The scenery is magnificent. Some of the foreground has other priorities.
The Riff. October 7, 2026
I have two photographs of the same view. Mountains. Blue water. A landscape that looks perfectly capable of existing without input from any of us.
One photograph concentrates on that. The other includes a scenic overlook sign covered in graffiti.
Same scenery. Different amount of humanity.
The sign is supposed to explain what you’re looking at. It says “Fire and Water,” which sounds like a promising start to a conversation about how the canyon formed. Unfortunately, several visitors have contributed their own research in permanent marker.
Somebody researched the geology, selected photographs, wrote the explanation, and installed it in front of the actual thing being explained. Then someone arrived with a marker and decided the presentation needed their name.
Imagine standing in front of that landscape and thinking, “This is almost complete.”
Just needs Kyle.
I should disclose something before I get too far into criticizing graffiti.
Back in high school, I ran security for two very good graffiti artists. One was my friend Rodney. I can’t remember the other guy’s name, which is unfortunate given that remembering names appears to be a major concern in this piece.
They created a massive piece behind the old Von Tobel’s on Maryland Parkway while I sat in my VW bus making sure no cops came around to bust us.
Other teenagers had extracurricular activities. I provided parking-lot surveillance for a giant graffiti artwork.
And I’m not ashamed. It was a great piece of art. It stayed there for a long time, until Von Tobel’s turned into something else.
That’s part of why the overlook sign bothers me. I’ve seen what someone with talent and a wall can do. Rodney and his friend made art. These people made it harder to read a sign.
I can appreciate graffiti and still think the canyon’s information board deserved to finish its sentence.
These days, I’m generally on the camera side of the operation. I spend a fair amount of time deciding what belongs in the frame. The beautiful room. The lovely window light. The extension cord making a determined run for the kitchen.
Sometimes a small change in position makes an enormous difference. You move a little, raise the camera, tighten the composition, and suddenly the photograph looks like somewhere you’d like to spend an afternoon.
Move back, and you discover someone has written on the furniture.
In these two photographs, the mountains haven’t improved. The water hasn’t gotten prettier. I’ve simply given the sign less opportunity to participate.
That’s a useful distinction when looking at pictures.
We tend to assume the photograph is showing us the place. It is. It’s also showing us the part of the place somebody decided you should see.
The lovely beach may have a portable toilet just outside the frame. That secluded restaurant table may be secluded because it’s next to the mop sink. Your friend’s peaceful vacation photograph may have required forty minutes of waiting for a man in neon shorts to finish explaining something to his family.
He has a lot to say.
The shorts suggest they’ll be able to find him if he wanders off.
I do understand wanting to record that you were somewhere. I brought a camera. Clearly, I have not arrived with a strict commitment to living entirely in the moment.
But I can take the photograph home.
Writing your name on the sign leaves the rest of us responsible for remembering you. We haven’t met. I don’t know whether I’d enjoy your company. Yet you’ve appointed yourself an additional feature of the overlook.
Mountains. River. Kyle.
And now the person who came to learn about the landscape has to work around your signature like it’s a CAPTCHA.
Identify all the squares containing sedimentary rock.
I like the cleaner photograph. I like having the water and the mountains to myself for a moment. There’s nothing wrong with choosing a beautiful angle.
I also think the wider photograph deserves to exist. It explains why the photographer made that choice.
Yesterday, I wrote about how much of a person can sit outside a frame. Today, apparently, I’m considering how much of a person I’d prefer to put there.
There is room for both approaches. Mark could stay in the picture. Kyle could perhaps use a notebook.
And Rodney’s monster? I would have photographed that.
Apparently, I’ve always been particular about the foreground. Back then, I watched it from a VW bus.
Now I just move the camera.
Photographs: benzojones.
Don’t Pick What I Pick
Yesterday went 3–1, bringing us within one net win of .500. The Dodgers, Padres, and Rangers did their part. Southern Miss apparently preferred a different composition.
Yesterday’s autopsy — October 6
- Dodgers–Braves Under 6.5 — WIN. Los Angeles won 3–1. Four combined runs kept the under comfortably home.
- Padres moneyline — WIN. San Diego won 4–3. A narrow victory still counts in full.
- Rangers moneyline — WIN. New York won 5–2.
- Southern Miss +10.5 at Troy — LOSS. Troy won 55–34. The points helped, but twenty-one was considerably more than ten and a half.
ALL SPORTS: 1,128–1,129–8 — one net loss from .500.
TENNIS: 1–1.
Today’s picks — October 7
FIU −6.5 vs. New Mexico State
Taking the home side at Pitbull Stadium. FIU needs to win by a touchdown to cover, so a narrow escape won’t finish the assignment.
White Sox +1.5 vs. Guardians
Benzo took the points, and that is the selection we’re counting. Chicago can win outright or lose by one and still bring this ticket home. A team of destiny is allowed to accept a little assistance.
Jacksonville State −2.5 at Kennesaw State
Backing Jacksonville State on the road. A field-goal victory covers, giving us a manageable requirement if the Gamecocks win a close one.
Dodgers moneyline at Braves
Tyler Glasnow faces Tyler Mahle at Truist Park. I favor Los Angeles outright, with the full-game moneyline keeping us out of the business of demanding a particular margin. My Dodgers enthusiasm has been permitted to attend the meeting.
Aces moneyline at Valkyries
The bounce-back history gives this addition some support: Las Vegas went 10–3 in the games immediately following its thirteen regular-season losses, with nine of those wins coming by double digits. That history doesn’t decide tonight’s game, but it gives us a reason to consider the response rather than simply replay the disappointment.
Five selections. A 3–2 day brings the overall record to .500. A 4–1 day puts us two wins above it.
Benzo requested glorious fashion. We have submitted the paperwork.
This isn’t called Pick What I Pick.
It’s called Don’t Pick What I Pick.
Please wager accordingly.
