Day 34

Weather's movin' in:

The weather seems to be crazy all over Canada these days and Tbay is no exception. With the heat and humidity through the roof, fog moving into the north end in a small dense patch surrounded by blue sky and now the whole city is overcast causing the setting sun to streak the thin cover with intense red. I was leaving for work this afternoon when I noticed this large cloudy hand moving over the neighbourhood foreshadowing what was to come. I welcome it. The break it brought from the high temps is a relief.

Day 33

St. Andrew's Presbyterian:

Found myself on the south-side of town today needing to take a bus home. [It's been years since I have had to do this but Barry had to get the girls to camp.] In case you don't know, the south side bus depot is now at City Hall which is to the left, behind the pole. I had some time to kill and, being Sunday, the place was empty. It was the opportunity I needed to case the joint. I need to come back when it is full of people.

The poster on the pole is advertising the Multicultural Youth Center. Interesting that there are posters taped to poles at City Hall now that there is a by-law preventing such. At least I think there is.

FYI: do you know that buses talk now? A soothing lady's voice announces each stop as it approaches. It's obviously some kind of text reader software. Occasionally street names are so garbled I have no idea what was just said. It can be both amusing and annoying.

Day 32

Let's put this one in the "You're bugging me" category, and it's been bugging me for weeks!

They tore down the former Brew Pup and Shoppers Drug-mart, that had a walk-in clinic, to build a new, bigger Shoppers. So now, as you can see, the clinic is at ...the Hospital! .... thata-way....
[We could also put this in the "No shit sherlock" category. Imagine finding health care at the hospital! And isn't part of the benefit of going to a walk-in is so you can avoid the back-log at the hospital?]

This clinic, usually very busy, was located in a densely populated area that includes some lower-income housing. There were people that used this clinic that literally "walked in". This sign almost makes one think the hospital is just down the street. Well, it kinda is, about 3.5 km. A nice little jaunt for a sick person or parent with sick kid. Luckily there is a bus that passes right by. Just add the $5 return trip cost per-person to your budget. As someone who has gone through tight financial times finding bus fare can mean something else is being sacrificed.

It's just seems logical to me that moving the clinic to the County Fair Mall, a 5-10 minute walk from here, which is almost empty and directly adjacent to part of the community, would make more sense. But then who am I? Just a middle-aged mother sticking her two cents in.

Of course the up shot is that a nicer walk-in clinic will be built here....at least that is the hope.

Day 31

Fanatics:

The line-up for the new Harry Potter movie, 7pm show. My girls were there shortly after 4. At that point the line was as long as the hall. Many were dressed up. They entertained themselves with reading, texting, chatting, one group was deep in the middle of a Monopoly game. Can you spot the female "Ron" having her picture taken?

The lady at the front of the line, about my age and with her teenage daughter had been there since 11am. This is hardcore for Thunder Bay.

As I was leaving I called back to the line, "Have fun all you hardcore people!" the lady asked me, "Aren't you staying?". When I explained that I had no interest in the movie, hadn't even read the books she chatted with me for a bit, telling me how the books were written, how the author wrote the 1st book on bits of paper and napkins because that is all she had and how they were not just for children and well written. I left her saying that just because she had taken the time to talk and shared her passion so well I would have to go home and read at least the first one. I know it's around here somewhere.

Day 30

Evening in the neighbourhood:

I love the evening light. I live in a densely populated area of townhouses, duplexes and concrete yet just beyond the rooftops a large green space, dense with trees, is easily assessable by paved trails. Runners and walkers who use the paths create their own community, greeting each other as they pass.

Whenever I find myself at the end of the day without a picture I head for the trail, usually with a family member. Tonight my companion was my husband. Precious time together

Day 29

McVickers Creek:

We have quite a bit of beautiful nature right in the heart of our city. This is just one spot. This little creek, rushing towards Lake Superior, through residential areas, under roads and bridges, must run smack-dab through the heart of downtown. The walking path along it's shore is sweet and lush. A treasure to find amongst civilization. It is also the favourite stomping ground of transients. :D

Day 28

I Live Here -2:

Ok, I did another self portrait.

That is the iconic, Sleeping Giant in the background with a freighter floating just beyond the breakwater, a common sight as are sailboats. The natural protection the thunder bay provides from the open water of Lake Superior makes it perfect for sailing.

The tough part with self portraits: One's inclination is to choose the picture that makes one look good where as the photographer's inclination is to pick the most interesting shot. Do I go for pretty or character? Hopefully I found a happy medium.

ps: I caught up!!! :D

Day 27

Chain link: [July 11th]

Not thrilled with this one. I was pressed for time and had to just take what I got. I wanted the flowers to be in focus. Well the chain link looks kinda cool.

Day 26

Sunset: [July 10th]

Ya, I know, I already posted a picture of these flowers but sometimes the perfect shot is just there and you can't resist it. I was sitting in my friend's backyard, right at eye level with this little scene, whipped out my blackberry and...snap!

Day 25

After the Rain 2: [July 9th]

This is a weed, very tall, about 5', and acts like a dandelion. This the puff-ball of seeds after most have floated away.

Day 24

Bubble!: [July 8th]

I was visiting my sister, when her son decided to blow some bubbles. It's true what they say....doing this project makes you look at the scene in a different way. I'm not sure I would have thought of doing it this way before.

Day 23

Chair:[July 7th]

Hubby tried to make a chair for his brother for christmas out of branches. It was a great idea and would have worked if the branches were greener and therefore bendy-er.

Day 22

Fuzzy!: [from July 6th]

Day 21

Flower Patch: [from July, 5th]

These flowers always remind me of the precious week I spent in Eabametoong or Fort Hope, a fly-in First Nation's community in North-western Ontario. There I met some of the warmest and resilient people I will ever have the pleasure of knowing. It was an education to say the least. There are those, in our own country, living in 3rd world conditions.

Day 20

Morning After, Stadium Seats: [from July, 4th]

After taking over a 1,000 pictures over 3 days I was done. I took 3 pictures on this day, early in the morning, packed my camera away and didn't take it out until the next day, after a nice sleep in my own bed.

Day 19

Empty Stadium, morning of rodeo day 3: [from July, 3rd]

Despite the way it looks it was a beautiful day. The morning was cool but the sun soon emerged and heated Carberry, Manitoba up quite well.... kinda to well. By the afternoon the humidity was almost to much. An evening shower felt so good. I burnt my face a bit.

The runners-up, taken in the evening after everyone but us, Ontarians, had left:

Day 18

Wipe Out!: [from July, 2nd]

Wild Cow Milking event: a team of 4 must rope a cow. Once team members have the cow by the tail the rope is dropped and the cow is milked. Believe me, the cow doesn't want to be milked. This is by far the most entertaining event.

Here we see Dear Hubby, who had the cow by the tail, being whipped off by said cow. Are anyone's hind legs on the ground in this photo? DH did the tuck and roll immediately following.

Day 17

Day 17: Rodeo Days: [from July, 1st]

I took so many pictures [over a 1,000], making it hard to choose one a day as my favourite or best. I like this one because is shows rodeo action, the spectators and the beautiful blue sky.

For the next few days I am going to try and upload two a day until I get caught up. I might not be able to keep up with work and all. I only took about 385 pictures the first day, over 500 the second. I'm thinking I won't get through those 500 today.

Day 16

Girls in pink have more fun:

This is DD#2, The Dancer, and her friend having fun with clapping songs in her very pink room. It literally glows. I am leaving today for a 4 day camping weekend with the family to cheer on Hubby, the weekend cowboy, as he participates in 3 rodeos in Manitoba. It's very entertaining and amusing. He doesn't do anything really dangerous but so willingly throws himself into it he manages to take some crazy spills. The Dancer will be staying behind with her friend as the two of them are spending a week at a Teen Camp, starting on Sunday.

I shall take pictures everyday but I shall not be able to upload them until I get back. See you in 4-5ish days.

Day 15

Chillaxin'.

Self-portraits are hard!! Just sayin'.
I made it part of my project to take one self-portrait a week and have been putting it off. Today I was out running errands with The Reader and stopped at the Environmental garden to give it a go. The picture I like best is the one of DD I took to help place the camera for my pic. I settled on this one of us together. I'll try again next week.

FYI: my hair is now 1 1/2" and I think this is the last day of the spikes.

Day 14

The Devil's Paintbrush.

Apparently I am on a plant kick. I love these little flowers. It always makes me smile when looking over a mass of dandelions, and other yellow and white wild flowers I spot that shock of orange. There aren't to many times when taking pictures in the direct sunlight is a bonus but with this flower the brightness makes them look as though they are about to catch fire.

Day 13

And what a day 13 it has been, raining, chilly, and my 19 wedding anniversary and I have been working all day and on my way out now to an overnight shift. BLAH! I was seriously considering not bothering with this but was encouraged by a comment about it on my facebook so I ran outside the door and quickly took some shots of the grass not expecting to find anything remarkable.... This little gem surprised me and reminded me that the time to give up is never.

After the rain:

Day 12

Woodlands:

I went for a walk on the trail behind our neighbourhood looking for shots that

looked like they were taken in the deep bush and I feel quite successful, in fact, more than successful. I have extra pictures. It was tough picking just one for the official 365. I will only post the one on my

flickr account but what is keeping me from posting those extras here? It is MY blog. I can do whatever I want with it....so there. FYI: you can always click on the pictures to get a larger view.

Here are the ones that came so close but didn't quite make it:

oh hai, dandelion:

baby tree:

flower carpet.

Where are we? Looks like we should be in the forest except for what is in the background.

Day 11

Pretty.

At 10pm I got off work, rushed to the local all-natural-local-plants-environmentally-friendly garden and took some pics with the last of the fading light. [Thank-goodness for long summer days.] I rushed home to process and upload in time to get the July 25th stamp on this post only to find my family in the middle of watching "Back to the Future" and lost all track of time until it was over. [Hey, we are talking about watching one of the perfect movies here. It's a valid excuse.] Anywho.... I think I just made it.

I love using natural light for taking pictures. I rarely.....Rarely.... and I mean RARELY use flash. Colour is more saturated in the dawn and dusk hours or on an overcast day. Bright sunlight washes colour out. I am very pleased with this shot. It makes me smile. :D

ps: just realized that the time on this post is 3 hours behind the actual time. I was posting at midnight. hmmm...interesting.

Day 10

Shard remains of oven door.

Picture this: 2 teenage girls doing the dishes.....who don't want to....and don't want to be in the same room..... really hoping I can get a door replacement without giving up an arm and a leg although I might be willing to offer my 1st born....or the 2nd.....

....or BOTH.

*sigh*

this too shall pass.

Day 9

Blue.

DD#1, or The Reader, came home with a new cut that she is unsure about. This shot gave me the chance to play a little with Lightroom, the program I use to process my pictures. "Blue" suits the shot and her mood. She'll get over it soon enough.

Day 8

MONKEY!! Knit monkey, that is.

Created by knitter1, who friended me on ravelry.com today. Monkey was installed on June 11th in the middle of Little Finland, across the street from local hotspot of Finish cuisine, the Hoito. [The term "hotspot" is debatable depending on what you think of Finn food or the Hoito but if you want to eat lunch here you gotta stand in line so I think it fits.] Today is a rainy June 22nd so poor monkey has stretched out and slipped down the poll but I think we can all agree that he is still freakin' cute!

Day 7

Light.

Taken on the foot path behind the Landmark Inn where civilization and wilderness meet... for a bit and then the wilderness is split by the highway.... and then more civilization.... but it's right on the edge. Really. You just have to go down the highway a few minutes to hit real wilderness.

Day 6

Canadian Tradition.

One steeped tea: $1.34

One box of Tim bits: $1.99

One boston cream: $.98

One gas up: $20.00

Two boston creams: $1.96

One co-operative husband to get the perfect shot: priceless

This is the shot I tried to get yesterday. Every time the vehicle in front of me was handed their coffee I missed the shot...... every....time! This morning I followed hubby on his way to work, told him to be slow about reaching for the cup. What a dear! When he was handed the cup and he saw I wasn't ready [those Tim's people are fast!] he refused to take it! Back it went. Out it came again. Barry didn't even put his hand out to take it until he was sure I got it. Ain't he sweet?!

BTW, on my Tim's travels yesterday I discovered that this is the only Tim's in town with the sign at the end of the drive-through, making it the only Tim's perfect for this shot. I think you'll agree that getting the sign in the frame was of utmost importance.

Day 5

Juxtaposition. I live here.

Again, today, I found the end of the day approaching and no suitable picture to post. I have a very clear idea for a picture and just couldn't make it happen. Hopefully I will get it tomorrow.......

In frustration I march out the front door with the slightest of ideas....maybe a nature photo? It is an overcast day, making colours more vibrate then usual especially the greens... Perhaps lilacs? T'is the season. Facebook is full of lilac pics these days.

At the end of a short path just across the street is this green space framed by backyard fences opening up to the back parking lot of a nearby mall writhing in the final throws of death, a favourite canvas for the local graffiti.... printers[?]..... babies[?]..... infidels[?] ..... certainly not artists. There is one tree.... perfect.

Day 4

Texture. My hands have texture.

Day 4 and I'm already having trouble keeping up with the commitment. I keep forgetting to take my camera with me when I leave the house. With work, family and other commitments it's hard to find time to focus on doing something creative. So my mission from here on in is to ALWAYS have my camera. Wish me luck!

Day 3

Deep into a serious fitness kick Barry installed a chin-up bar and Sinead has discovered a new ability.

Now I have caught up to my facebook and flickr page. Lets see if I can keep this up?

365 Project -Day 2 [original date:June, 16th]

It's just hair people. Cut it, colour it, play with it. It grows back.

This has been a philosophy of mine since my first haircut in grade 4. Some may say that it is easy for me to say because my hair seems to grow quickly.

Which begs the question: Just how quickly? Let's find out. I recently heard that women past 50 shouldn't have long hair. Hmmm. Sounds like a challenge.

I have two years to 50, two years grow, two years before testing the above assumption.... starting from as close to 0 as I dare: 1 1/4 ", measuring the hair on the top of my head, which is the longest at present. Let the growing begin.

I will post Day 3 later on today so my blog with be caught up to my Facebook and Flickr installments of this project. :D

Count down to 49 -My 365 Project [original start date:June, 15th]

Resurrecting my blog for this special purpose: my 365 Project. I will take a picture and post it everyday for one year..... the count down to turning 49. Not all will be a self portrait but I plan to take at least one a week. Welcome to my life for the following year.

Portrait of a working wife and mother at 48: Outfit complete with faux leather purse from Winners [for fashionable bargain shoppers in the Tbay], fitted jean jacket from Value Village [for die-hard bargain shoppers], handmade jewelry [creative outlet], blackberry [for sanity] and 3" heeled Franco Sarto sandals [most necessary].

And why are 3" heel, "pin-up" cuties on my feet "most necessary"? Because I am a self-neglected mother and it's time to be the fashionable lady I want to be. Those who know me from my pre-LU days ['cause university makes paupers of us all] may remember me as a bit of a fashion plate and will find this as no surprise.

When I make the decision to wear my "lady shoes" I know I'm going to dress like a grown-up lady and not so much like the tired mother I feel. I'm going to have a shower, wear something nice, do my hair and makeup and just feel better about myself. I believe this is important for me at this age.

Wearing lady shoes = dressing better = feeling better = doing better [parenting, housekeeping, wife-ing, jobing....everything!] = being a better version of myself.