Daily Photos

< May 2020 >

May 1, 2020
Dandelion seedlings don`t FLOAT -- they actually FLY, generating a low-pressure vortex that makes them rise. Driving in my car, planning to go someplace else, I saw him rowing. I turned, parked, walked, and waited for him. What`s it like to be at the bottom of the food chain? Confident in their speed and maneuverability, swallows aren`t afraid to fly low and give me a good looking over. Were there geese at Giverny?

May 2, 2020
A good camera lens will make images sharply focused, but a good photographer knows when blur is better. How to keep a child occupied during the long, dull days. Send me a wire. Don`t miss the details. Your daily bird.

May 3, 2020
It was playing Chopin`s Funeral March. Happy Sunday! The speed and maneuverability of a swallow (see May 1 above). Not speedy or maneuverable, but a bill like a bayonet. For oft from the darkness of hearts and lives come songs that brim with joy and light, as out of the gloom of the cypress grove the mocking-bird sings at night. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR The eve is still, yet from the hill the killdeer echoes loud and shrill. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

May 4, 2020
The flower was a large purple ball, but bees grabbed onto little flowerets and hung on as they drooped down. Hunting anything that moved in the grass. Bees do important work. Do not swat, spray or smush. Hunting anything that moved in the mud. In times of uncertainty, it`s important to remain flexible.

May 5, 2020
Cinco de Mayo. Thanks for the encouragement. Shopping during a global health crisis. That reminds me: I need a new toothbrush. Available for a limited time only.

May 6, 2020
At least he died doing what he loved most. Skinny dipping. Leafy greens. I wondered why there were so few tadpoles this year (see June 11, 2018) . . . . . . but then I stopped wondering.

May 7, 2020
Fighting against the wind -- and losing. No, that`s fine -- we`ll just wait for you. Saluting health care professionals and hospital workers. Fighting against the wind -- and winning. The mystery of Amelia Earhart has been solved.

May 8, 2020
All the days are starting to blur together. The Oregon District is slowly coming back to life. A tiny flyby (see May 7 above). When, oh when will you open? We can make it better than it was. Better. Stronger. Faster.

May 9, 2020
The fish is thinking, `Hmmm, this is weird.` We`re keeping an eye on each other (see April 27, 2020). I`d turn back if I were you. Hanging on past their prime. The Class of 2020 is making the best of a bad situation.

May 10, 2020
There was a bitter territorial battle over this little pipe. This little bouquet makes me feel bad for all of those people who were planning to have a wedding this spring. This was near a hat store, so now I have a theory about who decorates the hitching posts (see April 26, 2020). The bee`s last bumble (see July 10, 2011). About 18 months ago, I bought a ticket to a Star Wars concert (and recently a Star Wars mask) but in vain.

May 11, 2020
The American cliff swallow (petrochelidon pyrrhonota). Petro means rock and pyrrhonota means flaming back. Pretending to be a waterfowl. Make way for ducklings. That last photo is enough to bring a tear to your eye. I might be able to strap a pair of skates on without injuring myself, but that`s as far as I can go.

May 12, 2020
I told myself, `Not so many birds today, okay?` Class of 2020 graduates are celebrating one at a time. Don`t you dare be social! Moments later, I came across someone getting tattooed in a secluded area of the park. There must be a lot of disappointment involved in fishing. A fisherman got too close to her throne (see May 9 above).

May 13, 2020
Two days a week I need to know what time it is. Otherwise, it doesn`t even matter what day it is. The Book of Revelation prophesies the end of the world. Have you ever seen a building puke? Socially distant artists. My Chinese toilet paper arrived (on the right) after 6 1/2 weeks (see April 10, 2020). Something seems odd.

May 14, 2020
As soon as dinner starts, that`s when people come over. It`s another bird day. Why am I wearing my winter coat in springtime? I`ve done that once or twice . . . a week. Surf Dayton!

May 15, 2020
I`m going to leave the house, go to a place and do a thing (if I remember how). Holly & Emily are on the cutting edge of America`s return to normal. This country needs ice cream and pop songs. They washed their hands after every customer. Ice cream is inherently social. I bark, you bark, we all bark for ice cream.

May 16, 2020
Will it be music that leads us slowly back to normality? Everything`s going to be okay. A scene from `Lord of the Flies.` Nullifying millions of years of evolution, he uses paddles on his hands. The ducklings are growing up (see May 11 above).

May 17, 2020
Since kids aren`t allowed to use the playground, nature has made a comeback. I guess I spoke too soon. Other people`s video shoots. Welcome back . . . but not too close. Art takes many forms.

May 18, 2020
Bugs outside don`t bug me, because that`s their domain. Bugs inside, however . . . well, see April 14, 2020. Censorship is alive and well in America. Circumnutation can strangle you if you don`t watch out. Wait, that can`t be right. I waited -- in vain -- for the Spectrum guy to climb up.

May 19, 2020
`Mommy, look at the pretty flower.` `Let`s go, it`s raining!` A universe at the end of a stem. The CITY OF DAYTON has been under water. I looked out the window a lot -- until it stopped raining. Yes, I was in the gutter when I took this photo.

May 20, 2020
Wherever you go, somebody is watching you. Public display of affection. Health update: I still have my sense of smell. The water is wide. I cannot cross o`er. The eagle has landed.

May 21, 2020
Spring is in a hurry. Don`t get in its way. A robin feathering his nest has very little time to rest while gathering his bits of twine and twig. ROBERT & RICHARD SHERMAN I think this is a dark-eyed junco, but it didn`t give a name. She has abdicated her throne (see May 12 above). Nature keeps a balance between predator and prey -- well, until humans came along.

May 22, 2020
I felt an affinity to Georgia O`Keefe. Smoke break. I heard a falcon in the sky, but couldn`t see it. It`s not easy being G2. The resale value of this vehicle has been compromised.

May 23, 2020
Why do people look at fake things on screens when they could go outside and look at real things? This has been my home for lo these 30 years. The temples we build to worship our cars. Some people just make the world a more colorful place. Today I heard and saw the falcon (see May 22 above).

May 24, 2020
There`s one thing that all life on Earth needs. Not afraid of me at all, but maybe annoyed I was there. Light is a photographer`s friend, but sometimes it`s hard to get along with your friends. Forgotten from last year? Public display of affection.

May 25, 2020
I went out early this morning and it was worth it. Memorial Day 2020. Two geese have nine goslings in just one year, and they live for more than 20 years. Human beings are in trouble. I worked on a national holiday too, just to get outside. Today I begin my 17th year of taking photos every day.

May 26, 2020
A quiet spring morning is a good time for reflection. When everything goes well. When everything goes badly. A quiet spring morning is a good time for reflection. Burst into blossoms of glory eternal flowers that sweeten the world with their breath. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

May 27, 2020
And this is just ONE. There are lots more! Painting in two-part harmony. The house finch didn`t ask me for money, but somebody on the same corner did. Maybe they should paint it a bright color or something. More trash from the White House (see March 29, 2020). El Presidente sent me a letter in Spanish, so when November comes I`ll remember who gave me $1200.

May 28, 2020
Down but not out. Ready for a big comeback. Scouting a location for a future photo shoot. It`s good to be outside on a spring afternoon. Don`t get upset. Flowers are fireworks in slow motion.

May 29, 2020
Bath time. Lunch time. Moments later it started pouring down rain. Flower fiesta. Apres la pluie.

May 30, 2020
Keep looking up. Ever seen two herons together? Me neither. Keep looking down. I wouldn`t drink that if I were you. Saturday morning on the bike path.

May 31, 2020
It was a tense night in the Oregon District. No one`s getting in, no one`s getting out. I guess I live in a gated community now. In other words: Don`t smash my window, I`m just trying to run a business. Keeping an eye on the second day of protests. Strong, but weary.

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