Project 365 – Day 38
Tonight’s meal: Freshly chopped leaf lettuce, strawberries, blue berries, Gala apple slices, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, grilled chicken courtesy of the Big Green Egg, and a light drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.
Yummy (and healthy)!
Dinner Salad
Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/80 sec @ f/5.6, ISO3200
Project 365 – Day 37
I have mentioned in a prior post the organization in which I work being very much like a “start -up”. We are <100 employees with a common purpose covering all aspects of a cloud-based business – sales, marketing, operations, IT, R&D, product management, customer care, business development, and finance. We are an independent division and culture, yet inside the 4 walls of a large fortune 500 company with 26,000 employees.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed is Friday catered lunches, where the entire team enjoys casual time together. We often have an “all hands” meeting for 20 minutes of the lunch hour, sharing news, products, and inspiration. As a result, virtually everyone stays in tune with priorities and goings on across the business.
Small team, large purpose and impact. Perhaps setting the tone and positively reshaping the future of NCR, a huge global enterprise that touches virtually every country in the world.
“Our purpose is to help small and medium business owners achieve their goals.”
NCR Small Business – Friday Lunch
Fuji X-T1, 14mm f/2.8, 1/45 sec @ f/5.6, ISO3200
Project 365 – Day 36
Much of everyday life in the Atlanta area is spent driving. Too much. I suppose it is the trade off we make for suburban life. I am reminded of my many visits to European metropolitan areas around London, Edinburgh, Prague, and Dublin where walking is so much more the norm. This is also the case in the heart of domestic cities like San Francisco and New York. It would be unusual for their sidewalks to be totally void of pedestrians like the one below, particularly near the end of the late afternoon work day like this one.
I am grateful for our roads and cars, for the convenient access we have to most anything we want or need with a short drive. I do envy, however, both those that live in walking cities and those in very small towns with ready access to sidewalk transportation and quiet wooded trails. Walking raises the heart rate yet refreshes the soul. It opens one’s mind and one’s senses. It burns anxiety and slays calories. And studies show it increases creativity (Stanford Study). I love to walk and hike, most notably in the mountains or on trails. Even walking on my favorite trails and routes near home or work are rejuvenating. But I admit, I long to someday live in a place where walking is the norm the everyday commute or trip to the store.
Afternoon Drive
Fuji X-T1, 56mm f/1.2, 1/300 sec @ f/11, ISO400
Project 365 – Day 35
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” ~ Meister Eckhart
Tree at Civil Twilight
Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/15 sec @ f/5.6, ISO3200
Project 365 – Day 34
February 3rd – Happy Birthday to my true love and best friend, Kathy! Poor girl had to work not only today, but tonight as well. So there would be no family birthday dinner or celebratory photos taken of my sweetheart. Just adoration of everything she means to me, which is indeed EVERYTHING.
I love you, Honey!
Birthday Flowers
Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/50 sec @ f/5.6, ISO3200
Project 365 – Day 33
This weekend I eclipsed month one of my year long Project 365 challenge. A few key observations as I reflect:
On Reflections
Fuji X-T1, 56mm f/1.2, 1/100 sec @ f/5.6, ISO3200
Day 365 – Day 32
“Don’t cross the bridge until you you get to it.” ~ English Proverb
How true. Fears and worries are most often tied to letting our minds wander to the negative side of what we don’t yet know. We try to solve problems before they exist. We concern ourselves with that which we cannot control. Bridges are meant to be crossed, but only when you reach one and when it spans to the desired destination.
Crossing the Bridge
Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, .6 sec @ f/11, ISO200, 3-stop ND Filter
Project 365 – Day 31
30+ years at one company has afforded Kathy and me the blessing of meeting many incredible people. Some have become life long friends with whom we still meet up, even though we’ve gone in separate career directions. Kathy rendezvoused with Donna, Julie, and Diana for a fun night of painting on this particular Saturday evening. I dropped by to take a few photos and to see how things were going. The artists were hard at work as predicted, mixing brush strokes with lots of laughter and community.
Masterpiece Mixers in Johns Creek does an awesome job. The room was packed with 40+ people and a great instructor, Sunita. Highly recommended!
Lots of fun = mission accomplished. And great job to all four on a job well done!
Kathy – Artist at Work
Fuji x100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/70 sec, f/2.8, ISO3200
Donna, Kathy, Diana, and Julie
Fuji x100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/70 sec, f/2.8, ISO3200
Color Palette
Fuji x100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO3200
Project 365 – Day 30
“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” ~ Aldous Huxley
Corners
Fuji X-T1, 35mm f/1.4, 1/600 @ f/5.6, ISO400
Project 365 – Day 29
Ever watchful for my daily image, I saw a beautiful curving walkway while at an appointment today. I fetched my little X100s from the messenger bag, and I began exploring and experimenting.
I photographed this area for a good 10 minutes, at which point I heard a very polite, “Sir, may I help you?” It was a security guard. It is not uncommon for commercial property owners to frown upon a snooping photographer hanging around studying and shooting. This is completely understandable in this age of high tech security breaches.
As the guard asked his question a second time, I turned and greeted him. He gently asked what I was doing. I said, “This architecture is great, so I thought I would grab a few photos.” I confirmed the images were simply for my own pleasure, not for sale or commercial use. He was such a gentleman. He told me he was sure there was no harm, and that the property manager would likely permit me to shoot if I would ask in advance. The security guard then apologetically asked me to stop shooting until I sought permission inside. I said, “No problem. I have what I want. It didn’t even dawn on me this would be a concern.”
I’ve had run-ins before when shooting inside or around a business. They are almost always confrontational. Security starts the conversation with an attitude, and it degrades from there. But today was different. This kind soul was not accusatory. He was cordial, cheerful and respectful. Hopefully he would say I returned in kind.
As they say, one attracts more flies with honey than vinegar.
Proverbs 11
Walkway Architecture
Fuji Xx100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/100 sec @ f/11, ISO800
Project 365 – Day 28
What a treat. This afternoon I received a text from my lovely wife asking me out for dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. The food was great, the company was great – life is good!
Thank you Honey!
Hot and Sour Soup
Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/80 sec @ f/4.0, ISO3200
Project 365 – Day 27
Fluidity – the quality of changing readily; shifting; not fixed, stable, or rigid. ~ adapted from Dictionary.com
Change is necessary but difficult. Several things reminded me today not only of the importance of adapting, but to also encourage change. It is how we grow; through learning, adjusting, and moving forward.
American Flag
Fuji X-T1, 35mm f/1.4, 1/5 sec @ f/8.0, ISO3200 (handheld)