Daily Photos

< August 2018 >

August 1, 2018
Being here, seeing this, is more meaningful than anything else I will do today. I took some ordinary pictures of this dragonfly, and then I got down into the wet grass to do the extraordinary. All in the Downs the fleet was moor`d, the streamers waving in the wind, when black-eyed Susan came aboard. `O! where shall I my true-love find?` JOHN GAY Daisy dreaming. Even a bad picture of a hummingbird is a good picture.

August 2, 2018
One moment you`re gathering nuts with your squirrel friends and the next moment you`re a hawk`s breakfast. Flower power. One moment you`re on a branch with your berry buddies and the next you`re a sparrow`s breakfast. Dragonflies seem especially large this summer. Awaiting the next guest.

August 3, 2018
Today is all about me the employee, not me the person. `Do you know about Dayton`s classical music station?` We have thousands of CDs on sale! We have classical music bingo! We have lots of money!

August 4, 2018
An understanding between the species. The most competitive competitor in the competition. It was too hot this morning to wear the dark jackets. I learned a lot by listening to the coaches yelling advice. Far from the madding crowd.

August 5, 2018
Warming up during rehearsal. Always listen to the singers standing beside you. When the director makes changes just before the show. Stage fright. Happiness is being a soprano.

August 6, 2018
To be alone is not to be lonely. It was 93 degrees, but felt very pleasant outside. The earth is just so full of fun it really can`t contain it, and streams of mirth so freely run the heavens seem to rain it. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR Other people`s photo shoots. Tiny house.

August 7, 2018
Hey man, I was talking to some of the guys and we`re kinda worried -- you know -- about your seed problem. The rain was nice enough to stop when I went outside. Butterflies can`t fly when their wings are cool and damp, so I saw this monarch and thought `You are MINE!` The joy of this photo was slightly diminished when some woman walked up and said, `You gonna lemme see it?` This would be a good place to photograph a ballerina (see August 19 below).

August 8, 2018
Did you see that movie `War of the Worlds`? At this time of year, I take too many pictures of birds. Parking lot decorations. Come together, right now, over me. JOHN LENNON I put some money in his hat and then took a few photos. It was a win-win situation.

August 9, 2018
It`s never a good sign when you`re inside a building and fire trucks pull up outside. My appointment was at 8am. The doctor saw me at 9:05am. Who knew health care was so complicated? SORRY for running a red light and nearly killing you. Thirsty? I take even more pictures of ducks than I show you.

August 10, 2018
EVERYBODY POLKA! A German girl and French man do a Czech dance. Funf deutsche Madchen. Can you can-can? She can can-can. Performers usually know where the photographers are.

August 11, 2018
Another butterfly too cool to fly (see August 7 above). My first zebra swallowtail of the year. The spicebush swallowtail caterpillar has fake eyes and forked tongue to make it look threatening to predators. `These eyes will find you and this beak will eat you.` There`s a 100% chance of cute.

August 12, 2018
The sword and the whiskers seem to belong together. The new downtown concert stage is finally open! Trout Fishing in America is a duo that`s been performing together for over 40 years. They put on a great show. They sang some fun songs for kids . . . . . . and also some rock songs for the grownups.

August 13, 2018
Ask not for whom the bus honks. It honks for thee. I live in a tropical climate with lots of colorful birds. Hurrying to torture something smaller and weaker. The blossoms are too small for bees now, but soon. Can we assume that there are no two exactly alike?

August 14, 2018
Pigeon perch. The mural is finally finished (see July 19, 2018). The eye of the storm. I can shake off everything as I write. My sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. ANNE FRANK A pig with angel wings outside a barbeque restaurant.

August 15, 2018
The funniest thing I saw today was this bee wiping pollen out of its eyes so it could see where it was flying. Did you see that movie `The Fly`? It`s about time for me to go, so I`m not late for -- WAIT!! If birds didn`t eat so much, the world would be creepier. It was a good morning in the meadow.

August 16, 2018
Delhi 2 Dublin plays Indian/Irish electronic dance music. They got the crowd on their feet at the Levitt Pavilion. The fiddler was on fire. And every picture I took of this guy was HEROIC. Colored lights and a fog machine made things difficult.

August 17, 2018
It was a quiet morning in the garden -- except for the greenskeepers with their lawnmower and weed trimmer. Fresh as a daisy. What the bee saw. Water, water everywhere. Not a comfortable way to spend the night.

August 18, 2018
Kyle Dillingham and his band Horseshoe Road just played a show last night, but they got up early today. They spent the morning at a youth shelter where they gave a brief performance for a small group of residents. Kyle played a blazing version of `The Devil Went Down to Georgia.` Then the band members and residents collaborated to write a new song on the theme of umoja, or unity. They performed the song on stage in the evening, and another band picked up their instruments and joined in.

August 19, 2018
Energy. Flexibility. Grace. Strength. Beauty.

August 20, 2018
We need more hawks round here (see August 2 above). Breakfast. Totally different flowers than August 1. Waiting for a hummingbird. Still waiting. Nature always wins.

August 21, 2018
Swimmers take your marks! Forge your own path. Where bubble wrap comes from. This is what I look for during my lunch break. You`ll see rabbits all over the city if you look closely.

August 22, 2018
I despise ambiguity. `Watch out, he`s got a camera. I`m outta here!` Bee convention. Everything`s bright and sunny until I come along. `Your photos from today: is that the best you can do?`

August 23, 2018
I had to wear a jacket this morning. Not a good sign. She was drinking water droplets off of the plant. A life -- shorter and smaller than mine -- but a life. The world is full of hazards. The best (I hope) of sixteen photos of this flower.

August 24, 2018
Hey, this is a no barking zone. It allowed me to get fairly close, then it flew away squawking angrily. `You want ME to apologize? YOU should apologize!` And then I realized some campers were watching me. Five minutes earlier, I wondered if I`d see a beaver.

August 25, 2018
I think I saw this in a James Bond movie. Valet service. As Aretha Franklin sang The Star-Spangled Banner. The princess put on her helmet and dominated her race. Is John King famous? I wouldn`t know.

August 26, 2018
I`ve been spending a lot of time here lately. Shows are free, but anyone can make a contribution. Today was a fun family concert by Big Bang Boom. Some of their songs mentioned boogers and monsters. Only I know that they didn`t follow their set list.

August 27, 2018
Hey, turn around! The camera`s over here. There are good and bad things about my neighborhood. It`s a vibrant and creative place. One of the bad things is being followed around by a panhandler first thing in the morning. But a walk through the park can cure all ills.

August 28, 2018
Keeping the 151-year-old theatre in good shape. Support public radio and your ears won`t freeze. I signed up for electronic delivery so my financial institution won`t have to send me paper documents. They sent me a letter in the mail thanking me. Water is strange and wonderful. On cold winter days, I often take pictures in the kitchen. Oh, and on hot summer nights too.

August 29, 2018
Some days, it`s just hard to get started in the morning. `Birdbrain` may be an insult, but birds are pretty smart. They don`t waste time doing pointless things like we do. You have NO IDEA what lies ahead for you as a monarch butterfly! I`ve got all my ducks in a row. Two tickets, please.

August 30, 2018
Caught in mid-flap. Its brief, beautiful existence will be hardly noticed. No toad could ever use that as a stool. Well, now I`ve almost seen everything: a hummingbird taking a bath in a lily. Time to wipe the dew from your eyes and get up.

August 31, 2018
Get some MojoFlo into your life and you will be uplifted. Sure the Levitt Pavilion presents free concerts every week, but what it really does is bring people together. Somebody who plays saxophone like he does can wear any color glasses he wants. Who`s taking these great concert photos? Oh . . . me. I was shocked when she said she went to high school in Dayton. I wonder if I took her picture back then . . .

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