Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
I’ll be the first to admit I can be annoying. The other day it was on display as I did this… (and yes, I have a dash cam, I love it!)
There are probably multiple reasons I did this, but for sure one is because I can’t stand when people are lazy especially when it results in litter. Don’t even get me started on cigarettes tossed out of car windows. <insert VERY annoyed emoji>
Today’s American society is so volatile. I have toned down how I react to bad drivers (like this one or this story where a guy pointed a gun at me), but in an instance like the one above in the McDonald’s drive-through, a cooler head might have been a better idea for me. I could’ve just picked up the litter and tossed it into a can myself. So I’m thankful this encounter didn’t end badly, and maybe the silver lining is that this guy won’t litter again. I know that’s probably just wishful thinking but I rather be wishful than what I am most of the time– cynical about others laziness.
Be a good sport and keep your area clean, please! If everyone was lazy like this guy, our beautiful world will just turn into a smelly trash heap.
Last week here in Nashville we had one of the biggest snows in the past 10 years. I walked around to take some photos (because I sure as heck wasn’t going to drive around!). Below are a few pictures during the frigid weather, and then the same areas 8 days later. What a difference a week makes, right? Use the little slider to compare the side-by-side pics. I think we are still thawing out here, but I, for one, am grateful for warmer weather and spring on the way!
Last year at an estate sale I found the most coolest bicycle. I posted about it back then and now, February 2021, I have an update. She has new tubes and tires! Take a look at side by side pictures of the old tires (left) vs. the new tires (right).
left: original tires, right: new tires
I have ridden it twice with the new tires, on days Nashville is above 50˚ which lately has been… not many. But the two days I spun her wheels around the neighborhood were really great. More than once, I couldn’t help but smile. I have a bike again. Why is this so fun? I don’t know, but I look forward to more warm days when I can take it around Nashville to show it off. You might be surprised at the looks it gets, too. Probably because it looks like it was built in the 70s!
Replacements for the ancient tires were a little difficult to track down but I found the right size on Amazon here, rubber rim strips also on Amazon here, and randomly came across 26x 1-3/8 tubes at Walmart, of all places.
Here is a map of my most recent ride, just over 4 miles.
Dark red portions are speed going downhill
Do you have a bike? What kind? Where do you like to ride? Comment below!
This new Zac Brown Band video opens up with a relevant topic: Lockdowns due to COVID-19, setting up the rest of the video– a daughter watching old video clips of her and her father.
The daughter (as an adult) is played by actress Reilly Baker. The father (of grown daughter) is actor Corey Landis.
Reilly wears a thin necklace with a gold “R” around her neck as she watches the old videos.
She also attends SGU, a university that doesn’t seem to exist. Somewhere in Georgia, though.
The flashbacks featuring father and daughter are played by (unconfirmed so far) Eric Brunt and his daughter Reese Blunt.
The groom showing up later in the video is played by Will Houlihan, a writer/director (/actor?) based in California.
Zac Brown Band is signed on the BMG record label, which was at one point Sony/BMG, so that might be why Sony products can be seen throughout the video.
The video was produced by Black Coffee Productions, a company with a host of music video productions on their resumé. However, if you’re in the southeastern U.S. and need an amazing company to shoot your wedding, look no further than husband and wife duo Jordan and Beatrice of Foraged Films. PS. They use Sony cameras. 🙂
A pet peeve of mine happens at the end of this video. A crucial, CRUCIAL, part of the video is the text conversation between the daughter and her mother… and the conversation is covered by YouTube video recommendations! Come on, man!!! This simple thing almost completely ruins the power of the final shot… where we learn the father has passed away (or has he??), which is why the daughter is watching old VHS tapes.
For what it’s worth, here is the conversation between mother and daughter…
Mom: Hi sweetie, how are you doing?
Daughter: Hey Mom, I’m okay, just really missing dad right now.
Mom: I miss him too. Remember he’s always with you
*and yes, the mom did not end her final text with a . period 🙂
One may assume the father has passed away, but it also could be that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and has been self-isolating for an undisclosed amount of time, therefore he isn’t able to see his daughter or wife.
I went over to Percy Priest Lake the other day around sunset for a couple of reasons.
It was a not-freezing-our-butts-off day so I had to get out and do SOMEthing. If you didn’t know, Nashville (and the south) had a crazy cold, snowy week that seemed to last a year. It was picturesque all around town (from what I gather on the news, since I didn’t leave the house for many days!) but I, for one, welcome the sun back to Tennessee.
I wanted to snap some photos at dusk, hoping to see birds and animals and nature things while I was out there.
Here are a few shots of the lake at sunset, I was amazing at the beauty of the sun reflecting off the lake, and even managed to capture some kind of bird swimming through the golden ripples of the lake. Hope you like these pictures!
Out of the Wilderness 