It’s President’s Day weekend here in good old Dayton, Ohio.  Feeling like I’ve been trapped inside my house since December, I HAD to head out for a drive in my 2022 BMW X3 M with my Fujifilm X100VI and see if I could get any interesting photos.  I had wanted to check out some areas in Centerville that looked like there might be possibilities for some interesting street photography.  I had also hoped to look at some restaurants in the area that I hadn’t yet checked out.  I headed out close to noon and had this grandiose plan of taking some epically artistic photos and then discovering some chic new eatery where I would enjoy a uniquely exotic lunch experience.

It didn’t take long for the reality that I live in Dayton Ohio to set it…the weather was just under 50 degrees (chilly), there was still a ton of snow everywhere (thanks to the polar vortex we experience the two prior weeks), and the only interesting restaurant I came across (Meridien) mostly serves alcohol.  When it’s open that is…which apparently isn’t lunch.  But the side of the restaurant had a beautiful mural which, as it turns out, was the work of one Dayton’s most well-known artists, and a personal favorite of mine – Erica Arndts.  She’s been commissioned to do several such murals in and around the Dayton area, as well as around the world.  I have a goal to photograph all of Erica’s local murals.  Here’s a photo of her mural on the side of the Meridien:

It’s a lovely piece – very much reflecting Erica’s style.  The mural images that resonate with local touchstones, history, and themes of patriotism.

Looking around there wasn’t really much else to photograph, and it was too chilly to properly explore on foot.  I was pleased to have been able to capture the mural, but I was struggling to come up with any other photos that would be good “portfolio builders.”  Then I remembered that I’d cleaned my car last week, so I decided to get some photos of it with the mural in the background:

After that, I jumped back in my car and left.  I made a half-heated attempt to look for an interesting spot for lunch, and only found a “Mediterranean” (code for Middle Eastern food apparently) which I wasn’t in the mood for that day.  Oh well…I’ve been trying to lose weight anyway.

Back home, my initial impression looking at the photos was that they were…”meh.”  I almost deleted them out of frustration, but then I forced myself to get them another look.  Perhaps I could “make fetch happen.”  I’m really glad I did because the photos of my car were excellent.  Particularly the close up I took of the side-front on the vehicle.  The snow in the parking lot (which I removed) cast some brilliant light reflection onto the wheel – I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a better wheel photo of my car.

I pushed through my frustration and disappointment with the outing, and unlocked an entirely new level of creativity.  Good day.  Very good day.