home

Week Two

Photo-Mar-21-6-16-08-PM
Photo-Mar-21-7-31-05-PM
Photo-Mar-22-3-36-09-PM
Photo-Mar-22-9-09-20-AM
Photo-Mar-22-9-46-03-AM
Photo-Mar-23-4-15-21-PM
Photo-Mar-23-4-15-27-PM
Photo-Mar-23-4-19-33-PM
Photo-Mar-24-4-31-05-PM
Photo-Mar-24-6-15-51-PM

We have our routine down pretty well now. Wake up, eat, check-in, watch some TV, do live stream music with mom, go outside, lunch, quiet time, back outside, dinner, play, bed. Repeat. 

Work is definitely challenging these days. The kids are feeling cooped up. It’s hard not to chat with the neighbors, except from a distance. And the streets are so quiet. 

Every day we’re a little more anxious about everything: our health, our families, the economy, the Executive Branch’s dipshit handling of the whole situation. We feel phantom symptoms and worry. We’re trying to make the groceries we bought two weeks ago last a bit longer. 

I did start a new batch of cider. I took a photo field trip that I hope to share later. The weather is warming up, so I’m sitting on the front porch listening in on conference calls while the kids dig their bikes out of the garage.

Every little thing helps us not think about every big thing.

, , ,

Quarantine

home1
home2
home3
home4
home5

Everything’s weird. From the power continuing the flicker, to the quiet streets, to the strange sense of calm – inside the house, you wouldn’t know the world is working its way through a pandemic crisis.

I’m working from home most days. I one of the lucky ones whose work sits on a laptop, mostly. Though I did travel in today (a Friday) just to get some fresh air and get out of the house for a bit. The parking lot is nearly empty.

We hear about the air quality improving, and dolphins swimming in European canals. Can we keep some of the unintended consequences of this outbreak? 

At home, the kids don’t know any better. For them, it’s a longer spring break, and – strange for them – more time with dad at home. I did my best to set up a new routine that includes fresh air, some form of learning exercise (disguised as art projects), and some pick-up at the end of the day. 

We’re as prepared as we can be for the long haul. 

[All photos shot on my iPhone SE and edited in Filmborn.]

, , ,

Apple Picking

apples-7686
apples-7670
apples-7698
apples-7690
apples-7688
apples-7673
apples-7684
apples-7679
apples-7678
apples-7693
apples-7705
apples-7710

Not that I need another one, but I started a new hobby: cider making.

Luckily, our neighbors and the in-laws have apple trees weighed down with apples this year. That meant plenty of fruit for the juicing and fermenting I had in mind.

I’ve long been a cider fan – an apple fan in general – and consider owning an orchard one of my retirement goals. Somewhere along the line, I got the bug to try my hand and making my own hard cider, taking advantage of all the modern brew making equipment and methods. Right here in town, we have a home brewery store with all the supplies I need. That, with some online advice, and I could easily give a batch a try.

There’s a lot to do: wash the apples, juice the apples, sterilize the equipment, add the yeast, feed the yeast, etc. 

But first, I had to grab six little hands to help me pick and wash apples from the neighborhood. 

Away we go.

, , , , , ,

Corners

Projects don’t need to be fancy, or long, or all that involved.

Sometimes, all you need is an idea and a bit of time to see it through. In this case, it was playing in the backyard with the kids and wondering, how many corners can I find?

This has been my way out of a recent photography slump: simply shooting what’s around me, and finding something creative to say with my everyday surroundings.

Spring and summer means more time outside, more birthday parties and events, more walking and ice cream shop visits and hiking. All creative fuel for making photos. All slump busters.

, , ,

Snow Day

There’s nothing like a snow storm to get the family out of the cabin fever funk.

It’s also a great excuse to get the ol’ point and shoot camera out, dust off the lens, and take some photos of the outside activities. Despite the broken battery door, my Canon PowerShot SD750 still works great, and shoots fine.

This thing and me go way back. We’ve been on many adventures, from road trips through New England to hiking in Zion, and all of life before I purchased my first DSLR.

This weekend, when the snow started to accumulate, I broke out the SD750 while me and the boy went sledding, and then to capture all the fun in the yard when we got home. After all, if it gets wet, no big loss.

A side benefit: the photo files loaded lickety split into Lightroom.

, , ,

< 1 2 3 4 5 >»