Pitt-Stop

Mr. T and I took a trip down to Pittsburgh to visit Dr. D this fall. Right before it started raining we got to watch some rowers swish by on the Allegheny from an interesting vantage point. There are 446 bridges in Pittsburgh, and I believe that we watched the rowing from the 6th Street Bridge, but then again, I could be wrong.

Dirty Lady

I took this shot under a train overpass in old Montréal a few weeks ago. The light was so beautiful that morning! I'll try to post a few more of those shots in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that this Bradley effect is all just hogwash.

New York Sport

It can be difficult to get a cab in NYC, but this New Yorker sure knew how to get one. She was out in the middle of Madison, whistling and waving while cars whipped by, nearly knocking her over. I swear, NYC cab grabbing should be an Olympic sport...

Poulet BBQ

Lors de la visite de Ron & Thérèse au mois de juin, on a reçu Mélanie et Martin, et leur petit poulet pour un BBQ. Ca fut très agréable pour nous tous! En plus c’était la première fois que j’ai eu l’occasion de jouer avec Phil, tout seul, sans interruption des adultes!

Bonne Fête Québec!

A shot of l'Assemblée Nationale during our most recent visit to Québec with Ron and Thérèse. I thought it appropriate it, on this the day after our Fête Nationale. We had a relaxing day in the park with C&S, Mélanie et le petit poulet. Let me tell you, it made going back to work today, even more difficult!

Québec, en étages

As promised, here's a photo from Quebec city. The building on the left is an interpretation center for the 400th anniversary. If you look closely, there's a neat repetition of boats. The building exterior is layered, much like the ITHQ Hotel on Saint-Denis.

On an entirely unrelated note, I went to see Helvetica last night. An interesting documentary, especially for those interested in design and/or fonts.

Wrong Side of the Tracks

Snapped a few weeks ago, in Outremont -- I never knew that it had such a grubby side!

Mr T's parents left this morning, after a week's visit with us. We went to Quebec City and took in some of the 400th anniversary celebrations. I will post some photos soon.

What came first...

...the circle or the square? Deep, I know. I haven't been feeling terribly inspired with words or images these days. I suppose this post is a reflection of that...

But my crystal ball tells me that something significant is going to happen soon. Hold on to your hats!

Il fait beau dans l'métro!

I made it from Jean-Talon métro to Peel on foot, before caving and taking the métro home. There are some beautiful stained glass windows at Charlevoix métro. On a sunny day they look like this. I felt like I was at a pride parade -- albeit underground, without any of the fanfare...

Cumpleaños Numero Uno

MP & Alejandra threw a very fun afternoon party for their son Kael last weekend. It was his first birthday! Kael was especially excited to receive his new rocking horse, and the retro Brutus doll seen in the picture above. We had a great time with Mr. K, who so adorably sits on his bum, and drags himself across the hardwood floors with his arms!

An aside: While searching for a picture of Brutus online, I came across this video of two obviously doting men, who threw a fourth birthday party for their dogs: Popeye and Brutus. Enjoy!

Diarrhea Queen

Yes friends, it's that time of year again! But you won't catch me waiting in line for a Peanut Buster BARFait this summer -- though I have to admit, I love the old signs. This one is on Bellechasse, but there are a few others around Montréal. Do you think that they ever served really good ice cream, or was it always the soft serve crisco that they churn out now?

Orange

One of the first shots that I took with the macro lense that Mr. T gave me for Christmas. All I ever think of when I see this picture is the Aquarius song by Boards of Canada -- it still boggles my mind that the song isn't called Orange...
Then I start counting and thinking that I'm on Sesame Street.

Not for real real, just for play play.

Urban Serenity

At Christmas time, when I look at decorated tree, I'll often blur my vision so that I can only see the lights. I do the same when I look at the lights dangling over the parking lot of the Atwater Market. Some urban serenity in the chaos.

Ça sent la coupe

Maybe it did two weeks ago when this went up in our neighbourhood, but it certainly doesn't smell like a win now. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow night, when I'm far, far away from the Bell Center. Either way, I know that a certain someone in Saskatoon will be clutching her Habs pillow.

A very happy birthday to Mr. T: his numbers add up to a perfect 10!

Break Free from the Chains

Mr. T. likes this statue a whole lot: it's a very handsome angel at the base of the statue in Phillips Square. Aside from his wings and good looks, apparently he's strong -- you see, he can break through chains. Who doesn't want that in a man?

PS I hope that you don't have that Wilson Phillips song stuck in your head. If you do, just "hold on for one more day".

Art dans le Parc

This weekend, I finally managed to replace my bike tire. After a failed attempt on Saturday, I got the right tube at Canadian Tire on Sunday. My bike is good to go. Mr. T and I couldn't resist the allure of the sunny Sunday afternoon, so we set out on a westward adventure down the Lachine canal to Parc René-Lévesque. This shot is one of the many (and nicer if you ask me) art installments in the park.

Working-Class Meets Yuppy

I quite enjoy the juxtaposition of these two buildings. It's very much how the neighbourhood feels to me, both in terms of residents and architecture: industrial working-class vs. modern yuppies/guppies.

Essence du printemps

There really isn't anything that says Spring more than a tulip -- or a couple of bunches of tulips. This shot was taken chez nous over the holiday weekend. For the Montrealers especially, I thought this might brighten up your day -- given the three days of heavy rain that are about to descend on us. Don't loose sight of the May flowers.

Lachine Canal

Our new neighbourhood has many perks, and one of them is the proximity to the Lachine Canal. With its many old-factory-condo-converted buildings, it makes biking all the more scenic. It was a beautiful day today, and I just couldn't help but take a few shots of Montrealers enjoying their city after a particularly harsh winter.

Easter

This shot was taken a few weeks back, over the Easter weekend. We went over to Ellis/Gourment house for an egg decorating party. While the kids painted their eggs the adults hid treats for the little ones in other parts of the house. Not all the kids were as unsuspecting as others. Mr. T had to shoo away one who knew exactly what was going on. Nevertheless, all off the munchkins shrieked in delight when they found a treat.

Happy Orthodox Easter, for those celebrating this weekend!

Work Those Abs

When I saw this excerpt from the Ellen show, I really got an ab workout:



If the video is removed from YouTube, you can see it on the Ellen site, here.

Who comes up with these gimmicks anyway? More importantly, who buys them?

Decay in MA

The Daily Show's Ed Helms exposes the downward spiral of society, ever since the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts. Shocking!

Miami is Nice, so I'll say it Thrice

Whenever I here the word Miami, I always think about that Golden Girls episode when Rose (Betty White) is writing lyrics to a song about the city. Although there were plenty of Golden Girls references on our most recent trip, fortunately there were no Golden Girls moments.

Mr. T and I set out for a five day adventure that helped us recover from an otherwise stressful holiday season. It was also the perfect opportunity (and first that I have had) to use my new macro lens!

These shots were taken at Vizcaya: a surprising and stunning "retreat" for an urban industrialist, built at the beginning of the 1900's. The gardens were my favourite part.

Of course, our entire visit wasn't spent absorbing horticultural and architectural marvels. In fact, the larger part of it was spent spent lounging on the beach or on the roof top terrace with the other South Bitches, and a margarita, of course.



We both arrived back in Montreal feeling relaxed and Vitamin D'ed: ready to face a busy six weeks of packing for the big move.