Between Frames - August/September '25
I've been so behind with these, let's fix that now.
Introduction:
Deepest of apologies for being so late with this newsletter. Life got real busy in late-July and that put me behind enough that I am just writing a recap of August/September (it’s now 10/22).
To my paid subscribers: I’m sorry for the delay in prints. Those are in progress along with an extra print for you!
Okay, onto a little bit of an introduction to this post. August and September each revealed a new layer to Michigan to us. We experienced summer like we never have before. Along with that came the busyness and the rush of summer — travel, adventures, and lots of time outside.
I’ve talked about this before in some previous posts, but I’ve really gotten into cycling this year. Since June 1, I’ve ridden over 1,200 miles. It’s been the first sport that I enjoy participating in and it’s one where I can learn and grow quickly, while getting fitter. It’s a win-win!
Enough about me and my busyness. Onto some images!
**As always, this newsletter is best viewed on Substack — it’s too long for email.
Up North:
Northern Michigan — not the Upper Peninsula, that’s different — is a different kind of place. It’s rural, yet modern. Full of life, but quaint. Coastal, mountainous, and full of fields. It’s confusing how it all co-exists so well.
During the back half of summer, Paloma and I made a handful of trips to towns up there. Some of our favs are Empire, Glen Arbor, & Suttons Bay. You should go there sometime!1
On the Coast:
When we weren’t making trips up North, we’d be running out to the coast near our place. Being a short drive away, it’s easy for us to go stick our toes in some chilly Lake Michigan water whenever we want. There’s a handful of beaches that we’d frequent, but they’re always the same magical tranquility.
These images might make you think that the water was warm. It never is up here. And we like it that way.2
In the Middle:
The two previous sections may make it sound like we spent all of our time outside of our home. While things may have felt like that, it was not the case.
Much of the past few months have been spent at home, but we’ve also taken a few trips to “Central” Michigan. Out here, life is (once again) different. It’s not a city. It’s not mountainous. It doesn’t really have water nearby. It’s just flat farmland…
I’m learning that’s okay.
The above images are from Pleasant Lake — where my dad’s ashes are scattered. Paloma and I have been a few times recently — to sit, to swim, or both. It’s becoming a special place to me, like it was to him.3
Paloma and I went to see Lord Huron on their Cosmic Selector tour in August. It was magic as always.
Lord Huron has always felt like a perfect expression of my vibe and the vibe of the American West. They portray the American West, not in the shiny “cowboy aesthetic” that much of pop culture is shifting towards, but in the vast, ruthless beauty of what it truly is — full of life, but also void of it.
I long to one day live in the rugged valleys of Southwest Utah with this playing softly as I look out on the sunset as it dips behind the mountains.
The above are a few other random images from the month — including a beautiful park in Paris and a kid at the local Greek festival.
Out of Town:
We took a few longer trips during August & September. First was a trip down to Virginia for a close friend’s wedding. Paloma didn’t join me on this one because she had a close friend getting married that same day (albeit in a different state). I flew down to VA and drove back (with the car that we still had there). Here are some images from that trip.
On my way back to Michigan, I took a pit stop at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was 6 minutes off my route, so I really had no reason not to stop. It was a beautiful park, but — similar to my thoughts about Venice, Italy — not worth a whole trip.
Also on that journey, I stopped at a retro Burger King and one of the best coffee shops I’ve been to in a while — made even more special by how it was in the middle of a tiny PA town.
Paloma and I had it on our “yearly bucket list” to make a trip to Mackinac Island. Mackinac is special to me — a trip to the island is one of my earliest memories. To get there, you must take a ferry. We got lucky and took one that went under “the Mighty Mac” — the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere.
Mackinac Island has no vehicles on it. Beyond that, it’s quite old and historic, meaning each building there has a rich history associated to it.4 It’s practically impossible to live there unless you can afford the $1.5M+ price tag for a home, but it’s sure beautiful to visit.
Things I Loved This Month:
Or really over the past few months… sorry that it’s a lot of video content, that’s all I could think of when writing this.
Grant Ritchie makes cycling less intimidating and helps me learn so much along the way — check him out.
Formula Duck provides great F1 commentary without saying the same exact thing that every other F1 YouTuber does. Good job Duck.
If you’re a cyclist (or active in another sport), Wahoo makes some rad computers/watches for keeping up with your data. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it’s sick for nerd like me.
The latest series of Taskmaster is out. It’s top tier comedy.
The YouTuber, Heliocentric, is an atheist that reviews churches and denominations. Sounds weird, I know. But he really brings a gentle curiosity to religion that I think Jesus would second. Give him a watch (note: includes vulgar language)!
Lastly, I’m reading a book — Jesus and John Wayne — by a local Michigan author. It’s an examination of where masculinity was shifted from a healthy, Biblical model to an rugged, nationalistic model.
Oh, and I’ve launched a handful of websites during this time. Canvs is a fave. Score Atlanta took a LOT of work to make the backend work. Lastly, Copient.ai is just clean.5
Conclusion:
Thanks for grace as I figure this out. I hope that you enjoyed getting a glimpse of the craziness of life over the past few months.
I’ll be back shortly with a newsletter for October!
Peace & blessings!
-C
Or don’t and keep it a secret ;)
None of that warm bathwater on over-crowded beaches that you see down south. This is a stark contrast from my time in Ocean City, NJ last year.
It’s always good to spend time with ya, dad. See you soon.
My favorite being this one — the Pink Pony Club
I couldn’t do any of this without the amazing designers that I get to work with. 🫶 to Fraser, Rachel, Juli, and Laura.
Crazy how much we did in just two months. Your photos are so beautiful <3
beautiful images as always! Love your work so much, Chase.