9.1.22Invisible MakeoverUnion Terminal was lit up teal tonight for the start of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. They posted this overly spectacular, edited image on their Instagram announcing the fun lighting, and while I didn’t believe it was going to be as amazing as the post suggested, I thought it could be cool to photograph. When I got to the museum, though, the lighting was extremely subtle to the naked eye—I almost didn’t stop to take the photo because it was so minimal and faint. There was a different hue to the building, but it wasn’t like the projection mapping project they did for a week back in 2019. I debated whether or not to even bother taking photos, but seeing as how I’d made the trip and had my gear with me, I reasoned it was worth taking a few shots. Thankfully, the long exposures brightened the color in a way my eye couldn’t see in person. Despite that, I didn't think they'd turn out while I was on site, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got them into a computer later.

9.2.22Old Work, New PhotosJohn and his former business partner made these metal room dividers with built in pocket doors for Tano Bistro in Loveland a few years back. We’re trying to update his website with new photos of past projects to help showcase his body of work in order to attract new clientele. We did a few different angles, but I think I like this one the best.

9.3.22Party On the AveCatherine’s birthday is tomorrow, so we went out and drank on the Avenue to celebrate. I played ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ on TouchTunes and Ashley had a billion craft beers. Once leaving the Avenue, a group of us decided to walk the alleys to The B List where we would resume drinking. Kevin, my neighbor up the street, expressed his desire to not keep going, but we begged him to follow us. He obliged, and while walking the darkened streets to get to the next bar, he said, “When was the last time you were ghosted?” Fueled by several beers up to that point, I replied “2014” and didn’t think twice about it until I looked back and Kevin had completely vanished. It was one of the smoothest quiet exits I’ve ever seen anyone do.

9.4.22A NookThere’s very little to say about this image aside from this is where I prefer to sit and read. I neglected my photographic duties in favor of spending the majority of the day building in the garage.

9.5.22Jazz +50%Ashley got a bunch of festive plants from a supplier earlier this year that had a bunch of non-floral decor stuffed into each pot. Loving stupid little lights like this, I snagged them from the plant and hid them away in my workshop.

9.6.22Good Ride MomentWe walked to Dixie Chili for gyros but I wasn’t finished enjoying the beautiful weather. After arriving back home, the urge to hop on my bike hit me and I soon found myself pedaling north toward the river. After whizzing around the neighborhood for a bit, the sun began to set. There’s a little dead end at the end of Lafayette where you can get this great view. Thankfully I had the wisdom to bring my Nikon Z fc with me.

9.7.22TRAIN!Always like seeing a train, even when it’s stopped on the tracks.

9.8.22Ipe TableWe delivered a nice outdoor ipe table to a Single Batch Designs client this afternoon. We had to deliver it in pieces because, when assembled, the table was too heavy to lift without devoting substantial people power to the delivery. And of course it had to be delivered to the roof of the garage.

9.9.22The Littlest KrogerI thought the Bellevue Kroger was small, but I think the one on Madison Ave in Covington takes the cake. It’s not as nice as other Kroger stores, but it DOES have some fun artwork on the exterior.

9.10.22The StrayThe plan was to talk about how I have assembled all the necessary technology to do movie nights in my back yard using a projector and how excited I am about that prospect. I was going to talk about how I had Steve over and we tested it out by watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. But instead, I am going to talk about this extremely cute stray I saw on a walk today. She just kept rolling around begging for pets. I obliged, of course. I’m not a monster!

9.11.22What’s Over There?Summers on the porch are a staple of our home. It rained today, and though I managed to stay in the garage making stuff for the upcoming farmer’s market for the majority of the day, I found a little time to spend on the porch in the evening when the sun came back out.

9.12.22H&HJoe and I went over to Hierophany & Hedge today to figure out some specs for woodwork we’ll be doing both inside and out of the shop. The owners are super friendly and outlined what they needed inside their truly incredible shop. Have you been inside this place? The level of detail and love that went into designing this place is unreal. While my interests in fiction generally skew toward starships and the future, this shop made me reminisce about playing old school RPGs when I was younger and the fun those fantasy worlds brought me at the time. Seeing their passion so vividly represented in a thoughtful, cinematic space endeared them to me despite not knowing them personally. What they’ve built is a creative’s dream. NKY is lucky to have such a unique store.

9.13.22Opportunity HouseMy friend Cody and his architectural firm recently renovated a dorm for NKY called Opportunity House. I don’t have all the specifics, but the dorm is reserved for students who meet a certain financial criteria. There’s 16 mini apartments in the building with a communal space on the lower level (pictured). I dug the primary color scheme and finishes that are friendly to college-age students. The apartments themselves were honestly way nicer than anything my friends lived in when I was in school. His firm, Hub+Weber, did a great job modernizing a horrible, dark building into an inviting, comfortable space.

9.14.22Rooftop PerspectiveI’m working with a designer in Mt. Adams to capture her space during Golden Hour. I plan to revisit the space multiple times throughout different seasons to capture as much of it as possible. This is the rooftop. It goes without saying how incredible the view was. You should see the rest of the house.

9.15.22Backward Arby’sSure, the law office was nice and I was hired to photograph it, but I really wanted to get an action scene of the street below from this perspective. While no one was paying attention, I snapped one. People in Bellevue complained about this Arby’s originally because a parking lot didn’t separate the front door from the street and it became known colloquially as the Backward Arby’s. I’m unsure if form-based code makes this location still “controversial.”

9.16.22An AccidentI think this adequately represents where I am at the moment. After working all day at the shop then going to shoot a show at Memorial Hall, this accidental frame while the camera dangled off to my side sums it up. I’m pretty tired after this busy week and mistakes are bound to happen.

9.17.22Re-ExploringWe wanted a low-key night that involved some exercise with the dog, so we walked Eden Park. Then, when we got home, I went for a nice night ride on the Dayton Levee wall.

9.18.22BonnieThis Scottish highland mini cow was at the Bellevue Farmer’s Market while we were there today. She was as soft as she looks. We didn’t sell out, and I think we maybe sold the least amount of stuff this month, so I guess that first show was a bit of a fluke. Overall, I’m glad we did it, but I’m relived it’s over. A break from making those stands is much needed.

9.19.22Urban DeerTonight’s Art Museum event was more of the same, but upon leaving, I noticed three deer roaming through the landscaping at the top of the front drive.

9.20.22She’s InjuredLittle Myrtle hurt her paw playing the other day and she’s still recovering. She’s been on the couch or in bed for most of her days.

9.21.22Stephen King’s The MistWhile taking Ashley to work this morning, a thick fog reduced visibility to a degree I haven’t seen in awhile. After dropping her off, I went back and got my bike and headed down to the river to get photos of the USS Nightmare while it was shrouded in the mist for an upcoming piece I wrote for Link NKY. While there, I took some other photos of the scene; I like this one specifically.

9.22.22First Day of AutumnA little double exposure to kick off the autumn season. I absolutely love this time of year.

9.23.22Maple TableWe made this simple maple table for a local law firm. The table’s different from the other stuff we’ve made because it features two data centers equipped with ethernet, USB, HDMI, and a few other plugs on either end. I wasn’t sure how it’d look when we finally put them in, but I think it looks decent overall. The convenience of having those power sources will be great when people need to present with laptops and whatnot.

9.24.22Drink With a VueWe went to Drink With a Vue with some of our neighbors, and it was one of the best nights I think I’ve had in a long while. Not only did we support our neighborhood’s beautification group by buying a ticket to the event, but we also got to drink beer and eat food with friends in a picturesque setting in our own neighborhood on the river. The way the event coordinators had the tree lit up while illuminated riverboats quietly floated by as the sun went down…it all seemed like a dream at times. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in awhile, either. We all clicked in a really great way. No awkwardness or egos or drama. Just a really good time with friendly, fun people. We went to two afterparties and continued drinking before stumbling home, chugging a liquid IV, and hoping we wouldn’t feel as if we overshot our house and passed out on the train tracks the next day.

9.25.22Ye Olde Foote Church HouseI can’t believe this old church on Foote is a house. It’s wild to me that anyone lives in a whole ass church. Of course, if given the opportunity and if I were in the market, I would totally live in an old church house. That belfry would be my private study, I imagine. The front door, which rises well above the street, looks mean though. Might have to come up with a way to soften the angry “eyebrows” of them.

9.26.22Poplar TableTook photos of this beautiful poplar coffee table the woodworkers at Single Batch Designs made. It’s made from reclaimed poplar and features repurposed elevator shaft hardware on the sides. We delivered it to the client immediately after photos were finished. She was thrilled with how it came out. It doesn’t phase some of the older guys at the shop, but I get a kick out of it when the client loves a thing we made.

9.27.22A “Cool” SolutionThere’s a building on Liberty Street that apparently once housed a butcher at street level. Inside, an overly ornate wooden cooler decorated with tile and mirror and frosted windows was once used to store the freshly butchered meat. A scale for weighing (and presumably pricing) the meat still hangs from the side. Recently, the owner renovated the front room and the room with the cooler into a single-bedroom Airbnb and turned the old cooler into the bathroom! Instead of meat, it now stores a sink, shower, and toilet accessible by the original door on the side. I’ve seen a dozen of these old coolers in other buildings both occupied and abandoned, but I’ve never seen one repurposed like this. Above is a door opened/door closed comparison.

9.28.22M. Bohlke CorpJohn and I took the van to Bohlke’s in Fairfield today. We were picking up an order of sapele and managed to take a quick stroll though the enormous airplane hangar of carefully stacked wood. This place has hundreds of millions of dollars of product inside—everything from affordable boards someone like me would be able to purchase to staggeringly expensive species that cost upwards of $100 per board foot due to their scarcity and desirability. The sheer size of this place was surreal. The whole time I was aware that my fledgling knowledge of woodworking probably didn’t permit me to fully appreciate everything I was seeing inside, but regardless of that ignorance, I was awestruck. Even with neat piles arranged just so, you could still easily drive a truck down the aisles. They’ve been in business since the late-60s and have managed to become one of the biggest purveyors of wood in the world.

9.29.22TylerSaw my friend Tyler today. He’s an extremely talented illustrator who recently worked on a project for one of the biggest companies on the planet. I won’t talk more about that here because it’s not my news to share, but I’m proud to know him and thankful he met up with me to catch up over coffee.

9.30.22<Pause>Over the next few days, I’ll be taking photos but waiting to publish them here until probably mid-week. Taking a short break from the internet. See you soon.