Brian D. Mains

So it goes . . .

Recent Posts

  • Cincinnati’s Elsinore Arch

    Cincinnati’s Elsinore Arch

    I work next to a castle. Kids dig it. So do photo-taking tourists. Below is a then-and-now slide show followed by a little history on the “castle” located on Gilbert Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    • 1904
    • June 9, 1937
    • Jan. 12, 2019

    “The Elsinore Arch (sometimes called Elsinore Castle, or Elsinore Tower) is an impressive stone entrance to Eden Park, with steep stairs leading to the Cincinnati Museum of Art. It was designed by Charles B. Hannaford in 1883 as a result of the Kronborg Castle backdrop for Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ at Music Hall. It was not only intended as an impressive entrance, but also a means for the Cincinnati Water Works to extend the water main supply tunnel, which started at a reservoir in Eden Park. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.”

  • Summertime and the livin’ is . . .

    Summertime and the livin’ is . . .

    I feel better when I write.

    And I don’t mean the type of writing I do for work (though lately, I’ve found that to be highly rewarding as well).

    I mean sitting down and just sharing whatever comes out.

    Maybe it’s a photo or gratitude list or an issue that I’m wrestling with.

    But it is summertime.

    The start of the season is always busy.

    Bunbury Music Festival

    There are a ton of summer events to cover for work, alongside graduation parties, birthdays and group outings with friends and family.

    And yardwork. Oh, how I hate cutting grass.

    Also, running in heat and humidity.

    Dear God, give me the willingness to start running outdoors. I’ve been lax in my devotion to covering miles of asphalt recently. I am growing cranky and fat(ter).

    Amen.

    Which leads me to this – I’m complaining but not really complaining.

    If given the choice, I’d always choose to be busy rather than bored.

    Boring is dangerous.

    It means I have time to think, like really think.

    And when I think too much, my mind will manufacture drama to combat the boredom.

    That kind of drama is never good.

    So, this is me, sitting here and writing this post for no apparent rhyme or reason.

    I’m just trying to remind myself to not stop what I tried to start again a few months ago – resurrect this blog.

    Because, I need this space to ramble.

    I also need to find the time to go swimming soon.

    Summertime.

    Is living ever really that easy?

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  • May 9, 2019: Gratitude, a bridge over troubled waters

    May 9, 2019: Gratitude, a bridge over troubled waters

    John A. Roebling Bridge, May 8, 2019
    1. Standing in the middle of the John A. Roebling Bridge and taking pictures
    2. Running a segment of the Riverfront Commons Trail for the first time
    3. Finding a budgeting/financial planning tool that works for me
    4. Ridiculous group-text chains
    5. This quote: “We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty”
    6. Binge watching episodes of the new “Twilight Zone” hosted by Jordan Peele
    7. Signing up for a Yin Yoga session at Rooted Yoga in Covington, Kentucky
    8. Occasional rain showers followed by partly cloudy skies
    9. Being just a little more comfortable in my own skin
    10. Singing “You Can Call Me Al” along with Paul Simon in the drive to work

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  • Ohio River at Sunrise

    Ohio River at Sunrise

    In March 2013, I took a series of pictures during an early morning run along the Ohio River.

    Timing my run across the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge as the sun began to rise to the east was completely incidental.

    The scene of sunlight piercing dense fog as it rose like ghosts from the river into the crisp morning air stopped me midway across the span. With no one else around, I reached for my iPhone to capture the moment.

    I heard the barge behind me as it chugged against the river’s current. I waited for it to pass under the bridge.

    I watched the barge cut like a knife through the fog, making its way east toward the John A. Roebling Bridge.

    I then filled my lungs with cool air, exhaled and continued my morning run at peace with myself in the world.

  • A Day at the Beach

    A Day at the Beach

    This photograph has a story that begs to be told.

    It is part of a collection of old family photos that I inherited a few years ago.

    There’s nothing to indicate when or where this picture was taken.

    I don’t recognize the couple. They don’t appear in any of the other faded images in the collection.

    They look so in love though, spending a perfect day lounging at some lakefront beach.

    I wonder what happened to them after someone captured this perfect moment on film.

    Did their love endure? Marry? Have children? Shoulder heartbreak and tragedy together?

    Did they ever think back to the day this photo was taken with fondness?

    I like to imagine they re-visited the beach years later – wrinkled and frail – remembering their younger selves frolicing and laughing on its sandy shore.

    I’d like to think they reflected on how their love grew richer and deeper every summer after this photograph was taken.

  • A Rainy Day on the Roebling

    A Rainy Day on the Roebling

    Sept. 17, 2018

    I’m not exactly sure when #RoeblingWednesday became a thing.

    On Wednesday of every week my Instagram feed is flooded with photos of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge shared and re-shared by people living in Greater Cincinnati.

    Courtesy RoeblingBridge.org

    The Roebling spans the Ohio River, connecting Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky.

    When opened on Jan. 1, 1867, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world with a 1,057 feet main span. It was also a precursor to the more-famous Brooklyn Bridge, also designed by John A. Roebling.

    If you browse for the #RoeblingWednesday on Instagram, it’s pretty easy to see why the hashtag is so popular in Cincinnati. Do you have a similar social media hashtag dedicated to an iconic piece of architecture in your town?