I was working the other morning in the produce section putting away some apples, when I noticed the major difference between some of the apples that are organic and others that are non-organic. Both of the apples are Gala apples but they look nothing alike. The apple sitting on the left is organic,while the right one is non-organic. I'd be inclined to say that the non-organic apple looks more like a Red Delicious than a Gala. Anyway, I thought they both looked nice and I'd like to practice food photography a little more-- this seemed like a good starting point.

My Mother-in-Law Heidi has this thing for Noah’s Ark. She has at least three different models displayed through out the house. Her favorite Ark sits atop the entertainment center. It’s a large handmade wooden model that’s about 2feet long. There is a walkway leading up to the bridge of the Ark that hand-carved, wooden animals are walking up in pairs. For a long time, when Tabitha and I were dating I would go over and move her animals around putting monkeys with lions and giraffes with hippos and whatnot. Sometimes she’d notice, others she’d be completely oblivious. When she did though, she would get mad and yell at me for it-- and if you knew how much I like to mess with my mother-in-law, then you’d know that I got a huge kick out of it. Once, when walking through Target, Tabitha and I came across these wonderful hand painted toys buy a German company called Schleich (they still make Smurf toys…Awesome). Anyway, they make a full line of dinosaurs that happen to be the right size fo...

One thing that I, and many other people I know like to collect is rocks. It seems that whenever I go on a trip, or spend some time outdoors I usually find a rock to pick up and keep with me for the day. Eventually, when I come home the rock has come along for the journey. I have a place for my stray rocks, a jar, that over time becomes full and is joined by another jar to put more rocks in. There is not rhyme or reason to the type, or size of rock I bring home. It mostly depends on how it feels in my hand when I carry it ( no one wants to lug around a huge, heavy bolder like rock with them all day while walking in the woods). I have no aspirations of dabbling in geology, or to try and identify the rocks I have. If someone were to come to my house to tell me about the rocks I have, I could honestly say that I wouldn't care. I just gather rocks. Sometimes I'll go through them to see if there is any lasting memory of the time we shared together. There hardly ever is. That is, ...

I found this today. It was after a run on the Olentangy Bike Trail. It was sitting on a picnic table near the beginning of the trail. Now, before you judge me, I did the honest thing and waited awhile before I absconded this child's toy. Up 'til this point I've been focusing on my own small belongings- but the point all along has been to look at small objects as a whole. To do that, I need to look elsewhere. Luckily, this one found me. Hot Wheels are a toy of legend-- something that almost everyone has owned or at least heard of in their lifetime. The thing about Hot Wheels, though, is that at one time or another they are almost always guaranteed to get lost (Speaking from personal experience). We mourn them for a moment -- then either replace them or move on to one of the many others that we have and never give them a second thought. That is, until you're about to turn 28 and you find one after a good run; come home, take a picture of it and throw it onto your blog. ...

Who's keys are these anyway, and how did they end up in my house hanging on a hook for the last year? This is yet another item in the house that is there for no apparent reason. The funny thing is, that they've been hanging right inside our door where we hang up our coats (right in front of my face). I pass by them a few times everyday and I've never given them a second glance. Then the other day I was putting up a track jacket and I accidentally knocked them off there little hook and they fell to the floor and on to my foot. Thats when I asked mt wife about them. She told me they belonged to some deceased relative or other. All I k now for sure is that know that I've seen them I like them hanging where they are.

For day two of our adventure, we had decided to rent a car and head up the coast on the famous Rt. 1. The last time I was out in Cali . this was the main thing that I did- the only difference being that I was alone. This time I had someone who knew the landscape a little better. After acquiring the car, a newer-model red Chevrolet Capri, our goal was to make it up to Pismo Beach by lunchtime to eat some Clam Chowder at Splash Cafe. The day was beautiful, except for the fact that it was raining lightly off and on. We made it up to Pismo Beach around 1pm , where we stood out in the rain and waited in line to order our chowder. This place was busy! When we finally sat down, I was able to experience some of the best food to ever come from the sea and to be served in a bread bowl . . . . Ever. The rain had broken a little by the time we finished eating and we strolled the beaches at Pismo. Most of the people had left when the rain came so we had most of the beach to ourselves. Ther...

Sometimes, when I get the chance to go on a trip or adventure, I don’t always get the immediate opportunity to reflect on the experience. I find that I’ll put it on the back burner and it is some time before I am able to sit down and sort through all that might have happened. My trip to California late last year is one such occurrence. Recently, though, the whole thing came back to me as I saw a copy of the Columbus Dispatch. Tabitha and I were walking into a diner to grab a quick bite to eat and we happened to walk by a newspaper stand. The headline read “Skybus Folds”. My first thought was not knowing how I’d be able to get back out to California again (without the aid of such affordable airfare). We bought the paper and while we were eating our wonderfully greasy burgers with fries, we talked about my trip out there and how much I wish I could experience it again. Since then, I have been thinking non-stop of the post that I intended to complete upon my return. My friend Andy...