A tag on a mailbox. Portland, 2008.

Waiting on the B train at 81st, personal transportation, Graham on the block, and the Hudson.

We just got back from spending a few days in NYC, one of our favorite places in the world. We took along our two boys to introduce them to the city, and they certainly loved it as much as we did.

I’ll be posting a few photos this week, but I wanted to use this chance to play around with the free video software at animoto.com. Still in beta, this web service allows you to upload or retrieve (Flickr, Facebook, etc) a group of photos, set them to any song, and render a shareable video - pretty slick. You can even remix the video if you are unhappy with the results…everything is just a couple clicks.

Anyway, enjoy…

The parking meters around here are such a drag - all gray and utilitarian…like a grumpy uncle. But the meters in Montréal have flair, and flaunt it even on cloudy days. They are cheery, and literally smile for loonies and toonies.

I spent most of last week working on Montréal (which was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had working on the road), and I’m thankful to have survived the city’s bleak weather and souring mood (The Canadians were eliminated at home that night). With the hockey Habs on life-support, my Canon followed suit and went through customs for my return flight with very few photos of the city. My only day off was a downpour, so I had no chance to really hoof it around Old Montréal. I still got a few snaps off while we worked elsewhere in the city, and here are the first three.

It’s a fine line, even in Vancouver.

My mom makes this stuff, but she’s from Topeka, IN.

This alley had so much detail it almost hurt my eyes.

Culture, culture everywhere…just be careful what you ask for.

From a ferry, in the harbor, here is Vancouver.

I’m getting off my poogee and posting one photo from Vancouver each day this week.  I took all these shots, and kept forgetting to share.  Stay tuned…

Driving north on I-75, the tundra of Western Ohio is pretty bleak. Rows of harvested corn fight off sticky snow, and the sky already has that gray winter glaze. This is why so many Ohioans move to SC…can you blame them?

Somewhere south of Dayton, a giant red logo caught my eye. LORD. Not just any lord, but LORD in big red uppercase techno typography. I drove on, slightly tickled and more than curious. Turns out to be innocuous, but you always have to keep an eye out…

BTW - how cool is it that they own LORD.COM? Swank.

I just ran across this shot from Vancouver, BC.
The name of the building escapes me, but it’s near Blood Alley.

This spider is amazing, despite its diminutive size. It lives in the side-view mirror of my car, and uses the reflected streetlight to catch its dinner each night. When I leave in the morning, it moves in and out of the mirror’s safe interior while cleaning and repairing the web. Twice now, it has fixed its web while going 70 mph on I-526, while I stare open-jawed from inside. What an odd place to thrive.

Here’s the high-res on Flickr, and a cropped detail.

Sometimes things aren’t that complicated…that’s how I feel about this shot. I’m not sure why that peeling green paint and blue sky works for me, but it just does. Nothing was complicated in Callicoon Center.

Here is a detail section of the wall:

I think this building was on Hastings Street in Vancouver.

I’m on the 23rd floor of the Wall Center, and this is my view from this morning. Other than the mountains, skyscrapers, sunset at 11 p.m., and ever-present metric system, it’s just like Charleston! I have to work for the next three days, but I can’t wait to get out and shoot on Saturday.