Day 310: Papineau House

Day 310: Papineau House, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This was the home of Joseph Papineau, a notary and politician who lived from 1752-1841. The house remained in the hands of the Papineau family. Joseph's son, Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786-1871), was a politician and leader of the Patriotes who objected to British rule. He had to go into exile for a number of years before he was pardoned. You can see a winter photo of Papineau House. I had the pleasure of attending a concert in the house's gardens. It is wonderful when our historic buildings are put to many uses.

For more information about the building (in French) click here.

Day 309: Thinning Out

Day 309: Thinning Out, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I have always loved this larch tree which stands in front of my house. It is an anomaly - a conifer that loses its needles. It waits until the flash of the reds have passed and then changes from green to golden brown. The needles drop, covering the space beneath. Many years the snow falls before all the needles have fallen and they pepper the whiteness with their golden sprinkles.

There is always action in this tree, with squirrels chasing each other up and down or birds feasting on the seeds inside the cones. Down the street, a large tree was cut down. It's moving time for all the creatures who depended on it. Perhaps some will chose to enjoy the embrace of this venerable tree.

Day 308: Through the Window

Day 308: Through the Window, originally uploaded by susanvg.

The early morning sun washed out the view a bit. The leaves, once green, then orange have faded. Only the oak hangs on to its bronze leaves, determined to be the last to reveal its naked limbs.

It's wonderful to have an office with a view to watch the changing seasons, to see the squirrels cavorting in the trees, to see the light change as the day goes by.

Day 307: Interpretation

Day 307: Interpretation, originally uploaded by susanvg.

In Quebec, where French is the official language, signs are often an issue. While most of the province is French-speaking, Montreal and its suburbs is a mix of French, English and the languages of its many immigrants. I guess in an attempt to have signs understood by all, but keeping with the Quebec sign law which requires the predominance of French, people have resorted to symbols which are meant to be understood by all, yet may be understood by none.

I realize this probably means the spot is reserved for people with babies, but there is a subliminal message here as to what a family is made up of. Is the spot reserved only for this kind of family? Pictures don't necessarily convey what the designer intended.In our politically correct world what would you come up with to designate this spot?

Day 306: Fading

Day 306: Fading, originally uploaded by susanvg.

The leaves that have fallen are losing their colour and fading. I remember as a child, we tried to preserve leaves to keep their vibrant colour all year long. Sometimes we would melt parafin wax and dip the leaves in. It certainly slowed the drying, but eventually the leaves became brittle. Other times we pressed leaves in books or ironed them between two pieces of waxed paper. When my children were young, we made placemats with clear "mactac". We peeled the backing off the mactac, carefully places the leaves and then sealed them in with another piece of mactac. We enjoyed using the placemats, but the leaves slowly faded.

I guess the best way to preserve the colour is through photography and through memory. And, unfortunately those too may fade. But fortunately, each autumn we get to experience, once more, the glory of the changing leaves.

Day 305: Geese

Day 305: Geese, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Nothing says autumn quite like the flocks of geese flyng overhead. We saw this large assembly near Casselman. It was the first time I had seen snow geese and there were many mingling with the Canada geese. I imagine they fly in separate flocks, but they were all enjoying the pickings from this farmer's field.

It was a beautiful sunny day, the kind that celebrates the beauty of the changes as the plant life dries up and the last of the milkweed scatter its seeds. In this area, the trees have lost their foliage, exposing nests that once sheltered. These geese will be off soon, looking for more hospitable places, where food will be plentiful over the coming winter.

Day 304: Building...

Day 304: Building..., originally uploaded by susanvg.

A bus station is being built in Casselman on the outskirts of town. I find it interesting to see how the town is changing. The main street looks quite depressed, with a number of stores closed. The centre of activity seems to be moving to the outskirts with two large chain hardware stores, a big pharmacy and a large supermarket. There is talk of building a Walmart which will finish off what is left of the local stores.

Part of Casselman is simply a bedroom community for Ottawa and as such, residents seem to want the suburban life with big box stores rather than the rural life of a small town. I wonder if it is possible to have both.