Ice Sculptures

Mushrooms, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Driving by on the weekend I noticed these ice sculptures. I decided to take a walk on St-Denis to see them more closely. An icy wind accompanied me. What was fun, was that the sculptures often depicted something representative of the business behind them.

This espresso maker stood before a kitchenware store. An ice shoe sat in front of a shoe store. You can see some of the sculptures below. Others I did not include were a cat and dog in front of a vet, bottles and glasses in front of a bar, a strong man in front of a spa... Each was a delightful find.

Spirals

Spirals, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

We went walking, dropping into antique stores, trying to find a door knocker. No luck there, but I always find interesting architecture.



This is one of the shops we stopped in. What a clutter of items! In another store the proprietor was fast asleep on a chair with a book in her lap. We tiptoed out so as not to wake her.



Nice to see old places come to life again. It is now used as a concert venue - though not for the kind of concerts I go to, so I guess I won't get to see the inside!

At Summit Park in Winter

Nature's Sculpture, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

We traipsed through the woods on snowshoes, chilled by winter's icy breath. I tried to convince myself that it invigorated me, but each time I took off my mitts to snap the shutter the tips of my fingers burned.



The bare trees afford views of the city. Spring will bring back the leafy curtain which will hide it once again.



Dogs play, romping through the snow, enjoying being untethered. What fun to see them, tails high, chasing and playing in the snow.



Each day the sun sets a little later. A little longer to enjoy the outdoors.

No Picnic Today

No Picnic Today, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I took a brief walk in Parc-des-Rapides. After a while my fingers started to burn with the cold. It will be a while before I am tempted by an outdoor picnic, especially at the water's edge.



Here the water doesn't freeze as the river races over the rapids. In summer people ride the rapids. No one would be foolhardy enough to venture over these icy cold waters now.




Plants lie dormant. Here and there a few dried leaves still cling to branches. Mostly trees stand, their skeletons bared.




Even my camera gave out in the cold. So I headed back to warmth to thaw my fingers.

Changing architecture

Changing architecture, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

This building sits at the corner of Greene Avenue and St. Catherine. Once a bank as the writing and large crest attests to, when the branch closed it had to find a new use. The last incarnation was as an antique shop and the building owner saw fit to erect the (not quite) portico. It detracts from the original architecture. The antique shop closed a couple of years ago and the building was sold. It still has not really found a new use. I hope the new owner does not have ideas of adding to the architecture yet again - unless it is to remove the addition thus adding to the building's beauty.

Garlic

Garlic, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

At Atwater Market, the abundance of food is astonishing. Colours, aromas, temptations abound. I managed to come home only with what was on my list - a feat of self-discipline.

Marché Bonsecours

Marché Bonsecours, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Despite the cold weather, all it takes is a good concert to lure me out at night. And last night's concert was well worth the effort. Adrian Butterfield played the Four Seasons by Vivaldi with Clavecin en Concert. It was a very expressive, well thought out performance - a bit of magic on a winter's evening.

The suite of four concertos ends with Winter - appropriately last night as we left the church into the gusty night.



The cold didn't stop me from enjoying the beautiful lighting of the buildings in Old Montreal. But even the warm lights didn't mitigate against the harsh wind that buffeted us.

Blackberries at Breakfast

Blackberries at Breakfast, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Somehow cereal tastes better with berries. I pick out which ever are not ridiculously expensive this time of year. These blackberries were sweet and tasted of sunshine. I am getting to the end of my stash of blueberries that I froze last summer. This summer I think I will freeze a greater amount. They defrost so quickly, I just run them under cold water and throw them into my cereal bowl, or mix them with yogourt. A bit of summer flavour to help through the cold winter season.

Blue Skies

Blue Skies, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

It's hard to feel blue when the skies are so blue. Branches reach up to the sky in celebration. February days, with pristine snow and bright sunshine are the best of winter. The heaviness of the long dark nights is lifting as days are noticeably longer.

Winter Finery

Winter Finery, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

When snow melts, the accumulated sand, salt and city grit coat the city in dirt. Now all is covered in pristine white. Trees wear their winter finery. A little magic has descended on the city.

Former Post Office

Former Post Office, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Change - the needs of a city change with new technologies, and all the ways things evolve. This beautiful old post office building has not been a post office for quite some time. It evolved into a small mall and offices for a short while and now the whole building houses a wine company. Post offices are closing becoming counters in pharmacies and now our federal government has decided to slowly stop door-to-door service, opting to install outdoor boxes.

I feel sorry for all the shut ins, the young parents with kids who may have to dress them in winter and trudge out in the snow to get their mail and those with disabilities. And what about anyone with a short-term illness - the flu or whatever? In addition there are parts of the city where there is barely place to install these units. Snow clearance is already a challenge with parking meters etc. We don't need more clutter near our sidewalks.

Change - we have to accept it - but not when it is a step backwards!