Perched on my hill.

A scenic view of a rural landscape featuring a grass field, a line of wooden posts, and a distant mountain under a clear sky.

I spoke briefly with the cyclist in the lower left of the frame once he got to the top of the hill. He said he was going to Chehalem Ridge Nature Park.

A scenic landscape features a countryside view with a road with a solo cyclist leading towards a forested area and a distant snow-capped mountain under a hazy sky.

Picked up a used 100-400mm XF for my X-T5 and took it out for a walk today.

A blue-and-white bird is perched on a branch amidst vibrant green leaves.Four fluffy ducklings rest and interact on grassy ground.A brown rodent is wading through water surrounded by logs and greenery.Two Canada geese stand amidst tall green grass and reeds near a body of water.

One of these days she’ll catch those birds.

A black curly-haired dog is lying on a grassy field, looking toward the camera with its tongue out.

TGIF.

A man wearing a baseball cap is smiling and hugging a young boy outdoors.A young girl in a light purple dress is playing with a striped ball in a park, surrounded by other people and a food truck.A child is enjoying a meal from a takeout box while holding a can of soda.A young girl in a purple dress holds the hand of a woman wearing a backpack, walking through a bustling outdoor area.

Had to get away from my desk for a bit this afternoon. Rural Washington County, Oregon.

A gravel road curves past lush, green rolling hills under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds.

Sometimes I check out street view of the places where I used to live. This is across the street from West Circle where I lived freshman year at MSU. So weird how relentlessly East Lansing facilitates the destruction of its fine-grained commercial district despite surface parking almost everywhere.

A street view shows modern buildings along W Grand River Ave, with cars parked on the roadside and trees lining the avenue.

Saturday Recap

Three young children are playing soccer on a grassy field, with more people in the background. My son is out front.

Today was my son’s last day of kindergarten soccer for the spring season. The weather matched the mood. Cloudy, a little rainy, and just gray enough to make the end of the season feel like a quiet exhale. The kids on his team, much like the parents, seemed more relieved than anything. While they’ve all improved a lot over the past couple of months, it’s clear they’re one of the less physically developed teams. I don’t mean that as a criticism. It’s kindergarten soccer. But some kids are just more physically aware or focused at this age, and it shows.

This was my son’s second season, and for many of his teammates, it was their first. Watching them play teams that seemed far more confident with the ball could be tough. It’s not competitive. No one’s even keeping score officially. But it’s pretty obvious when the other team scores repeatedly. And while none of us take it too seriously, it’s still hard to watch your kid walk off the field disappointed week after week.

Along the sidelines, my wife and I had a small disagreement. I wondered if maybe he’s just not into soccer, and if we’ve been nudging him toward something that isn’t really his thing. Often he has a hard time focusing on the game. But he also has laser focus when he’s building LEGO sets or playing with his sister. So it makes me wonder if we should shift gears and try something else. Music, maybe. I’ve been thinking about starting him on piano. He can really get into his mini keyboard sometimes. He also loves his swim lessons, even though he’s still learning. Or maybe something outdoors and creative. The challenge, as always, is finding that sweet spot between exposure and pressure. Keeping things fun without pushing too hard.

The rest of the day was fun. We made a stop at Home Depot to grab garden starts and some organic soil to top off our raised bed. We downsized last year from two 4x8 beds to one, so we picked up a few medium-sized containers to grow a couple extras. Pumpkins, zucchini, tomatoes, hot peppers. We’re getting a late start this year, but it still feels good to get everything in the ground. The kids “helped” plant and dig and then played on the sidewalk together while I did some yard work. Edging, weeding, trimming the front beds where the tulips and daffodils are finishing up. I even moved a rose bush that’s been bugging me since we moved in nearly a decade ago. It’s always been a couple feet out of line with the others, and today I finally fixed it.

My watch said 12,000 steps by the end of it, all earned just puttering around outside with the kids while my wife handled dinner prep inside. I cooked a couple racks of ribs she’d asked for. They turned out fine. Not amazing, but not bad either.

Tomorrow, we’re heading to a birthday party for my coworker’s four-year-old son. It’s at one of those indoor play zones, which is perfect for our kids’ ages. None of us have met each other’s families before, so it’ll be one of those odd but nice moments when different parts of your life get to overlap.

And then, tomorrow night, my wife and I are going on a rare date. Babysitter’s booked. We’re going to see Sharon Van Etten at Revolution Hall. It’s been over a decade since I last saw her perform. That was back in Ferndale, Michigan, at this tiny venue called The Loving Touch. It used to be a massage parlor, supposedly, and you could stand so close to the stage you could touch the band. She’s still under the radar in terms of mainstream fame, but tomorrow’s venue is much bigger than The Loving Touch. I think it’ll be a great show.

All in all, it was a good Saturday. The kind of day that reminds you parenting isn’t about doing everything right. Just doing your best and finding joy in the rhythm of ordinary things.

Some of my favorites from Santa Cruz last weekend. Afterword.blog

A person bends down outside a colorfully painted storefront on a sunny street corner with posters on the window and a bicycle parked nearby.A person carrying a surfboard walks along a coastal street lined with tall palm trees and beach-style buildings.A server carries drinks on a tray at an outdoor seating area with people dining under patio heaters.Two sea lions are resting together on a wooden beam above green water.

Catching up on some photos from my trip. I’d never seen Jade growing street side before. Afterword.blog

Lush green, waist-high Jade plants line a sidewalk, with a tree and urban street scene of a San Francisco neighborhood in the background.
A view from inside a moving train shows a steel bridge against a city skyline with a building featuring large advertisements.

Sacramento Valley Station is a beauty. 🚂

#trains #rail #photography #transit #amtrak #california

People are walking toward the Sacramento Valley Station, a brick building with large windows and a sign on top.A grand hall features a high arched ceiling with chandeliers, large arched windows, a mural above an entrance, and people sitting on benches.A spacious train station waiting area features benches, travelers, large arched windows, and an elegant chandelier.Railroad tracks curve under a large bridge beside a rusted structure against a clear blue sky.

The light was incredible from Alamo Square the other night. Ethereal and memorable experience. 📷 #landscapephotography #streetphotography #sf

A serene sunset bathes a tree-lined pathway in golden light.A peaceful street scene at sunset features silhouettes of trees, buildings, and a bus stop.A distant city skyline glows in the warm light of sunset, with trees and Victorian-style houses in the foreground.A winding path leads through a park with a view of city buildings and distant hills at sunset.

Adios, San Jose

Wrapping up my SJ/SF leg of the trip.

I have been determined to not rent a car and mostly took trains and buses everywhere. I took light rail in San Jose, Caltrain to Palo Alto and San Francisco, Muni and BART in SF, and the 17 bus to Santa Cruz. Now riding Amtrak to Sacramento. Everything has been really efficient and comfortable.

I walked close to 50 miles over the last week to burn off all the Mexican food.

A few people are sitting with luggage in a sunlit, historic train station waiting area featuring large benches, a clock, and ornate architectural details.A train is stopped at the San Jose station platform with a few passengers waiting nearby.Sunlight streams through a large arched window in a train station, casting a warm glow into a dimly lit room.

I’ve had a lot of fun traveling around without a car. Still, the most annoying thing has been dealing with other people listening to something on their phones without headphones. Everywhere I go, calls on speakerphone, loud music, YouTube videos on trains, in lobbies, at stations. So annoying.

San Francisco Day Trip

I visited the house in Glen Park that my great-grandmother Louise rented in the 1950s and ’60s, after she left Detroit and separated from my great-grandfather Silvio. In the 1960s, my grandmother also lived there with her kids—my dad and my aunt—after her husband left her.

A light lavender house with plants in front sits on a steep street.A residential neighborhood is set against a backdrop of sprawling cityscape and distant hills under a partly cloudy sky.Tall, spiky plants stand in the foreground with a scenic view of a suburban area and distant hills in the background.A residential street corner features a yellow building with an orange garage, surrounded by trees and colorful shrubs.A quiet neighborhood street with colorful houses, stop signs, and distant hills under a clear sky.Red succulents are growing between the sidewalk and a curb with a yellow tactile paving surface.

Took Caltrain up to the city. Gorgeous day at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco.

People are relaxing on a large grassy field in a park with a city skyline in the background.A person is lying on a grassy hill reading a book with one leg crossed over the other.A historic building with a tall, ornate tower and intricate architectural details is surrounded by a park with people sitting on the grass.People are relaxing on a grassy hill overlooking a cityscape with buildings and a few palm trees.A man and a woman are sitting on grass, enjoying a conversation in a sunny outdoor setting.

“Center for Engineering Management.”

Sunlight casts shadows of trees onto a yellow building with bicycles parked nearby.

It was an absolute trip reconnecting with my former MSU dorm mate in Palo Alto after 25 years!

Two people standing and smiling together on a sidewalk near a restaurant with outdoor seating.