Now that we are heading toward the last week of February, I’m feeling slightly better.

The months of January and February are depressing for me and, with the days getting longer and the sun getting stronger, it can only mean spring is approaching.

One of my “help me get over winter” activities has come and gone and, now that the Australian Open tennis tournament, I set my attention on the Daytona 500, which takes place today. I love watching both events because they are held at sunny, warm locations.

I think it’s a psychological thing with me, you know, just seeing a warmer climate makes me feel better. It was nice when we had those brief temps in the 50s a week or so ago. Of course, being it’s January or February, you know those days are short lived.

Related Video

There were a few years when I’d head to Florida for a long weekend in the middle of winter but, for some reason, I stopped that. I should revisit that idea.

Friends of mine are in Florida as I type this and, with social media, I get to live life vicariously through them. As they post photos at the pool or beach, I can imagine having that warmth strike my face.

Knowing that spring is approaching so brings one of my pet peeves — potholes!

It’s not even spring and they are starting to pop up everywhere. My own street seems to be impossible to drive on with holes opening up and loose stones flying up into my wheel well. You know that noise I’m talking about. When you drive over a freshly filled pothole and the tar and stones rattle your car a bit.

Sometimes, it feels like I’m driving down a dirt road.

The borough where I live just received grant money for paving and I hope my street gets on the list but, since I don’t live on a well-traveled street, it may not happen. I think the last time my street was paved was back in the 80s.

Granted, there’s only so much money to go around for a lot of projects, but I’m guessing a lot of towns in the reading area are in the same boat.

I don’t envy area town councils when it comes to deciding future projects to make their town better.

Going back in time

Some things in life will bring you back to yesteryear — it could be a song, a TV rerun to your youth, photographs, or one of my favorites — a class reunion.

Music on a classic rock station always does the trick to transfer me back 30 or 40 years. It’s amazing how some of those older songs still hold up today. For me, it’s classic rock. There was a time when The Pavilion at Montage Mountain brought in a lot of classic rock acts, but country acts and music festivals have supplanted them.

With so many classic TV networks like Antennae TV, Cozi, ClassicTV or MyTV, it’s easy to sit back and watch a show from way back when. Talk about bringing you back.

You can watch shows like “The Little Rascals,” The Lone Ranger,” Dennis the Menace,” “Hazel” and more.

My sweet spot is from noon to 3 p.m. when “The Partridge Family,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Bewitched” run back to back to back.

It blows my mind knowing that Keith Partridge played by David Cassidy passed, as did Elizabeth Montgomery who played Samantha Stevens on “Bewitched,” who died years ago at the age of 62.

Since I’m in the business of taking photos, reaching back in time as you page through old photo albums is another way to go back in time.

I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, never really did it on the level of being artistic like doing landscape photos, or weddings, or portraits. I just like capturing events.

Taking a photo is making a memory for someone. It’s pretty cool that my photos will outlast me for decades to come.

I know a printed photo has a life shelf, but I don’t know enough about digital images. One would think they would last for an eternity. I’d hope so.

With each photo I take, I leave my name on the file — you can’t see it because it’s embedded in the photo file. So even when I’m long gone, someone will be able to not only see who took the photo, but the time and date it was taken.

The only time, unfortunately, when someone would be able to know what exactly they are looking at is when a photographer posts details of an event in the photo description embedded in the file. I only do that when I have a photo job because we have to add a caption to every photo so editors know what’s going on — tricks of the trade, if you will. Yes, newspaper photographers are responsible for writing the caption for all photos they take.

Finally, class reunions are a pretty cool way to go back in time.

Recently, I connected with a Swedish exchange student who attended Wyoming Area in my junior year. Four decades have passed since I saw her last. Talk about going back in time!

Quote of the week

“Dare to dream, hope, believe, seek, feel, find, and love.” – Mike Hull, American pro football player

Thought of the week

“If I had a eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.” – Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the U.S.

Bumper sticker

“Our opportunities to do good are our talents.” – Cotton Mather

https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Tony-Callaio-1.jpg.optimal.jpg

My Corner,

Your Corner

Tony Callaio