One of the more enjoyable parts of reaching an age where nostalgia-based media is being created for you, is discovering that tons of people also loved the “weird” things you did, they just all attended different schools.

While enjoying coffee on a beautiful day, this giant carpenter bee floated by and settled onto the edge of my brother in-law’s shorts. We didn’t freak out and just let him rest there. This ended up being the bee’s final moments of life.
I’d like to think we made his exit at least a little humane.

A close-up of a large black carpenter bee with translucent wings resting on a textured fabric surface.

Tell me you came of age in the 90’s without telling me: Spending my Saturday labeling CD’s

A collection of stacked CD cases featuring soundtracks and albums from various artists and movies is displayed on a shelf.

THE most old man morning I could have: woke up before 7am, had indigestion from too much garlic at dinner, needed to fix a work thing I forgot last night, and decided to watch the sunrise while exercising. 👴🏻

A vibrant sunset with shades of orange and purple illuminates the sky above silhouetted trees and power lines.

A wicked storm shot past us last night, filling the sky with so much lightening that I was able to catch a few. I had no clue what settings I should use but my very old camera and I made the best of it.

A dark sky is illuminated by a lightning strike partially obscured by clouds.

We somehow managed to find ways to carefully store 12+ years of our daughter’s art but all we’ve really done is buy ourselves time to figure out where even more are going to go when she brings them home.

A vibrant cloud formation tinged with pink and orange hues is set against a clear sky above silhouetted tree tops and the roof of a house at sunset.

This bird has flown and her mother and I left our hearts in Ann Arbor.

People are gathered in a hallway with arched ceilings, near a colorful signboard detailing a college welcome week schedule.

View atop Sleeping Bear Dunes. The edge of that sand drops waaaaaaaay down to a, “it will cost you a $3,000 rescue helicopter ride if you can’t walk back up yourself” beach.

A sandy path at Sleeping Bear Dunes bordered by green trees leads down to a vast, calm body of blue water with a small boat floating in the distance.

The ferry was rocking and rolling on Lake Huron so much that I’m impressed my camera managed this shot of The Mighty Mack.
Also, my hat got blown off… and into the woman behind me. Embarrassing but now it’s my “lucky” hat.

The Mackinac suspension bridge spans over a large body of water under a partly cloudy sky.

Asking the lovely woman at the front desk of our not-fancy hotel provided us with the perfect dinner recommendation.
We also got back in time to thank her, which turned into a very short chat and a core memory of the vacation.

More human, less tech.

The number of personal projects that AI has killed continues unabated.

”Your local caffeine dealer”

The most appropriately advertised coffee shop.

A person stands at the entrance of a green building with a sign that reads YOUR LOCAL CAFFEINE DEALER, next to outdoor seating with picnic tables and umbrellas.

If anyone wants to hire me, I’ve really got my finger on the pulse of middle-aged white guys trying to get their hair cuts at the least busy time of day who end up all going at the same time.

Twelve years ago, we took our then kindergartener for pancakes before her first day of school. Today, we’re celebrating her graduation from high school and, like all parents, dumbfounded in the realization that our child has become an adult right under our noses. We couldn’t be more proud.

A blue graduation gown is hanging on a door, featuring a decorated cap with a painted design and colorful ribbons.

Hard for me to believe that today is my daughter’s very last regular day of high school ever. Her mother and I tried not to overthink it as we had breakfast together but I did insist on a photo.

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