519 - Hot + Hazy

The morning is spent cleaning,
organizing paperwork and getting rid of clutter.

Rocket Girl (Mama Song's new nickname) makes a lovely lunch for Maria and I.

En route to the AB/EX show at the AGO,
I am distracted by a bench in the shade in Grange Park.
A perfect spot to photograph on a hot + hazy day.

Grateful today for
the liveliness of the city,
my camera,
and the first summer day.

518 - Capturing Cuba - the book

First meeting of the photographers from the workshop was this afternoon.
Held at Huron,
4 of us met together to go over the photographs for the book.

Tone, subject and orientation of photos...Much to consider.

Great to see everyone and to re-live the Cuba experience from a different viewpoint.

Grateful today for
everyone's perspective and views on the photographs,
the ease of flow and communication as we worked,
and for the experience of Capturing Cuba.

517 - not so easypix

Blew up 2 easypix machines today.
2 different locations.
Each with a unique response,
similar process and resolve.

Hoping Black's will be able to print for me tomorrow am...

Grateful today for
a leisurely walk and meal with my mate after a full and busy day,
the neighborhood we live in,
and the peonies fully in bloom.

516 - the Market

The Market is lively and busy today.

Into a B+W street photography mode,
lessons learned from the Cuba workshop are helpful.

After a lovely day, my mate and I settle in to play a game of Scrabble.
We are visited by a neighbour of at least 7 years who we just met last night.
Much conversation shared over wine as we get to know one another.

Grateful today for
saying hello to strangers,
the Market,
and new ways to look at the street through the lens.

515 - Friday

Still cool and gray...
Waiting for warm, sunny weather.

Noticing that my allergies are not as severe as they have been in the past.

Grateful today for
the drawn out spring that I have been enjoying,
reduced allergies,
and for Fridays.

514 - K-town

Had lunch with Mama Song and her friends.
Quite enjoyable tagging along on these luncheons - always great food for good value.
Had no idea how lively K-town was during the afternoons....seniors groups everywhere.

Grateful today for
the afternoon sunshine break,
a fun afternoon in K-town,
and for experiencing how the seniors take care of one another - what a community.

513 - Peonies on Huron

Our neighbour's Peonies are in full bloom.
People walking down the street
pause to admire the blooms.

Grateful today for
our neighbour's dilligent care of their garden plants,
the beautiful peonies that make people pause,
and the rain that waters and feeds the plants.

512 - Havana Glow

A beautiful day to walk up Yonge Street.
Hardly recognizable to me with all the construction and new buildings.

Lunch at Tokyo Grill is fabulous,
and catching up on Havana adventures brings back the Havana Glow.

Grateful for
shared experiences and sharing the glow.

511 - Changing Weather

The morning is sunny and warm as we walk through Kensington Market.

By the time we get home,
the skies are dark and rain begins to fall.
A lazy kinda holiday Monday.

Breaks of sunshine are interspersed with lightning and rain.

Grateful today for
Maylee getting us moving,
our first burgers of the season, bbq'ed and eated in sunshine,
and the beauty of changing weather.

510 - Back to the Big Smoke

From a leisurely morning in the country,
we drive through the rain to a dry sunny city.

Wishing that the peacefulness, joy and fun we had in the country
could be translated into a lullaby for adults...songs to soothe and calm.
Wonder why there aren't lullabies for adults....

Grateful today for
the morning rain's watering of the garden,
a weekend experiencing nature,
and the love of friends and family.

509 - 1500 sqft of Garden

Delicious buckwheat pancakes to start the garden planting day.
The sun is out...a great day of planting.

By day's end, the garden is planted.
Our dinner of lamb chops and lentil dahl with a cashew + almond sauce is wonderful.

Grateful today for
my first garden planting experience,
EQ's sharing of gardening and bird knowledge and experiences,
and for experimental recipes. Yum, Yum!

508 - Weekend at Idlewild

Off to the country for a weekend at Idlewild.

The sun is coming out after days of rainy gray skies.
It is glorious to be watching the birds, and listening to all the life around us.

Grateful today for
our friendship with J+S,
the beautiful birds of Idlewild,
and the noisy chatter of the wild.

507 - New Camera

Never really thought it would be so challenging to select the next camera...
Consideration of brand, existing equipment and lenses, FX vs DX, and dollars...
Finally narrowed down to the D700...

Not available.

Alvaro put aside a D300s for me, as there were only 2 available.
Before going to see Alvaro, checked in on Ken Rockwell once again...
Left the store with a D7000.

Grateful today for
the expert advice combined with practical knowledge I got from Alvaro and Ken,
the learning from past photography classes that helps in understanding the camera,
and for being with camera again.

506 - Options

Still thinking about Nikon camera bodies...
So much info out there.

After reading specs, reviews and comparison,
I am down to comparing 3 different models.

By evening the next camera body model is selected...
until I call Henry's....unavailable indefinitely.

Grateful today for
the brief break of sun today - it has been so rainy and gray,
and for Mul Naeng Myun at the Famous Owl of Minerva - so far my favorite in the neighborhood...perhaps eating "summer" food will bring on the sun! :)

505 - Specs.

Reading camera reviews, comparisons and specifications...

My D80 is in for sensor cleaning.
Did what I felt comfortable doing, still had dust spots.

Amazing how much information is online.

Grateful today for
online resources that compare and review,
especially all that I learned from Ken Rockwell...
his personal straight up hardware perspective on Nikons was so helpful.

504 - Restaurants

It is rare that we go out to restaurants these days...
ever more rare to drive out of downtown to go to a restaurant...

Today was the perfect opportunity to go to a restaurant that we had been wanting to check out for a few years.
The wine list made me feel quite small...

Grateful today for
a leisurely lunch with my 2 moms and 'sister',
staying calm with my mother's under-the-table pinches and pokes to not reveal "secrets",
and for being able to laugh at the entire situation in hindsight.

503 - Communication

Lyrics from the 80s in my mind...
"Communication let me down,
And I'm left here
Communication let me down,
And I'm left here, I'm left here again"

Today, I can email, SMS, skype, facebook post / message, phone, send snail mail and that is just scratching the surface of all the communication methods available to me.
Multiple email addresses, online profiles and IDs....Yikes!

Grateful today for
being able to use multiple communication methods at the same time to help a friend sort through technical difficulties,
and for real time, in person face to face time.

502 - Spooky Rueben

An early rise this morning,
and off to the farmers' market.
After being away, it feels good to get back into routine.

After the market goodies are taken home,
my mate and I are off on a new adventure...
dancing in fun costumes for a music video.

Grateful today for
Maylee,
a new experience,
and my rainbow! What a beaut! :)

501 - Friday

A full Friday.
Visit from mom and arrival of a friend staying for the weekend,
followed by a killer workout, courtesy of Maylee,
an epic scrabble game and awesome tacos by BEE.

Rain outdoors does not deter us from heading out for music...

Grateful today for
our neighborhood's liveliness and diversity,
a fun Friday,
and listening to the rain with my mate.

500 - Wellington

Service Ontario surprises me today.
I had been dreading long line ups to replace my lost license...
All was done in 20 minutes,
and I had a lovely walk there and back.

A stop into Wellington,
All seems to be progressing well, albeit slowly.

Grateful today for
the progress on Wellington,
getting my lost wallet contents replaced easily,
and for a quiet evening with dinner made by BEE .

499 - Havana on my mind

Cuban playlist plays on,
and photos continue to appear on the screen.
Thoughts, feelings and reflections of all that was experienced in Cuba, will be processing...
for a long time to come.

Still, the glow of a trip can fade quickly into the background of daily life.
Glad for the projects of a Flickr group and book to work on.

Grateful today for
the emails and photos from the group,
stories to share with my mate,
and for all the inspiration Havana gave me.

498 - Full House

Huron is a full house.
Buzzing with all the energies in it.

It is good to be home.

Grateful today for
my Cuban pal, fireranger / police officer / geek who taught me so much about my camera, iphone and HDR,
the energies at Huron,
and for cupcakes!

497 - Welcome Home!

A gathering of friends,
all returning home.
From Havana, New Orleans and NYC...
and a birthday celebration too!

The day is spent outdoors,
from Kensington Market to the ROM,
seeing familiar streets with new eyes.

By late afternoon,
my mate returns to share the Cuban experience in the kitchen...
Cuban music plays in the background as we share stories,
drink dark rum and smoke a cigar together before a night of food and music.

Grateful today for
being so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

496 - Hasta Luego Havana

Last night in Havana.
My bag is lighter,
notebooks, pens, crayons, rubber gloves, bandaids and toiletries all given away.

My heart is full of love.

I am grateful today for the friends I travelled with,
for the invaluable learning from Juris
and for Havana.

495 - Back to Havana

Returning to Havana,
it is hard to believe that we are returning home tomorrow.

Back in Havana, on the eve of Mother's Day,
we are taken to our guide's apartment in Havana
and invited into others' apartments to take photos and have a rum shot.

Met a group of strangers over a week ago,
through our travels together, they have all become special friends to me.

I am so grateful. What an incredible trip this has been.

494 - The Horse Whisperer

Today we have a photography session with a Cuban horse Whisperer,
and photographer, Julio Munoz.

We are taken to a working ranch,
and into country homes.
After being in a few homes,
I am emotionally moved by the friendliness of the people.

Grateful today for
all the work that our leader has done to put together this workshop,
and the amazing openness and smiles of the Cuban people.

493 - Trinidad

Trinidad, the oldest town in Cuba.
A colonial town with cobblestone roads,
and the most "shopping" I have seen yet.

We spend the early afternoon walking in town and taking photographs.
By 4pm, we are back at the resort
and happy to spend the later afternoon lounging by the pool.

Dinner at the resort and we head back into town -
for music and fun.

Grateful today for
the sights seen today,
a pool to cool down in,
and for the amazing shows we have been watching.

492 - Back on the bus

Travel day today.
From Vinales to Cienfuegos,
a stop for lunch at the Palacio del Valle
and then to our hotel in Trinidad.

On the bus from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.
Happy to arrive and settle in.

Grateful today for
a comfortable ride
and Mario, our fabulous bus driver.

491 - Pinareno

A day of photographing the busy morning activity in Vinales,
the natural scenes as we walk on country roads,
and the tobacco farm that we visit for lunch.

Lunch is leisurely and relaxed.
After lunch, rum shots start and cigars are lit...
Somewhere here, I think I became the pinareno...
Pinarenos being to Cubans what the Newfoundlanders are to Canadians...

Grateful today for
the shared stories and laughter,
a fun walk in the country - complete with an anthem duel,
and for the beautiful night stars in the clear skies.

490 - Vinales

Checked out of the hotel in the morning,
and on the bus to Vinales, in the province of Pinar del Rio.

The bus takes us through the beautiful countryside of Cuba,
to a spectacular view from our hotel in Vinales.

Before dinner, we have our first photo review.
Wow! I am so amazed by the incredible photos taken by everyone...

Grateful today for
the diversity of perspectives in the photographs,
the beautiful countryside of Cuba
and for being with such a talented group of photographers.

489 - Havana

Early in the morning we set out to visit homes in Havana, with Orlando Lazaro Ortega, Cuban photographer, from HIP (Havana International Photography)


Were I a writer, I would be much be equipped to share the experiences of the homes we went into.

Many steps taken up to apartments,
home life in Havana,
and rooftop views only begin to tell a story.

The emotions that run through me as we visit each home and photograph the people, their homes and lives are challenging.
It is an experience I could never have imagined.
By lunch, I am physically and emotionally exhausted.

Sensory overload from all that has been experienced in these first few days...

Grateful today for
the special arrangements made for us by Julio,
the music show tonight,
and for the bonds and connections within the group that continue to grow.