7.1.20She TugWe were playing “who can hold onto the ball the longest.” I won.

7.2.20Welcome to BellevueComing as a surprise to no one, we bought a house in Bellevue and closed on it today. Built in 1930, our little craftsman sits on a quiet street and retains much of its original character, including the original hardwood floors and stained glass windows. It has a big back yard for the dog, a huge front porch for us, and a balcony off the back of the house. We saved for years, I worked two jobs, and we finally have a place to call our own. We are thrilled to join Bellevue.

7.3.20Buried TreasureWe demolished the storage room to make way for the shelves and workbench I want to build down there, and in the process of removing the old thrown-together shelving, I discovered this old street sign wedges between the boards and the wall. No idea what the story is behind it or why it’s in my basement, but I’m going to hang it up in the shop once it’s built.

7.4.20Golden LightOur new home has a stained glass window on the stairs and I absolutely love it.

7.5.20Bored DoodleOver the weekend, we worked on the house non-stop. Today, Myrtle was tired and bored, so she laid down on the floor while we were up and down the stairs all day.

7.6.20An Inbetween MomentDucking into Galactic Fried Chicken to get out of a storm, I paid for our carry out and discussed the weather, the neighborhood, and chicken with the owner behind the counter. Small talk is easy for me because it’s light and serves to maintain a level of decency with others, and during a time in which the world is unpredictable and decidedly not-normal, it’s a welcome distraction. During one of the lulls in conversation, I turned around to inspect the dining room which had the feel of an old school pizza place more so than a shiny new chicken restaurant. I personally loved it because it felt comfortable. It’s a shame I won’t be able to eat inside of it for awhile since the virus is making a strong comeback.

7.7.20Just a FlowerLook, I spent a LOT of time working on the house today, and I snapped this at 11:55 PM because I’d forgotten to take a photo today. Cut me some slack.

7.8.20Standard Evening ShotHad to get this exterior for a freelance job, but needed to wait until the sun was setting so I could get the interior and exterior leveled.

7.9.20Taxi!Ashley was waiting on me to return to the car with carryout.

7.10.20Nightly DeerThe quality of this image is poor, but I loved the feel of it, so that’s why I chose it.

7.11.20Buried Home Improvement JokeI built shelves and a workbench in my basement with my father today. It was a great experience working with dad on this project; he knows a lot about construction, and together we realized the vision I had for my personal workshop. While I’m still figuring out the smaller tool storage shelves and the electric, the hardest part—the bones—are finished. We put a bunch of screws into one 2x4 on his recommendation and I mocked him for over-building it with a note on the wood. It was covered by another 2x4 shortly after, so it’ll never be seen again unless we disassemble the bench again.

7.12.20Workshop: BuiltJust have to add electric to it, but the workshop is essentially completed. The corner is prepped for future expansion, but for now I’m going to leave it alone since everything I needed to put into the workshop fits on the right side. Until I get a feel for how I want to use that space, it’s going to stay blank. My dad and I put this together. It was fun to build and even more fun to see it finished. It’s consumed a lot of my time over the last week, so I’m happy it’s essentially finished and usable as a work bench now.

7.13.20A Curious ObserverWhile walking down Division Street in Bellevue, this little neighborhood watcher was keeping an eye on things, specifically Myrtle and another cat on the street.

7.14.20This-L-DuI saw this trailer with horses sticking their heads out of the vehicle at a stoplight. The rural element in an otherwise urban setting contrasted in a way I thought was interesting. The title for this is lifted from the decal on the trailer.

7.15.20Nightly RoutineCome home, brush teeth, get into bed, repeat. This is our life right now while we work on the house before we move in and avoid as many people as possible because the virus is on its way back up again.

7.16.20The ScreecherThere are these birds that fly around our house and hang out in the large tree next door. At first, I thought they were peregrine falcons, but they’re not. After a little bird IDing, I think they may be juvenile Cooper’s Hawks. Either way, they’re loud, chase each other around the street and yard, regularly land on our fence, and they’re fun to watch.

7.17.20Stopping Into AmeristopThere’s an Ameristop in Bellevue with a dude who knows everybody, including us now. He sells six packs of craft beer for $7.99, four flavors of ICEE, and gave Myrtle a pup cup of soft serve. We go there often now.

7.18.20One On the Ride HomeI spent the entire day working on the house. My father and I wired the workshop with electricity and removed the old toilet in the basement and plugged the drain with a stopper. The basement suddenly has an influx of house flies, so I hung old fly papers I found in the previous workshop from the ceiling. Of course, I went to three different hardware stores on top of all that, so it’s been a very, very busy day. As such, I didn’t take a single photo. Realizing I’d not yet make an effort to take a photo all day, I snagged one on the ride home over the Southgate Bridge.

7.19.20A Quiet FairfieldWhile waiting on Ashley to get the coffees from Avenue Brew, I took a photo of the buildings across Fairfield Avenue because the sidewalks were empty.

7.20.20Bold & BeautifulThis morning, I walked out of my bedroom and saw this colorful bouquet Ashley’d placed on the kitchen table. It is the most beautiful bouquet I’ve seen her bring home recently. I realize these are likely hilariously dyed with artificial coloring, but I still think they’re pretty. I set the camera up on a tripod and photo stacked 10 images into one to allow everything to come into focus.

7.21.20NewportAs I was riding my bike to the house, I stopped at a stoplight and made a photo of the parking sign that directs cars to the Levee. I like it because the flood wall obscures so much of the background, making it look a little like that Windows XP background.

7.22.20Mason MariaToday I visited the gallery of artist Mason Maria (David Elmer) in Reading. We had a great discussion about his discovery of art, the neighborhood, and downtown living. I documented his space and made a portrait of him in front of one of his larger pieces. The piece will run on Refined in August.

7.23.20Donut Touch!I photographed Holtman’s Donuts’ renovated Rt. 28 location this morning for Luminaut. It looks totally different than how I remember it. The space feels much larger and has a very clean, colorful aesthetic. After capturing the space itself, we did some donut shots and I made this one with the help of one of the Luminaut architects.

7.24.20Morning ViewThis has become my regular morning view: leaving Crane’s garage and heading to our house in Bellevue. I think it’s beautiful the way the sunlight comes through the gate.

7.25.20A Good MuralRode my bike over to the house this morning instead of driving and caught a glimpse of this mural at Central and Taylor.

7.26.20Fluffy LegsJust two cute paws.

7.27.20Impending ExcitementThere’s little that’s remarkable about this photo besides the clouds, and that exactly what makes it interesting to me. When I see clouds like this, I can’t help but feel excitement. It make even the sleepiest scene fun. Storms energize me, and seeing it slowly roll in and feeling that cold front blast through the crack in the window is all I ever really want on a hot summer day. The anticipation of a powerful, loud, lightning-filled storm is a unique feeling that doesn’t come as frequently as I wish it would, so when it does happen, I really enjoy the moments right before the rain hits and the sky begins to lighten again. That ominous, dark blue mass creeping toward me is one of my favorite pillars of summer.

7.28.20Lincrusta StaircasePhotographed a 150-year-old home in Hyde Park this morning. The walls were covered in Lincrusta—a type of wall hanging the original owner of this particular home sold and made his fortune on when he was alive. As I am inclined to do, I took care photographing the staircase because it’s usually the most photogenic of the original features of an old home. This one had the holy trinity of stained glass window, original hardwood, and the Lincrusta wallpaper all around it. The lamp, while period-specific, came from a desk and was rewired by a contemporary electrician to replace the old gas line. I spent a lot of time touching the color on this one up in Photoshop to remove the natural blue light from the ivory Lincrusta.

7.29.20Overlooking the WestA panorama overlooking the construction at the corner of Findlay Street and Central Parkway in the West End.

7.30.20Mound AvenueIt’s been a grey, bad day. The news cycle, the realization that our country is spiraling in multiple categories, and the uncertainty of everything for the foreseeable future have left my brain in tatters. That manifested in an uninspired photoshoot at a church-turned-private-residence in Milford this morning. I did the job to the best of my ability, but I am overall disappointed in what I produced. This is the only photo I managed to not actively feel contempt for, and even still, it’s not one I’m overly fond of regardless of its proper lighting. Feeling uninspired lately has been the norm; I want to be out of this rut.

7.31.20Walking WashingtonAfter doing a shoot at QFit on Fairfield Ave, I wandered to Grandview by way of Washington and walked by this lovely house on the east side of the street. I liked its proportions and the pillowy clouds behind it.