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8.1.24Decades ApartAshley found a screw embedded into the back tire of the car this morning, so I took it downtown to the mechanic on Court Street to have it assessed and fixed. While waiting, I took a stroll around the area, stopping in for an iced latte at Coffee Emporium, checking out the new Library lobby, and snapping a few familiar frames with a relatively new camera.

8.2.24Travel TetrisI travel with the absolute bare minimum I need to comfortably enjoy my trip. Being physically unburdened with stuff makes moving around new places a lighthearted adventure. This past February, I took only a backpack to Palm Springs; not bothering with the overhead on those flights or rolling a bag through airports was freeing in a surprisingly exciting way. It’s dramatic, but I felt a little bit like a nomad. While I can’t get away with that level of minimalism for this upcoming excursion, I’m keeping my loadout simple.Clothes for eight days with room to spare for an extra pair of shoes. No iPad or laptop. One camera, one lens, one book to pass the time. OOO auto-reply set. A strong desire to completely unplug, including from this project.The above is all I’m taking with me. See you when I return.

8.3.24Wheels Down In BostonAshley and I are headed on a New England vacation for the next week. First stop: Boston! We’ve never been to this historic American city before despite having several friends tell us how great it is. When we arrived, we dropped off our bags at the hotel in the North End before heading out on the town to soak up the atmosphere, eat pizza, and check out some of Boston’s popular attractions. Pictured: walking through Quincy Market.Tomorrow we will be spending all day checking things out.

8.4.24Digging Deeper Into BostonToday’s itinerary included a stop to see Fenway, a ride to the top of Prudential Tower to check out the observation deck, shopping on Newbury Street, my first lobster roll and clam chowder of the trip, a stop to see Boston Public Library, riding the subway, walking Fan Pier Park, dodging rain drops by ducking into random pubs, and dinner at Boston’s oldest continually operating restaurant, Union Oyster House, where I had my second lobster roll and clam chowder.Afterward, we wandered back to the hotel through the North End and happened upon the kick off for an Italian-American festival/feast that honors a Catholic saint. Men in matching white shirts lifted an effigy to Saint Agrippina lined with dollar bills and carried it down to a nearby bar. The whole thing seemed like more of an Italian Bockfest celebration than a religious event.

8.5.24On the Road to Bar HarborWe said goodbye to Boston, hopped in the rental car, and headed toward Bar Harbor in Maine. Along the way, we stopped at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire since it’s one of the only places in that entire state that touches the ocean. It was too MAGA for my taste, and the boardwalk reflected that sentiment by being trashy and devoid of anything original, so we didn’t get a magnet to commemorate the visit and instead only spent an hour there before moving on to our first stop in Maine: Nubble Lighthouse (pictured).After enjoying the rocky beach with a decidedly more sane crowd, we continued on to Bar Harbor. We ended the night with my third lobster roll and clam chowder of the trip at Galyn’s. It was getting dark when we arrived, but we still managed to check stuff out until it began raining. Tomorrow we check out Acadia National Park!

8.6.24Acadia + Bar HarborBar Harbor is busy this time of year. Maine is an ideal place to go in the summer to avoid the heat, and everyone got the memo to bring their children, apparently. Crowd annoyances aside, we quickly managed to figure out the ideal itinerary: do everything early in Acadia when everyone’s still in Bar Harbor, go back to Bar Harbor in the afternoon when everyone goes to Acadia, then go back to Acadia in the evening when everyone’s tired from hiking and back in Bar Harbor. This meant early breakfasts and dinners, but we kinda loved switching things up. Neither of us are especially hardcore night owls anymore, which helped us tackle sunrise with ease. Beating crowds and wandering misty forests in relative solitude (pictured) was the perfect intro to this magical national park.We explored the town, the park, and took a great boat ride tour around the coves and narrows surrounding Mt. Desert Island. I even managed to see a few bald eagles, though my shots were from too far away to really get anything good.More on all of this in a later blog post.

8.7.24A Very Full DayWe managed to the top of Cadillac Mountain by 6:30 AM for a just-after-sunrise look at the island from its highest peak. Apparently it’s so high and so fast northeast, the top of the mountain is the first place anyone in the United States can see a sunrise every day between October and March. The view was breathtaking despite how chilly it was (I was in a t-shirt because it’s August and I didn’t expect Maine to freeze my ass like that).A little later, we did a four-hour, 20-mile, bike ride tour through Acadia along the carriage pathways that Rockafeller Jr. commissioned a hundred years before. We saw loads of incredible stuff on the ride, including beaver lodges, snapping turtles, stone bridges, and stopped at several truly awe-inspiring overlooks with vistas I couldn’t properly convey in a photograph. We stopped to pick and eat wild Maine blueberries and blackberries at one point, too.After dinner, we wandered around Bar Harbor before getting in the car and driving to the other side of the island to see the Bass Harbor Head Light Station (pictured). Getting a decent image involved waiting a long time for a parking spot, then carefully climbing down boulders to the edge of the crashing sea. It was more harrowing than I anticipated, but I’m really happy I braved the terrain to get the shot.

8.8.24CamdenWe got to know Bar Harbor pretty well over the last two and a half days of walking and driving the island. By the time we were scheduled to leave, it felt right that we’d continue on. Another day in Acadia would’ve been nice, but there was more of Maine to see. Our next stop: south to Camden.We planned to stay in Camden solely because Ashley found an absolutely incredible seaside motel with a private balcony that faced the water. We knew nothing about Camden itself; the whole reason for the stop was because the lodging was too good to pass up. After picking our jaws up off the floor when we saw our room (it was so good, I cannot wait to blog about it), we headed into Camden proper for a look around.I’d eaten more lobster rolls, fish, and various other seafoods than I could recall up to this point, and I wasn’t planning on stopping. I got another lobster roll for lunch and enjoyed it immensely. We hit up a few shops along their quaint retail corridor, pet a really cute doodle in a pet shop, had drinks at a random bar, and decided we wanted to take it easy that evening. We picked up some food at a cute little corner store and went back to the motel to enjoy the room’s balcony with a view.

8.9.24Journey to PortlandDespite our sunrise being muddied by hurricane remnants (there’s truly no escape from Florida, even as far north as Maine), we managed to have a nice coffee on the balcony. It was REALLY hard to say goodbye to this motel when we finally checked out. Honestly, I thought Ashley was going to cry when we were packing up. We didn’t even have a full 24 hours there before we were scheduled to continue onto our final destination: Portland, Maine.Seeing a break in the rain, we briefly stopped in Pemaquid to see an old lighthouse on the edge of a cliff. The photos I got there are moody due to the misty and windy conditions. When I do my later blog post, I’ll publish some of those.We also briefly stopped in Freeport so Ashley could visit the L.L. Bean campus. I’ve never seen a town so completely fueled by the economy of a single enterprise. It was like the biggest outdoor shopping center you can think of, but instead of existing in the middle of a massive parking lot it’s built into the middle of small-town-America along a pedestrian-heavy Main Street. I can appreciate it for what it is, but driving through all that was stressful. I’m glad that was a short stop on the journey.By the time we finally arrived in Portland, the mist and fog had set upon the city. As we walked Old Port, we could barely make out ships in the distant harbor, and tops of taller buildings were obscured in cloud cover. Eventually, though, the conditions cleared and we had an overcast but pleasantly cool night to wander around. The Airbnb was nice, but I think we were still thinking about that damned motel in Camden.

8.10.24The Final DayThere was a diner a block from where we were staying in Portland called Becky’s. It’s exactly my kind of place: a no-frills greasy spoon diner once visited by Guy Fieri, relatively cheap compared to all the other restaurants we’d frequented during this trip, and a family-run affair that’s wholly local to Portland. The equation can be replicated elsewhere, but it won’t be truly be Becky’s. It was a great way to kick off our final day on vacation.While there, we bought tickets to a boat ride later that morning. After walking more of Old Port before the scheduled departure, we found our captain and ship, and boarded with a small crew of other sea-farers. In contrast to the large, modern boat we rode in Bar Harbor, this ship was tiny and old. So old, in fact, it was built in 1935 and was the oldest commercial vessel still operating in Maine (or so the captain said). There may have been another qualifier in that claim, but I didn’t catch it if there was.I loved this boat. Christened “Ruth,” it was big enough to comfortably hold all ten or so of us, and if you didn’t feel like being in direct sun for the whole trip, you could sit under the partially shaded area under its hard top toward the front of the vessel. Made of wood, loud, and lacking the ability to navigate any size wave without riding over it like a rollercoaster cart, Ruth had a feeling of authenticity that big modern ships lack. I’d never been on one like it before.After a cruise around the bay, we hopped aboard Portland’s narrow-gauge railroad for a short ride along the coast and back.The rest of the afternoon saw Portland exploration on foot, Ashley went back to the Airbnb for a nap, and I slowly burned all my skin off wandering in direct sun without sunscreen. By dinner time, we were ready to finalize the trip in a way only Ashley and I could think of: going back to that damned diner for the second time in one day.I’d eaten enough fish and lobster to keep me satisfied for the week, and a nice burger sounded too good to pass up. I hadn’t had one since we left the Midwest a week before. Becky’s, with its classic American diner menu that included lobster specials, was wholly Maine. It was wholly Portland. It was just a quiet, sure-fire delicious way to end a wonderful New England vacation.

8.11.24The Spoils of TravelWhenever I go anywhere, I like to get a magnet for my fridge and a sticker for my bike. We’ve amassed a pretty sizable collection at this point, and every time I look at the side of the fridge and see all these mementos from places we’ve been, it makes me happy.

8.12.24401 Scott StreetBack to work today. I went over to this corner to photograph Orleans’ recent work. I spent hours removing stoplights from this image to give it a cleaner look. The utilities on the side are in shadow, and the focus is on the face of the building, so I didn’t bother removing those. The only thing I wish I’d had was a cloud-filled sky instead of total clarity.

8.13.24Evening StrideSnapped this photo on the avenue while walking Myrtle. I was actually aiming for the corner to do a little slice with the sunset, but the cyclists pedaled into frame, improving it greatly. Thanks, cyclists!

8.14.24SSDI had to get an 8Tb external SSD for file backups. It shipped to my porch while I was in the studio today. When I opened the parcel and saw a box half its size, I couldn’t believe it. Then I opened the smaller box and found this little stick that’s half the size of THAT box. It was like holding the most expensive nesting doll I’d ever seen.Anyway, I have to back up years of files onto this thing from my 8Tb external HDD to make sure I have coverage in case anything fails. My HDD has been slow and weird lately, and it has me slightly spooked. It’s going to be a long process of reviewing files, reorganizing, deleting, and figuring out how to keep them synced with the same content regularly. This isn’t my area of expertise.

8.15.24Missed ConnectionWe’re a one-car couple. We’ve been a one-car couple for our entire relationship. In the event we both need a car, I take a bus or use ride share. The amount of money we save every year more than makes up for paying the occasional fare.Today was one of those days. Ashley dropped me off at the studio where I had a 10-hour day with Marlene. Afterward, I planned to take the 6 bus from Mohawk to downtown, then transfer to the Southbank Shuttle to get me to Bellevue where I’d walk the rest of the way home. No big deal and less than $4 to get home without having to walk the entire way.Well, it didn’t work out as I’d planned. After picking up the 6 and riding to Fountain Square, I forgot that the Southbank also has routes to Covington. I blindly got onto that bus instead of the Bellevue-bound one and realized too late that I was headed to the wrong city when I looked up from my phone at about the mid point crossing Clay Wade Bailey.So I walked 2.5 miles home from Covington instead. No AirPods, either. Just the sounds of my surroundings to keep me entertained. This image is from that walk.

8.16.24Surprise DownpourWhile drinking an old fashioned at Rosedale, a pop-up shower drenched Over-the-Rhine, forcing everyone under cover. We uncharacteristically had Myrtle with us, so we couldn’t run inside to seek shelter. This leaky awning in the courtyard worked fine, but we still managed to get a little damp. After the storm passed, the puddle that had formed on the patio remained until a bar tender cleared the drain that was dammed up with leaves.

8.17.24Liminal SpaceI had to go to Dayton, OH this morning to photograph a few places for a client. None of the locations were anything to write home about. Just a bunch of bland office parks that they needed documented for whatever reason.On the back of one of them, though, I found this staircase. I stopped the car and had to get a photo. It was too good to pass up.

8.18.24Social BatteryI suffered maybe the worst nightmare I’ve ever had in my life last night. It felt so real, I wasn’t entirely convinced it didn’t happen. I got up, splashed water on my face, and tried to calm down. The rest of the night saw lesser bad dreams that continued ruining my sleep, but not to the severity of the first one.It was such a bad night, Sunday ended up being awful. We went to Unataza and I could barely muster the energy to order or be social. We then went to the Bellevue Farmer’s Market where I snapped this single photo and did my best to be friendly to familiar neighbors, but my social battery was spent. Nowhere felt right except isolating on the couch in the basement in front of the TV. We left the market pretty quickly and I did just that the rest of the day.Not a great feeling, but when you have this personality, you know when you’ve reached maximum interaction and need solitude to recover.

8.19.24Optical ThrowbackUnearthed my old Sony Cyber-Shot from 2008 today while looking for something else. It was the first digital camera I ever bought myself. Back then, it was better than any phone camera on the market, and it had a smaller form factor than the family digital camera my dad had. I wasn’t a photographer back then, but I took it to friend gatherings, the zoo, a convention in Orlando, and other places to document momentous events.I charged the battery and took it out on a walk this evening. The image quality, as you might expect, isn’t great, but it’s also not awful. It produces images that have that early-2000s digital camera look. White balancing is hit or miss. Loads of chromatic aberration. I can’t believe the image above turned out as well as it did considering I was shooting into the sun. Myrtle rolling around in the grass during a sunset while a random dude on a gas-powered bike loudly farts by in the background. Sure, there’s no definition in the sky and it’s about as sharp as a balloon sword you’d get at the circus, but I think that’s part of this artifact’s charm.Overall, it’s a nostalgic novelty that I’m glad I accidentally rediscovered on World Photography Day.

8.20.24Park Sittin'I went down to the park to take some photos for the City of Bellevue and snapped this one.

8.21.24Sticking AroundSummer is approaching its end, but these sunflowers are still going strong. Time is meaningless to plants.

8.22.24Swampwater Grillin'Steve and Erica kept telling us that Swampwater Grill was good. I’d avoided it for years because the name was such a turn-off, but they were right. It’s good. Plus, we all got Bahama Mamas to drink, so that’s fun.

8.23.24New BuffaloAllie, Travis, Ashley, and I all road-tripped up to New Buffalo, Michigan, for a weekend away this evening. Caitlyn and Brendan joined us later that night once they were off work. The drive there wasn’t bad because we stopped halfway at a drive-up fast food place called Mr. Weenie and ate various styles of hot dogs.Our Airbnb is spacious, with a big porch and several floors of bedrooms. The rules are strict, but it’s okay. The only one we’re breaking is smoking the weed we bought at a dispensary out on the porch. I’m looking forward to hanging out and relaxing with everyone tomorrow.

8.24.24Wandering the BeachThe beach in New Buffalo isn’t huge, but it’s relatively light on crowds compared to nearby shorelines. The girls went down to relax and hang out by the water, but some Christians lightly shamed them for not getting baptized as adults when they offered. I cannot stand people who can’t mind their damned business and leave people alone.Travis, Brendan, and I wandered around the town in the heat, going into a few shops, stopping for coffee at a hotel, and checking out a view of the harbor from atop a building. We reconvened with the girls in the afternoon and spent time at the Airbnb drinking, smoking, and snacking. We went to a rooftop for dinner and enjoyed a sunset with drinks before our entrees were brought out. It was a very low-key, relaxing day.After dinner, instead of going out, we all stayed at the Airbnb and watched Matilda (1996).

8.25.24Group PhotoAllie and Travis planned to continue to Grand Rapids and Detroit, but the rest of us had to return to Cincinnati because we had to work the next day. We ate breakfast together and took this group photo with my Zf on a timer balanced on my bag on top of Travis’ car.Before we returned, the four of us stopped at Indiana Dunes and did an hour-long hike that culminated in getting ice cream from a food truck. We also randomly came across a classic Pizza Hut in Rensselaer, IN, on our drive back around lunchtime. I swear, stuffed crust pizza and breadsticks taste better under a glass Pizza Hut lamp with inverted trapezoid windows at the end of the table.

8.26.24513Shot a house in Covington today with this beautiful custom stained glass transom window. The address was the same as Cincinnati’s area code. Such a cool feature.

8.27.24TriHealth LibertyGBBN had me photograph a new unit in a new hospital in Liberty Township this morning. There weren’t windows on three of the four sides of the unit, making for easy white balancing and less post-processing. Despite the lack of natural light, though, the space felt bright and airy. Hospitals can look so sterile and sad, but this one was colorful and open with attention to thoughtful decor. I really liked this shot of the photograph wall they put together behind the central nurse’s station. The different colored borders around the tiles was a nice touch.

8.28.24Not Even Google TranslateTo lose weight and keep active in a more comfortable way, I purchased a compact treadmill online. I’ll use it on days that are too hot, days that are too cold, rainy days, and days when I’m feeling anti-social. I can watch TV while I use it, too, so maybe I’ll get fitter the more I want to mentally escape.Anyway, the instruction manual is hilariously poorly translated. It gave me a good laugh.

8.29.24Zelda IIAfter seeing a Thread referencing someone beating Zelda II without cheats or a walkthrough, something in me desperately wanted to play it again. I couldn’t help but feel completely overwhelmed with the idea that I had to boot that stupid game up even though I never finished it in the first place. Digging through boxes of old video game stuff was tiresome, but seeing the familiar glint of that gold cartridge within the black NES game sleeve was rewarding. My childhood NES, though still in my possession, is so old that I didn’t dare try to resurrect it. I decided to use a console I bought in the early 2010s—the RetroN 3, a combination NES/SNES/Genesis player. You can pop any game from those consoles into this one, plug an original controller into one of three sides, and play it like normal. I don’t know anything about modulation, but it looks and sounds exactly like I remember it, so it’s probably close to 1:1 with the NES.The console booted up perfectly when paired with my little Philips TV that I got a while back from Lee. When the title screen and familiar music popped up in a blink, excitement washed over me. It may be the first time since the late-80s that anyone’s felt excitement concerning Zelda II.I remember my dad brought home this game from work. I think one of his coworkers gave it to him because they didn’t like it. Not having many games back then, anything new to us was exciting. We spent hours failing miserably to decipher this impenetrable, difficult cartridge and never getting very far after finding a town with invisible enemies. A quick Google suggests this game is widely hated by fans of the series, but it’s the only Zelda game I’ve ever played. Nostalgia is a toxic impulse, but one I’m willing to indulge.

8.30.24FinesseAs far as Art After Dark events go, I don’t remember any of them being as well attended as tonight’s. BlaCk OWned put together a show called Finesse, with models wearing their fall collection and strutting around a figure-eight runway. The courtyard was jam-packed with people there to see the fashion show set to a soundtrack provided by DJ Prymtime. A surprising number of other photographers were there shooting video and stills, too, which made the experience more fun. It’s always a relief when I’m not the only chicken running around with their head cut off.Once again, I went into this shoot full of anxiety, but after being in the museum for about 10 minutes, I remember looking around and knowing I was going to be okay. The pressure to do a good job, coupled with general social anxiety and fatigue from the day, had me vibrating with stress. But most of it melts away when I’m in my element. It’s wild how clearly being around others in a positive space is the solution to that bad feeling.

8.31.24RelocatedThis cactus didn’t seem to like where it was on the shelf in the bedroom, so I moved it to my office where direct sunlight is more plentiful. Hopefully it does better in its new location.

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