1.1.23Four Years: CompleteNo one cares about this, but yesterday I completed four full years of this daily photo project. That’s 1461 photos over as many days. It’s been a rewarding daily exercise wandering around trying to figure out what to shoot each day and pair it with a journal of thoughts, feelings, and/or brief recounting of events. (Note: I didn’t journal for the first eleven months of 2019 as the photos only existed on Twitter at that time and later migrated to this archive in December of that year when I knew I wanted to keep it going.) It is cliche to say something like “so much life has been lived in the last four years” and talk about COVID and marriage and moving and all that, so I won’t. Today’s photo was the result of hopping on my bike in search of something interesting to photograph after a day of being cooped up building a cross cut sled for my table saw in my garage. 9th and Elm Streets is a photogenic corner from a certain perspective.

1.2.23Quiet RideIt was another fine night to hop on the bike and go for a ride. “Avoid Downtown because of the game,” Ashley warned. Not heeding her warning at all, I went directly Downtown and didn’t see much in the way of activity above 6th Street. It’s so odd how one corner of the core can be bustling, and then you go one more street north and it just deadens to silence. While many would find this sort of thing unappealing, I live for it. One of my favorite things about not living in a popular American city is how you can find relative peace in the urban core if you know where to go.

1.3.23Saint Bernard ChurchRode around Dayton, KY this evening. Here’s Saint Bernard Church. The lighting on it coupled with the rich muddiness of a freshly drained sky was too good to roll past without stopping for a photo. According to its website, this is the third church built (1914) on this spot. The parish outgrew the first one and the second one was destroyed by flood.

1.4.23Going ScreenlessAfter some deliberation and realizing that every place to sit faced one direction (toward a screen), I moved the TV out of the living room entirely. I want the living room to be a place to relax without everyone having to stare into the corner. The result is a more inviting, more conversation-inducing, overall better place where we can sit with others and talk without a screen taking up a fifth of the space. (I’m in the process of configuring a media room elsewhere in the house.) Shaking the convention of a TV being the centerpiece of a room has not only made our space feel bigger, but also sets the social tone that room deserves.

1.5.23Final Piece of the PuzzleAshley’s been working on a vintage flower poster puzzle over the last few days. I initially resisted doing any of it for some reason, but eventually the call to place a few pieces overcame me and I ended up doing quite a bit of it. I’m not a total monster, though, so I left the final piece for her to place and we made this dramatic photo to document its completion.

1.6.23The Coziest Patio in CincyMt. Adams is just fine. It has great views of the surrounding area, it’s a challenging hike (in a good way) depending on the street, and its close proximity to Eden Park is probably its highlight feature. As far as dining and drinking goes, however, it leaves a lot to be desired. That said, probably the coziest bar in the entire city is Blind Lemon’s. I’ve never been to Blind Lemon in the summertime because it’s always been a winter bar in my mind, and because of its unintentional seasonal exclusivity, it’s a personal treat. The Blind Bailey’s (Bailey’s, coffee, cocoa) is light on booze and a great way to end the night.

1.7.23Lost Treasures of CincinnatiCurrently reading Amy E. Brownlee’s ‘Lost Treasures of Cincinnati’ whenever I have a moment to sit down on the couch. It’s full of info about long-gone places that used to speckle our urban landscape. The biggest gut-punch was a blurb on Sixty Second Shops: a series of hamburger stands that existed near every streetcar stop and served what we commonly know now to be Frisch’s Big Boy’s signature burger without the branding. And these shops were open 24 hours a day, too. TAKE ME BACK.

1.8.23Moxy If you’re local, this image will likely be burned into your screen before long because everyone will be posting it. Moxy, a new bakery and coffee shop in Findlay Market, has a beautiful and small space right next to The Columns on the south side of the market, and this view is the stand-out angle in mine and many others’ opinions. They serve Urbana Coffee and make their own sweet and savory baked goods in the shop. It’s really good and I plan to go back often.

1.9.23Return to the ShopI haven’t been in the woodshop in Covington for weeks due to the holidays and building its website last week, but today I returned. It was really nice to be back in there with John and Anthony doing odd jobs around the space to prep for all the work we’ll be doing over the next few months. I never stopped building and doing woodworking during my time off, so I didn’t feel out of practice, but my legs at the end of the day were sore from all the stairs and lifting and running around. The pain was of the pleasant variety, though. I think about this all the time, but it hit me especially hard when I got home: I don’t think I will ever choose to go back to a desk job if I can help it. Physically working all day brings me a level of satisfaction I just don’t get at a desk. Of course, my mind could change at some point, but that’s how I feel at this moment.

1.10.23Technology is RadMyrtle and I went on a night walk this evening to stretch our legs. I took my camera and tripod with me so I could find today’s photo while walking the neighborhood. I found something I liked, got my tripod set up, mounted the camera, and aimed toward my subject when I realized I’d left the memory card at home. I quickly searched my bag to see if past Phil was kind enough to future proof this type of situation, but he hadn’t. On the way back to the house, I stopped and took this image on my phone without a tripod. The scene was dark enough that I couldn’t see half the details this image later revealed while I was there taking it, and I’m now marveling at the technology baked into my iPhone. I’ve probably said it several times before on previous images, but I am routinely impressed by how far phone cameras have come since my first camera phone.

1.11.23Covington’s ArchitectureThe wood shop is a block away from the Madison Road Kroger in Covington. Sometimes I walk over to it to get food for lunch. While on my way back, I stopped to admire this beauty across the street. Covington has a great deal of beautiful old houses that rival Cincinnati’s stock.

1.12.23Woodburn ExchangeSingle Batch Designs has the commission for a hanging steel structure inside the upcoming Woodburn Exchange. Today we made templates based on where the bolts are currently hung from the ceiling. Those bolts will be the connection points for the structure. The project was over my head (literally and figuratively), but Joe knew what he was doing, and that’s what ultimately matters. I provided physical assistance and little else; this project hasn’t been something I’ve been involved with, so I know next to nothing about it.

1.13.23The Power of SaddlebagsBecause I’m using my bike more and more, I needed a way to transport my dailies to and from my destinations without strapping them to my back every time. Saddlebags were the answer. I was able to stuff everything I needed into the two pockets and ride to work unencumbered this morning. It was really nice.

1.14.23FrescaWent out with Travis and Rob tonight. We hit up a load of bars and places of interest outside the core, including Hi-Mark in the East End. I really liked this corner with the vintage Fresca sign. We played skeeball and moved around to a few other places before heading back downtown to meet up with Justin on a very raucous Main Street at The Drinkery for likely one of the last weekends we’ll have at that place before it becomes a new bar. Shutting down a place like that and staying after the lights come on is such an odd feeling; there’s no Semisonic or fanfare for a job well done staying out this late. The party just abruptly stops and everyone shuffles out without a backing track. Picked up my bike from Travis’ and rode home in the 24ºF early morning air. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. I think that was because having a good night out with the guys warms the heart in ways I can’t get in any other fashion.

1.15.23Assistant Wood HandlerMy neighbors asked if I would build them a porch gate like the one I have on my porch, so I went to Home Depot to pick up a couple of 2x4s. Since they’re eight feet long, they have to stretch from the back hatch through to the front seats. At one point, Ashley squealed as she looked in the back seat. Turning around, I wasn’t prepared for the cuteness.

1.16.23Staying HBO CurrentSteve has a podcast called Streaming Things in which he and his co-hosts talk about the movies and TV shows they’re streaming week to week. I don’t often listen anymore because I never know what they’re talking about since I spend 99% of my movie/TV show time watching old Star Trek, but today I decided I’d watch HBOs new apocalyptic drama The Last of Us to stay current with the podcast. This series is brutal and hard to stomach because of the amount of trauma it deals with. It started as a video game in 2013, released a sequel years later, and is now being adapted for TV. I played both games in years past, so I’m familiar with the story already, and I think that’s why this is a hard watch. 10 minutes into the show, I could feel my chest tightening and the anxiety washing over me. Not-so-fun fact: at the start of the pandemic when everyone was asked to stay inside, I downloaded the first one again as something I could do to pass time, and I couldn’t have picked a worse story to devour during the uncertainty of a real-world viral plague.

1.17.23Golden Hour in NewportAfter a day of photoshoots downtown, I raced home in perfect weather and got Myrtle out of the house. We took a walk to Reser Bicycle Outfitters to get chain oil then made our way back home before dark. It was nice to stretch our legs together. (Ashley’s in Miami for work.)

1.18.23Free PalletAmong the many great things about Covington is its consistency of being an excellent place for free junk removal. While we place free items on the sidewalk for others, it’s actually nice for us to see something cumbersome removed without any effort on our part. Our trash becomes someone else’s treasure. In this case, a Mega Pallet probably contains at least a couple hundred bucks of lumber that we will not use, and instead of trashing it or burning it, someone else might find it useful. I’m not in the shop tomorrow, but I suspect Mega Pallet will have been re-homed by Friday.

1.19.23A Short WindowWorking from home today was hard not because of the workload but because of the beautiful weather we were experiencing in the middle of January. I made mental plans to walk Myrtle and ride my bike after work in the spring-like air. It was going to be great—until I checked my weather app. Spring weather also brings spring storms, and we were due for a round of heavies around 3 PM. Deciding work could wait, I put Myrtle’s collar on and we set out on a pleasant hour long walk around the neighborhood. It felt amazing to be out without a jacket on. Within a half hour of us returning home, the sky darkened and started pouring rain.

1.20.23Milton’sPaul and Kristen were in town, so a small group got together for drinks. We ended the night upstairs at Milton’s, pumping token after token into Touchtunes from our phones and playing ridiculous songs to lightly troll everyone downstairs. Until about the time we left, we had the whole floor to ourselves. It was really nice.

1.21.23Wise GuysI turned 37 today. The exciting part is I got to check out the movie set they’re putting up on 8th Street. The movie’s called ‘Wise Guys’ and stars Robert DeNiro. As far as I can tell, it’s set in the 50s or early 60s. False storefronts went up over Arnold’s, Algin, and John Schneider’s building across the street. Period-specific cars filled the parking lot across from The Renaissance, which look amazing against the backdrop of a preserved Cincinnati. I get why they film mid-century flicks here. Let’s hope the movie itself is decent.

1.22.23I Did Nothing TodayHere’s a photo of part of a metal picture I have hanging on my wall. It snowed like hell over night, but I didn’t get any photos of it today. Instead, I did nothing. I sat around, watched TV, and waited for the new episode of The Last of Us to hit my feed. I cannot remember the last time I did so little in a single day.

1.23.23Punk Rock KitchenetteLast summer I cleaned and organized the kitchenette at the shop. I made a shelf for our mugs and such so we could keep the counter clear for use and put away anything that wasn’t used regularly. To encourage my coworkers to maintain the space, I made a modest “NO CLUTTER” sign. Surprisingly, they verbally committed to keeping it clean. Sometimes all it takes is a reset to kick us into better habit-forming behaviors, right? Well, that same sign has since been graffitied and buried in what it exists to dispel. I tried!

1.24.23AlterationsTo complete our TV room in the finished side of the basement, we bought a sleeper couch to replace the queen bed that was down there. But when the delivery people came, we discovered the couch was too wide to fit through the second door. At least it got INTO the house, though? Defeated in the moment, I told the men to drop it off on the unfinished side and let me deal with it. After some brainstorming, I removed 10 inches of wall and part of the door frame to get it into place. So yeah, the couch is nice, but now I have to rebuild part of the wall and door frame…

1.25.23(Usually Correct) AssumptionsMy car does this thing where it guesses where I’m going and pre-loads directions when I get in and engage Apple CarPlay. Unataza is almost always its guess on weekdays, and nails it every time on Sundays. It’s scary how AI recognizes life patterns and then holds the mirror up to your gobsmacked face in chilling-yet-helpful ways like this.

1.26.23Local GovernmentI was nominated for and voted onto the Bellevue Code Enforcement Board late last year. Tonight was my first official meeting (they gave me a little name card and everything). This marks my first foray into local government. While I cannot say I’ve ever envisioned this path for myself, this position kind of snuck up on me and I took it as a way to be more involved in our city. I have no aspirations for Council or anything, but I figured I could maybe be of some use in this small capacity. The highlight of the meeting was taking the Kentucky Judicial Oath of Office which ends with a hilarious bit about promising not to duel anyone: “I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as second in carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending, so help me God.” Also, I walked nearly 11 miles and 21,000 steps today.

1.27.23In For the EveningHad a pretty stressful day at work. Came home, changed, cracked a beer, and sat on the couch with Myrtle all night. Normally I’d be out on a Friday evening, but tonight I just wanted to quietly rest with a little Star Trek, carryout, and this fluffy creature who likes being covered in blankets like a baby. (Because that’s what she is.)

1.28.23Incredible Exercise DaySince I started wearing a smart watch again to motivate me into exercise, I’ve begun filling my hours with walks and rides in order to see my stats improve. I guess I love data more than actually being healthy in this moment, but I’ll take it. After walking 3.5 miles in the morning, I set out on a 20 mile bike ride in the afternoon. The weather was incredibly mild and sunny, making for perfect ride conditions all around. I zipped through Dayton, KY before heading over the bridge to ride to the East End, back downtown, over to Queensgate, and back over the bridge to Newport. I stopped for photos along the route and saw a friend on his bike down by the river. After putting my bike away for the day, I felt absolutely unstoppable instead of tired. The physical and mental high I had after that ride is one of the greatest feelings I’ve had in a long time.

1.29.2381His birthday party was overshadowed by the football game, so while half the eyes in the room were glued to a TV in the corner, we celebrated Ashley’s grandfather’s 81st birthday. No one likes the cake he asks for every year except me and him.

1.30.23Walking Along Scott StreetI spend half my week at 15th and Scott Streets in Covington. On days I don’t pack a lunch, I will go out in search of a place to grab a bite. Since motivating myself with a smart watch again, I’ve been walking to get food more often and record my path. Unfortunately, that usually means having to walk about a mile north to the area around Hotel Covington to get anything quick and easy. Along the route are many old buildings in various conditions; many are dilapidated and in need of repair while others are in good shape. I’m instinctively drawn to the more rundown due to their unique visual flavor, but it’s a double-edged sword. I wish they were in better shape overall and the people who lived there weren’t subjected to poor living conditions. I don’t make a habit of photographing places in poor conditions if I think someone is currently living there because I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. Since this one looked freshly vacated judging by the boards on all the openings, I didn’t think it would hurt to get a quick snapshot. It’s a beautiful building despite its current state and at one time I’m sure it was a desirable place to live for many.

1.31.23OaklandNo, not the Oakland Roman Mars describes as having a beautiful downtown. Oakland Avenue in Covington. I shot this house for my favorite realtor, Rebecca, today. It’ll hit the market on Thursday, I think. Shooting exteriors in the winter here is so difficult and today’s grey skies didn’t help the overall look of every shot, but I did my best. Aside from rigging the whole place with massive temperature controlled lights pointing into the house from the outside to create artificial sunlight, there’s little I can do about the lackluster conditions of the day. With a little post-production work on them, they feel warmer and more like how the house would feel during a not-as-grey day. Hoping my part of this process helps them sell it within their preferred timeline.