Caught?

It's really hard to keep a camera with a nine-times magnification zoom lens locked on a subject that's already far away when you're sitting in a kayak.

For years, I had been told to adjust my D-SLRs so that they used a button on the back of the body to focus. Many of my fellow members of my photography club had done it and I had seen this recommendation on some of the photography YouTube channels that I watch.

Last year, after trying my luck at wildlife photography, I decided to make the switch to back-button focusing. The benefit of selecting one of the rear buttons to focus was that you weren't tying your focusing to the shutter release. On most D-SLR and mirrorless cameras, the default setting is to have the focus associated with the shutter-release button.

You would look through your viewfinder and half-press the shutter release, which would focus on whatever your sensor is set up to focus on. While continuing to hold the button halfway, you could recompose your viewfinder to get the composition that you want. You would then simply have to press further down on the button to take the shot.

The problem with that setup is that if you lift your finger from the shutter release while recomposing the shot, the focus lock is broken. If you try to take that picture, the camera will refocus on whatever the sensor is now pointed to, and you could miss your shot.

The back-focus button will let you lock on your subject, and once you release that button, the focus won't change until you press that button again. The shutter release button won't affect that focus.

So, bobbing on the water in a kayak, I only have to focus once on the subject, though that can be tricky when you're zooming in and want only a single focal point.

I didn't want to get too close to the loon after spotting it. Like so many loons I've encountered while kayaking, there's a risk that the bird will dive under the water, coming up further away.

This loon didn't seem too bothered but I didn't want to risk getting any closer. I pulled out my camera from the dry bag and set up my shot, pressing the rear button. And then all I had to do was wait for what I hoped would be the right moment.

I had seen the loon flap its wings and stretch upward a couple of times, as I approached, without my camera, and I was hoping that he'd do it one more time.

I was in luck. As he began to spread his wings, I pressed my shutter release.

My camera was set on continuous shooting and in a couple of seconds, I had about 10 shots. And then, the loon dove under the water surface.

Looking at my shots, at home, I saw that the loon had extended his neck as far as it could and seemed to turn its head a bit. Because my 70-300mm lens is only a medium quality (I put it on my crop-sensor body, which effectively makes it a 450mm maximum zoom), I can't get enough crispness.

I'd love to get the full-frame, 800mm fixed-focus, f/6.3 lens, but until I find a benefactor, I'll have to do with what I've got.

But the photo, even though it's seriously cropped, seems to show a dragonfly fluttering above the loon. Was the loon looking to get a morning snack?

Do you see it? Click on the photo to magnify it on your screen. It's just to the right of the tip of the loon's beak.

Again, it's not the sharpest photo but I think it's cool.

Thanks to my back-button focusing, I don't think I would have caught this shot. I wonder if the loon caught the dragonfly.

Happy Friday!

Not My Week

It's a cliché to say that I don't like Mondays. I mean, who likes the start of the week?

I had a great weekend, getting chores done around the house, hosting my parents for an evening of relaxation, and spending time with friends, kayaking on a new waterway and enjoying a great lunch afterwards.

Along the Clyde River, in Lanark.

Sure, I was exhausted after we finished lunch. DW had to drive us home because I seemed to lose all energy. I slept all the way home, for about 40 minutes.

The nap recharged my batteries enough that I could help DW unload the kayaks from the roof of the car and put everything away, but as soon as that work was done, I had enough energy to get to our family-room sofa and pass out.

I slept for about five hours.

Though I was drained for the rest of the evening, I felt that the energy that I spent, doing something I love with friends I love, it was worth it. And I told myself that come Monday morning, I'd be recharged and ready to tackle the work week.

I was awakened with a startle just after 5 in the morning. Our sibling cats, Cece and Finn, were fighting and tearing around in our room, and back and forth in the hallway. Shaking, I got up, shut them out of our room, and tried to get a bit more rest before DW's 6:45 alarm sounded, followed by my own, at 7.

My morning ritual started per usual: shower, dress, teeth, hair, shave. Once ready to go downstairs, I go all the way to the basement to take care of the cats' litter boxes. I then go to the kitchen, wash my hands, and return to the basement to retrieve the frozen fruit that I use to make my breakfast smoothie.

I loaded up the blender cup with the fruit and protein powder, and just as I was zipping a bag closed, my hand slipped and I knocked the cup over, spilling blueberries, raspberries, pineapple chunks, and protein powder all over the kitchen floor.

That was not part of my routine.

It made a horrible mess. The blueberries scattered everywhere and I had to sweep out from under our oven (it could use a cleaning, anyway). The protein powder was the worst, clinging to the hardwood floor and getting in every nook and cranny that it could find. I had to sweep everything into the compost and then mop the floor.

As soon as everything was cleaned up (and time was past when I usually start work), I started the process of making my smoothie all over again. Carefully, this time.

By the time I got back to my desk, I was already tired but I powered through my morning tasks. I was grumpy from my mishap and tired, and I had a lot of work on my plate.

Not what I wanted for a Monday.

By the time that my first meeting came up, I was noticing that my Internet was coming and going. Every few minutes, I was being kicked off my work VPN. And just as my meeting started, I was kicked off and nothing worked.

By the time the Internet was restored, I missed my meeting, so I let my team know what was going on. And an hour later, just before my next meeting, I lost connectivity again.

DW, who also works from home, decided to pack up and head to a local coffee shop, where she could continue to work, but I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I took a 30-minute nap.

When I awoke, the Internet was back and I had a message from my doctor. The results of my CT scan were in, and I finally learned what was going on with my lungs.

The scan showed that both lungs were partially collapsed. No wonder I'm always out of breath and tired. I didn't doubt that it was also affecting my mental capabilities.

I spent the rest of the day, online, with my manager, who was showing me how to do his job while he'll be on vacation for a couple of weeks. I told him about my health situation, to keep him in the loop.

By the end of the day, I was tired and did very little in the evening. My Monday sucked.

On Tuesday, I had a lot of work tasks to keep me busy and I thought that if I kept focused on my tasks, it would be a good day. But the Internet was still intermittent and to top things off, the hydraulics on my office chair failed and my seat dropped by about six inches.

My new phone, which was promised for Tuesday, didn't come. It was the only thing that I was really looking forward to.

So much for Tuesday.

Yesterday, our new Internet service provider showed up. We weren't particularly happy with our current provider, as the service wasn't always reliable, as Monday and Tuesday showed. By lunchtime, we were on the new service but my work computer had some glitches that I needed to sort out. For one thing, certain connections didn't work while I was connected to the office VPN. But I also learned that our office was also having problems with the Internet, which probably was the cause of my woes.

All the while, my tasks were piling up and it was the last day to lock things down with my manager before he was heading on vacation.

Also yesterday, I was having a particularly rough time with my lungs. I was always out of breath and was coughing a lot. I called my lung specialist's office to see if he had my CT scan results, and I learned that he had received them last week.

And he didn't call?

We've booked an appointment but it's not until early July. I asked that if there were any cancellations before then, to contact me.

So much for Wednesday. Although, my new phone did arrive. As of writing this post, I'm still making sure that I can sign in to all of my social-media apps and that I have the phone set up like my old one.

Today, I'm hopeful that things turn around. The Internet, so far, seems to be working. I've repaired my chair—though, I don't know if the fix will hold—and I'm trying to not let my lungs bring me down. I'm going to tackle one task at a time and hope that nothing else comes to my desk until I've made good headway.

Sometimes, it can be hard to stay positive. This week has been a test, but I move forward, one step at a time.

And with any luck, I'll get through this week intact.

Update:
This morning, the lung specialist's receptionist called. Apparently, when the doctor learned of my follow-up date, he told his receptionist that the July date wasn't acceptable and that he wanted to see me ASAP. The appointment was moved up to tomorrow (May 31), at which time he'll also conduct a capacity test. Wish me luck!

The South-South Nation River

I Thought We Had More Time

It was my COVID phone.

I bought it in April of 2020, just a month into the global pandemic. My last smartphone was about three years old when the camera started going wonky, would take pictures where part of the image would either be a bunch of skewed lines or a portion of the photo would have a solid, grey bar.

I've been using Samsung Android phones for more than 10 years, starting with the Galaxy S4. My COVID phone has been the S10 and I have loved it. So sleek and yet it has a good weight to it. To look at it, today, it looks as good as when I first had it.

But lately, the screen sometimes flickers. That, in of itself, doesn't really bother me but lately, a grey rectangle with rounded corners sometimes appears on the screen and that spot becomes dead until the rectangle goes away.

Bixby (like Siri, but for Google) has stopped talking to me. When I used to say, "Hey, Bixby, set a 30-minute timer," for when I would take my daily nap, a female voice with a British accent would reply, "Okay, I've set your timer for 30 minutes."

Now, there's nothing. I have to look at my phone and verify that a timer has been set.

The same thing happens when I ask about the time of sunset on a particular day. Bixby used to tell me the answer. Now, she'll just display the time of the sunset instead of telling me.

Bixby, what have I done to receive this cold shoulder? Was it something I said?

Again, the flickering screen and Bixby's silence, alone, wouldn't be enough for me to replace my phone. But together, and with that grey rectangle, I'm beginning to sense that something bigger could go and I don't want to suddenly be without a phone.

After more than four years, it's time to upgrade. It's a crime that phones don't last longer, given the cost of a new one.

Over the weekend, when DW and I were shopping at Costco, I looked at the Samsung phones that were available. The latest and greatest, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, has great stats on its camera, with four back lenses (and up to 200 megapixels) and a great 12 MP front lens. With these lenses, I might leave my D-SLRs at home.

But I found the phone, with a 172.5 millimetre screensize, was a bit big for my liking. I find my S10 to be the perfect size that fits in any pocket and rests nicely on the cordless charger in our Niro. I don't want to go big.

Also, the price, which tops $1,700, is a little hard to swallow. Especially when I paid less than $1,000 for the S10.

Though they didn't have one in the store, DW and I went to Costco's online site and found the Galaxy S24 was available at a discounted price. Sure, it doesn't have four lenses and the screen resolution isn't as sharp, but it seems pretty damned good.

It's definitely a step up from my S10, which to this day, glitches aside, still impresses me. I mean, look at the photo quality...

I ordered the S24. It's due to arrive today. My COVID phone is being retired.

I actually have all of my Samsung phones. I even have my old Motorola flip phone—the last device before I moved up to a smartphone. I don't have my first and only iPhone: I sold it to a coworker when I switched to Android.

Maybe I should set up a display, like a museum, of my old phones?

Tomorrow, I'll be set up on my new phone and hopefully, this one lasts more than four years.

We're Overdue for a Photo Walk

It's been about five years. I think the time has come.

I love going on photo walks, don't you? You just pick up your camera and any gear that you'll think you'll need, and go. If you see something you like, you stop and capture it.

In the past, I've led walks through the Byward Market, through Centretown, across the Alexandra Bridge, and more. This time, our walk will take us to the Chaudière Falls and the Chief William Commanda Bridge.

Are you in?

I'm proposing Friday, June 21, starting at 8 pm, for a golden-hour walk along the path that follows the Ottawa River from the entrance to the Lemieux Island water filtration plant to the Chaudière Falls viewing area, where we'll capture sunset. We'll then walk back the way we came but we'll detour onto the Chief William Commanda Bridge, where we can capture some blue-hour photos of Ottawa's downtown skyline.

The proposed route includes the walk to and from the parking lot.

The walk is about five kilometres and should take about two hours, if we take our time.

There is parking space available at the water filtration plant parking lot, which is located just before you cross onto Lemieux Island. If that lot is full, you can also park along Bayview Station Road. We'll meet where the road that leads to the filtration plant meets the Kichi Zibi Mikan, at the Ottawa River Pathway, at 8 sharp.

We start walking at 8:10. If you arrive late, you can catch up with us but the sunset waits for no one.

Any questions? Contact me by e-mail at brownknowser@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

Jet

For as long as I can remember, I've seen this object along the four-oh-one on my way to and from Toronto, and I've always wanted to stop and check it out. Much like the Big Apple that smiles at you as you drive by (and, a couple of years ago, I finally stopped at that attraction and captured a few photos).

It's near one of the places that we have a usual scheduled stop along our travels, along Glen Miller Road, at Trenton-Quinte West. This object is hard to miss, set up next to a Ramada Inn. It's a CF-5A fighter jet that looks like a couple of poles have been stuck up the exhaust ports of the engines and leaned at an angle, as though it was climbing.

The fighter is part of a memorial to remember those who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The RCAF Base Trenton is nearby, along a bay that leads out to the St. Lawrence seaway.

I stopped long enough to grab a few quick shots, while DW and Kid 1 waited in the car. At home, I applied some dramatic editing. Here's my best of the bunch.

What about you? Are there some roadside attractions that you've often passed along a roadway and have always wanted to stop but never have? Let me know.

Happy Friday!

Beer O'Clock: Tuesday

I know: it's not Tuesday.

Perhaps, I should have broken tradition and posted my beer review a couple of days early, instead on my usual Thursday. I started posting Beer O'Clock reviews on Thursdays because I thought that if anyone was interested in picking up the reviewed beer for the weekend, particularly if the beer is available at your friendly neighbourhood LCBO or in grocery stores, you would have Thursday evening and all day Friday to get your hands on the brew.

I post on Thursdays for you, my friends. You're welcome.

Last week, I wrote about a brewery that I stumbled upon in Toronto's Kensington Market. Though this brewery had myriad cans of varying styles, some labels stood out for me.

And while today's brew came in a pretty bland can, it stated the type of beer that I particularly like, especially in warm weather. And this week, we certainly got a good dose of warm weather.

Let's take a look at this ale a bit more closely, even though today is Thursday.

Full confession: I swiped the glass in NYC.

Tuesday Saison (5.3% ABV)
Burdock Brewery
Toronto ON

Appearance: Hazy yellow, like a cloudy lemonade. A thick, fizzy white head that settles to a solid, foamy cap.

Nose: Lemon citrus and something that initially hit me as vanilla but was gone before I could pinpoint it. But it was also somewhat candied.

Palate: A mineral bitterness and more lemon citrus. A flinty (aka peppery) finish.

Overall impression: This is close, but not quite a classic saison. It seems to be missing any distinguishing spices, such as clove, opting for a more lemony signature, and the hops were more prominent than any mineral character. And while it's not a common characteristic, I often get banana on the nose of a good saison.

But I still enjoyed Tuesday. It was clean, refreshing, and had good flavours. It's possibly closer in character to a Belgian-styled farmhouse ale, where I might be more used to a North American saison.

Nevertheless, I'd drink this one anytime.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

Unfortunately, I couldn't find Tuesday on an LCBO search so it seems that it's available only at Burdock Brewery. Fortunately, I head to Toronto fairly often and Tuesday seems to be part of the brewery's regular stock. If you're in the GTA, head out to Kensington Market and pick some of this up.

Any day of the week. They're open daily, 11am to 11pm.

Cheers!

Random Toronto

So Much

For a guy who has bad lungs and runs out of breath just putting on his shoes, I did so much over this Victoria Day long weekend, but I regret nothing.

I might feel it for a few days but I regret nothing.

The big thing that I was preparing for was Saturday's CT scan at the hospital in Renfrew, which I spoke about yesterday. But what I didn't mention was that, since I had lots of time on my hands, after my hospital visit, that I thought I'd take advantage of it and explore a bit of the town.

I had thrown one of my D-SLRs into the trunk of the Niro, before heading out, and so I thought I'd head into the downtown core and walk along the main street. Coming directly from the hospital, you drive along Raglan Street North, toward Bruce Street, and you can see the main street and all of its old buildings, town hall, and shops.

When I crossed the street, Raglan dipped downward and I soon saw that a river separated the north part of this street from the south one. If there had been a bridge at some point in the town's history, there was no sign of it now.

I parked the car and walked down a footpath, toward the river, and came across an old mill. This was the perfect spot to start taking some photos before making my way to Raglan Street South.

After wandering the town for about an hour, I got back into the car and decided to head homeward. But I also decided to stop in another small town on the way home—Arnprior—to take some more pictures.

I was tired from my visit to Renfrew so I spent no more than a half hour on John Street before getting back in the car and heading straight home.

Saturday night, DW and I wanted to see the sun set so we drove downtown, stopping on the way to pick up some food and having a little picnic at the parkland near the Chaudière Falls. It was so lovely.

Sunday, DW, Kid 1, my mother, and I made our way to Carp for breakfast. It's a bit of a hike but not much farther, time-wise, than heading for breakfast downtown. And it was great to spend time with my mom, while my father was off with some of his friends.

Back home, we did some yard work but I then fitted our Niro with our kayak roof racks. I was a bit winded after loading up the kayaks, with DW's help, but I knew that once on the water, it would be relaxing. I'm rarely winded by paddling in my kayak.

We met up with some friends, in Spencerville, and paddled a 12-kilometer, round-trip stretch of the South Nation River, where we saw and heard all types of birds and other wildlife. We also met some other kayakers along the way.

Afterward, the four of us drove to the St. Lawrence and had dinner on a patio that looked out toward the bridge that leads to the US. It also looks out to the large, concrete grain elevators that are a bit of an eyesore, but the weather was so nice and the company even better.

Before heading home, we drove to the Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site to catch the last bit of sunset and the start of blue hour. This was where the four of us were supposed to be to watch the solar eclipse but we ended up driving to Granby, Québec, instead.

The lighting was great. (The bugs, however, were not-so great: you can see them in some of the photos.)

On holiday Monday, DW and I headed out early to check out the flowers and birds at Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Not many flowers have bloomed yet but there were folks working in the gardens and mowing the lawns. We hope to return in a few weeks and see how things progress.

There were a few birds and I took some photos but nothing worth sharing, yet.

We then went for breakfast in Little Italy before doing some grocery shopping and returning home for more gardening, but my energy levels were waning. I had to stop and take several breaks through the afternoon.

We uncovered and started up the barbecue for the first time this year, and as soon as dinner was out of the way, I only had enough energy to sit on the front porch and admire the lawn and gardens while the sun hung low.

I actually had to rest and recharge before I could find energy to write this post. If you've stuck to the end, I appreciate you doing so.

We did so much on this long weekend. Likely, more than I've done in a while. But if I could do this much with bad lungs, I can only imagine what I'll be able to do once my doctors figure out what's wrong with me and fix it.

Here's to the rest of the week.

Breathless

Toronto was against me.

I was doing so well, leading up to my trip to visit Kid 2 and some friends who came up from Pittsburgh. My cough had really subsided, such that I hadn't had more than one or two coughs an hour.

I know that this doesn't sound like a lot of coughing, and it isn't, but before I started using inhalers, I was having coughing fits at least two or three times every minute, all the time. My lungs had become sore and I was prone to headaches throughout the day.

But with the course of steroids and other inhalers, my lungs were settling down. I was even thinking that, come my appointment for a CT scan, my lungs would show much improvement.

And then I went to Toronto.

We tend to leave our car in one place during our visits to this city. We either walk to where we want to go or we take public transit. Being able to tap a sensor on a bus, tram, or subway with our smartphone makes getting around so convenient.

Mean streets of Toronto.

We spent a lot of time outdoors, wandering the St. Lawrence Market area, Kensington Market, Yonge Street, Dundas, and other places. I was more concerned about breaking in my new Vessi shoes than in running out of breath. We even went to a Korean karaoke bar—a norae-bahng, they're called—on our first evening, after dining at our favourite Korean restaurant.

My lungs felt fine, though I only sang three songs.

By the afternoon, on Saturday, my coughing increased. At first, not enough to bother me but by dinnertime I found myself taking my Ipratropium-Bromide inhaler—something I hadn't needed in over a week but had packed, just in case. I used it three times that evening and by bedtime, I was coughing so much that I went to bed with a pounding headache.

On Sunday morning, my lungs felt heavy and I was still coughing. I was glad to be heading home after breakfast and couldn't wait for my upcoming CT scan to discover what it is that makes it so easy for my lungs to go from feeling better to feeling worse.

Throughout last week, I felt like crap. I had coughed throughout the night, on Sunday, so much so that I was exhausted on Monday morning and ended up taking the day off work. Not great after an already three-day mini vacation.

My lungs hurt all last week and I would become short-winded after such easy tasks, like walking down a flight of stairs, or taking a shower, or even bending over to tie my shoes. Walking upstairs would have me panting as though I had just climbed a long, steep hill on my bike. I would get light-headed and have to rest often.

This weekend, I finally went for my CT scan. It was the fastest medical appointment I've ever had. I arrived about 20 minutes before my scheduled time but the receptionist checked me in and took me to a waiting room outside the imaging room.

The lung specialist had referred me to the Renfrew Victoria Hospital, about an hour's drive from home. He said the wait times for CT scans at this Ottawa-Valley hospital were a small fraction of the wait times at an Ottawa hospital and that he felt that the technicians were superior.

So, I had only just sat in the seat in the waiting area for about 10 seconds when the technician called my name. She led me into the room and onto the bed that would move me in and out of the donut-shaped scanner. Within a couple of minutes, we were done.

I was back in my car and the clock on my dashboard told me I still had 10 minutes before my scheduled appointment. Awesome.

I'm really hoping that the results will give the lung specialist a clear picture of what's going on and that we can find a way to get my lungs back to normal—not just how they felt before I went to Toronto.

Wish me luck.

Symbol

Because Kid 2 lives in Toronto, we make lots of trips to this bustling city.

We often bring Kid 1 to make it a true family outing and we've even gone down with my folks and met with my younger sister, who also lives in Toronto, to make it a bigger family event. We also have American friends, who live about as far from the GTA as we do, and they have joined us on a couple of occasions, including this past weekend.

But one thing nobody has an interest in doing, on these visits, is go up the CN Tower.

It's funny, because as soon as I see the CN Tower, entering the metropolis, I know that we're practically at our destination. And whenever I'm in the downtown core and know I have a clear view of the tallest freestanding structure in North America, my eye always turn toward it.

It's a pretty impressive sight, now going on gracing the Toronto skyline for 52 years.

So it's no surprise that when I was standing on the corner of Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue, holding two D-SLRs, that I would snap a photo or two. There's just something about viewing the top of the tower through the network of cables for the TTC streetcars that is so photogenic.

Is there anything else that comes to mind when you first think of Toronto? If so, leave a comment.

Happy Friday!

Beer O'Clock: Mango Gose

I love mangoes.

I include mango nectar to the fruit smoothies that I make for myself nearly every morning. I love packing dried mangoes as a snack on a long bike ride. And I love the lush fruit in a good chutney.

So when I saw a can of beer with a cut mango on the label, with a sunburst image that read "Juicy! Juicy! Mango!" I was all in.

I wasn't expecting to visit a brewery when DW and one of our friends, and I wandered the streets of Kensington Market last weekend. But when I saw a sizeable building with "BREWERY" written in big letters on its outside, I had to investigate.

And once inside, it would have seemed rude to leave empty-handed.

Perusing the shelves of brew, my eyes first fell on this bright, yellowy-orange can with the mango, and seeing that is was a gose-styled ale, I was intrigued. I also picked up a couple of cans of saison and a couple of DDIPAs, but I'll review those at a later date.

Today, it's all about the mangoes.

Mango Gose (4% ABV)
Burdock Brewery
Toronto ON

Appearance: pours a hazy, effervescent, pale orange with a white, fizzy head that disappears to nothing after about a minute. Sitting in the glass, the gose reminds me of Orangina.

Nose: mangoes come on strong, followed by a bit of a barley aroma, similar to what I sometimes detect in a radler. There's also a bit of a mineral smell to it.

Palate: the mango comes through and is surrounded by a touch of salt and cilantro. The mango fades quickly, leaving me with the impression of flint. The finish is somewhat watery and short.

Overall impression: I've had other fruity gose beers before and this one is a nice mango take on this style of brew. It's fruity but not sweet. It's palate-cleansing and thirst-quenching. There is a nice balance between the fruitiness and herbal qualities. The salt wants me to drink more, and at only 4 percent alcohol, I can easily have a second pint.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 + .5

While the shelf at Burdock Brewery seemed well-stocked with Mango Gose, I cannot find it on their Web site. They do make a lime gose—alcoholic and non-alcoholic—which is available through the LCBO, as are various other Burdock Brewery selections.

If you find yourself in the GTA, Kensington Market is always worth a visit, so stop by the brewery and pick some up while supplies last.

Cheers!

A Visit to Kensington Market

Comedies and Tragedies

I saw a dead guy on a sidewalk.

I was returning from an errand, something that I've wanted to do for years and was always looking for an opportunity to do it when I found myself in Toronto. And this weekend brought that opportunity.

We were in the city for a few reasons: our American friends were visiting to meet up, earlier in the week, with some friends they had met in Germany, who were also visiting Toronto. Because Kid 2 lives in this city, and her birthday was coming up in a few days, our friends were hoping that DW and I would be able to make it down as well.

And bring Kid 1 along.

So we booked the Friday off, packed up the car, and headed southwest to Ontario's capital. It was going to be a 48-hour getaway to spend with old friends, meet new friends, celebrate a birthday and Mother's Day, and then home again before dinnertime on Sunday.

Nothing beats time with family and friends.

On Saturday, after breakfast at one of our favourite diners, near Massey Hall, and then a visit through Kensington Market, we returned for a bit of a rest at our hotel, which was near the intersection of Jarvis and Richmond. With some downtime for family and friends to recharge before dinner, I took the opportunity to make a short trip to a place that I've wanted to check out for a couple of years, and it was only about a 10-minute walk away.

My family and I were big fans of the hit TV show, Kim's Convenience, which was set in a small corner store along Queen Street, near Moss Park. The show came to an unexpected and quick end in 2021 but due to its success, the signs for the actual convenience store have been left unchanged, and I wanted to take some photos to preserve the memory of this awesome show for myself.

Plus, Kid 1 had a craving for a chocolate bar.

It rained a little on the walk but that never bothers me. Wet roads are great for photography and clouds can set a great mood. And it didn't really rain enough to hinder my walk without a raincoat or hat.

The walk was pretty uneventful and I found the shop with no problem at all. Inside, the store looks exactly the way it did in the TV show, though it seemed a bit smaller and was a little more cramped than the TV cameras made it appear. Along the wall, behind the counter, were various photos of the cast—Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Simu Liu, Andrew Phung, and others, including the actual owner of the real store.

A tall, young black man was minding the store on this day. He helped me find the specific chocolate bar that Kid 1 was craving. The bonus was that it was on a BOGO special.

I asked the young man if it was all right if I took photos inside the store. He said it was fine and offered to take pictures for me, with me in the shot. I'm sure that this happened all the time.

I asked him if he had been working in Kim's Convenience during the show's run but he said that he's only been working there for about a year. The owner kept the store signage the same after the show's run because the store was now a tourist attraction.

Pictures acquired, chocolate bars in hand, I made my way back to the hotel, feeling pretty good about taking advantage of my friends' and family's downtime to make the trip I've wanted to do for a while. Despite the light rain and being on my own, it was worth it.

It was then that my afternoon changed from reflecting on comedy to realizing a tragedy.

I'm used to hearing sirens in Toronto. It seems that in this city of millions, there's always some sort of emergency. And because our hotel was close to a firehouse and EMS station, it wasn't surprising to be constantly hearing the lament of a fire truck, ambulance, or police car.

This time, however, the sirens seemed to converge close to the hotel, and as I turned from Queen Street onto Jarvis Street, I saw all three emergency vehicles on the scene by the Petro-Canada gas station. Seeing that some activity was taking place on that sidewalk, I decided it would be best if I crossed over to the other side of Jarvis.

From a block away, I could see a man lying on his back, arms outstretched to either side, on the cold sidewalk. Judging by his worn and dirty clothes, and the equally dirty blanket and few belongings next  to him, I figured the poor man was homeless. Sadly, we had seen so many unfortunate people in a similar state in this neighbourhood, sleeping on street corners, that you had to be careful not to trip over them.

I hoped that the man was okay but by the lack of haste that the paramedics were making, it didn't look good. And by the time I reached the scene on the opposite side of the road, the paramedics were rolling the man onto his side so that they could get a body bag under him.

I've seen dead people before but never in this manner. I've seen family members and friends, lifeless, in hospital beds. I've seen open caskets at funerals.

But to see another human, limp, in such an unforgiving place, it seemed unfairly sad. However this man had found himself in the circumstances that he was in, no one deserves to end their days alone on a city street.

I had come into this city and spent it surrounded with family and friends, while somebody else left the city, alone. I had ventured out on that Saturday afternoon, looking for a place that made me remember a time of warm, make-believe entertainment. What I didn't count on was a cold dose of reality.

More Strangers

As I explained in Monday's post, I hadn't planned to resume my second strangers project when I roamed the Glebe, last weekend. After all, who wants to be stopped and bothered by someone when it's raining and all you want to do is get to your destination?

In a split moment, as I exited my parked car, the thought of this seemingly abandoned project popped into my head, but I immediately decided against it simply because of the weather. If an irresistible opportunity availed itself, I would take advantage of it and hopefully that person would agree to having a picture taken.

My eyes were fixed on a puddle and the traffic on Bank Street when the opportunity befell me, and I didn't even recognize it. The opportunity found me.

Her name is Jasmyn. She saw me crouched low with my D-SLR just above a puddle and cried out to get my attention. When I saw her, with a young man that seemed to be her age, she asked me if I could take a picture of them, together.

It took me a couple of seconds to register what she was asking. I was in a different headspace, focusing on subjects that weren't people. And when I saw her smartphone in her hand, I assumed that she saw me as a photographer (obviously) and wanted me to use her device to capture something nice for her to keep.

But no, she wanted me to use my D-SLR. There was no talk of me capturing an image that she could have: she just wanted me to capture a photo as part of my walk around the neighbourhood.

Also, as I said on Monday, this act would cost me nothing. And after chatting with Jasmyn and Deric, and letting them know how they could find me on social media (she was the one who asked if I was on Instagram), I got the correct spelling of their names and we wished each other a good day.

I wish I was in a better frame of mind for taking a portrait shot. I didn't pose them, didn't take several shots. I did have the forethought to move away from the busy sidewalk and get them to stand in front of a graffiti-covered wall.

Jasmyn bent it, seemed a natural. Deric just put his arm around his girlfriend. I should have directed him.

I took one shot and one shot only. I showed it to the couple and they seemed pleased. Even though I gave them my Instagram handle, I told them that I wouldn't post the photo there. At the time of writing this post (just hours after our encounter), I haven't heard from either Jasmyn or Deric. I don't know if I ever will.

But if they see this post, I hope they're happy with the end photo and I want them to know that it was a pleasure to meet them. Continue being awesome!

Happy Friday!