Updated August 9, 2026 from my home office on a hot, humid day outside Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Starting a new writing project # #
First announced in my June newsletter, I am in the early stages of creating Broken Ground, a long-form, multi-volume exploration into the profound interplay between American land, history, and cultural myth. I spent time in July based out of a tiny cabin on an almond farm in central California armed with a camera, a notebook, and a sharp curiosity. I look forward to share what I’ve created later this year.
Growing as an amateur photographer # #
I’ve moved beyond capturing landscapes on my iPhone to wide-ranging experimentation with my new Sony a6700. With two lenses - a standard 18-50mm zoom and a larger 70-350mm zoom - I am trying my hand at shooting sports action, wildlife, street photos, and more. I am loving the requisite mindfulness photography promotes combined with the technical aspects of light, color, and optics. Plus - it gets me out of the house and into the world! See some of my favorite photos.
Enjoying my kids (while I can) # #
My kids are growing up fast! The older girls are done with college and establishing themselves as self-sufficient adults. My boy is in his third year of high school and my baby girl is in middle school. I am astounded at their kindness, maturity, and intelligence.
Being deliberate about artificial intelligence # #
I continue to work as an infrastructure and platform engineer for a growing startup. I enjoy honing my craft while building sustainable and resilient products and teams. Beyond code generation, AI presents opportunities for cultural and technical advances in my field; I am focused on reasoning about AI and leveraging it to bring value to creative work while celebrating human interaction.