Daily Photos

< May 2021 >

May 1, 2021
String instrument No. 1. String instrument No. 2. String instrument No. 3. We need more plants around this neighborhood. We need fewer plants around this neighborhood.

May 2, 2021
I despise geese, I tolerate gulls, ducks make no impression on me, but kildeers get my heart racing. Closing in on spring. Finally, a butterfly that isn`t a cabbage white (see April 18, 2021). Look up and appreciate the infinite expanse of stars. Look down in awe at the tiny details of flowers. Dinner.

May 3, 2021
We operate on our level of existence, while insects and flowers operate on theirs. Who`s to say one is better? After it stops raining, THEN go outside. Trapped in a raindrop. Tulips haven`t left us completely just yet. This shot became more interesting after I changed my camera angle to include a red tulip in the background.

May 4, 2021
I can see in the dark. The hard part is seeing in the light. Since I can`t see well enough to use the computer, I`ll clean my shelves. Many, many books will be discarded. In the Oregon District, everything is old. A clean starling is a happy starling.

May 5, 2021
The colors of springtime. Ready to intimidate passing pedestrians. WHAT? A CONCERT? I remember concerts . . . Remembering Professor Curtis Barnes, Sr. (see January 17, 2009). It`s hard to tell, but I`m inside the Arcade. Little by little, the sleeping giant is awakening (see April 25, 2018)

May 6, 2021
I foolishly thought two boxes would be enough (see April 22, 2021). I removed dozens of books from my shelves and now have a carload to donate. Many of them are books that I purchased when I thought I could learn how to take pictures by reading. Some of them are big and expensive. Others I picked up for free from photography teachers who were liquidating their bookshelves.

May 7, 2021
I`ve never seen a coot around here during the spring (see February 7, 2018). 1. Bait the hook. 2. Catch the fish. 3. Eat the dinner. Sixteen ducklings have become three (see April 23, 2021). Always wear your safety harness. It could save your life. To me, `work` means sitting on a chair indoors.

May 8, 2021
Not a real F-16 this time (see May 7, 2020). The park was crawling with wedding parties and prom couples. We`ve come a long way since April 27, 2020. Meanwhile, in the woods to my left, some kids were being photographed inside a teepee they had brought. Despite my thoughts on geese (see May 2 above), each creature has its place. I can admire this one`s beauty. I don`t even like these flowers, but was stunned by all of its delicate details (see April 26, 2021).

May 9, 2021
I went outside during a brief moment it wasn`t raining. At least the bush was harmless (see May 1 above). These thorns want to hurt me. They emerge every 17 years. I think cats are able to sense that I don`t like them. It was cold and windy, but I had to give you five pictures.

May 10, 2021
Sixteen ducklings (April 23) became three (May 7) and now just one. Other people`s photo shoots. Maybe paint on the pavement helps (see April 20, 2021). BOO! Dinnertime.

May 11, 2021
What we really need is a big pile of gravel to fill this in. What we really need is a big hole to put this gravel into. I`m glad it wasn`t knocked down during the past century. The Arcade is still a work in progress. I`m all about the mirror selfies.

May 12, 2021
It`s hard for me to understand people who eat fast food. This office building was constructed recently and now it`s mostly empty because everybody works from home. Keep an eye on your one duckling (see May 10 above). The blur looks cool, so I`ll pretend it was intentional. My brain is constantly in research mode, so I write notes to myself in the dark in the middle of the night.

May 13, 2021
No eagles today. I should`ve called ahead. They`re noisy, and that makes them easy to photograph. They`re fast, and that makes them hard to photograph. They had their faces down in the grass, but then a noisy kildeer squawked and their heads popped up in unison. Basically a repeat of April 19, 2021, but with no eagle.

May 14, 2021
I`ve lived around here a long time, but am always glad to discover an interesting location, like the Grotto Garden. I never had a reason to come to the VA Medical Center, but then I read about the Grotto Garden in the paper. I also came across picturesque buildings that have been here since the late 1800s. This chapel was built in 1870 by Civil War veterans using limestone they quarried from the grounds nearby. From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. ABRAHAM LINCOLN

May 15, 2021
Betty White, the three-legged cat, seems a little too comfortable around my building (see May 9 above). It`s so inspiring to see people reach for higher things. The safe way to attend a concert. The safe way to perform at a concert. Who takes those amazing photos for the Kettering Children`s Choir?

May 16, 2021
After winter and a pandemic, I was ready for portraits. It was a quiet day downtown, and it didn`t rain. We heard skaters and starting walking quickly that way. I wish you could see the striped bell-bottoms she had on. Her hair and the wind did not get along.

May 17, 2021
It didn`t rain yesterday. I don`t care if it rains today. It`s the middle of May and trees are still blossoming. Circles and lines. It takes perseverance to fish. It takes perseverance to take photos for 6,201 days.

May 18, 2021
`Is this the right size? She`s so hard to shop for.` `I hope she likes it.` `Here honey, I got this for you.` `Oh thank you, darling! This is perfect. I know just where to put it.` `He`s so thoughtful.`

May 19, 2021
Still working on the nest (see May 18 above). What`s the point? I avoid any activity that requires a helmet. I avoid any activity that requires a helmet and wet pants. Slightly better than May 17 above.

May 20, 2021
F-15 Eagle. A-10 Thunderbolt. C-17 Globemaster. EC-135E Aria. AC-130A Hercules.

May 21, 2021
This picture took a lot of work, but it was worth it. A morning in springtime: can it go on forever? It`s hard to chase bees, but easy to just wait for them. How can I keep from singing? Do ants have names?

May 22, 2021
It was hot and dusty, but I was happy to be back. They do difficult things, while I just push a button. It`s low tech, but it gets the job done. Young riders should be trained to smile at my camera. I would`ve paid money for some water from that bucket.

May 23, 2021
I heard cicadas are emerging late due to cool weather. I hadn`t seen any cicadas in Dayton around where I live. I went to a garden today planning to photograph flowers. But I discovered that cicadas are plentiful in the suburbs. Seventeen years ago, I lacked the photography skills and camera equipment to take good photos of Brood X (see June 8, 2004).

May 24, 2021
After months of dust, loud music, power tools at night and annoying contractors, I hope this place is finished. This is NOT the same shoe as April 17, 2021. Where I will spend my retirement. The things that interest me don`t cost any money. Reaching new heights in his career.

May 25, 2021
I heard them coming from a long way off. Soaking up the sun. I heard a cardinal singing behind me, so I turned around. It was really a mockingbird pretending to be a cardinal. The bee doesn`t tell itself lies about the significance of its life. It just quietly does what it`s supposed to do. Kneeling in the prairie today, I learned from the bee. Find a place where nothing happens and enjoy it.

May 26, 2021
All that`s left of the doves` nest (see May 18 above). Scavenger. Christmas lights are still up (see December 11, 2020). I`m cool with that. A downtown falcon arrives home carrying dinner. There has been no progress (see April 7, 2021) so renegades like me run the barricade every day.

May 27, 2021
I guess I spoke too soon about annoying contractors (see May 24 above). Music pulls me forward and lifts me up every day. Standing tall since 1904. Suddenly the Crowne Plaza hotel is a Radisson hotel. I think I saved a squirrel`s life by taking this photo.

May 28, 2021
During a portrait shoot on May 16, my flash gave a POP and flashed no more. See the tiny bits of broken glass? I could buy a new one for $450, get it repaired for $250, or fix it myself for $117. Where are my screwdrivers? How to avoid losing tiny screws. Oh, I also dropped a camera and damaged another flash on May 15. It was a rough weekend. When the tree by my window blooms, it reminds me of the first day I started taking photos (see May 25, 2004).

May 29, 2021
I thought my photography class would get rained out, but fortunately the weather cleared up. But it was COLD! Two people signed up for my class thinking they would learn to PAINT portraits of people in the park. Whoops! After the class was over and the students were gone, it was time for some fun pictures of the warrior princess. Rachel is the greatest (see July 7, 2019; December 27, 2019; February 20, 2020; and October 3, 2020). This will be my computer desktop image for a long time.

May 30, 2021
The face the right fielder makes when he knows it`s a home run. I have more smiles than frowns, so I can`t complain. There`s nothing better than morning yoga in the park. `Eddies in the space-time continuum!` Ford Prefect in `The Hitchhiker`s Guide to the Galaxy` by DOUGLAS ADAMS The big ones raise the small ones.

May 31, 2021
Why deck with flow`rs these humble mounds? Why gather round this fast decaying mold? Why doth remembrance keep her solemn rounds and wrap these sleepers in her loving fold? Why kneel, ye silent mourners, here to drop the reverential tear? Flesh is but dust when parted from the breath. Flesh is but dust, but worth of soul is gold! `Tis not the dust we honor, but the brave and noble spirits that it once did hold. So kneel we weeping at the grave as at the door through which have passed to enter into mansions vast the heroes who have gone to meet a dearer destiny than dirgeful death. `Memorial Day` by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR.

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