7.1.22A Very Long DayToday was a very, very long day. I thought I was waking up early to drive a finished table to the mountains in North Carolina, but instead the table wasn’t finished and the crew had to spend the first half of the day sorting that out. What was once an 8 AM departure turned into a 4 PM, and after working a full day in the shop, the last thing I really wanted to do was carefully drive a $16K piece of eucalyptus six hours south. Luckily, John decided to drive the whole way and paid little attention to the speed limit, ensuring my sustained heart rate of a thousand beats per minute for the duration of the drive. Long story short, it was a stressful ride that culminated in a somewhat dangerous climb up a dirt and gravel road in the pitch black mountains at 11 PM, but we were also served homemade surf & turf, and that lifted our spirits.

7.2.22Eucalyptus: DeliveredThe table we delivered to North Carolina in its space inside the home. The customers were happy with how it turned out and John got to absorb their compliments in person for a change. It looks really nice in the room they chose. Anyway, I drove all the way back to Cincinnati alone and enjoyed the slower pace, lighter van, and six straight hours of podcasts without interruption.

7.3.22Scaredy PupsJustin, Annie, and Charlie came over this evening for a nice cookout and porch hang. Charlie, their pup, is also very afraid of fireworks, so when the neighborhood began launching them at 6 PM, both dogs went downstairs to get away from the noise. We built Myrtle a little tent to keep her cozy and safe, but Charlie wanted his own space by the washing machine. Poor pups.

7.4.22Boom!Allie and Travis moved into a beautiful 4-story building on 12th Street recently. They invited us over to see their new place, and for dinner and deck hangs (they have two rooftop decks). The enormous, relatively recently rehabbed house is beautiful, and they’re slowly filling it with new furniture to make it even more comfortable. Really, truly happy for them. I was having a horrible mental health day, so I took a larger-than-normal jazz gummy, loaded up on beer, and did my best to be a normal person while enjoying the pleasant evening air with my friends. A semi-professional firework show sprang up a block away, which we were able to watch from a great vantage point after a hurried climb up the stairs to the top roof deck. Wish I’d brought my Z fc.

7.5.22Good CornerCoffee and quiet and sunlight and air-purifiers. Just a good corner of the desk.

7.6.22Joseph UrbanShot the Joseph Urban exhibit opening at the Cincinnati Art Museum tonight. I got to get a few clean shots with a tripod of the space before everyone came in.

7.7.22Tuco’s MargaritaWent out to see Justin’s new taco and margarita place in Harrison. I shot the space and made this image of a margarita on the bar. The red neon lights across the dining area reflected off the high gloss countertop making for a neat effect.

7.8.22Shitty Chives & OnionFound this bag with a dead wasp marked “Chives & Onion” in the shop today. Not sure what it’s about, but it was weird enough that I had to take a photo.

7.9.22Killing TimeOur errand run turned into a visit to Ault Park because we were up too early to actually do any of the errands. We literally had to burn an hour, so we just hiked around in the misty rain for awhile. The weather was horrible the rest of the day, so I spent the majority of it building flight boards for next weekend’s show.

7.10.22Torreys DriveI shot this house with a crazy good view of Covington and Downtown throughout the day. I did the primary interior photos early in the morning and came back for a Golden Hour shot of the view. Thankfully the unit was empty and staged so I didn’t have to coordinate with the owner. Whoever buys this place will have one helluva place to drink a cup of coffee in the morning and enjoy a beer in the evening.

7.11.22Stand-InHad a weirdly hard day at the shop and didn’t take any photos except this one of my little trio of small cacti on the windowsill in the bathroom.

7.12.22Cozy CovedaleThis morning’s job took me over to Covedale. The modest midcentury house has a little screen-in back patio with a sofa, some chairs, and a TV.

7.13.22LongboatThe 11th Street Bridge between Newport and Covington is the literal and figurative hump of my ride between my house and the wood shop. Between the severity of the incline and the speed at which traffic flies by me as I’m pushing myself to make it up and over, it’s the moment in the ride I mentally prepare for as soon as I leave my driveway. Occasionally, I’ll find reason to stop at the peak of the hump because of something interesting on the river below. While riding over it this morning, I heard shouting and stopped to see what was happening. As it turns out, several longboats of rowers were making their way north toward the delta.

7.14.22Tacos Make Everything AlrightGot stood up at my morning shoot. Followed the college rule where you wait 20 minutes for the professor to show up before acknowledging you did your due diligence and leaving without a second to spare. The client texted to apologize later, but I moved on with my other jobs and didn’t go back. Time is simultaneously the most valuable and scarce resource I have, and I don’t appreciate wasting it. Oddly enough, I recognized in retrospect that the universe was seemingly trying to send me a message before I showed up for the shoot: I couldn’t pay to park through the EZ Park app or at the meter for unknown reasons, so I chanced a ticket. As parking fees are non-refundable, I got out of needlessly spending $3. My final shoot of the day was at Justin’s new taco and marg place in Harrison, OH. Failing to nab an interesting photo of the queso, I asked one of his servers to lend a hand for an “action shot” to liven it up a little.

7.15.22Sample StainsFeeling like a friggin’ wood stain advertisement end cap over here. Ashley thinks our impending farmers market presence will yield a level of business we aren't prepared for, so she’s going to take custom orders for customers who don’t snag one of the existing plant stands and/or flight boards before they sell out. While I’m not as optimistic about the demand for our goods, I indulged her and made a display board of the stains we’ll offer if someone wants to order one. Of course, these custom orders are in addition to the goods I will have to make to replenish our supply for the August and September shows. I also have to build a crib for my incoming niece at some point before September. Will I ever have free time again? Will I ever be social with friends and escape the confines of my garage? Will we fail to sell any of this stuff and end up embarrassed about ourselves? Only time will tell.

7.16.22Good Night OutHung out with the NKY crew tonight on the Avenue. Our lack of sobriety made the horrible forecast for tomorrow’s market a little less awful. I have a feeling we will either be selling in the rain or not at all. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get cancelled.

7.17.22Alternate PlansWhen we woke up to thunder and lightning, we knew the farmer’s market was cancelled. Then an email confirmed it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad. As much of a pain in the ass this whole thing has been to prep for, I was really looking forward to sitting with a coffee and being present while Ashley sold all the work. Instead, we had a whole day open up, so I reorganized the workshop to fit my table saw and got the router table up off the floor. I also cleared a few shelves for future tool purchases. Also tried out the phone holder I mounted months ago that was intended to be used for a timelapse I never ended up doing. Do I still look young?

7.18.22Leaving My MarkI have no idea why the quality of this image is so bad. Anyway, I scratched a Starfleet badge into resin before sanding it off. It’s the only photo I took all day.

7.19.22Parvis LoftsTwo AirBnBs today. Both tiny. This one was in the Parvis Lofts building on the 1400 block of Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. I lived alone in a place this tiny for years and loved it, but I can’t help but feel like having a house with several rooms is more to my taste these days.

7.20.22Surprise StormIt was late. I was reading something on my phone when I noticed a flicker from the window beside me. Looking up, I gazed hard into the mottled texture of the privacy glass and saw a flash beyond it. Then another. And another. The irregular strobe of the lightning storm to the north bounced bright light off the house behind ours and had caught my attention. Per the standing rule, to the porch I went. Light off, butt in chair, eyes wide to the sky. Bolt after bolt illuminated the clouds above in a silent, stunning display. I sat there in the humidity and insects and watched the whole system crackle and burn its way from west to east for about a half hour. It was one of those magical, unexpected natural phenomenons that only happen on a summer night.

7.21.22HeatwaveYesterday’s heatwave continued into today, albeit slightly less aggressively. Work took me out early to a mansion in Indian Hill to photograph an outdoor patio that included a very nice pool. Luminaut did the whole thing and needed shots of the space for their portfolio. The water looked so refreshing when contrasted with the summer heat, I almost fantasized about what it would be like to get in. Almost. Fun fact about me: I haven’t been in a pool in 22 years. The last time was sometime around late 2000 when we had to swim in Phys Ed during freshman year of high school. The horrible awkwardness of stripping down in front of peers—both boys and girls—was enough to turn me off of ever going to a pool party for the rest of my life. I am a land-lover in the truest sense of the word.

7.22.22Questioning My ChoicesI got a “You up?” text around midnight from a buddy who lives in Columbus. He was in town and wanted to drop by. I was, indeed, still up after spending the evening working on a custom set of flight boards for a friend, so I went out on the porch to await his arrival. Meanwhile, little doodle bear sat with her ball and wondered why the hell I was on the porch in the wee hours of the morning.

7.23.22HendrixWe had an impromptu play date with Myrtle’s dog friends at Fido Field this morning. Hendrix, this dappled dachshund, is always a friendly little dude and will run up to you for a scratch under his snoot if you crouch down near him.

7.24.22Bellevue Farmer’s MarketWOW, what a day! The farmer’s market down at Bellevue Beach Park was a smashing success. This being our first ever time as a vendor, we really didn’t know what to expect. After a sweaty setup and some fumbling around with the presentation (did I mention it was hot already?), we sold through all of the plant stands and half of the flight boards by the end of the day. Loads of pre-orders came in, too, from people who wanted to buy specific things in stains and sizes we’d already sold. All in all, we made probably triple what we spent to do this and got to enjoy interacting with our neighbors and friends who dropped by to support us. Our next market is in three weeks which means I will be spending beaucoup time in the shop banging out more stands and possibly a few new items to see if they’re in demand. It was one of the best Sundays I’ve had in a long time.

7.25.22Neglected DeskThere’s a growing pile of mail I need to address on my desk. So much of my time has been spent behind the table saw, I’ve barely sat down at the computer. In fact, last time I spent any time here was Thursday of last week when I had to review photo work for Luminaut. It’s a strange feeling to be disconnecting from digital work in favor of the analog, but it’s certainly not a bad thing. I used to occasionally disconnect to give myself a break, but those breaks have quietly strong-armed themselves into a regularity that borders on routine at this point. Considering how much better I feel on days when I don’t doom scroll morning, noon, and night, perhaps I’ve subconsciously grounded myself from the internet on occasion as a self-preservation measure.

7.26.22Dilapidated and SadShot two vacant properties today: one in CUF and another in northern Over-the-Rhine. Both were in bad shape, but the one on McMicken was worse for wear (pictured). I used to spend time a block away from the building about 10 years ago because I knew someone who lived there. Not a lot has changed in that time. The basement had a crumbling wooden cooler from the turn of the century that leaned heavily to one side in the thick, black darkness. Aside from that feature, a few old fireplaces, and some staircases that lead into nothingness, the building was pretty empty. It seems to have good bones, though. The other building—a multistory apartment building on Ravine—had been empty for a decade and not updated since probably the early 90s. It was also the first time I photographed an abandoned space that had suffered a fire; one of the top floor units was charred and black with soot. Finger streaks could be seen on the walls and the call box by the front door was melted and warped. It honestly gave me the willies seeing the place trapped in that state. I photographed the space as fast as possible to get out of there and didn’t look back.

7.27.22Solar PoweredWhat I thought would be a milk-run shoot of a house in Fort Wright ended up being a milk-run shoot of a house in Fort Wright that also had solar panels mounted to the roof. I’ve been doing this for years and haven’t once been able to include a feature image of roof-mounted solar panels. All houses should have this.

7.28.22FOUR!I’m working with an interior designer on custom artwork for a local country club. She has a plan for the images she wants and has tasked me with executing her vision. While I’m a hired gun for this sort of thing, I prefer to be given the latitude to be creative when I can be, and so far she’s been amenable to that within the state parameters. This particular day saw a tournament of golfers converge on 18 holes around 1 PM at the club. Beforehand, the players warm up by swatting golf balls into the distance from a spacious, manicured practice range. Having never shot golf before, today I learned that courses like this lend themselves well to high-contrast low shots. As the hills rise to meet the sky, I can seek out a low perspective to enhance the drama of that juxtaposition when a player is in frame. Also, while I was crouched, a groundhog spilled out of the bushes behind me, realized I was about four feet from him, and sauntered quickly away. I got a photo of the little guy, too!

7.29.22GroteOne of my oldest friends, Mike Grote, came down and walked to Tuba Baking Co. with Ashley and I. We enjoyed the German-inspired menu, walked it back off on the trip home, then spent the evening under the glow of the porch string lights. Our discussion covered everything from what we used to do back in high school to looking up a friend’s former house on Zillow to see if there were any interior photos from a past sale (there were). It was a good night. Mike’s a good dude.

7.30.22River CruiseIf I didn’t already have too many irons in the fire already, I agreed to write a sponsored piece for Link NKY to make sure I added another one. The piece will be about BB Riverboats’ river tours and my experience going on one as a NKY resident. The owners granted me two complimentary tickets to do the Sightseeing & Music Tour this evening, so I naturally took Ashley with me. This isn’t the platform upon which I am paid to tell you about the tour, but I will say the weather tonight was absolutely perfect for riding on a boat on the river. The sunset was even more incredible as we approached the dock at 9:15 PM.

7.31.22An Underestimated BeautSomeone new reached out to me about shooting a rental in Covington. The house, a modest 1960s ranch, was just past the Peaselburg sub-neighborhood of Covington and up a hill. I didn’t know anything about this house before I walked in, and considering how beautiful it ended up being, I thoroughly enjoyed opening the door to the surprise. Whenever I get to go hard on decor photos, it’s a satisfying shoot. This one, staged by a woman named Kathleen whose work I’ve shot before, was the perfect amount of photogenic. The 1960s house coupled with today’s MCM-inspired, on-trend decor made for easy, enjoyable compositions that I hope will catch the eye of a prospective renter for the client. I got positive feedback after I sent her the finished gallery.