Daily Photos

< April 2019 >

April 1, 2019
Bird season has begun. Bird season has begun. Bird season has begun. Bird season has begun. Bird season has begun.

April 2, 2019
Jars of clay. The weather is warming up. After yesterday, I told myself `No birds today.` Oh well. Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE It`s the most wonderful time of the year!

April 3, 2019
For 33 years, Dayton has hosted the world championships of color guard. Teams from across the country and around the world travel here to compete for a world title. Just the name `Dayton` has become legendary among color guard performers. Dreaming of Dayton can inspire a young performer to practice harder. Memories of Dayton will always be enjoyable for a color guard veteran.

April 4, 2019
People who aren`t familiar with the activity may not realize that color guard has meaning. Each five-minute show tells a story. It can make you laugh . . . . . . bring a tear to your eye . . . . . . or help you better understand yourself and your world.

April 5, 2019
At this year`s color guard world championships, some of the shows were just lighthearted fun. But other shows touched on meaningful topics, like equality and civil rights . . . . . . the suppression of peaceful protest by militarized police . . . . . . and savoring life despite the certainty of death. You can catch glimpses of the infinite while watching teenagers spin flags.

April 6, 2019
One show featured a reading of the sonnet about the Statue of Liberty (`Give me your tired, your poor`). Those quiet words were a scathing critique of current immigration practices. Young color guard performers represent our future. I find it encouraging . . . . . . that when given a brief moment to communicate a message on a world stage these are the themes they choose.

April 7, 2019
The color guard world championship began on Saturday morning and continued all day into Sunday morning. The awards ceremony ended with a big celebration. Nobody saw the sign or heard the announcements, so eventually the lights were turned off to make people go. Hours later, everyone`s back for a morning dance class. Look at the dancer, yes, but then look at the girls in the upper right.

April 8, 2019
Mind the duck. Cherish every day -- especially spring days. Natural habitat. Unnatural habitat. This photo shows you how the blossoms looked, but not how they smelled.

April 9, 2019
While I was indoors shooting color guard, spring came. Sunny springtime. It`s motorcycle season in the Oregon District. Things fall apart. Everywhere I look, it`s memento mori.

April 10, 2019
My first goldfinch photo of the year is a bit sketchy. Sharing has gone out of style. It`s patio dining season in the Oregon District. This VW microbus has seen a lot of miles. Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo.

April 11, 2019
Testing, testing, one two three. Another world championship already? Extra points for color coordination. A pep talk before taking the floor. Before and after.

April 12, 2019
How I felt after spending 16 hours in an arena taking pictures of a percussion competition. The day was made longer due to a tornado warning, which forced a delay in the competition. An intern from California was afraid of a tornado, although she lives with earthquakes every day. I took 9,795 pictures on Friday, so finding five decent ones wasn`t too difficult. I left the arena at about 1:30am and had to be back at 10am to take more photos. I dreamed about percussion.

April 13, 2019
Today I took photos for only 10 hours -- which was much easier than yesterday. I sometimes start to doubt myself or my camera, but then I shoot an event like this and the doubts go away. [This photo was published to a worldwide audience] The greatest spectacle I saw today was from this high school team from California. The judges agreed and gave them a gold medal. The second-greatest spectacle I saw today was a show that used giant see-saws to fling performers into the air. World championships are over for another year, and now I can try to catch up on sleep.

April 14, 2019
I didn`t shoot the final day of world championships. The day was a lot more relaxed. I took about 40,000 photos of color guard, percussion and winds in two weeks. I got to enjoy a ballet in the afternoon. And then I spent a quiet evening at home.

April 15, 2019
Not a stray, but not ready for your living room either. Spring comes and goes, so keep your gloves nearby. The first photograph of a black hole. He was singing syllables, but not exactly songs. Is the window broken, or my face?

April 16, 2019
It`s time for the KCC Spring Concert. The kids in the choir are always angels. See the world through children`s eyes. MARY KAY BEALL AND JOHN CARTER Straighten up and fly right. NAT KING COLE AND IRVING MILLS Filius Patris, Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. JOHN RUTTER

April 17, 2019
The calm before the concert. Last-minute rehearsal. The program says `No Photography!` but I`m special. Stephen Wright told an interesting story about his granduncles, Wilbur and Orville Wright. Mark Armstrong, the son of Neil Armstrong, recited the poem `High Flight` by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

April 18, 2019
The tulips are blooming. The bricks are blooming. Trees need bees to survive. We need trees to survive. I hope they have it in my size. I have a big head. There were two males, one female, and lots of trouble.

April 19, 2019
A prizewinning hand. It`s quitting time on Friday and there`s no looking back. Still life with junk. Like economic disparity in America, the gulf between my good pictures and bad pictures grows ever wider. Winter made a comeback this week.

April 20, 2019
During the past two weekends, I worked long hours and accomplished some amazing things. This weekend, I was able to relax and take it easy. The only thing I needed to do today was get to the library by 2:30 for an event. I got to the library at 3:20 and missed the event. It was a low-achieving day.

April 21, 2019
Onelip. Yesterday`s rain or today`s dew. The heart of the tulip. Nature gives us obvious clues that the purpose of life is to perpetuate life. Stand tall.

April 22, 2019
Amphibious landing craft. Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I`ll rise. MAYA ANGELOU Why call it dicentra when you can say Bleeding Hearts? Heckle and Jeckle. When I`m walking around outside taking pictures, I am drawn to the sound of birds, live music and skateboards.

April 23, 2019
For me personally, spring arrived today -- a month late. Drawn to the sun, or blown by the wind? Down among the tulips. I walked past it, changed my mind, and turned around. The housing inspector said this place will last a lifetime.

April 24, 2019
I hate it when people don`t take down their holiday decorations. Tulip lips. Hey, throw me my keys. WILLIAM MCKINLEY This sculpture has endless possibilities (see December 18, 2018). Since when do I have more than a terabyte of data?

April 25, 2019
What the world needs now is 18 copies of my play. Spring will linger for a bit longer, but don`t waste a day. The blossoms came down with the rain. It is, like all of us, a work in progress. It`s not oil -- it`s pollen.

April 26, 2019
Sing Sing Sing! Opera workshop steers far away from Mozart or Puccini. I thought Duke Ellington played the piano. Jazz began to die as soon as the audience was told to stop dancing, sit down and listen in respectful silence. Fly me to the moon.

April 27, 2019
`You don`t have Spider Man on the guest list? Maybe it`s under Peter Parker.` Today I had the chance to take pictures at a fashion show, but it would have cost me $15 to get in. Instead, I decided to go to a costume contest. If I hung around outside in the hallway, I wouldn`t have to pay. I`m looking forward to their next movie together. From behind, I saw her ears were made from 3x5 cards.

April 28, 2019
Two-dimensional defense won`t stop a three-dimensional offense. The team in yellow came all the way from Maryland just to get crushed by the Gem City Roller Girls 291 to 49. I`m starting to figure out how roller derby works. Nothing personal, but you`re not going any further. Beware the braid.

April 29, 2019
I photographed this same tree three years ago today (see April 29, 2016). Springtime is happytime. Taken in a meadow? No, on a city sidewalk. The low point of my neighborhood. The secret of the tulip.

April 30, 2019
The Loch Ness Monster has lost a lot of weight. Fly the crowded skies. To get this photo, I had to outsmart an animal that has a brain the size of a pea. Adam Alonzo, Waterfowl Photographer (see September 1, 2010). It was not necessary to outsmart this animal.

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