Daily Photos

< April 2023 >

April 1, 2023
Eighteen years ago, I went to see a color guard performance for the first time (see March 6, 2005). I had never heard of color guard, but was immediately hooked by the beauty and artistry of the activity. The photos I took on that day were horrible, but so were most of my pictures in 2005. My photos have improved, so now I`m one of the official photographers of the color guard world championships. It was this team -- Centerville High School -- that first drew me to color guard, so I`m always pulling for them.

April 2, 2023
Apparently it can`t read the NO SWIMMING sign. Humans have been flying for only 120 years. Why do parents do this to their children? I`ll take some fish sticks and French fries, please. Winter made a comeback yesterday, but today is nice.

April 3, 2023
Where the sidewalk ends. There wasn`t much going on at the river, but I was very glad to be outside. Scooters have been outlawed in Paris. Maybe there`s hope for Dayton. I see people walking their dogs in the city all the time and it makes me sad. Dogs should run free in big yards. The sentinel of Main Street.

April 4, 2023
The urban geese family returns to build a nest along the sidewalk (see March 29, 2021; and April 13, 2022). Be careful walking along this sidewalk. Just when I was beginning to doubt, my faith has been restored (see June 27, 2022). Busy as a you-know-what. Birds have such clarity of purpose: find food, raise the young. They don`t get distracted like we humans do.

April 5, 2023
So I put my phone under the desk. What`s it to ya? April showers bring boring photos shot through windows. Relationships are tested when there`s only one umbrella. All of downtown was in gridlock because one person couldn`t figure out how to pay to park. When it rains, I take pictures of musical instruments.

April 6, 2023
Start with fresh strawberries. Add some cream. Spread it thin on a supercold surface. Scrape it into rolls. Serve it up at I Heart Ice Cream in downtown Dayton.

April 7, 2023
I`ve been busy lately and tulips caught me by surprise. This tranquil image was taken amid noisy weed whips. Nature gets a lot of help out here. She slept beneath a tree, remembered but by me. I touched her cradle mute; She recognized the foot, put on her carmine suit, And see! EMILY DICKINSON Gather ye daffodils while ye may.

April 8, 2023
Cars are off-limits on Fifth Street now. Pedestrians have the right of way. This was just outside the no-car zone. I think the trees are confused about when to blossom. In case you were wondering where the bricks from the gazebo went to (see March 8, 2023).

April 9, 2023
F-16s of the U. S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron have a Thunderbird painted on the belly. An osprey circled overhead, looking down at me hungrily. Tulips were out in full strength today. This was not easy, but I got skills (and a quality camera). Have a Disney Easter.

April 10, 2023
Today I decided to take some pictures for a change. A twelve-year-old has more talent than I will ever have. Any occasion can become an excuse to overindulge. I`m optimistic about eating someone else`s candy. Oh, if you only knew all I did to bring you these photos.

April 11, 2023
The garbage arsonist is back (see October 18, 2022). Taken on a busy city sidewalk. I can`t canoe, can you? I don`t think I`d eat anything that came out of this river. The traffic up here is awful.

April 12, 2023
Yet another thing I`ll never be able to do. It`s ready and waiting for you -- or I. Today is the calm before the storm. I`m fortunate to spend the next three days photographing the best color guard teams in the world. New this year: I`ve got a battalion of battery chargers to keep me powered up.

April 13, 2023
Flags! Rifles! Sabers! Leaps! Things!

April 14, 2023
Flags! Rifles! Sabers! Leaps! Things!

April 15, 2023
Ready to take pictures at the final day of the color guard world championships! But I woke up sick and couldn`t go. I slept most of the day. I managed to stagger outside and take a few pictures. But they`re not as good as what I had planned to take.

April 16, 2023
Still sick, I missed Dayton`s opera event of the decade. I don`t even think I managed to stagger outside today. And then there was a power outage. Life is bleak. I hope chicken soup helps (but it`s bad for the chicken). Less is more.

April 17, 2023
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. PAUL WILLIAMS I made it to work, but it was a rough day. It stopped raining, but it`s still Monday. My stomach tells me to go easy for a while. My body tells me that sleep is the best medicine.

April 18, 2023
Some people have real talent. I just push a button. Tulips come in many shapes and sizes. There was a lot of bird chatter up there. Little kid: `Look mommy, a water!` Mommy didn`t care. A preview of my retirement years.

April 19, 2023
Not everyone has a bed to sleep in (see April 17 above). I go to the river because I want to, not because I have no place else to go. My very best wishes to A & J. To get the mail, you have to cross the male (see April 4 above). I can`t go to this one either!

April 20, 2023
Snares! Mallets! Cymbals! Drums! Things!

April 21, 2023
Snares! Mallets! Cymbals! Tenors! Things!

April 22, 2023
Snares! Mallets! Cymbals! Drums! Things!

April 23, 2023
Flutes! Clarinets! Horns! Saxophones! Things!

April 24, 2023
Rolling into childhood. Yes, it`s a picnic table for squirrels. Butterflies are back: yea! Flies are back: boo! Who knew tulips had teeth? Further developments at the Oregon District gazebo (see April 8 above).

April 25, 2023
If you`ve misplaced your cheerleading trophy, call me. More important things happen in the sky than on the ground. Birds don`t like me. Some people get paid to be friendly. I`m unqualified. The field looks good (compared to March 6, 2023).

April 26, 2023
How did photographers survive before Post-It notes? Two people were being photographed in caps and gowns nearby. I just focused on the purple blob. Spring allergies have been bothering me lately. Sunset in the park. My, what big ears you have.

April 27, 2023
Michael Bashaw created a new sculpture by the river. There was lots more to see at the river this evening. This surfer was so good it took him a long time to fall. After the surfer finally fell, it was this guy`s turn. Meanwhile, on dry land, there was more adventure.

April 28, 2023
Patterns in my office. When walking is an adventure. Patterns in the parking garage. After playing classical music on the radio all day, I don`t listen to Mozart on the way home. Patterns on the street.

April 29, 2023
John and Marie Aull were married 100 years ago. This morning I led a photography workshop at Aullwood. I came prepared to shoot pictures of tiny little things. The class also included a look inside the Aull house. I just LOVE being outside in the springtime.

April 30, 2023
If you wear a star in roller derby, people conspire against you. It`s a lesson in physics: friction, momentum, mass. Several teams traveled to Dayton for a tournament this weekend. It`s a rough sport, but everyone has a good time. It`s a game of inches.

×