8.1.25One Final StopI’m sure Newport, RI has more good stuff in it to experience, but aside from the Cliff Walk, we weren’t overly impressed. We awoke to rain, further dampening our experience, and promptly left to head to our final destination: an Airbnb Airstream camper in the woods of Hedgesville, WV.The drive from Rhode Island to West Virginia broke me, honestly. I haven’t been sleeping overly well since our first night in Buffalo, and the fatigue was catching up to me. 7 hours with stop-and-go traffic sprinkled throughout ended up worsening my condition such that I had to have Ashley drive for about 30 miles at one point so I could take a 20 minute nap.We passed through Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the tiniest bit of Maryland before finally arriving in West Virginia. By the end of the trip, I was seeing stars in my peripheral vision.The Airstream camper is renovated and cute inside, but as a tall person, I don’t fit into it as well as I’d like. The bathroom is going to be a problem, I fear. After taking one look at the full bed, I realized I’d be sleeping on the couch so Ashley and Myrtle can have room to rest.I wasn’t interested in going out to eat with the dog in tow, and Hedgesville is barely a city with anything in it anyway, so we opted to just go to the local grocery store for food and snacks. Because it rained, the campfire wood was still damp, making it difficult to get a fire going. We managed to get enough of one lit with shreds of sticks and bark from a nearby tree to roast some wieners before it fizzled out. I felt good about our sense of resourcefulness overall. Even despite not being fully prepared to camp, we made it work.

8.2.25The Woods of West VirginiaI slept like dogshit on the couch, and the shower was a puzzle I wasn’t keen to solve so early in the morning. My body needs a good night’s rest so badly, I think I’d sleep outside on the ground if it meant I could get more than an hour at a time. Might take a Benadryl before bed tonight just so I can muscle through and get some actual rest in before the long drive home tomorrow.There’s next to nothing to see or do in Hedgesville, so we went one town over to Martinsburg—the largest city in the West Virginia panhandle. Even though it has an Amtrak service and hosts the end of MARC, Maryland’s commuter rail whose Brunswick Line ends in Martinsburg, the city still feels very sleepy.We walked around its historic downtown to check out the shops and historic properties, such as the Martinsburg Roundhouse. The roundhouse is apparently the last of its kind and listed on the Register of Historic Places due to being heavily involved in a moment of the Civil War as well as the Railroad Strike of 1877.While there was very little to do in the city, I got a kick out of photographing the oldest part of downtown. The city was founded in the early years of the American Revolution and has a load of old, historic buildings charged with character. There’s no shortage of small-town beauty embedded in all the various styles, and it reminded me of several small Kentucky towns I’ve been to over the last couple years.The city sealed up an apple-shaped time capsule in 1990, so I gave that a look, too (pictured).

8.3.2537%We got up early to embark on the long drive home. The sooner we left, the more of the afternoon we’d have to prepare for work again the next day after nine days off.Our route took us past Pittsburgh. On my list of oddities and unique things to see was the US’ steepest street—the last ‘incline’ I hadn’t yet done in that city. You’d think San Francisco would take the cake, but apparently it’s Canton Ave in PGH.I can’t full convey how thrilling it was to drive up this absurdly built, 37% grade street. I didn’t even really think before I swung into it. I set the truck on sport mode, and hit the gas without going too fast. As soon as all four tires started up the incline, I regretted it, then I felt a wave of excitement, followed by another wave of fear and panic before finally settling down into excitement again. Ashley and Myrtle clung to each other in the back seat, protesting as I inched the pedal closer and closer to the floor. I gripped the wheel tightly hoping that we’d be alright, but truck didn’t struggle for a second. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have worried; if it weren’t traversable, it wouldn’t be open to the public.I parked the car and got out to take a few photos. The stairs are a necessity to get up and down. Even though the vehicle could do it, it’d be a struggle to walk up and down without proper shoes and balance.After leaving Pittsburgh, I drove us home and we arrived by 4 PM. Ashley went to bed super early, and now I am here at my desk, plugging away at this entry and reflecting on the great roadtrip we got to enjoy over the last week with Myrtle.

8.4.25The DistrictI had a shoot at The District at Deerfield this morning. It’s a new mixed use complex with loads of apartments, restaurants, bars, and future shops out near Fields Ertle. One of the fixtures is Fifty West’s new location. While up on one of the balconies, I took a photo of the space and liked how the rule of thirds worked nicely with the horizon.The property is still under construction, but I think this will be a pretty popular spot a la The Approach at Summit Park, Factory 52, or the Peters Cartridge Factory Apartments. Were I looking for suburban living with a livelier setting, this might be a decent option.

8.5.25Hard as a FeatherA metal feather-shaped hangar in the basement under dramatic lighting.

8.6.25A Suburban PoolWent out to photograph some properties for Rookwood, one of which had a pool. I thought this frame with the foliage framing it looked nice.

8.7.25Elm Street, LudlowA shot of Elm Street in Ludlow from the second story of a house that faces it.

8.8.25The ThinkerEric stood in for a lighting test prior to a shoot with Calm Caterpillar.

8.9.25Pool PartyAshley got a foldable pool for Myrtle, and she enjoyed it in the sun on the deck this afternoon. I am fighting a summer cold and have to miss Tiki Night at Travis and Allie’s, unfortunately.

8.10.25Monmouth at SunsetThought the light was nice on Monmouth tonight. Wish I’d brought my Zf with me instead of using my phone.

8.11.25At Least I Got a Nice ShotWe watched the Reds lose to the Phillies and then couldn’t hear Snoop Dogg playing because they didn’t pipe the sound into the upper deck. It wasn’t a great outing overall, but I did manage to make a couple of panoramas with the Zf at different times of day.

8.12.25Church For SaleToday’s listing photos were for a church in Covington. The stained glass and woodwork in the sanctuary were beautiful. The rest of it was pretty forgettable. I was in there solo the entire time, and I can’t say I felt especially comfortable being in this large, unfamiliar space alone.

8.13.25Nothing ExtraI’ve never seen exactly two Lillies sprouting up from the ground without any sort of visible dirt/mulch base. I actually thought these were fake at first glance.

8.14.25166 Van VoastRebecca had me shoot 166 Van Voast in Bellevue today. There’s nothing more to say about it.If ever I return to a time when work doesn’t consume the largest part of me every day, I will try to say more in these posts. I just don’t have the motivation at present, and I feel like it’s been this way for months.

8.15.25Accessibility RetreatA frame from today’s Accessibility Retreat at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

8.16.25Morning Light In Grear AlleySnapped a photo while walking up Grear Alley this morning.

8.17.25I Had No IdeaI power-washed this wall years ago. Over time, it slowly gathered more and more grime, and I didn’t notice how bad it was until I hit it with the sprayer by accident while doing the stairs nearby. When I saw the bright, warm concrete surface beneath the soot and filth, I knew what I had to do. Needless to say I took care of it, and afterward it looked like a brand new wall.There’s probably a metaphor in here about regular doses of effort keeping the proverbial grime at bay so it doesn’t build up without us noticing.

8.18.25Modern ShelvingModern Shelving, a San Clemente-based company, reached out recently about being their product photographer in the Cincinnati area. They assigned me a job in Over-the-Rhine, I shot the product in the house today, and turned in the photos. Currently waiting to hear back from them.Hopefully this turns into a regular gig.

8.19.25Outdoor Art‘One-Seater Concrete Tree’ by Nacho Carbonell at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

8.20.25Mattress ShoppingMattresses are expensive, but they’re also one of the most important things for your health, so I guess we’re spending an absurd amount of money on one of the better ones…

8.21.25Do It In PostThis little miniature panther was resting outside the front of the house I had to shoot today for a listing. He didn’t seem bothered by me being there, but growled when I went in for a pet on the head. Instead of moving him from the shot, I opted to take the photo with him in it and simply clone stamp him out in Photoshop, which felt wrong to do despite it being necessary.

8.22.25Chicago RulesYes, I know Navy Pier is about the most touristy thing you can do outside of taking a selfie at The Bean in Millennium Park or going to the top of Willis Sears Tower. I’d never actually been there before and only ever saw it from some other vantage point.We went up to the Windy City with Travis, Allie, and Caitlyn for the weekend. We saw a show at Second City, walked around Navy Pier and Michigan Ave, and hit up a brewery.

8.23.25Northwest TowerA portrait of Northwest Tower in Wicker Park, built in the late 1920s. Today it’s a hotel called The Robey.

8.24.25A Wicker Park CornerAs our weekend in Chicago comes to an end, we went back to Wicker Park so the girls could thrift shop again. I have no interest in second-hand pants, so I wandered around the neighborhood snapping a few frames. I liked this busy corner by the L that had loads of people and cyclists navigating the area.I’m eager to come back to Chicago when the opportunity presents itself. It’s a great city full of good stuff to check out, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. Also, it’s fun to hear people drone on about how it’s a lawless hellscape and then witness how pleasant and chill it is first-hand.

8.25.25Art DinnerPhotographed ArtWorks’ Art Dinner this evening at The Standard in Covington.

8.26.25Baby AnnouncementMike and Jenn told me they’re having a baby tonight. I’m excited for them. They’ve been trying for awhile, and it’s finally happened. I don’t have a photo that corresponds to the announcement, so this one of the community garden on McMicken I took while photographing apartments will have to do.

8.27.25The SilhouetteWhenever we’re out late, we usually come home to this scene and it makes us laugh every time.

8.28.25Sure, Why NotWhen a contractor asks you to photograph the office restrooms they did and they’re willing to pay for your time, you can’t really say no. Or at least I couldn’t.

8.30.25Groceries On Two WheelsIt was a beautiful day to take the bike out and pick up a few items from the store.

8.31.25Kings IslandWent to Kings Island for the first time during the summer season since I was in high school. It was strange going back to a place I went to so much as a kid after so long. I’m actually writing a longer blog post about it, so I’ll keep my thoughts here brief for now.I left my phone at home and just took my old 17-year-old CyberShot with me. It was so beautiful being disconnected from the wider world and living in the moment with my friends. I wish I could do this every day.