Day 25: A Sunset Down Under

  

Yup, another photo taken in Australia made the list. I have a load of sunset photos. They're one of my favorite things to capture in time forever. So when we were on the ferry back from Watson's Point and I saw how majestic the scene was, I took out my phone and pressed the capture button 10+ times. I actually didn't know how these looked until I viewed them later because the sun was so bright. 

Out of all the ones I took, this one made it because it has the edge of the ferry for perspective, part of the Sydney skyline, the Harbor Bridge, and the sun setting over the Pacific all in one shot. And it's also shots like this that make me love traveling that much more. In due time it'll happen again. 

Day 24: An All-Star Experience

I love baseball. That's a fact. And I miss it. That's also a fact. Years ago I told myself that if I have opportunities to do incredible things, don't hesitate, just do it. So when I first heard the MLB All-Star game was coming to Cleveland, I knew I was going. And I didn't just buy tickets for that game. I bought them for the whole 3 day package. The tickets were pricey, but it was well worth it. It's an experience I'd gladly pay for again.

Just being able to look at this picture warms my heart. A summer night. A packed Progressive Field. The best in baseball were gathered in the 216. The roar of the crowd. One of the best home run derbys I've ever seen. And a once in a lifetime moment. And I seized it.

Day 23: Smooth Sledding

    PC: Amy Wolfinbarger

For a number of year, our church youth group would go tobogganing at the Chalet in Strongsville, OH. We'd rent the place out and make a morning of it. Even if there wasn't snow on the ground, the chutes had their own ice so you could still soar down.

It was more than just sledding. There were competitions to see who could get to the bottom first, who could make the most rides in the time we had, and who could go the farthest. The latter used to be the most fun as we'd pack the four biggest people we could find and see how far past the end of the chute we could make it. Because you see, the chutes had brake pads as the bottom meant to keep you from going off the chute if possible. Well if you paid attention in Physics class, you'll recall that Force=mass*acceleration or F=ma. And you'll also recall that you had to calculate a bunch of different forces depending on what you were solving for. One of them was friction. And those rubber pads caused a lot of friction. So in order to overcome that friction, a bigger mass meant a bigger force, meant a better chance of overcoming that pesky friction. Our theory worked many times over and we managed to go well off the chutes. In the later years, we seemed to not be able to that anymore. Probably because the Chalet saw it as a liability issue and installed brake pads with a way better friction factor...darn.

I like this photo a lot for a number of reasons. 1) It is a high quality action shot. 2) It portrays in a single frame what that day usually meant to those who went. 3) It's hilarious. 4) Asher (the guy in front of me) and I decided it would be funny to scream like little children in mortal danger, hence our gaping mouths.

Due to timing and a number of other reasons, we haven't done this in awhile. But this photo will always serve as a reminder of those chilly, but fun days.

Day 22: Bros and the NYC Skyline

    PC: Jenny Yu

Yet another photo taken at Sam and Mindy's NYC Wedding in 2016 makes this list. As mentioned before, seeing the NYC skyline for the first time was an exciting moment in my life. So when we saw the wedding venue had a sweet view of it, we knew we had to take this picture. A bunch of finely dressed gents, celebrating our good friend's wedding, with the legendary NYC skyline in the background. There were a slew of pictures taken at this spot, many uncoordinated, some silly, but this one's my favorite.

Day 21: The Reunion

    PC: Maureen Anderson

I was home schooled until the 7th grade. When I moved to Cleveland in 2003, I was put into a public school for the first time. It was a transition I wasn't ready for. But thanks to some very awesome teachers, an outstanding principal, and a cool bunch of kids I became friends with, my last two years in jr. high were pretty fun.

Now I wrote a blog post about this before and I'm pretty sure I used this picture, but that was forever ago. And in case you don't remember, this was our 10 year reunion from graduating to high school. Now I know what you're thinking...who does that? We do! And it was all thanks to the guy in the green shirt in the lower right corner. Matt Simonson. He organized, planned, and set up the whole thing.

This photo embodies the fond memories I have of that night. Our former teachers and principal showed up. People came from out of state to be here. People I never thought I'd see again appeared and we picked up right where we left off. An evening where I knew not what to expect turned into a memorable one. I'll let the photo do the rest of the talking.

Day 20: Symbol of Freedom

I'm proud of this photo. Because it has many meanings to me. The American Bald Eagle has been my favorite animal long before I pledged my allegiance to the football team in Philadelphia. So when I had an opportunity to photograph one in the wild, it was anything but easy.

As mentioned previously, my family goes to Wisconsin every other year. Out in the farm country, you tend to see a lot of wildlife you don't see in the city. Well one sunny afternoon, me and my brother Nathaniel were fishing from a paddle boat in the middle of the lake right next to my Aunt's house. As we were trying to hook some largemouth bass, we looked up and saw three of these beautiful creatures soaring overhead. I watched as they perched in the trees that lined the shore. I told Nathaniel that we had to stop chasing the bass for a moment so I could get a photo.

We paddled the boat ever so slowly, to the point where we lodged it in a sea of lily pads. The great bird held a pose and didn't budge. I zoomed in my shot and pressed the button. I was so thrilled I managed to pull that off because seconds later, the eagle moved to a different part of the tree before taking flight again.

But the story doesn't end there. A day or so later, while fishing from the paddle boat again, I lost my balance standing up and went head first into the lake...with my camera in my pocket. Being a complete noob I tried to turn it on. Yeah that didn't work. I thought it was shot. I let it dry out (didn't know about the rice trick then) and it did eventually turn on, but the memory card showed no data. I was crushed.

About a week after we got home, being the tinkerer that I am, I played with the camera again, hoping for a miracle. As I turned it on, I did not see the blue screen of "No data." Suddenly, all those photos I thought were gone forever came flooding back, including this one. I started hollering so loud, you'd think I won the lottery. This picture was proof of triumph for me and I still see it as one of my best "in the moment" shots. National Geographic ain't got nutin' on me!

Day 19: Notorious D.I.G.

    PC: Grace Wang

As much as I love watching sports, I love, love, love to play them. Beach volleyball is a secret passion of mine. There's something about being out in the summer sun, getting a little sandy, and going airborne for a monster spike that feels so satisfying.

Grace Wang (dead center) was living in Cleveland at the time (this was 2015) and got the urge to play organized beach volleyball. She knew I'd be down so once she reached out, she didn't have to ask twice. Now a few of us on the team had actually played on competitive squads before and the rest of us who hadn't, had some sort of raw talent. So even though we didn't know the competition, we felt pretty good.

We were pretty dominant in our run and maybe only lost two sets if I recall correctly. But we did it with a different team nearly every week. We had players who were listed on our squad but were limited as to when they played. Sometimes we were even short a person and called upon someone's most available friend.

We made the upper end of the playoffs, but our first playoff set was incredibly rocky. We only had five people and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get a sixth. So we played those games a man down. Our first game wasn't a blowout, but we still suffered a crushing defeat and were staring elimination in the face. We weren't going to let the season end like this, so we rallied hard and dominated the second game. I think the other team had underestimated us and now knew that even one short, we were trouble.

The third and final game was very close and both teams fought tooth and nail. But like David verses Goliath, we pulled out the W and were on to the next round. Going into it, we knew we were going to be facing teams who could be considered borderline professional. And the team we faced were pretty darn near close.

We had a full squad going against them, but simply put, we got smoked. We did fight as if our lives depended on it, but we were no match for an ace server, a very unselfish setter, and a team full of high flying spikers.

Was I disappointed? Duh. But that weekly league, with these wonderful people, was one of the big highlights of my summer. And if I ever forgot everything else from the summer of 2015, this photo will serve as a reminder of what a blast it was.

Day 18: The Golden Horizon

I know I'm on a sunset high lately, but they're one of the things I love to photograph the most. I could just stare at them for hours. Dreaming, thinking, letting reality slip away and it's just me and this view. I've captured many sunsets through a lens, but this one makes my top 5.

The location is Lakewood Park on the Solstice Steps. It's a summer eve. I noticed the boats going in opposite directions and knew it was going to set up for a killer shot. I waited for the opportune time and took the shot. I like to look at this photo in the dead of winter, reminding me that days like these will so return. I hope when you look upon this shot, that it'll take you to your happy place.

Day 17: Alcatraz Sunset on Friday the 13th

Ever since I've had a big boy job, I make the most of opportunities to travel. So in September of 2019, I found myself in San Francisco, CA. It was the first time I had ever set foot on California soil outside of an airport. And my reasons for visiting SF were many. 1) My friend Josh Toly moved out there for a job. 2) I always wanted to see a baseball game at Oracle Park. 3) I've wanted to visit California for a long time. 4) SF has many places I really wanted to see, including Alcatraz.

Now here's the thing about visiting Alcatraz. You have to book those tickets nearly 5 months in advance because that's how often they were booked up. In May of 2019, I began looking up dates and had two in mind, but the weekend wasn't confirmed yet with Josh. By the time we squared everything up, the Saturday was all booked, but Friday was not. So I pulled the trigger. I'm glad it worked out that way because a warm summer evening on a Friday the 13th was one of the coolest times to visit a place once filled with desolation and despair.

The boat ride over was scenic. The audio tour was incredibly well done. The history that filled the place could be felt and seen everywhere. And Josh, who had not never been to Alcatraz himself, was quite impressed.

The real kicker, or the cherry on top if you will, were the views from the island. I can't describe to you the incredible feeling I felt, standing on that forsaken rock, feeling the warm evening air rush over me, while watching the sun dip below the ridge line. So if you ever visit San Francisco, make it a number one priority to get tickets to Alcatraz. You won't regret it.

Day 16: Welcoming 2016 in Style

    PC: Vasya Tai

New Years Eve is a holiday I truly love because it's always different the way I celebrate it each year. I have many, many memorable ones that come to mind, but that's all I have of them are memories. This one, however, was captured, frozen in time forever.

This was New Years Eve 2015. And this was the first year our sister church in Australia sent a group of their young people to visit us. To say I was excited was an understatement. Getting to know them and show them American culture was a blast. This group became more than just friends. They became family.

We had a church conference running during this week so a lot of other people from out of town were here in Cleveland. Well I help serve young people. Mark and Esther Miller, who do as well, wanted to open their home on New Years Eve. It was an open invite, and as you can see from all the happy faces, we drew quite a crowd.

There was nothing planned. We just showed up, sang songs, ate snacks, laughed and enjoyed each other's company. Then as the clock ticked down, we said goodbye to 2015 and welcomed in 2016. This moment had to be captured. So Vasya (the one in the lower left corner) climbed up the stairs and took the group selfie. It's a moment I'll always remember. A moment where different cultures came together, where strangers became friends, where joy and happiness filled the night. And it was an incredible way to welcome a new year.

Day 15: Bachelor No More, Welcome to the Wedding

Yesterday's photo was pre-wedding. Today's photo now finds us at the wedding. And this is a shot I took. In all my years of knowing Sam, one could say he's quite a character. So it's absolutely no surprise that he would pull a move like this at his own wedding. Also notice the angle that paper plate with the cake slice on it is at. Thankfully it didn't fall, but still would've been epic if it did.

Sure the photo reminds me of that momentous week I spent in New York City, but more so about what the trip was really all about...this wedding. And this photo to me encapsulates that very day. On one of the most important day's of my friend's life, it shows a side of him you may see if you really know him. The expressions on the crowd's faces are priceless and the moment is captured forever. I have many stories about NYC, but this wedding would take a chapter of it's own. And it's another reminder of why I love weddings so much.

Day 14: Speeding in Austin

                      PC: Sam Chen

The year was 2016. Sam Chen's final days as a bachelor were nearing an end. So why not celebrate them is style in Austin, TX? With this photo comes two tales.

The first is that I had not flown on a plane since I was 2 years old. So this was going to be a relatively new experience for me. Let's just say the way down didn't go so well as the connecting flight (40 min away from Austin) was nearly cancelled and I had to chill in the airport for 4 hours not knowing if I was getting to Austin that night. Thankfully I did. Also I was finishing up my last year of college and finals were less than 2 weeks away, so I did what many students in my position would not...which was not use that weekend to study and fly to another state.

The second story is that out of all the people you see in this photo, I only knew three of them. The rest were strangers. But by the end of this adventure I could call them friends. We explored Austin, ate some delicious food from the food truck court, ran into an old friend, and as raced some high speed go-karts. And this was also the first real moment where I knew I was destined to travel. Austin was short and sweet, but the memories are forever.

Day 13: Da Boyz

    PC: Tim Watkins

Don't my brothers an I take a nice picture? Hahahahahaha. This is me and my three other brothers. Left to right: Stephen, Tim, Me, Nathaniel. We were hanging out around a large bonfire we made and Tim was lie, lets take a picture, everyone be serious. The glow of the flames were enough to light our faces. And this one came out pretty well I think it's one of the coolest of us by far. Thus it makes my list of thirty.

Day 12: Milestones & Memories

    PC: Diane Rust

I was planning on including this photo in the last 10 days, but life happens and now seems like the most appropriate time.

Late 2018, a friend and prominent geocacher by the name of George Markusic, was nearing his 20,000 find. I've seen some of your eyes grow big when I tell you I've found slightly north of 3,000. So 20,000 is incredibly impressive. Now if you know George, he's all about those crazy geocaching trips. So for his 20,000 find, he came up with a trip to Central Park in NYC, for basically one day only, to do the Bridges and Arches of Central Park multi. Why this specific cache? Because it requires you to visit every single bridge and arch in Central Park to get information you need to find the actual container. And it's in the heart of NYC. George also made it an open invite to whomever wanted to go.

 I initially wasn't going to go because I thought I was going to be working when they were leaving, but George contacted me and said "we're leaving right after work on Friday and driving back Sunday morning. Well that avoided cutting into work so I was fully on board.

We drove 6.5 hours from Cleveland to New Jersey and got there just before midnight. The next morning we made our way to the heart of Manhattan and spent the entire day in Central Park. Sixteen of us total. There were sites, adventures, hilarious moments, memories, and the cherry on top was when we fired party poppers at George as he victoriously held the cache for Bridges and Arches in his hands. It was my third time in NYC, but it felt like the first.

This photo also has another very important reason as to why it made my 30 that I love. Why? Start from the person farthest right and to the fourth person. She's wearing a tan hat and black shirt. Her name is Michelle. I had known her for 3 years now, but she'd been with this group years before. If you ever saw photos of George's crazy trips, she was a constant staple in them. Two days ago, I received the sad news that she had lost her battle with cancer. It came as a shock because I had no idea she was that sick. When she came to NYC with us, you would've had no idea she was sick at all.

We have a saying about the people we know who participate in this amazing hobby. "You're family". Doesn't matter whether you've been in the game for a decade or if you just started. And that's a statement that I've known to ring true time and time again. I experienced it at the first geocaching event I walked into. When I entered the room with the large crowd in the restaurant, I didn't know who to approach or how to introduce myself. As I was pondering how to do this and standing there intimidated, someone was passing by me, stopped, and introduced himself as Bobbo12164 and said I must be Thrill.Seeker (my caching name). That was Bob Laco, who actually started a few months after me and currently has three times as many hides as I do. I was then introduced to George and was warmly welcomed.

Since then, I've meet a lot of amazing people, including Michelle. Now, in truth, I didn't know her as well as I do George and Bob, but I knew her enough to know what an incredible person she was. Michelle was family. She didn't let the world beat her down, she didn't let cancer rule her life. Like I said before, unless someone told you, you wouldn't know she was sick. I wish I would've had more time to get to know her better, but I'm grateful for the time I did. Rest easy Michelle, you will be missed.