Cobblestones

Cobblestones, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I like the feeling of walking on history - to step where others from a different time have stepped. With our modern roads new asphalt covers over the old with history's footsteps obliterated. This cobblestone has been witness to a longer history, back in Montreal's past. As I waited to get in to a concert, I snapped this photograph. The car lights flooded the street, testimony to the layers of time in this place.

Yet even this street has only borne witness for a few hundred years. In travelling I have walked on roads much older and stepped where famous people of history have walked.

Here in Montreal, I walk in the footsteps of the people who settled here, leaving their homes an ocean away to live in what was sometimes a very hostile environment. I walk where the sailors have walked as they entered the church where the concert was held, offering prayers for safe journeys. I stroll where the merchants of Montreal walked on their way to Bonsecours Market. Each generation has left its imprint on the city and each generation has, at times, erased the past to make way for the future through demolition and new structures. It is nice to have a part of the city where we can still connect with the city's past.

Cheers

Cheers, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A nice dinner before a concert - life is good. The wine glass glowed from the light of the fake candle. The Bach Festival has started with a lovely rendering of St. John's Passion performed by Arion and Les Voix Baroques. And outside the city turned white with fresh fallen snow.

Back to the boots, hats, scarves and mitts. But the air smelled fresh and the snow crunched under foot. Daylight seems brighter reflected off the snow and night-time sparkles. The first snows are festive as holidays approach. Snow in March feels wearisome.

So cheers to all - to an easy winter, to wonderful music, to a festive December.

Cold Day Warm Soup

Cold Day Warm Soup, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Slippery sidewalks make for treacherous walking. So today I stayed home and cooked and caught up on paperwork - but the food was more photogenic than the stacks of paper I sorted through.

The house smells wonderful with cooking smells wafting up the stairs to my office. When I was small, my mother sometimes served me soup with a whole chicken leg in the bowl "chicken in the pot", but since this photo, I have stripped the meat from the bones. I love to have soups- freshly made or defrosted from the freezer. They make a wholesome meal and warm you up on cold winter days.

Paperwork, on the other hand, doesn't quite have that same warming effect. As soon as I sort through one stack, the postman brings more to the house. There is a never-ending supply. Sometimes I feel like I am a processing plant taking mail in, sorting it for various recipients in this house, then dealing with my own, with envelopes in recycling and the important pieces on the continuously growing piles. At least I made a good dent today.

Fairy Lights

Fairy Lights, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Not my best shot - I should have used a tripod, but I was passing these in my car. - yes I parked before taking this photo.
We are heading into the darkest part of the year, with the shortest day being less than a month away. Lights are appearing all over the city. They used to be "Christmas lights" which would appear in December and be gone some time in January. Now they seem to appear earlier and last most of the winter. I like the British term - fairy lights. It makes them appropriate for any season. In many countries, December is a time for festivals and holidays for which light - whether candles, oil lamps, stars... is a symbol of the holiday. It certainly brightens the season, making long dark nights sparkle.

Bus

Bus, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Montreal has a fairly good public transportation system, especially for those who live in the city core. But the car still rules. More highways are being built while the municipalities wrangle over where a commuter train should run. I do admit, I am guilty; I use my car for most outings. I am trying to walk more (this photo was taken when I walked from my home to do some errands) and to take the metro whenever I can to get where I want to go. In today's brisk 1°C plus winds, I was glad I did not have to stand waiting for a bus. And this is only the beginning of our cold season.

Daily Shoot: Illustrate the process or thought of traveling today, possibly by documenting your own travels.

Over the Top

Over the Top, originally uploaded by susanvg.

As I was walking today, I came upon this house. I have seen many houses decorated (too soon, I think) for Christmas, but this one is really over the top. This photo doesn't give the full effect. Some of these giant inflatable decorations are hidden by the ones in front. I am providing some other views so you can see just how excessive these are.
       
It becomes a case of "you can't see the trees for the forest" It's just one big jumble of stuff. Oh - just give me a few tasteful lights that chase the darkness away instead of all these commercially made apparitions!

Museum of Nature

Museum of Nature, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A trip to the Canadian Museum of Nature which was recently renovated. This new glass addition shines in the light, quite a contrast to the stone exterior. It appears, almost as an illusion - there but not quite there. You can learn more about it here. I discovered that there was originally a tower built but it had to be dismantled in the early 1900s as the soil underneath could not support the weight. I'm not sure how I feel about this addition. It certainly makes moving between sections of the museum easier.