8.1.26Locked InWe took Myrtle to Locke Coffee in Newport, and she sat next to Ashley with gigantic puppy dog eyes while we drank our lattes.

8.2.26Division DetailsWent back to John’s fixer-upper to get some additional detail shots, and this stained glass is truly something else.

8.3.26Sniff TestFood inspector threatened to shut my whole grilling operation down if I didn’t pay the sausage tax.

8.4.26Nightmare Ended?They started building a gymnasium up the street from us several years ago. It just finished construction this summer, and then road crews dug up our street to lay a new water main. Then they dug up the street again to connect our homes to the new water main. Then the storm drain had to be dug up and replaced. All of this to say: it’s been a nightmare dealing with constant road work for the last few years, and in particular the last few months.Today, they black topped our street to finish everything off. As annoying as it is to not drive on this, I’m happy everything’s finally done.

8.5.26Photo StackWent out to New Richmond to photograph New Richmond Tavern for Single Batch. They did the shelving behind the bar, so I made sure to document it in full detail. I did a photo stack using Helicon Focus and it turned out great.

8.6.26FloorlessThey successfully dug out the floor at the Observatory. Some items have been discovered, such as broken shards of old teacups and various bones (non-human).

8.7.26The Weird ‘50s SkylineI’m not sure why Skyline renovated an old Frisch’s into a 50s-style diner, but they did. The place looks good, the service is better than I thought it would be, and the food is what you’d expect. 10/10 no notes.

8.8.26BelleWe found a stray kitten in our alley this morning. I gained her trust by staying still and letting her come to inspect my hand. Once I got her into a box with a blanket, we took her down to AcutePet to get advice on how to care for her. The technician there said she was a girl and about 8 weeks old. Ashley went to PetsMart to get food and supplies for her while I took her up into my office and let her roam around indoors for the first time in her life.She was immediately curious about everything—me, the furniture, my cameras, my bag. She was cautious at first and hid behind the filing cabinet, but then she loosened up and started wandering around freely. She wasn’t scared of me or Ashley, which tells me that she’s so young that she hasn’t had a bad encounter with anyone or anything yet.Ashley brought home a pen, some toys, a litter box, and a whole bunch of stuff. Our cat-obsessed friend Chelsea came over to see her, too. Since the little girl was covered in fleas, we managed to give her a bath in the sink while Chelsea managed to pick the bugs out of her fur. Afterward, we wrapped her in a towel and blow dried her fur, keeping her warm and safe. She fell asleep almost immediately after the bugs were gone.When she woke up hours later, she ate food and played hard the rest of the night. We basically just sat with her for the whole evening while she went full kitten mode.I didn’t want her to feel like she was alone, so I brought the couch cushions into my office and slept on the floor with her all night. Our goal right now is to find a home for her as we cannot keep her due to Ashley’s allergies.

8.9.26In LoveI once again spent basically the whole day playing with this kitten. She’s much more lively today than she was yesterday, and she’s learned how to use her claws to get out of the pen. The baby gate at the door is useless, and she’s learned to scale furniture to get up on my desk. At this point, the only thing stopping her from wandering into the rest of the house is a closed door.Myrtle isn’t happy with this setup. She desperately wants to see the kitten and play with her, but the kitten (who we’ve named Belle for now) hisses at Myrtle behind the gate. Myrtle then refuses to make eye contact with this tiny little baby out of fear.I can’t accurately convey how hard I’ve fallen for this kitten, unfortunately. I know we cannot keep her, but her personality and innate cuteness has melted my heart completely. Our search for the perfect home for her has wrapped up, and I managed to secure a place for her in the home of a couple who really want her. She goes to their home tomorrow, and while I know this is the absolute perfect place for this perfect kitten, I will be heartbroken when she leaves me.For now, I am going to soak in these last few hours together and sleep on the floor again so she has someone to snuggle up to.

8.10.26FarewellsBelle was up all night running around my head, climbing on my face, laying across my neck, and doing zoomies over every horizontal surface in the office. At one point she did lay down on my pillow for a nap, but it was short-lived. I managed to clock about 2 hours of sleep in total, I think.Ashley had to take over for me for the majority of Monday as I had work to do outside the home. She said kitten was playing almost the entire time I was away with a brief break for sleep.When I got home, she learned to scale my body and sit on my shoulder like a parrot. She actually fell asleep on my shoulder for about 30 seconds at one point, too.This is the final photo I have of her in my house. She was staring down Myrtle as if to say, “I know you were here first, but I’m the boss. Don’t you forget me when I’m outta here.” For three days, this little kitten did, in fact, rule the roost.We took her to her new family and they welcomed her with open arms. They’re thrilled to have her, already have loads of toys and items for her, and will be sending us updates from time to time. I am gutted that she’s no longer nuzzling my nose with her little whiskers and mewing in my ear, and it will take time to feel better about leaving my precious baby, but I am so happy she’s found a place as a princess in a loving family’s home.

8.11.26DerechoA derecho blew through our area today, knocking out power across the city and felling loads of mature trees. This one fell on the public steps right by our house. Thankfully no one was hurt and no one’s property was damaged. I shudder to think how long it will take the city to clean this up and repair everything, though.

8.12.26Marianne’s FansSome of the supporters of the effort to revive the Marianne Theatre following the MOU vote which strikes a partnership between the city and the non-profit looking to save it.

8.13.26Rainy DayIt’s been raining all day. I have the TV tuned to the Bob Ross channel on PlutoTV. The window is cracked to let in the sounds and smell of fresh rain. Myrtle is sleeping in the lounge chair by my desk. I am thinking about the kitten a lot, but I am feeling increasingly better about where she ended up overall.

8.14.26Road Trip!We set off on a road trip with Myrtle today. First stop is Holland, Michigan. The whole point of this trip is to let Myrtle swim in as many bodies of water as possible while getting away for a week. We went to a beach to see this red lighthouse and promptly saw “NO DOGS” sign posted on the beach. Not a good start, but we have another option planned for tomorrow. We still managed to get a good walk in, though, so it’s okay.

8.15.268.15.26Windmills and GardensWe’re only in Holland for about 24 hours, so before we left, we stopped by a park that has a miniature Dutch town, a functioning windmill, and loads of flowers. It was touristy, but cute nonetheless. Later on, we took Myrtle to a beach on Lake Michigan where she got to swim while I got absolutely swarmed by flies.

8.16.268.16.26Next stop: DetroitWe got to Detroit late in the day yesterday. We walked along the river and got a drink downtown before heading back to the Airbnb. Today, much of what I planned ended up being underwhelming or not as dog friendly as I’d hoped, so I was feeling pretty bad about the trip. Thankfully, we managed to salvage the day a bit by taking Myrtle to Belle Isle where she swam in the Detroit River and had a good time. Unfortunately, she injured her paw while doing so. We’re going to cool it on swimming for the next couple of days while she heals.

8.17.26American CourageWe left Detroit early because it’s unfortunately not as dog-friendly as I’d hoped. We got into Cleveland around lunch time and ate at Collision Bend Brewing Company where we watched massive freight ships delicately navigate the tight turns of the Cuyahoga River. We googled a few of the ships, and this one was built in the 1950s. I couldn’t believe a ship that old was still in regular operation.

8.18.26Cuyahoga ForestSince Myrtle can’t swim at the moment, we thought a nice hike through the forest would be better. We checked out a few areas of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and really enjoyed the Ledges trail. Later on, we went to Geneva-on-the-Lake and let Myrtle swim in Lake Erie on this really good, quiet beach we found. Ashley found a smattering of sea glass, too.

8.19.26Beach DayCleveland and Geneva are more dog-friendly than I realized. This has been the high watermark of the trip thus far. We had such a good evening on the beach yesterday that we kicked off the day back at that same beach from last night. Myrtle swam again, and we watched a fast-moving storm roll over the lake many miles away. We saw a half-dozen waterspouts dive down from the clouds to touch the horizon—something I’d never witnessed with my own eyes before. Later on, we left and headed to our last destination: Erie, PA. After getting there, we went to Presque Isle where we found an almost totally empty, sandy beach that looked like something out of a tropical setting. Why anyone from Ohio goes to Florida when this exists in our backyard is beyond comprehension.

8.20.26Presque Isle RulesErie, PA is our favorite stop on this road trip. We have a killer hotel room with an open-air balcony that looks over Presque Isle Bay, and we like the non-touristy seaside city itself. We took Myrtle back to the beach again and had an amazing time getting in Lake Erie. I even waded in at one point, which was totally out of character for me. We watched a nice, clear sunset over the bay that evening while drinking beer.

8.21.26PGHPGHThe last stop on our trip is a night in Pittsburgh. I didn’t really plan much for the end of the trip because I figured we’d be tired, and I was right. We did walk down to the Point State Park with Myrtle, but we didn’t do much else. At this point, I think we were more interested in taking it easy than really seeing much of anything. We’ve been to Pittsburgh a handful of times, and since Myrtle was with us, our options were limited. We opted for a chill night in the park instead of trying too hard.

8.22.26More KittensWe left Pittsburgh early and made it back home by noon. When we got there, we realized the kitten we’d found two weeks ago had a family, and everyone moved into our yard while we were away. Two adults cats and four kittens living in the planting station and under our deck. It took a few hours for them to move along once they saw people and a dog around the area, but they eventually scattered. I hate to kick them out, but they’re too feral to catch at this point, and I’m not going to ban Myrtle from being in her backyard because they’re there.

8.23.26Back To ItWent back to work after a week off. Felt nice to fly the drone again and get into my routine.

8.24.26Observatory ProgressThey’ve managed to remove all of the floor in the basement of the Observatory. Looks crazy to see it in this state!

8.25.26PlaytimeAfter the kittens all left the yard, I plugged the gaps in the fence and set up cameras to monitor everything. The last thing I needed was to spook them with Myrtle, but they’re elusive enough that knowing whether or not they’re in the yard was a challenge. After days of no signs of their return, we are fairly certain they’re gone for good. If we didn’t have a dog that uses the yard, we would’ve let them stay. Tonight, Myrtle and I played together back there with 99% certainty that we were the only ones around.

8.26.26Studio MaintenanceI painted the bathroom and hung mirrors for Marlene today.

8.27.26Biennial Launch PartyPhotographed the Biennial Launch Party for FotoFocus this evening at Somerset.

8.28.26Rookwood Summer PartyPhotographed Rookwood Properties’ summer party at PINS Mechanical Co. in Deerfield.

8.29.26Faux Super 8I saw a reel about this app that lets you take video in a Super 8 style. It makes you load a cartridge and has haptics that make the recording process feel unique while layering a filter over the video to make it look old. It’s a novel toy more than anything, but I liked how the footage looked. I’m having fun playing around with it.

8.30.26Dead End SunsetPhotographed from the porch this evening.

8.31.26Trip PrepI’m going back out of town for a week and I have 5 shots left on this roll. Decided to burn them on the dog and porch this evening. I prefer starting trips on fresh rolls than starting at the end of a previous one.