Museum of Civilization, Gatineau

Sculpture 6
Originally uploaded by Janice Saunders

My usual approach to the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau is through the front doors, then inside to enjoy whatever particular exhibition or Imax movie that has attracted me there in the first place. But this time my approach was from behind via a lovely stroll along the Ottawa river.

I had never seen this fascinating sculpture garden before. It had been transplanted here... ha ha ha...from Montreal.

‘ The exhibition is by Montreal artist, Louis Archambault, 1915-2003. Archambault created “People”, a grouping of abstract figures, for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67, Montreal’s World’s Fair. He designed the sculptures on a scale that invites visitors to move among and interact with them. All the figures have simple elongated shapes that form whimsical combinations of human, bird, flower and animal imagery. The theme was perfectly suited to the forward looking optimism of Expo 67.’

You can watch a very dated but still interesting video of  the Canadian Pavilion below… the sculpture garden appears at about 14 minutes into the video. The clothes, the music, the technology, the social attitudes expressed, all describe a Canada full of the spirit of youth. Half of Canada’s population was under 25 then, quite a different story today only 43 years later with an aging population instead.

 

 

My parents went to Expo 67 when I was 4 and my brother 5, we stayed behind with a sitter. No doubt they viewed and walked through these fanciful creations made of white painted metal. Now they have a permanent home here as an important part of Canada’s history.

Hiking up the Wolf Trail in Gatineau Park

Ben's Wolf Trail photo 3
Originally uploaded by Janice Saunders

Yesterday we hiked the Wolf Trail in Gatineau Park as part of our training for our big trip this summer. This time it threatened rain and I decided not to take my DSLR along as I haven't yet worked out how I can keep it safe and accessible, but my youngest son brought along his camera... a small Casio Exilim with 12 mega pixels. It is small and light and doesn't take half bad pictures. He didn't turn off the date/time feature so this information is visible on the photos at the bottom. I edited them a little in Photoshop Elements but the details and overall brightness of his photos were far superior to the ones my husband took using his Nokia N95 camera phone. You can see his photos and more details about the hike on his blog at http://saunderslog.com/2010/05/23/hiking-the-wolf-trail/
Next hike we are planning to all take along our cameras and do a more controlled comparison between them. I really want to take my DSLR on our big trip but this will be a useful exercise anyways.

This trail has a number of wonderful lookout points over the valley below, more than the very popular Luskville Falls Trail. We ate our lunch at the Tawinda Lookout which is an expansive rocky outcrop above the trees, but there were at least three other flat rock spaces suitable for relaxing and eating. I need to remember to return here in the fall when the trees change colour because the views are beautiful.

Pumpkin patch

Orange squash
Originally uploaded by Janice Saunders

These photos are neither current nor very topical at this time of year, but just part of the slow process of uploading my photos to my Flickr account. They were taken a few years ago at a pumpkin farm and corn maze north of Waterloo in southern Ontario. As my kids will attest to, I am a big fan of corn mazes particularly as a fun family outing over Thanksgiving. These photos were taken at the Nauman's Amazing Corn Maze. If I remember correctly this is a lovely Mennonite farm. We all emerged safely from the maze.

More machines

Circle 2
Originally uploaded by Janice Saunders

Why am I taking pictures of machines? Well, I guess it's because they are so much a part of our urban landscape. They move in and change our landscape but they are also part of that landscape often for months. They represent change... and to some people progress, to others a sad loss of the way things use to be. They are big and powerful, dwarfing all human sized objects around them. They fascinate us, drawing young and old alike to watch them work, staring in amazement as they effortlessly scoop up big bucketsof earth and stone.
And they are beautiful pieces of machinery. I love the different shapes and textures, all the angles and curves,and the contrast between small intricate parts and enormous wheels and buckets.

Hiking up the Luskville Firetower Trail with your DSLR

Water play, originally uploaded by janicesaunders.com.

Ok, so I forgot to take a photo of the Luskville Firetower! But after a hot uphill climb of over 700 ft with a loaded backpack on, I was a little tired. Hey, it's only a tower. This was not really a photo outing anyways, but a much needed training hike in anticipation of our big family hiking trip on the Juan de Fuca Trail on Vancouver Island this summer. The photos were just a distraction from my burning calves and thighs!
So, all seven of us hiked up to the tower with our packs on, our new hiking boots and three dehydrated meals to sample, in order to avoid any nasty culinary surprises in the wilderness this summer.
It was a hot buggy day but that didn't deter all the other happy hikers, the smallest ones wisely cooling off by dipping their feet and playing in the waterfalls.
A number of problems around backpacking or just day hiking with a DSLR surfaced - weight, these guys plus an extra telephoto lens, maybe a tripod are heavy; protection for your gear from falls or weather; and ease of access to your gear. I had my camera gear in a Lowepro slingshot bag inside my pack. Every time I wanted to take shot I had to take off my pack, open it and then get out the camera bag and then take my shots. This was not only time consuming and slowed down the group but it also discouraged me from taking other shots because I just didn't feel like taking everything apart once again. I need to work out a better system for carrying my gear that allows quicker access.
Weight? Well I guess this really depends on how much I am willing to carry. Food? Clothes? Camera?
Protection from the elements and damage? Definitely a camera bag of some sort and maybe some plastic bags as well.
The final consideration is time of day. By the time we got up to the top it was after noon and the sun was high in the sky, lots of heavy shadows. Earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon would have resulted in softer light.
I had fun playing around with these photos but better planning would have resulted in better images.

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