Okay, there is nothing super exciting about these two photos. Quite simply this is a photo of a plant from my grandmother’s funeral in 2010 that I managed to keep alive for over a year and a half now. It is in definite need of pruning and some care, but it seems to be doing well. 

The reasons I chose to photograph it are simple:

1. I moved furniture in my house. I won’t say I’m all feng shui all the time, but I am into finding just the right way to arrange my furniture in my oddly shaped (and by oddly I mean rectangular or “Zesta” box-shaped) living room. I placed the plant on a small book stand in front of a window with pull down blinds that mute the outside light. The silhouette this morning, as I sat eating my bowl of cereal on the couch caught my eye.
2. Yes, that’s right. I took this picture as I sat on the couch eating a bowl of cereal at 10:30 a.m. before heading out for a short run with a friend. I knew I wouldn’t be able to shoot anything afterward since I had a few short errands before coming home, fixing lunch and then heading into work at 4 p.m. as well. I justify this bout of bad planning (and laziness) by saying I did get to play with manual settings, lighting, and silhouettes. The main photo was taken with my Cannon 1000D set at an ISO of 400, aperture of 4.5, and an even light balance on the light meter. The photo is the image as it was taken, no post editing other than a little cropping

“Like a man travelling in foggy weather, those at some distance before him on the road he sees wrapped up in the fog, as well as those behind him, and also the people in the fields on each side, but near him all appears clear, though in truth he is as much in the fog as any of them.”

– Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, Chapter 8

Fog enveloped everything today. It made the other shore along the Ohio River indeterminable. In fact, the river, swollen with rain, just curve up and disappeared into the clouds as well.

Farm houses and barns sat in banks of clouds, their peaks, and silos peaking through.

The landscape felt haunted as dusk settled in.

Starting out I thought it might be a bad photo day, but I’m not too displeased with most of the shots, a mixture of landscape setting and AV shot in color and black and white.

Luckily where I drove wasn’t that well trafficked, so I was able to pull of the road and take a few quick shots, such as this skyline on the peak of a hill.

Steam from a power plant in the distance made more currents in the grey than the typical plumb seen from this vantage if you drive by.

Image via Wikipedia

You know, it is pretty easy to be inspired by runners and their stories. There is rarely a runner’s blog that I stumble across or a story I hear that does not engage me, inspire me, and motivate me.

Most recently I came across the blog of Tracey Outlaw called “52.4 Miles in 48 Hours: Running for Parker.” Tracey’s an experienced runner, so there is a polish to his writing about running marathons not found here. The posts he shares and the bits of his life he puts out there are pretty insightful and inspiring, especially when he speaks of his reasons for running. Most recently it was to raise money, awareness and support for a young relative diagnosed with leukemia (hence the name of the blog) by running two marathons back-to-back. The challenge ended in December, but Tracey continues to share.

Tracey’s sharing, and just the way he expresses himself are pretty good reads. They engage and add a richness to his running stories.

His most recent post that hooked me into writing this post was Tracey breaking down his approach to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Arizona marathon. In Race Day Plan and Inspiration, Tracey lays out pacing and personal motivation in five-mile increments for the race. I mean, he literally breaks down time and who he is committing each mile to. I think it’s pretty inspired, especially as a guy who finds a lot of my running being dictated by mindset and mood.

So, this has led me down a path of asking what are my motivations as I prepare for another marathon this season? Is there someway I can make it more about harnessing all this training, nerves, punishment and joy towards benefiting someone else, or another organization. In turn of course, I’ll benefit from a better peace of being, and hopefully a bit more determination when it comes to race day. At 35 I know I am a purpose driven guy. I must have one. I’m looking for another one beyond just saying I did better this time than I did the last. So, my thoughts on this percolate.

I would also ask anyone to respond with insights into why you run? What motivates you? Can you relate to Tracey? Done something similar? What reasons have you had to push yourself through those painful, boring miles of whatever race you were in?

Well, today I found a reason to go outside and into the rain. (Gray, gray and more gray weather this week where I live. Perhaps another reason for blah photos?) There is this place called Newport on the Levee where I live. A bit touristy for the region with its aquarium and what not, but not a bad place to visit from time to time. Also, a place where my running group meets up often.

So, before a bunch of rain this evening, and a group run, I took these photos. Pushing my camera to take in enough light, and keep a steady focus was a challenge. So was keeping rain drops off my lens. Next time I need a friend to hold an umbrella for me.

The above photo is of Mitchell Fish Market’s crowning glory, a glossy, metallic sword fish. The below one is another view, plus another fish.

Yes, the outdoor space of this place is sort of, well fishy, due to the Newport Aquarium that is a central attraction. (Best story today at Cincinnati.com about one of the Aquarium’s ambassador’s visiting Kentucky’s state capital: Paula the Penguin poops on Ky. Senate floor)

The rain was cold and I shivered enough that a lot of pictures came out soft and I worried about letting my camera get too wet.

Still, I trudged on and tried to get a little creative with reflections and lighting.

I also snapped this larger image as I sat in Barnes & Noble after freezing my butt off and deciding a track run would be better than a flat-out and back in the rain with the group I planned to run with later.

And then finally, there were these images, just for fun, as I drove off and to the gym. 

I bought this small Fender Squire electric guitar years ago. It was my earliest attempt at trying to do something different, to set a goal, to perhaps play one song at the end of a year. Can you see the dust in this photo?

For the life of me I have yet to find the patience, fingers, or ear to learn how to play. Yet, I cannot rid myself of this guitar. So, every once in a while I will pick it back up with the intent of learning. Otherwise it sits and collects dust.

There is just something about guitars that I find so fascinating and appealing. Perhaps I should just hang this one as wall art? Do you have any hobbies you invested in but failed to succeed at?

So, today was another of those busy days. Finding the time to really try to come up with a great shot, or place to shoot, was a challenge. Driving through a small town though I had to stop and try to get this picture. It’s a fire alarm that sits perched atop the fire house of this small town. I mean this bell is loud enough to act as a warning for a community of a couple hundred at most.

The next shot is from the same town as well.  I felt to self aware to stand in front of this house for too long. The juxtaposition of warning and love just made me chuckle.

There was nothing pretty about today. A gray fog permeated everything, washing the world of most color. The only bits I could find that popped while outside on break were these, a stencilled bit of graffiti on the Elm Street overpass in Downtown Cincinnati, and a street sign:

It was one of those days where you assume eventually the fog will lift, perhaps it would warm up, and maybe the sun would come out. Nope. Never.

I walked just outside my office to capture these images to share here.

I woke up this morning at 6 a.m. to go for my early morning group run. An ice storm moved through the area over night. Everything outside was glazed over.

I managed to make it to the meet up location and did a nice little 8:40 minute pace hill run without falling on my ass, and only sliding once or twice. Afterward I took these pictures for today’s post.

Today I tried, emphasis on tried, to take some detail shots of two of my favorite things. The above is part of a set of clay rice bowls with chopsticks. I received them as a gift well over a decade ago. I tried to play with backdrop (red place mat) and challenging lighting (those energy-efficient lightbulbs above). My camera’s ability to focus and shutter speed, along with a stable angle and surface were pushed as I tried to avoid a flash.

The second photo is just pure nerdome. It is a plastic Green Lantern ring I owned for decades. Don’t know where or when I received it. It’s just always been around.

I liked the character Green Lantern, a normal guy granted a ring only limited by the bearers imagination and will (and for a long time the color yellow too, but that’s a very long and nerdy story to sort out).

Since this is also a running blog (part-time now it would seem) I’ll confess I kept this ring in the pocket of my running shorts throughout my first marathon as a token, or talisman to keep me going during the rough parts. (And yes, I can still recite the Green Lantern Oath verbatim.) Just don’t tell anyone.

There were other photos taken today. This one was a special request.