Daily Photos

< July 2018 >

July 1, 2018
I spent the morning in one of my favorite garden parks. It flew past my ear: hummingbird moths don`t hum. Crossing the daisy landscape. This dragonfly refused to land in a convenient place. There was a rabbit, and a chipmunk, and a bathing robin and a singing cardinal. You get a cabbage white.

July 2, 2018
This is going to hurt a bit. Reflections on the Oregon District. While you`re at work, I`m outside taking pictures. Friends for a meal are easy to find. Friends until end of life are difficult to find. THAI PROVERB I enjoy a quiet walk in the morning, even if it`s in the city.

July 3, 2018
The doctor will see you now. A hot and sunny morning. Places to go, things to do, no time for me. There were some small killdeer at the river`s edge. Long after you are dead, and your great-great-great-great-great grandchildren too, this plastic will still exist.

July 4, 2018
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Welcome Dayton is a community initiative that reflects our country`s core philosophy: people with diverse backgrounds, skills and experiences fuel our nation`s success. A patriotic pooch. If your house catches fire during our parade, good luck! It`s an Independence Day tradition (see July 4, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014).

July 5, 2018
You`ve got to know where -- and when -- to look. I can gather all the news I need on the weather report. I`ve got nothing to do today but smile. PAUL SIMON `Hey, I`m just about to land. Meet me in baggage claim.` I`ve been playing with bugs ever since I was a little kid. I had to fight the sun to get this shot, and I won.

July 6, 2018
The city distributed metal cans to every door and porch in my neighborhood. How many will end up in the trash? Summer sunset. Double selfie. I may have been a bee in a previous life. Put on some pants.

July 7, 2018
It was a beautiful morning for photography or phishing. A sea gull that will never see the sea. A clean mallard is a happy mallard. These rocks weren`t put here for canoes. They`re here for kayaks!

July 8, 2018
I was supposed to shoot portraits of someone today, but late last night she let me know that she couldn`t make it. So with good weather and nothing in particular to shoot, I could`ve done another day of gorgeous nature photos. But even I get tired of taking pictures of birds and bugs, so I decided to look for something else to shoot today. So I spent the afternoon in the hot sun, getting bitten by bugs, but the end result was an unusual set of photos. I was hesitant to just show up with my camera, but there were people standing all over the track taking pictures.

July 9, 2018
In Toad Hall. This bug spent the day in the sun. I had to go to work. The birds were on alert as a cat prowled the garden. Morning in the flowerbed. Bikes yesterday, but back to birds and bugs today.

July 10, 2018
I`m outside as the sun rises. What more do I need? Good for you, but I`d rather drive. Summertime, and the living is easy. Down by the riverside. DOWN -- get it? Who decided it needed to be painted?

July 11, 2018
The first face I saw this morning. Sunny summer mornings are all I need. Sidewalk superhero. Find a shadow on the ground, stand in it, then look up. This is how Michelangelo did it.

July 12, 2018
Lots of people went to the Dayton Art Institute today. But how many of them got to see inside the organ? At the end of a long day, take a picture of a flower. Miles Davis is watching you. This is the first monarch I`ve seen so far this summer.

July 13, 2018
Seeking the sun, I leave behind only shadows. Sutna danced at eve, her dusky eyes half hidden. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR The neighbors` wind chimes drive me crazy. Bright, colorful and plentiful, waiting for you to notice. The second time today I`ve taken an accidental selfie.

July 14, 2018
This robin was calling out a warning about some danger. I looked around, but then realized it was me. Goldfinches are very evasive, but they`re no match for a photographer with skill, persistence and a 200mm lens. Flowers are a lot easier to photograph than birds. Closer, closer I got, stepping into the tall prairie grass. I never see dragonflies actually DO anything.

July 15, 2018
I located the new fairgrounds (see July 12, 2017). Okay, now where do I go? What is Bessie`s destiny? The new fairgrounds are bigger and possibly better, but it will be a while before it feels like the fair belongs here. This can be yours for only $600.

July 16, 2018
This looked so much better in my head than in real life. There were bunnies, bunnies everywhere. That thousand-yard stare. As the crow flies. I took 57 photos of this scene. I hope this is the best.

July 17, 2018
Pulchritudinous. Resplendent. Superlative. Exquisite. Effulgent.

July 18, 2018
A hummingbird was here. Obviously, I didn`t get it. Home sweet home. Happy Wednesday! Just because it lives outside doesn`t mean it`s a stray. A tiny landscape is just as worthy as a large one.

July 19, 2018
Artmaking in progress (see July 11 above). Getting ready for the first concert (see June 27, 2018). I looked at this picture a few hours after I took it, and I wondered `What is that?` Oh yeah, the Schuster Center. Reflections of a summer afternoon. The Life Aquatic.

July 20, 2018
It`s supposed to rain for the next seven days. I got to work promptly and damply. Watch your step: it`s walnut season. The brevity of perfection. The stars and stripes forever.

July 21, 2018
A fly must fly, but a bee can simply be. A man walked by, saw my massive camera, and said, `You can see a hummingbird in Iowa with that thing.` Now THAT`S a proboscis! You THINK you`re hiding from me. Dinosaur surfing.

July 22, 2018
The moment you realize your nephews are all grown up. Discussing the finer points of flower petal distribution. Another addition to the family (see June 8, 2018). No, I`m not a wedding photographer. REALLY! `I`m a sack of potatoes!`

July 23, 2018
She`s NOT really shy. His favorite word: `FRIES!` Shiny sunset. With pictures of wildlife, it`s best when I can get a good photo without causing the creature to run or fly away. I`m sure somebody thought this was a good idea.

July 24, 2018
I didn`t even cry. The blue paint means the street is going to be torn up. She walked around cleaning EVERYONE`S sidewalk. Black on black. Licking the treachery from its malignant claws.

July 25, 2018
In the east the morning comes. Hear the rollin` of the drums on the hill. But the heart that beat as they beat in the battle`s raging day heat lieth still. Unto him the night has come, though they roll the morning drum. In the east the morning comes. Hear the rattle of the drums far away. He is sleeping. Let him rest with the flag across his breast. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

July 26, 2018
I used to stand there and contemplate my existence. If you could sit with me upon the shore today, and hold my hand in yours as in the days of old. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR The latest buzz. They get paid to have fun. Nice work, if you can get it. An egocentric, self-absorbed, supercilious narcissist.

July 27, 2018
Two wheels are better than four. Almost finished (see July 19 above). Watch out! That leads to the vegetarian restaurant! No more hieroglyphics (see June 26, 2018). As long as there are Irish dancers with red hair, all is well with the world.

July 28, 2018
No life vest, no experience, but she survived. She was singing about Indiana cornfields, so I don`t think she`s from Ireland. And that IS NOT a fiddle. And a great sign appeared in heaven. REVELATION 12:1a Irish eyes are smiling. A real bladesmith doesn`t need gloves.

July 29, 2018
Today I had fun exploring a prairie that was new to me. I got plenty o nuttin an nuttin`s plenty fo me. I got de sun, got de moon, got de deep blue sea. IRA GERSHWIN On the hunt for bugs. Goldfinches in a meadow are easy to hear, but difficult to see and even harder to photograph. A tiger swallowtail is a great gift, and I took it greedily.

July 30, 2018
We haven`t seen much of the sun lately. And then it started to rain. I would`ve helped pull him out of the pond if he fell in, but only after I took pictures of it first. Why can`t it rain only at night when I`m asleep? This would be a good place to photograph a ballerina.

July 31, 2018
To pause and drink at a mossy brink, Ah that is the best of joy, And so I say, on a summer`s day, What`s so fine as being a boy? PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR You THINK you`re hiding from me (see July 21 above). `When you post this, say I`m from California.` Nearby there`s a sign that says NO SKATEBOARDING. WHOOOOOOOSH!

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