Category: Place
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A Public Art Tour of Ottawa’s Light Rapid Transit (LRT) O-Train Stations
I’m walking past Pimisi Station on LeBreton Flats wondering why I’ve waited so long to explore the treasure trove of public art in Phase 1 of Ottawa’s LRT O-Train stations. (Oh, right, there’s been that year of Covid and all). A few days later, on the coldest day of the year, I buy my first… Read more
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How to Get An Artist Residency
Because every creative project deserves a great origin story: One early morning in late November 2019, I was shooting on Deas Island in South Delta, B.C., on the outskirts of Vancouver. The mist was low, the sun was rising and hoar frost covered the ground. It was a spectacular morning. As I began walking up island, a… Read more
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24 Sussex Drive is Falling Down
Contrary to opinions offered by former tenants of the building, reality television stars, CBC listeners, and social media commentators, there is no single right answer to the question: What should become of the Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive? In fact, it doesn’t matter whether the building is razed or retrofitted. Either way, there… Read more
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Three Days, Two Skates and One Big Apple
In my rural village of a hundred souls we wait for a deep spell of cold, with little snowfall, to produce sturdy, pristine ice on the canal. Our natural rinks, spontaneously cleared by locals, last a few hours or a few days, eventually kiboshed by fluctuating temperatures, freezing rain or heavy snowpack. But while they last, those… Read more
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Arrested Developments
So there I was watching Arrested Development reruns when the Bluth family model home flashed up on screen. It’s the running gag where the turreted McMansion sits alone in desert-like surroundings, where the family lives amongst the staged bowls of plastic fruit waiting for prospective buyers who never come. And I laugh, of course, because it’s… Read more
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Drive-By Shooting, Saskatchewan Style
Saskatchewan is ridiculously beautiful even on the rainiest of days. I am heart-broken that torrential rain is falling – and scheduled to keep doing so – for the three days we’re meant to camp in Grasslands National Park. I have saved some of the best for last, a coveted new stop before we make the final push home to… Read more
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When Spring Comes
Stand here on the bridge with me And look down below See how high the river is From all the melting snow I think the river is laughing Like a thousand old ladies Like a thousand silver chimes in the wind ~ Jane Siberry, “When Spring Comes” It’s physically ugly, this… Read more
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The Lost Villages of the St. Lawrence
The vintage homes and buildings look picturesque and inviting under the winter sky. They’re clustered together, in traditional village style, interlaced with Christmas-like trees frosted with snow. But what I see is not a real village. The clapboard church, barbershop, school and other buildings grouped by the side of County Rd. 2, near Long Sault,… Read more
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Winter Dreaming of a Summer Island
The air was warm with an exotic charm, Not Canada at all And a small northern lake; A land of soft desire. A depth of turquoise fire, A height of foreign stars Only the water glittered In a cool northern way Sparkling against the rocks. – Excerpt from The Island (Experiment in Magic), Katherine Hale Read more
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“Mnemonic: A Book of Trees” by Theresa Kishkan – Post 4 (of 5)
My husband had a nomadic childhood too and when we met, we decided we wanted to create a home for our children which would be constant. And it was. It is. Read more