This old barn

This old barn is located on Statler Road, just east of Piqua. It needs some attention, and not just from my camera. Try this: close your eyes and image a time in the past when this barn was an important part of life. It would have been especially busy at this time of year. In my mind’s eye, I can see a busy family. Kids playing in the yard while everyone is busy preparing for winter.  

Today so much of what we called ‘farming’ has been commercialized. When you drive around here, you see barns like this often. They need repairs that are not justifiable, leaving the structure unsafe. In some way, still beautiful, holding the dreams of a past generation. 

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Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. They are stunning and you can purchase them for a wall at home. Click the link or the ‘prints and such’ tab.

The harvest .. a time of renewal

October 2017: The harvest

The harvest is underway, and soon the fields will be bare. This is a time or renewal, enabling the next crop to be planted, grow and ultimately prepared for another harvest.  

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a doctor a couple years ago. Let’s back up: I don’t like to sleep. It always seemed like a waste of time. I have always been a ‘busy’ person, and sleep seemed to interfere with my ability to get things done. For years, I would sleep between 5 and 6 hours a night, and if I could keep it to 5 I was proud ... it felt like I was ‘getting things done’. 

In July of 2015 I had some health issues. My blood pressure was extremely elevated, and frankly, I am fortunate to have survived.  After much testing, and other interventions, the doctors had a frank conversation with me about my sleeping habits. He told me that I needed to get more sleep, or face the grime realities of it’s impact on my health. He suggested I need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. That was difficult for me to accept, but the importance of sleep a reality I have accepted.   

I get 8 hours most nights now. I have to admit, it has helped. I still stress about not getting everything done in a day. Perhaps I get more done because I have better focus.

Like Mother Earth, we need time to renew. Do yourself a favor: sleep more. 

 ~ Rick

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Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. They are stunning and you can purchase them for a wall at home. Click the link or the ‘prints and such’ tab. 

Paris: The City of Light

La ville de lumière ... The City of Light. Yes, Paris. We were out for dinner. I think we were still looking for the restaurant when we came around the corner and this was the view. I love Paris, and the French people.

So, why is it called the city of light? One reason is that during the 18th century, Paris was a center for enlightenment. It was a center for education, philosophy and learning. It was also one of the first cities to use streetlights during the Great Exhibition of 1889. 

Speaking of enlightenment: I remember a trip to Europe that required a connection through the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (that airport use to intimidate me). There were two of us. I’ll call the other guy Joe.  We were on the way home from a long trip. Joe and I were boarding, and I was first for the final check. I greeted the French gentleman, “Bonjour.” He checked my paperwork, and waved me on. Joe, said, “Hello”, to which the French guy gave Joe a funny look, then told him that was not good enough. He said that if he wanted to pass, he needed to use some French. We both laughed, and it worked out.

I have always tried to be sensitive to the language and customs of the locals when I travel. I never had that happen before, or since, but respecting people goes a long way! That works at home and abroad. 

 ~ Rick

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 Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. They are stunning and you can purchase them for a wall at home. Click the link or the ‘prints and such’ tab.

A place called home

After work yesterday, Teresa and I took a walk at the  Garbry Big Woods Sanctuary. Most of the migratory birds have moved on, however, signs of their activity remain. Many bird species build a nest each spring, as a place to lay and incubate eggs. Every year they do this as they begin again, and create the next generation. Some species lay eggs on the ground. Some use refurbished nest for several years. It’s all kind of amazing. 

Looking at this next I could not help but reflect on my connection to ‘home’. Home has always been a special place for me. My parents worked hard to make home a safe place. A place where they could teach us, and prepare us for life. When our sons were young, we worked to have a home where they felt loved. At some point, they started leaving to go build their own nest. That is all kind of amazing too. 

Sadly, not everyone has that same experience. Some are homeless or find themselves in circumstances that prohibit them from the same joy. When I feel like things are difficult, I remind myself of how privileged I have been. I am truly grateful for a good life, good friends, and an amazing family. Be grateful for whatever you have, and give back when you can. 

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”  ~ Melody Beattie

Be grateful, and have a great day. 

~ Rick  

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Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. They are stunning and you can purchase them for a wall at home. Click the link or the ‘prints and such’ tab. 

The Chicago skyline

I took this picture while riding a bus from McCormick Place to the Chicago Hilton earlier this year. I was in Chicago for the NRA show .. no, not that NRA. I was there for the National Restaurant Association Show. 

The taller building is the Willis Tower, formally known as the Sears Tower. At 1450 feet tall, it was the tallest building in the world for 25 years. It may not hold that title today, but it still stands out in the Chicago skyline.  

 ~ Rick

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Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. They are stunning and you can purchase them for a wall at home. Click the link or the ‘prints and such’ tab.