Cosmic

Walking through the Place des Arts complex I passed this installation - a magical play  of coloured glass and mirrors with images by Alfred Pellan. The title panel called it Cosmos musical. The images changed.



I only managed to capture a couple of images. The colours and repeated images were mesmerizing. I could have stayed longer. Others seemed to walk through this corridor, eyes straight ahead. I wonder what else they miss in life.

Found this video

Natural Gems

Autumn bring out the spiders. Lacy webs show up in the garden, on windows, wherever these arachnids think they will be successful at luring their prey. Tiny gems decorated these fine filaments. No jeweler could replicate this delicate creation.



If one could it would be his or her masterpiece yet, for a spider, this is just one of many.

I love the seasons that bring these ephemeral events - leaves that one day shout to be admired, lie drying on the ground the next. Fall is a season of celebration. Thanks, Mother Nature, for your daily delights!

Negative Space

Last Friday I had dinner (before a concert) at a restaurant. I rarely order dessert but I craved a little something and ordered a biscotti to go with my coffee. It came like this.

Funny how negative (space that is) can turn positive - a smile at the presentation. I guess we always have to try to turn negatives into positives - and frequently there is a positive aspect even in the most horribly negative things. For example, I know that some negatives in my life have prompted personal growth. I'm not suggesting that the negative was a good thing - just that it precipitated positive change.

As I wrote yesterday - the negative of the decay of autumn leads to new growth in the spring. Funny how a sprinkle of chocolate can lead to these musings.

Falling

Despite the incredible burst of colour there is always something a bit melancholy about fall. The incredible blue skies and brightly coloured leaves are juxtaposed with the dry leaves on the ground which are starting to decay.

Yet even this decay smells good - autumn has a freshness about it that the languorous summer days don't. Everything is crisp: the air, the crunch of the leaves, the views, cleared of that summer haze.

Fresh fallen leaves blanket the earth putting fresh nutrients into the soil. While it is a time of decay, it is also the time to prepare the earth for next year's growth. The melancholy thoughts are fleeting when the sun shines!

A Time of Plenty

A trip to the Atwater Market in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner was a treat. The air was crisp and the colours popped. And, as always, I bought too much - but it will get used.




On the menu - almost everything is local
Turkey - raised in Quebec
stuffing (my grandmother's recipe)
new potatoes, broccoli, salad - all locally grown
Apple cake - with Quebec apples
Strawberries - still local

It feels good to be able to serve mainly local food. Only too soon our growing season will be over and we will be shipping in fresh produce. In the meantime - a time to feast!

Fall Fantasy

Fall reveals its seasonal splendour dressing the trees in fiery clothes.

Leafy carpets cover the grass, redecorating the landscape.



Trees compete to show off their fashion finery.



Cold rainy nights make the trees shiver and slowly drop their their leaves, revealing their woody skeletons.

Autumn splendour is ever-changing, a last fancy festivity before the long winter rest.

Toronto

Toronto is not that far from Montreal (about 500 km or 350 mi) but the architecture is quite different. Houses in the older parts of Toronto tend to be very close together, often to the point that it is a tight squeeze between them. Another common characteristic is the front porch. In Montreal, row housing is more common in certain areas with outdoor staircases. I featured some samples here.

As we walked in this neighbourhood we came across one house which was not typical of Toronto. A simple home had been decorated like a frosted wedding cake. They were trying to transplant their Greek heritage. But frankly it was over the top! It was topped with statuary like fancy frosting. There is no accounting for taste.

Fall Fare

So many shapes and kinds of gourds! I love the way fall treats us to new colours. While green is the predominant colour of summer with splashes of every hue in the gardens, autumn slowly turns to the warm colours - yellows, oranges and some reds before it fades into sepia.

Competing for Attention

I like the play of the different elements in this image. They each compete for attention.  I sometimes wonder what drives graffiti writers. While I admire true graffiti artists, the tags and scribbles here just deface the building. I don't understand the mentality of people who think this is OK.