Mural in Quebec City

Mural in Quebec City, originally uploaded by susanvg.

The shadows of scaffolding left from Quebec's winter carnival cast patterns on the mural. But the mural itself has layers of history - like shadows of the past visiting the present. While men in 19th century garb look out from a balcony, a young couple from today kiss passionately just around the corner. Sometimes I feel that way as I look at a place and see it through the eyes of my past.



In daylight, the physical shadows disappeared, but the layers of time remain. Many things happen in one place over time. Imagine the astonishment if these figures of the past could see the present.

July 21/10: Show of Power

July 21/10: Show of Power, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I came across this statue in Queen's Park and was struck by the sense of aggrandizement. I didn't stop to read the name - I've seen this kind of statue before. It's almost always a man, larger than life, placed so we have to look up to him. It's one way people strive for immortality. As I walk through Toronto (as in other cities) there are buildings named for major donors. Here too is a quest for leaving a lasting legacy.
While it is interesting to see from a historical perspective, I wish there was more celebration of ordinary lives. Social history intrigues me more than learning about monarchs and wars and the indescribably rich.

June 19/10: Old Chair

June 19/10: Old Chair, originally uploaded by susanvg.

More memories - I wonder what the story of this chair is. How many homes has it lived in? Who made it? It now sits in a bedroom. I've been thinking a lot about old items and the stories they carry. It is too bad that these items do not come with their history - where they have been and what they have witnessed. They carry the history of our country - the life of the people, not the events that get into history books.

Day 182: Walking through History

Day 182: Walking through History, originally uploaded by susanvg.

At conference end, my colleagues and I went on a walking tour of the monuments on the mall in Washington, DC. The Lincoln Memorial touches me as I remember events associated with it as well as what it represents - more than Lincoln and his efforts to unite his country and emancipate the slaves, but also the role this place has played in terms of continuing that work.
I went to a session this morning by Bernie Dodge, who talked about PuzzlePlaces - a new tool he is developing to encourage the use of maps. This reminded me of an old friend who talked of "The map is not the territory". It is only when we get into the territory that we begin to understand it - we can represent it in a map, but that is only the abstraction of the reality. The territory reveals so much more. Bernie spoke of how compelling uses of Google Maps and Google Earth can help us learn so much more through mashups, making connections to history, geography, literature, to better understand the territory.

Today we walked the territory, with a guide who filled in pieces that made the experience come alive, through stories. Through him, the mall filled with soldiers' tents as they bivouaced there during the civil war; a baseball player stood poised waiting to catch a ball dropped from the Washington Monument, soldiers died as they fought in battles in the Pacific, in Europe and in Viet Nam. And for me, Martin Luther King stood looking over a sea of people and inspired a nation to dream. From that vantage point where he stood, you can see across to the Capitol where, not so long ago, another step was taken on that road to freedom and dignity for all people when Barack Obama was sworn in as president.

History speaks through this place, its stories echo through to all who will listen.

Day 119: Maison LeBer-LeMoyne

Day 119: Maison LeBer-LeMoyne, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Montreal is a mix of old and new. Like many cities, some of our heritage has been lost to new developments, but we are getting a little better at preserving our history. This old house, now part of a small museum is thought to be the oldest intact building on the island. The house was built in 1669 (about 25 years after Montreal was founded) and housed the oldest fur trading post in Lachine (a suburb of Montreal). The fur traders set out from here and not Montreal because it was past the Lachine rapids which were not navigable by boat. Now a museum, the house was built on land bought from René-Robert Cavelier de LaSalle, the first Seigneur in this area (better known as an explorer) to house the employees of LeBer and Le Moyne.

I try to imagine it at the time it was built. There were certainly no electric or telephone wires! It was surrounded by dense forest, facing the river. A small colony grew up around the fur trade as the coureurs des bois needed provisions and the traders needed a place for their goods. The steep roof was built that way so snow could not accumulate. Even today there are occasional roof cave-ins in modern buildings because people do not clear the snow off them. But it is no longer winter and my thoughts are on the beautiful spring weather.