 2011
The constant threat of thunderstorms. FORE! Hot air rises, cold air falls. Want some cake? Or should I say, want blue teeth? Made it through another year.

June 22, 2011
`Rush` hour in the Oregon District. As usual, someone else`s backbreaking work in the garden results in an easy photo for me. Your favorite tattoo shop gets a touch-up. For all of you budding photographers out there, 1/40th of a second is too slow for a goldfinch. The neighbor`s car leaves port.

June 23, 2011
Willpower. Is it boxing day already? I`ll be going to this show myself soon, but I`m sure there will be no picture-taking allowed. A lot less sinister than July 14, 2006. Remember this photo from April 5, 2011? Sure ya do.

June 24, 2011
No, you can`t tell it`s a toupee. It looks perfectly real. Gesundheit! Let`s run it up the flagpole and see -- wait, forget it. The hero flower and its wingman. Coming soon to a gallery near you (if you leave near the Dayton Visual Arts Center at 118 North Jefferson Street).

June 25, 2011
Finding something to photograph is only part of the challenge. It`s equally important to build a scene around it. Uh, what I said in the last caption. Chick magnet. Still stalking me on the porch (see June 19 above). I love their hit song, `Wake Me Up, Little Susie.`

June 26, 2011
This building on my street was repainted just in time to serve my photographic needs (see June 3 above). Her Royal Cuteness was previously seen on June 18, 2010 (and very briefly on July 17, 2010). She wants to be a lawyer, so this might be prescient. No doubt she`s reacting to my incredibly witty banter. Broken car bodies and a $3 dress from Goodwill: this is high fashion, Dayton style.

June 27, 2011
Nothing attracts a crowd like free pizza. The phrase `You eat like a bird` should really mean, `You never stop eating,` since that`s what they do all day. Even before I got out of bed, I had a feeling it would be a big day for bird photos. Cleaning day. You eat like a fly.

June 28, 2011
Puttin` on the Ritz. Great, just great. May you find what you`re looking for, little bug. Oh look, another closeup picture of a bug. This one is totally different: there are TWO bugs.

June 29, 2011
Heavy duty Segway. Porsche: there is no substitute. Today it`s mostly about sunshine and shadow. Sunshine and shadow. I am still beseiged by a cat (see June 19 and 25 above).

June 30, 2011
Morning show. Robin and Mary. I`m organizing, and so everything is disorganized. Bubble wrap! Neat penmanship is all about elbow support as you write.

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