There are many ways to participate in Project 365. I chose Flickr, mainly because I’ve been using the site for years and it’s comfortable like an old pair of favorite shoes. They have a great community and lots of groups devoted to the Project 365 meme.

Most of my photos were taken with my iPhone, which I use more and more frequently. For some I used my Canon SD780 point-and-shoot. I didn’t generally get fancy or do a lot of planned shots. Most were what I would describe as “opportunistic,” and reflect what I did or where I was that day. It’s wonderful to scan the thumbnails and take a visual stroll through 2011.

One thing I learned — it was sometimes difficult to find something worthy of sharing. Some days I would be so busy, I’d nearly forget to shoot a photo until late in the evening. Which explains the many still images of “stuff” around my study.

When January 1st 2012 rolled around, I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it took me a couple weeks to finish posting, tagging, titling and organizing the photos, I was free to not take a photo, if I so chose. Would I do it again? Sure! It was a lot of fun. But would I do it in consecutive years? Well, I’m not this year.

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But today I’m reminded of one of my favorite reasons to love San Clemente.

Today we had a special vote — Measure A — on whether to permit a developer to build approximately 50,000 square feet of shops near North Beach. The developer has a track record of creating innovative, green projects such as The Camp and The Lab in Costa Mesa — a fitting match for the culture of San Clemente.

Measure A has polarized the community. While some see this as a negative, I see it as a positive sign. Whether people are for or against the proposed development, they all love San Clemente passionately, and want to do what they believe will help nurture the special quality that makes our town so unique.

The very fact that people are passionate about both sides of the issue is precisely why I love San Clemente. The people here love their city. We love our city. There’s no room for apathy where passion rules.

UPDATE: According to the San Clemente Patch, Measure A was voted down, so the development will not go forward.

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Here’s an example

I’ve been slowly working my way through a huge box of old photos from my grandma’s house, scanning a few each weekend and posting them on a family photo archive. I’m using MailChimp (free up to 2,000 subscribers) to notify subscribed family members and friends when fresh scans go online, and they help fill in the details; places, people, dates and even the backstory. It’s been a wonderful way to honor my grandparents and keep their memory alive.

When I was in elementary school, I lived on a tree-lined street called Middlebrook Ave. in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of the scans last weekend was of that very house.

That’s my first bike there on the right. Metallic green with a banana seat, a sissy bar and flared chrome fenders. Sweet.

I have a lot of fond memories of this home. My best friend — Howard Lee — lived in the house next door. Every summer, all the neighbors held a huge block party with grilled hot dogs, burgers, sodas and games. And the neighbors even put up a volleyball net across the street for impromptu games during the summer.

I also remember going to the YMCA on Saturday mornings, taking swimming lessons (hated them) and a whole range of other classes. They had a BB gun shooting range, archery, trampolines, a chemistry class (Kids with bunsen burners? Really?) and my personal favorite, the magic class. Yes, the class was led by a magician and every week he’d teach us a new trick. I parlayed that newfound skill into an obsession, and was performing at birthday parties, school and even the fair. But that’s a story for another day…

Back to the house on Middlebrook, and Google Teleporter –er– Street View. I was wondering if the house was even still there. Just for kicks, I pulled up the house in Google Street View. Here’s what it looks like today:

The bike is gone, but the house looks pretty much the same. Ah, the magic of technology!

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Here’s a preview of the new dashboard:

The new dashboard is really a great improvement, with at-a-glance views of the stats effecting your blog. I also like the “quick post” feature and the ability to reply directly to comments. An already amazing product is getting even better. 

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