The Brown Knowser

I saw the school earlier in the day and knew that I wanted to use it as my Photo of the Day . But not now , I told myself. Later, after the sun sets . I live only about five minutes away. A very short drive from one of Barrhaven's most-recognizable landmarks. The 1906 public school is probably one of the oldest structures in the area. I wondered if it was lit up at night. Though I've driven past it countless times, I've never noticed it after dark, so perhaps, I told myself, it wasn't. The last time I tried to shoot a darkened building at night, I used the headlights of my vehicle to illuminate it. It wasn't the best solution, but it worked. Ironically, it was an old school , too. I headed out just after 8, an hour or so after the sun had set. The school, now a community centre, was not lit up. I pulled up to the entrance, positioned my car toward the front door, and set up my equipment. The shot was awful. Only the building below the red brick was ill...

I've been in a funk, this week, too much on my mind but too tired, at the end of the day, to put anything down in writing. Assuming, of course, I could formulate those thoughts into words. Thoughts can be fluid, can flow through your mind as images and emotions. Colourful in your head, but flat, rough pencil scribbles when you try to put some order to them, try to make sense. I've had a lot of these thoughts as I've wandered, capturing my daily photos. And while I can't articulate those thoughts, I can show you how I formulated images while those thoughts preoccupied my brain. Where Rue Martel and Rue Rosenes meet, a short path leads to Sentier des Voyageurs, also known as Route Verte 1, a hiking and cycling path that consists of about 5,000 kilometres of trails that run from the westernmost regions of West Québec, along the Ottawa and St.Lawrence rivers, and cover the Gaspé Peninsula, Saguenay River and Lac Saint Jean region, and even the Madeleine Islands. Ear...

"You can't photograph this building without permission," the pimply faced, barely adolescent, bespectacled security guard said, approaching me from what was obviously a break, with the extra-large, disposable soda cup as evidence. With his shirt in desperate need of an iron and in greater need of being tucked in, it was hard to tell if he was serious. "Of course I can photograph the building," was my response. It was the World Exchange Plaza: its tall, glass curved lines have been photographed countless times. My words were blatantly contradictory but my tone was soft, even, carrying only the slightest weight that I was trying to correct the young lad. "No, you can't take professional photographs of this building." "I'm not a professional," I assured him, "trust me. I'm strictly amateur." "I mean, you can't take photos of this building with a professional camera." He was beginning to sound frustrate...

Last weekend, Ottawa's newest craft brewery celebrated its opening in Orleans with a party that included live music, pizza, and even a visit from the mayor. Oh, yeah, and there was also some pretty awesome beer. On tap at Stray Dog Brewing Company's grand opening were six ales for tasting, plus a limited amount of a variation on one of those brews. I tried the Summer Slam, a cucumber-infused wheat ale that really refreshed, and a bold New England-styled IPA, Shaggin Wagon, that had lots of powerful hops with nice apricot and mango notes. But my favourite of the beers that I tried at the brewery was the Normandie Saison, which was a classic farmhouse ale with flinty, peppery flavours and a great body. I really wished that the saison was available in cans. I hope they put it in portable containers in the future. All three of those ales were available only at the brewery, which is quite the drive from someone who lives in the Barrhaven area. It's not often tha...