079/365
December 27, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Scott and I went out to Balm Boyette for some early morning miles on our trail bikes. I was a little upset before leaving. I couldn’t find my camera anywhere! I checked and rechecked all the usual places without success. Of course, on the drive and trail, I thought about all the photos I missed.
Fortunately, as we were driving home from Balm, I received a text from Chloe letting me know I’d left it outside “for the whole night!” Her emphasis lets me know she understands how much my camera means to me. Or, maybe she was hopeful I’d stop pointing it at her?
After returning home, the girls were so excited by my own biking riding that they insisted we take another ride together.
078/365
December 26, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
From party hosting to all the preparations, we are Christmas-lagged today. Our guests departed around midday, and we spent the afternoon catching up on household chores. Despite the mundane tasks, it was fun watching the girls pour into their gifts and see their imaginations stretch.
I connected with my friend Scott near the end of the day, and we planned on riding together in the morning. Nothing beats getting the wheels down at dawn, even at the risk of clearing the cobwebs and displacing a few spiders. It’s an excellent setup for a great day (why wait to get after it?).
076/365
December 24, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Today we spent most of the day gathering the final items for our Christmas meals and celebrations. Wendy prepared a nice table spread while I lathered up the Christmas roast with critical enhancements: butter, thyme, rosemary, and salt. My tasks seem so menial compared to hers, but I won’t let her in on my secret.
We went to Christmas service around mid-afternoon at Woodland Community Church. The service was mixed with lessons from Jesus’ life and classic Christmas songs and hymns. One of my favorite traditions is singing the popular Christmas carol, Silent Night. The church staff dims the lights and provides a candle to every member of the church body. It reminds me of my youth, staring out my window and watching the snow fall slowly by the street lamp. The world is calm. All is calm.
075/365
December 23, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Today was quite busy! I spent several hours preparing for Christmas, including wrapping presents, preparing the house for guests, and doing laundry. Oh, the never-ending story of laundry!
I did manage to sneak away for an hour to develop and scan three rolls of film. I’m much more happy doing it myself. It adds to the whole experience of the project, but it’s also more of what I’m looking for in the results. Unless you can spend time with the labs and control the variables, I’ve learned that you’re subject to their process and to the interpretation of what you want. No issue there; they serve a wide customer base and have their financial objectives.
Later on in the evening we dropped by our friends house for a little Christmas gathering. Christmas is one of those holidays where everything just feels better. Maybe it’s the gatherings, or the giving, or that some have extended time off from their places of employ - it just seems like some weight is lifted and everything has a renewed spirit. And yes, even without the pine tree-scented candles you can often smell the presence of it.
074/365
December 22, 2023
Sarasota, Florida
I rose a lot earlier than I wanted to. Worse yet, I snapped up as if I were missing something important. It wasn’t the graceful entrance to December 22nd I really wanted! However, since I was up, I put my bike in my car and zipped over to Balm Boyette for some trail riding. After 15 miles, I realized the need to keep more cardio in my routine. Gassed!
In the afternoon, the entire family went to the UTC Mall for a Christmas-themed Circus. I have a lot of respect for aerial artists! And by the looks on my girls’ faces, they feel the same! After we walked around the decorated areas surrounding the mall, stumbled on a makeshift rink where the kids enjoyed countless laps of ice skating. Ellie was fearless! Weaving in and out of traffic like she’d been doing it for years. I couldn’t keep up so I decided to toss a few snowballs at them to change up the pace!
Today was a fabulous day! It also marks the 20% completion mark for the 365.
073/365
December 21, 2023
Bradenton, Florida
It was a nice end to the week. I went to pick the girls up from school, but instead of taking them directly home, I walked over to the nearby park for some time at the playground.
Every time I’m near the school playground, I notice the palm trees that line the bus route—each one looking taller until the final one reaches its peak. This time, I found a decent spot to snap a photograph, which seemed to fit the framing for the 50mm lens.
Later, we attempted to have an end-of-year slumber party in the loft with the girls. We loaded up a few bowls of popcorn and then watched the usual assortment of Christmas movies. When the girls started to doze off, I built a fort for them to sleep in. I planned on sleeping in the same room on the couch, but I find that sort of sleeping situation a little difficult. After everyone fell asleep, I slithered back to my bed.
072/365
December 20, 2023
Tampa, Florida
Today was exciting and nervous at the same time—quite a flux of emotions. I met with the local sales leader for another organization. I have long considered leaving Cisco but never networked or pursued it outside of the idea, especially with a competitor. I think part of me needs more edge and self-reliance.
I showed up to the meeting early and walked the surrounding area. Next door, I stumbled upon a nice restaurant. I was immediately struck by the layout and felt that this cafe could be anywhere in Europe. Unless something else imposes itself onto my path, it will land as today’s photo.
071/365
December 19, 2023
Bradenton, Florida
I thought better about posting two photos yesterday and instead returned to the tire repair shop to photograph the antique car. I think it’s going to work out great because the morning light was better, and the car’s chrome appointments really stood out to me—much better than yesterday.
Photographing cars and scenes without people is an area of photography that I’ve struggled with, so I’m hopeful for a great result.
070/365
December 18, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
It was a dramatic start to the day. As Wendy and the kids left for school, we found her rear tire flat. Not low on air as is often when the weather is cooler, but flat with rim-to-ground. The cause was as I expected, a large screw through the center of the tread. The tires are fairly new, so I’m thankful it wasn’t near the outer edge.
After some time, I was able to get the car in and have the tire plugged. While waiting on the repair, I noticed an antique parked in the back lot. Might this be the day I break from routine and post two photos? I really enjoyed looking at the styling of this vehicle!
069/365
December 17, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
The sun continued to hide from us today, but the rain let up for the most part. The girls and I managed to sneak a mile-long walk with Ripley, including a lengthy stop at the Gravity Swing near Bob Gardner Park. What started as a dry walk quickly turned south as the girls managed to step in a few puddles, fall off the swing, and slide down the ramp of the launch point … into another puddle. Dirty and wet, very much so, but the smiles and laughter make it all worth sacrificing some dirt-soaked apparel!
The kids were often fast in motion, so hopefully, one of the photos captured the moment.
068/365
December 16, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Today, the rain poured and poured and poured some more. Whenever the sun hides from Florida, I see an opportunity to reconnect and slow down. I spent more time learning about Docker and containerized applications. After, I followed up with something less technical - scanning my first set of rolls for this project!
Admittedly, I was less than impressed with the results. I need to pay more attention to my composition and especially the exposure. Even though my MP has a built-in meter, nothing beats an external meter where you can meter directly in the shadows (vs through the lens). In camera, I have the meter set at half-box, and I often over-expose by half-stop more. However, the shadows looked a little muddy in several of my frames. I’ll have to pay more attention to the light.
067/365
December 15, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
At the recommendation of a friend, I started a new online course. My work (& interest) usually involves using cloud technologies and application development/deployments, and for the last year, I’ve muddled in the usual messaging and understanding of each. I determined it was time to up-skill and go deeper into the stack.
On the other side of any feat, no matter the outcome, it’s incredible how good it feels when the brain is stretched.
We wrapped the week by staying in and assembling the first few presents for the Christmas tree. I love this time of year!
066/365
December 14, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Today was much like the prior days, filled with work activities and some outside office relief.
Wendy stayed late at school, so I picked up the kids from their after-school activities. From the moment they got into my car, the chat of “pizza! pizza!” echoed throughout the car. Not being one to turn down a good pie, we did the usual and stopped by Atria on the way home. It feels like this restaurant is on my personal payroll at this point. I’m not sure I want to do a look-back on my 2023 expenses for Atria. Ignorance and the artisan sourdough pizza really is bliss.
065/365
December 13, 2023
Bradenton, Florida
After returning home and spending much of the day catching up on work-related tasks, I went over to the girl’s school to watch their drama performance. It was great to see the kids playing out their roles with their friends, and exercising some creative freedom!
After, Wendy returned to her classroom and instead of taking the girls home, we walked over to the park and played tag for an hour or so. I’m learning new forms of “priceless!” with my girls and this was another example. Nothing beats the expressions I saw on the faces of my girls as they were about to be tagged!
064/365
December 12, 2023
Miami, Florida
I didn’t manage much quality sleep last night. New environment. New bed. Thinking about my presentation and new customer meeting. Pretty much all factors that live between the ears. I woke at 4 AM to catch up on some current events, then walked around downtown Miami and the Brickell neighborhood for a while before returning to the hotel.
I always like the scenes around downtown and the waterfront. It’s quiet and serene. Despite having ~2.6M people, Miami has its moments where time seems to slow to a country pace.
The lunch turned out to be a great conversation, full of personal and professional exchanges. Engaging with people, especially customers, might be one of my favorite things to do. After breaking, I hopped in my car and started the long trek home.
I’m looking forward to seeing my family and for a weekend together!
063/365
December 11, 2023
West Palm Beach, Florida
Today, I am driving to Miami to meet with a customer. They’re a high-speed passenger rail company, so it allows me to drive in early and understand their product and positioning. I’m excited because I haven’t been on a high-speed train since 2003. Unfortunately, the US isn’t known for its rail or high-speed rail options. Brightline delivered its first line, going from Miami to Orlando, and plans to do the same from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Their niche is around 200 to 350 miles in total, with some stops along the routes.
Personally, I wish they had an option for the same service from Sarasota to Miami. That would appease my travel angst greatly. Driving 3.5-4 hours each way is a daunting task, and it isn’t easy to pick up and visit customers or prospects. A new rail system would help that!
I tried to capture the approaching Brightline train at the Palm Beach location. It was dark so my shutter speed was already quite slow.
062/365
December 10, 2023
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
We had an enjoyable day, together as a family. Though I woke very early (4 AM!), we went to church at Woodland Community and followed that with an early afternoon brunch at First Watch in Bradenton.
On our way to church I noticed a car that is somewhat symbolic of the youth in Florida. Sports.
061/365
December 9, 2023
Fort Myers, Florida
Today we rose early and went to The Grove in downtown Lakewood Ranch for Breakfast with Santa. It was an excellent event and not too crowded. The girls are unusually enthusiastic about Christmas, and I can’t help but join them as I witness the joy in their eyes.
Afterward, we went to Fort Myers to visit Wendy’s mom and her husband Walter and watch the golf kart parade their community was hosting. Walter has been faring better, though still weak from his bout with sepsis. However, each day, he feels a bit stronger and is encouraged by his own progress. It’s been great to see, as I know it’s been tough on the family.
When going through a struggle, I often think about the quote from David Goggins, “Don’t rest in the middle, rest at the end.”
The psychological trick is that there is no end!
