At the end of each month, I usually find myself wondering where the days have gone. This time around, the story is in the pages of my notebook. Many thanks to Susannah for creating August Break … I’ve discovered some fabulous bloggers and developed an addictive new photo-journal habit.

Day 30: Blue Bicycle (Church St., downtown Frederick, MD)

Day 30: Standing Shadow (Church St., downtown Frederick, MD)

Day 31: The Old Hotel (Patrick & Court Sts., downtown Frederick, MD)

It’s kind of amazing to think how far I’ve come this month, personally. I was hobbling around on crutches and couldn’t drive on August 1st. Now I’m walking and driving, and I’m well on my way to resuming the independent lifestyle I had taken for granted for so long. (As you can see in the second photo, I’m stuck wearing some rather unflattering shoes for the time being, but by the end of next month, I hope to be back into some slightly more fashionable footwear.)

When I visited my podiatrist at the end of July, she said that it would take four months for my foot to be back to normal. I think it will probably take just as long to really process what happened and what it means for me. Is it foolish to look for meaning in a random accident? Is it foolish to think I might understand the meaning if I did find any? The parable of a Chinese farmer** makes me think the latter may be true.

For the time being, I’ve learned to be a little more thoughtful and introspective. But you don’t need to get run over by a car to think about your life. A camera and a notebook are really all you need. 

** I followed a link to this story from the Communicatrix, another great blog I discovered via Susannah.

via jesshibb.tumblr.com -- I tried to post this last night, but Posterous was having issues. So I blogged it with Tumblr, and now I'm using the Posterous bookmarklet to reblog it here. (Are you confused yet? I AM!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4924582653/

Yesterday: Shapes and Stripes created by the Purple Heart Tradescantia and window blinds in my office. It's about that time of year when the Purple Heart starts getting a bit unruly, so I snip the stems, throw them in a glass of water, and let them root before potting them and giving them away.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4925177096/

Today: My gimpy grasshopper came to visit this morning. I've mentioned him before, and I'm thrilled I was able to get a proper photo of him.

Since it has become so scarce and so expensive, I've been feeling sort of protective of my remaining Polaroid 600 film. Until the past couple weeks, when I realized how silly that is. For one thing, the Impossible Project has new color film for SX-70 cameras, and the 600 version will be out in a few months. But aside from that, my stash of 600 film isn't getting any less expired. So my current philosophy is the photographic equivalent of "smoke 'em if you got 'em" ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4916937623/

Friday: Christopher brought me flowers. He's growing a huge crop of dahlias for his boss. She's using them in her wedding next month! For now, I'm the beneficiary of the early blossoms.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4916937267/

Saturday: Experimenting with expired 600 film in my SLR 680 (on the left) and the new Impossible PX70 film in my SX-70 (on the right). Tang was a willing model.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4917536880/

Today: Once upon a time, we had a rule about no cats on the dining table. We have obviously lost control over this house ... Let this be a lesson to never allow yourselves to be outnumbered by cats.

Some of my 600 shots are already showing streaks and blobs. And some are just crappy photos. But it feels good to indulge, and it feels even better to embrace the future, whatever it might bring!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4906666651/

I like how the unruly succulents on my office windowsill contrast against the stripey blinds in the background. This is another shot taken with my Polaroid SX-70 with Impossible PX70 film ... I'm hopelessly addicted to this stuff!

Since I'm still not able to walk without crutches, let alone drive, it's been sort of frustrating to not be able to visit different streets and sights for August Break photos. But I have been able to sharpen my eye and find photo opportunities in mundane places that I'd normally ignore. Just further evidence that taking a photo every day, no matter what it is or where you are, can make you a more effective photographer!

Catching up again ... No new notebook pages, but I have been shooting some instant film over the past few days. I enjoy Fuji's Instax films, but nothing captures my heart and imagination like the square format of traditional integral film.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4895548952/

Neptune, hanging out on the dining room table on Sunday morning. She loves bugging us when we're trying to eat breakfast on the weekends. (Polaroid SX-70 with Impossible PX70 film)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4903151318/

Lounging in a dark room. This was my view from the living room couch yesterday after work. (Polaroid SX-70 with Impossible PX70 film)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4903149288/

After the party. We had a lunch event at work today, and I snapped this after most of the guests left. (Polaroid SLR 680 with expired 600 film)

We had a delightful Saturday afternoon excursion that included some duck-watching at Baker Park and lunch at Baltimore Coffee & Tea. Nothing too exciting, but with my boot and crutches, it's quite a production to do "normal person" activities.

For a fun comparison, here's the same view on Impossible PX70 film:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshibb/4894950861/