Eluding a tackle

 

Bishop Mac vs. Erin.
Guelph. April 26th.

A tackle in 4 easy steps

 

 

 

Soccer: an elegant game played by thugs
Rugby: a thug's game played by gentlemen.
Tomas playing rugby for the Bishop Macdonell Celtics. April 26th.

the closer I get to you...

the life you find in the dark recesses (of our pantries)

Reminds me of a young Linda Ronstadt

Katharine McPhee with "I've got You Under My Skin"

2012 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography

Welcome Home, The Story of Scott Ostrom
Craig F. Walker: The Denver Post

Bella's Brothel in Guelph

Well, it's not really. The signage is changed on a regular basis by the owner of this establishment who fixes washers and dryers.

The photo above presents Bella's as dark and foreboding. The photo below presents a different atmosphere: more "yesterday", more like a bygone era retro. These two photos were taken less than  a minute apart.

What a difference a photo makes! Alice Street, Guelph. April 14th.

Silk

Goldie Mill. April 6th.

A shadow and its tree

 

Guelph. April 6th.

WTF! an early morning observation: a disconnect

The bus stop where I stand at 6 am every morning is a strip plaza with two establishments open for business at that time of day: a Shell gas station advertising regular gas at $1.37 and a Tim Horton's with a drive-through.

On one side is a gas station with record-high gas prices, and on the other side is a line-up of over 20 vehicles at a time going through the drive-through window. It seems to me that early-morning starters prefer big oversized SUVs and trucks because that's what the vehicle line-up is made up of. In the meantime, there is no line-up inside the Tim's. It would make so much more sense for the drivers to park their cars, turn off the engine, and go inside Tim's to grab their caffeine fix. So much more sense on two levels: getting your coffee faster and saving money on idling gas.

Who says we're the thinking specie?

Makes me want to scream ...

The Jogger

April 6th.

The SCREAM

Found this stone embedded on the east wall of the ruins of the Goldie Mill; oriented the right way, it resembles the silent scream of a crushed spirit from a long time ago. The mass of men lead lives of silent screams, finite lives perhaps conscious of a way out but genetically programmed for annihilation in a culture of  greed, consumption, and self-absorption.

This is our reminder! April 6th.

12

The number 12 holds prime significance in different people's cultures, religions, and mythology from time immemorial, from the ancients be they  Egyptians,  Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Jewish, Christian. Greek, and Norse, as well as in modern times.

The number 12 is the result of 4x3, 4 elements -  4 corners of the earth - 4 cardinal points. When these are multiplied  4 x 3, three being the sacred number of God, the result is 12 - the perfect number. The number 12 reflects to the ancient meaning of 12 being the number of perfection.
The Goldie Mill, Guelph. April 6th.

Good Friday in Guelph

For a few years, a few years ago, the Good Friday service at the Mono Mills United Church included a quiet meditative time that was jarringly disturbed by the sound of a hammer driving a nail into wood, again, and again, and again. This to me, more than all the teachings that I can remember, has symbolized Good Friday. I found this rusted old nail on the ancient stones of the Goldie Mill, along the banks of the Speed River.

The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in front of the Church of Our Lady, seemingly in anticipation of a resurrection.

... in rapt attention.

speaker at a conference at the Intercontinental. April 3rd.

Pears

 

memories of last Fall, 2011

Peppers: homage to Edward Weston

more than one way of looking at it.

and that's why I prefer to meet at a coffee shop...

I'm a huge fan of craigslist.ca for most of my photo equipment needs. If you know what you are looking for, and you have researched the item that you need/want, Craigslist in a major city is a goldmine. Likewise, if you have a quality, reasonably-priced item that you would like to sell, Craigslist is the place to be (Kijiji is quite good too but for photo and video in the Greater Toronto Area, Craigslist seems to be more popular). And unlike on ebay, you can see the item(s) in person.

I always make it my rule, whether as a buyer or a as a seller, to meet the other party halfway, distance-wise, partly for security reasons but also for a higher comfort level; there is no pressure to buy or sell since both parties took the same amount of effort to get to the meeting place.

So it struck me as very funny when I saw this video clip on youtube:

A special bike shop: Guelph's Backpeddling

Sometimes, one is lucky enough to come across a business establishment that offers really great value, in more ways than one. 

The selection of new bikes is varied and the prices are quite competitive. They also have the best selection of used bikes, from high-end to pedestrian, all affordably priced. There are vintage bikes, exotic bikes, recumbent bikes, etc; if you don't see it, Clayton the owner can order one for you.

 

There are biking accessories crammed in every nook and cranny of this huge shop. The bike mechanics are very helpful and knowledgeable and can talk to a customer at the customer's level of enthusiasm for the sport, from the competitive to the weekend biker. 

They have a generous trade-in program for kids' bikes as well as a good selection of mechanically sound beater bikes. This is a shop that WANTS you to get on two wheels; the bikes are priced to do so. 

Clayton and his crew are dedicated bikers who love the sport, and Guelph is very lucky to have Backpeddling in town.

(Oh, and did you know that their shop could easily qualify as a bike museum.... just check out the collector bikes that adorn the walls from floor to ceiling!)

March 31st.