NOTE: This post has absolutely nothing to do with the outdoors and or nature photography. It’s totally a life journal entry that you are welcome to read, or discard like yesterday’s soiled gutchies.
– Management
Ah, the weekend; twas a good one. Different, but a good one.
Saturday, Wifey and I were up at our usual ass crack of dawn, to coffee up, eat, and get ready for a day of moving.
First, it was from Mount Pleasant to Lansing to pick up the moving truck, then to B’s apartment near the MSU campus to load the truck.
Then, B drove the truck, Wifey drove her Soobie, and I drove B’s car to Lakewood, Ohio. Not to sound like an aging recluse, but that 4-hour drive was the farthest I’ve traveled since March of 2025.
Four Hours Later…
Once we arrived, B met with the leasing agent for his apartment, and B’s lady-love arrived soon after to lend a hand. Then it was round two of carrying heavy shit up stairs, and sweating all over myself. Thank goodness it was only the second floor!
As B and I navigated his mattress up the stairwell during our umteenth trip, my body informed me of two things: 1. I’m getting old. And 2, I hadn’t eaten anything since 6:15 AM. It was now nearly 4 PM. And I was sahhh-la-oh-oh-oh-iiinnnnnggg-dddowwwnnnnn.
But, we got it done, and it all went super smooth!
Around 4, Wifey and I headed home to rescue Lola (the dog) from her day with our dog sitter, and left B and his girl to do the unpacking and organizing.
Photo by B.
As Wifey drove my stank, tired ass home, we stopped for food on the Ohio Turnpike. Choices were limited at the rest area, and I ended up with a Classic Chicken Sandwich from Burger King. Sweet Jeebus, after ten hours of non-stop hustling, it tasted like breaded, pulverized chicken heaven on an oblong sesame seed bun!!
I’m not really a food snob; I just like making my own food, but having said that, I can’t think of the last time I had fast food. I THINK it was around 2020, while at a soccer tournament with Brennan. I also admit, I have already tracked down a copycat recipe in an attempt to recreate a slightly healthier version of the sandwich, or at least the spice profile [Nerd!].
We made it home around 8:30, and it felt so good to plunk my ass down in my comfy chair, catch up on the day’s footy, enjoy a Two Hearted Ale, reflect on the day, and bask in being a proud dad, something that I happily accepted as an early Father’s Day gift.
Part II, The Influence
The funny thing with being a parent and kids, or at least B, is that you don’t realize how you’ve really influenced your kid until they are a formed adult.
When B played footy (soccer), that was because we “guided” him towards it. Then, he took over in the talent department and made it his own. I was super proud of him and his accomplishments, but I also knew that it wasn’t HIS main love, and although I wasn’t ready to let go, when he played his last club match, I knew he was ready to move onto his own path. I also knew that my days of being an amateur sports photographer were done, and my days as a crap nature photographer would fully take over.
Given the size of the brain Wifey has, and the grades that B was getting, I assumed he would head down the path of something “traditionally” brainy; medicine, law, engineering, etc. But that’s not what happened.
B gravitated to shooting short films, editing, photography, and writing. I never told him to try it; I just let him use my gear when he asked. The results were pretty amazing, and it was easy to be supportive when you see a passion and talent growing in someone, whether it’s your spawn or not.
Luckily, B still retained that “big brain” energy that his mom gave him, so unlike me, going to a crap art school that doesn’t exist anymore, he went to Michigan State, where he excelled in the Digital Story Telling major, and won multiple awards for his work.
However, my actual influence on him didn’t hit me until a couple of nights ago when B posted something on IG about his new job shooting and editing photos and video for the Cleveland Browns. It included a photo of him with his camera and a big ol’ telephoto lens on the sideline of an MSU football game. Although I’ve seen the photo many times, this time it hit me; I was looking directly at what he saw me doing from the side of the pitch for well over ten years.
Photo credit unknown.
Through MY big ol’ telephoto lens, I was looking at what I thought was the best thing ever (capturing a smart, talented soccer player, and his team doing skills that I couldn’t have ever dreamt of), and he was looking right back at me, wanting to be behind the camera.
I influenced him without even saying a word. I’m stoked how it turned out, but it wasn’t my intent; I was just trying to be a good dad, and doing what I truly love to do. He recognized that passion and wanted to do it too, and make his own. And he’s done it!
This is his first full-time job out of college, and I’m sure it won’t be his last, but it’s a brilliant start for a super talented, creative kid that just happens to be mine.
I don’t watch many NFL games anymore, but I am totally looking forward to a season of looking for my boy on the sideline with his camera in hand. Maybe he’ll even influence ME to start doing the same again.
In the Executive House?? Ha! Photo by Sarah.
Oh, and another thing about B, he literally has hundreds of volumes of handwritten journals from the time he was an early teen up until now. I really don’t know where he gets these crazy ideas from!
Later.