Where does it lead...

Where does it lead..., originally uploaded by susanvg.

Montreal has many underground passageways to let people move from one building to the next without going outside. Some are lined with shops. This one twists and goes up and down.



A busker takes advantage of the warm spot to ply his trade. The sound reverberates along the passageway just as his image reverberates through the mirrors. He seemed to have charmed many passers-by as his case had amassed a tidy sum. Fortunately no snakes were dancing out of it.



Down the stairs you can see beyond as the mirrors let us glimpse around the corner.

This path leads one way with no branches, no decisions, so unlike the path our life takes with choices, back-tracking, breaking trails, and finding new paths to take.

Daily Shoot: Make a photograph featuring a path, road, or trail that leads the eye through the photograph.

Up to the Door

Up to the Door, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I was at the Westmount Library for a lecture. I love the idea of libraries, but I am an inveterate book buyer. I love to own books, and like a librarian, every so often I painfully have to weed books from my collection. I have stacks still unread. I know I should join a library. I'm actually a member of the provincial library (BANQ), but mainly use some online databases. It's just that I'm not good with reading to a deadline and if a book is good, I like to see it on my book shelf reminding me of the treasures lying within.

Daily Shoot: Make a photograph with a triangular composition.
I got out too late - so the triangle is somewhat obscured by the darkness.

Tag

Tag, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Daily Shoot: Illustrate one of the various meanings of the word tag today in a photograph.
Just read the tag!
Buying clothing has become more complicated with moral decisions accompanying fashion decisions. There was a time when I shopped that I bought something if I liked it and I could afford it. Now many criteria affect my decision. Where was it made? Do I want to support outsourcing or goods made in my country? Was it made in a sweat shop? What is the fabric? Does it breathe? What are the washing requirements? Does it have to be dry cleaned? What about environmental questions - if it comes from far is this a good choice? Is it made from a renewable resource? ... So many questions with answers often conflicting. Complications...

Cyclamen Flowers

Cyclamen Flowers, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This time of year I need flowers. I featured this plant a few days ago. Some of the buds have now opened. As I check out my online friends' photostreams, I linger over the flowers in Florida and southern Australia. Greenery and colour abound. I have to be satisfied with my indoor garden. But today the sun shone, with brilliant blue skies.



This yellow orchid sits on my window sill. putting a splash of colour in front of the sometimes white or grey landscape. I follow the growth of each plant, delighting in new buds, waiting patiently for them to open. Four of my orchids have sent up shoots. More flowers to come soon.

Late Sun on the Milkweed

Late Sun on the Milkweed, originally uploaded by susanvg.

January 9
Some long rays of sun reached us this afternoon. But cold, damp windy gusts kept us from taking a long walk. I've always loved the look of the dried flowers and grasses sticking up through the snow. Many years ago, my late husband and I wanted to start buying art for our home. We saw a painting by William Allister that we loved, but it was too expensive. We settled on a small canvas - very reminiscent of this winter scene.



My photograph doesn't do it justice. Allister was a distant friend of my parents. He was a Canadian artist and writer who wrote a novel of his time as a POW during the second world war: A Handful of Rice. You can learn more about Allister here.

Criss Cross

Criss Cross, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This blog helps me stay fit. I feel compelled to go out and take a photograph, so off I went for a good walk, but still did not get a shot that made me happy. The day was grey - no bright sun to create strong converging lines (daily shoot), just grey mist making the lines disappear in the distance.
The railroad bisects Casselman and the haunting sound of the train whistles can frequently be heard.

Lever Handle

Lever Handle, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Many of the handles in my house are of this variety - a lever not a knob. My daughter has a cat that lives in our basement along with my daughter. She (the cat, not my daughter) was supposed to stay for one night, but about 5 years later she is still here. As my spouse of a few years is allergic to cats and barely tolerates my less allergenic Cornish Rexes, I have not allowed the basement cat upstairs. But that did not stop her. She learned to jump at the basement door and swat the lever, thus releasing the catch and pushing on the door to open it. Every so often I would find her wandering around the house, much to the chagrin of the upstairs cats. So we changed the handle. She still bravely launches herself at the door and swats, but unless someone has left the door ajar, which occasionally happens, her efforts are futile.

I did catch her wandering around the house the other morning. She quite enjoyed exploring and my old cats no longer seem bothered by her presence.

Larch Cones

Larch Cones, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I often like things that are a little out of the ordinary, that don't always follow all the rules. Larch trees are one of those things - conifers, but they lose their needles. So autumn is a time for them to change colour from green to a golden yellow. Some of the cones stay on the trees providing food for squirrels and some birds. Without the needles, I have a good view as they stop and feast on a winter's day.

Fire Station Tower

Fire Station Tower, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I often find myself driving past buildings and thinking I should stop and take a picture. Architectural details interest me - old doors, stained glass windows, decorative details. This time I stopped by the fire station on Gatineau in Montreal. The tower once must have been used to watch for fires. The building was constructed in 1908. At the time the tower probably was higher than all other buildings around. Though most of the buildings nearby are still two stories, there are newer apartments and office buildings that surpass this tower.

Here is what the main part of the building looks like.


This fire station adds character to its surroundings, unlike many of the utilitarian buildings of more recent times.

Noël

Noël, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I played music with a friend today (Vivaldi, Handel and some suites by an anonymous composer) and Noël kept us company. He seems to really like music, always sitting through our sessions (and the lessons of my friend's cello students). His two feline family members stay well-hidden. What makes an animal partial to music? Or does he just crave the companionship?

There is a cat, Nora, who plays the piano with her piano teacher owner. Her YouTube video came to the attention of a composer, Mindaugas Piecaitis, who wrote a concerto with her music.  Noël has not yet started playing music nor has he joined in with feline vocalizations, but he makes a great audience.

Beginnings

Beginnings, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Daily Shoot: Make a photo illustrating a fresh start, a new beginning, or the first step to a goal.
This cyclamen rewards me with new blooms. Like me, the plant has been around a while but it constantly creates new growth. New Year's is always a time to stop and reflect, to ponder whether the path we are on is the one we want to be taking, to set goals to tweak our lives and thus create new growth. Life is in constant change - the changes that happen to us and the changes we make happen. We have to tend our inner gardens well, to nourish, to find the sunshine and to revel in our own blooms.
Wishing all my friends new growth and a year full of blossoming dreams.