My Granddaughter in the Garden

Infrared Impressions of Montreal

I love infrared images for all the usual clichéd reasons…dreamy, surreal, but what I love the most is that every picture is a surprise.  Back in the day when I used infrared film it took a little while to enjoy the experience of surprise…I had to develop the film and then print a contact sheet.  And then I had to see what I wanted to print using a loupe and out came the trays…it was work!  Now with digital it is instant gratification and I do not have a problem with that at all.  I plug the camera into the computer, watch the pics (have to call them pics now) flow onto the screen and then the fun begins in Photoshop.  Although  I miss the special quality that film had digital photo paper is fast improving.

I was in Montreal for a visit and decided that I would head down to the streets on the other side of the mountain…St. Laurent, St. Urbain, Mount Royal  etc. and photograph the “famous” staircases.  As a kid growing up in Montreal I did not live in an area where many houses had these staircases but still I was always aware that this was typical of Quebec architecture.

There is a broad cross-section of cultures living in the area.  French, English, Orthodox Jews, university students, and married couples with children  live in this bustling, colourful community.  This is Esplanade Avenue, a beautiful street that has not changed…ever!  One of the things that I like as a former Montrealer  is that I can come back and revisit all of my nostalgic haunts…very little changes.

       Across the street a baseball game had begun.

           I’m a bit shy so I didn’t talk to anybody but there was a friendly atmosphere…I actually could have practiced my French skills!

and then I headed up to Westmount Lookout.

                                                                                                                                                   

And saw this very interesting scene that reminded me of medieval days (which is interesting in itself as I do not like anything remotely historic!)

         I almost expected to see the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland appear in this scene.

The Guild Inn

My first encounter with the Guild Inn happened when I was doing wedding photography and the happy couple had chosen the Guild Inn as their venue.  It was an interesting place with amazing architectural facades on the property.  The Inn itself was a bit strange and I recently read that many people believed that the place was inhabited by ghosts.  I don’t believe in an afterlife but I believe in ghosts..go figure!

In any case I thought that images of the facades might work out as designs for my lampshades (www.hammerphotography.com). The place has been closed down, boarded up and fenced in…the facades still remain…

 

The facades were still there and I might add beautiful as ever, but quite strange.

It brought to mind my very first wedding as a wedding photographer when I was hired by a very understanding bride. Understanding because when I told her I had taken very, very few images of the groom she didn’t even flinch. I will always appreciate her tact and the fact that she ordered a ton of photographs!

Bonnie and the Donkey

 

I love this image of Bonnie the Arabian horse.  Bonnie belongs to my friend Donna and the day I took this picture I was shooting with my digital infrared camera.  She was in the paddock along with a mare “in heat” and a donkey…a stallion was in the adjacent paddock and quite interested of course.  (I could not figure out the logic in putting the two next to each other).  The donkey was with the mare to distract her…or the stallion.  Who knows…the whole thing didn’t make sense to me.  In any case the donkey was not happy with Bonnie being in the same paddock and every time she moved that donkey gave chase.  I of course took advantage by taking tons of pictures through the paddock fence and this was one of my favourites.  Eventually everybody calmed down…especially the donkey. (don’t look for the donkey in this picture because he is out of sight braying and warning Bonnie to stay away)

Benny and Nancy

A few years ago after finishing the lampshade making workshop in Vermont I realized that my biggest challenge would be to find suppliers.  I thought that in a city as large as Toronto this wouldn’t be a problem but I was wrong.  I needed suppliers for styrene (the backing on a lampshade), wire lampshade frames, grosgrain ribbon and trim, lampshade parts etc.  I knew where I could find everything in the U.S. but I would have to pay duty and taxes, plus shipping which added up to quite a large additional sum.  I found a lampshade manufacturer in Toronto who sold me the styrene and he connected me to Benny who manufactures lampshade frames of every size and shape.

Benny and his wife Nancy came here from Italy and have been in this business for 50 years.  They are hard working, friendly people…once in a while they offer me an espresso and I will sit with Nancy and chat about this and that. One day I told her that I often make Penne a la Vodka and she told me that I had to add bacon.  Since then I have used her recipe and what a difference it makes!

I hope they like these pictures of themselves…they were very excited when I came in the other day with my camera.  Benny told me that he would give me lampshade frames in exchange for photographs…at first I resisted but then I realized he wasn’t comfortable with a gift….and I can always use lampshade frames!

Trying to Catch Up!

No excuses…but it was a great summer and I have been really busy.  I started to horseback ride again, I was very busy making lampshades for the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts Festival, we all (the family) spent a wonderful week up north in and around Dorset, and of course every week I spent two wonderful days with my amazing granddaughter!  So this is how I will begin to catch up…with two pictures taken the other day in the back yard.  I experimented a bit in Photoshop and put the images into a white mat with a black edge.  I like the way they look and would definitely consider printing and framing them this way.

The kid loves the dog and the dog loves the kid!

 

My granddaughter is helping me in the garden by pulling out the old Hostas and by the way, Hostas are the only plant whose name I know!

The Schomberg Fair

The main reason that I like country fairs is being able to bring my camera and have a great time photographing all the activity.  The weather was hot, a bit cloudy…perfect for photography and the chosen cameras were the Canon Rebel T2i and  Fuji digital infrared.  The memory card for the infrared failed almost immediately and I will admit that I was not carrying another one.

I was hoping that I would be on time for the horse and carriage event and fortunately I could see people at the gate and in the stands waiting for the show to begin. This gave me a chance to look around and soak in the atmosphere of the fair.  I’m always very excited when the horses make their entrance.  I love horses and recently started riding again almost two years after my hip surgery. I guess because this is a country fair and fairly laid back there aren’t too many rules about standing out of the way of the horses when they pranced into the show ring.  People who live in the country take it for granted that when you see six horses attached to a carriage, who are slightly foaming at the mouth and whose eyes are kind of popping out of their heads in anticipation of their event you better move aside.

Finally the moment that I had been waiting for…

Another great thing about this event and being at a country fair is that you can see and hear everything going on.  The drivers are nervous (in a good way) and the horses are very excited.  The girls in the above picture were there to make sure that the horses ran into the ring and didn’t veer off at the last minute.

I stood ring side and captured this shot which I love! These Percherons are absolutely gorgeous!  Horses are such wonderful animals – they are peaceful and when treated well, will do everything to please.  They have such big hearts!

Of course food is a really big thing at any fair so off we went trying to find something delicious and healthy.  That never happened so we indulged in a few samplings of fair food and took a look to see what others were eating.  It was interesting to discover that our policemen and women don’t only eat doughtnuts.  We spied these two as they waited with great anticipation for their sausage and bun.

But you know they deserve to have snacks. Keeping track of pigs, sheep, horses and a missing person isn’t so easy.  They were quick to discover that Rodney Dangerfield is alive and well, and working at the gas station on Hwy. 9 just north of Schomberg. He’s not quite as funny as he used to be and still doing that tiresome “I don’t get no respect” line.  Many, many years ago I saw Rodney on stage in Las Vegas (or Lost Wages as he so succinctly put it) but now he lives a lonely life and not surprisingly, is not totally accepted by the folks in the town.  I felt kind of bad for him…he looked a bit rough!

Rodney “I don’t get No Respect” Dangerpig 

We saw another farm animal…a very attractive sheep.  Not sure if those tags in her ears were the latest fashion fad or if that sheep was tagged for reasons we don’t want to hear about.

But we were talking about food.  My daughter decided on sweet potato fries…they looked pretty good. I had two…that was enough.

After the sweet potatoes we bought caramel kettle corn and an ice cream cone…fear of what that “food” could do to me the next day gave me a bit of an anxiety attack so we left the food booths and onward ho to the rides.  There was a cute Disney type ride with Dumbo the Elephants but I sensed that one of those elephants was trying to escape.  His eyes kept darting around looking for a way out.  What could be wrong I wondered…they all looked so happy.

And then I took a closer look.

 

In the first picture Dumbo is worried and he’s trying to catch up with Dumbo II but in the middle picture he’s on the right track…you can see that he’s becoming more confident.  And there in the last square he’s made it…..he escaped right in front of our eyes.  Last I saw of him he was flying up Hwy. 9 towards the gas station where Rodney Dangerpig works.

So much excitement, it wasn’t easy to calm down but then there were interesting booths to peruse.

I don’t need a farmer’s hat right now unless my husband descides to become a gentleman farmer and grow potatoes (he loves potatoes!!!) and even though I liked the t-shirt at the next booth I thought there was a possibility it could be politically incorrect…and Lord knows I haven’t yet become proficient on what’s correct and what’s not.  Probably just saying what I said is risky.

There were so many famous people sightings that I didn’t think it would be possible to see anybody else but no….there he was..one of the most famous basketball players of his day!

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics!!!  However he was very strange and creepy and had a weird voice.  I expect that when the day was over he followed the sheep and Dumbo up to the gas station to see Rodney. I don’t know what happened to Boston.

The day was ending but there were brides to be married…

…and a granddaughter who wanted to see the galloping horses!

…and one last romp as the stick figure tries to outrun the horses!

My Granddaughter’s First Purse

A number of years ago while stopped at the traffic lights I watched as a mother and her three year old crossed the street.  The little girl was wearing a pretty dress and carried a lovely purse.  I was totally enthralled with how sweet she looked and I thought how wonderful it must have been for her to have a purse just like her Mum.  I have never forgotten it, and getting my granddaughter her own purse has been on my to do list.  Last week on my babysitting day I thought it would be fun to go to Indigo where they have a play group early in the morning.  Besides books they also have toys.  How convenient!  And there it was on a hook…a little pink purse.  I handed the purse to my granddaughter and she immediately put it over her arm just where it should be.  I melted! Of course I bought it for her and when we got home she walked around the house with her pink purse over her arm.

Downtown Montreal

I was in Montreal a few weeks ago.  I stayed with my friend in her beautiful condo at the top of de la Montagne and Dr. Penfield.  Joyce is a gourmet cook, gives me my space as well as a garage space (very, very useful!) and as we’ve been friends longer than I care to mention in this post, it is an easy visit.  One day I decided to go for a walk downtown and take pics with my trusty point and shoot.  Everybody was raving about the beautiful, mild weather….I was freezing and felt like a total wimp.  However, it was a beautiful day and the joie de vivre abounded. I took lots of pictures while I walked and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

First pic – art student with a not bad looking piece of art.  Quel surprise..

Found a great (icy) laneway which I loved…vines, fire escapes, graffiti…everything dans un paquet (trying to use as much French as I can muster).

rue ste. catherine

I’m not sure what the gold concoction in the window of Ogilvy’s is supposed to be…it looks delicious and expensive.

Happy Valentines Day…love from The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts…

Sherbrooke Street 

There are many galleries along Sherbrooke Street and some great art outside for easy viewing…

Separated at birth?

This is such an interesting piece…what is she thinking?  Is she thinking what I think she’s thinking?  I think so! (because that’s what I would think if I were her)

Who is Jim Joe?  When I first saw the writing, I thought it said Jim Doe (brother of Jane).

Reflections…always mysterious..always je ne sais quoi.

Statues

Norman Bethune Square is at the corner of de Maisonneuve and Guy…it’s a seedy little area inhabited by pigeons, students and a statue of Dr. Bethune.  He was considered a hero by the People’s Republic of China.  A statue of Canada’s first prime minister Sir John A. MacDonald has its home in a much more elegant place…Dominion Square.  The following is a quote from Sir John A…

“When fortune empties her chamberpot on your head, smile and say ‘we are going to have a summer shower'”…not quite the “fuddle duddle” we grew up with.

Crescent Street

…and finally St. Urbain Street and the ubiquitous outside staircases.

I love New York

At one point in my life I helped to teach a creative photography course at a wonderful alternative high school here in Toronto.  When I was asked to go on a field trip with the students to New York City all expenses paid, I agreed immediately.  Yes we travelled on a bus, and yes we stayed at a YMCA downtown…but I thought it would be a great photographic opportunity..and of course I would be able to enjoy the wonderful experience of travelling with a bunch of teenagers.  The other three teachers were great so I knew it would be fun.  The students climbed onto the bus a’squealing and a’laughing.  I knew it was going to be fun.  The bus driver was extremely weird but as long as we could roll our eyes without him seeing us it was all good. 

Ten hours later we arrived in the Big Apple, checked into the luxurious downtown YMCA and headed to our rooms..or cells or whatever they were called.  I called them cells but at least I had my own hole in the wall.  The bathroom was another story…we shared.  How thoughtful of us but there was no choice.  If I had to go, I would make the trek (and it was a trek) to the can.

However…New York City is a wonderful place to be!! We were with the students 75% of the time visiting museums, going to poetry readings, and cheap restaurants in Chinatown.  Also “enjoyed” the karaoke..sort of and wow, what fun it was to figure out the restaurant bill for 40 people.  But we could be on our own and I took advantage of that by walking and photographing all over the place.  I went to Central Park and took a photo of this statue which I intend to use when I make my next lampshade (www.gingerartlamps.com).

 

More pictures and stories to be posted soon…