A Pause to Refresh

Last post I promised to take you to a little out-of-the-way terrasse for some liquid refreshment.

On a hot day nothing quenches a thirst
quite like a cold beer.

It's quiet here, even with a rather impassioned discussion going on at another table by a group of university students.  

Soon we're left alone to enjoy the soft light filtering through the leaves of the large tree that grows rather surprisingly within the courtyard.

Its leaves throw dancing shadows on 

the neighbouring brick building

while the rust of the spiral staircase echoes 

the orange-toned wall.

I find something so satisfying about the simplicity 

of the place. Nothing fancy.

But the way the lines and shapes flow into each other fascinates my artist's eye...

and sends me into a bit of a reverie...

(*P.S. Just noticed that Bonnie of Pixel Dust Photo Art is opening her virtual gallery for this weekend's theme of "Dreamy" so I'm wafting this last image over there to float on her wall. Do pay a visit to her site to see other's dreamy pieces of photo art.)

A bit of urban grit, Montreal style

When out walking (and walking and walking...) with my daughter in Montreal, she sometimes humours me by leading me down an alley or two (sort of like giving a little kid a treat for being "good")...

This one looked promising; so green it was almost 

like an alley park.

This wall is a work of art in itself, but with the graffiti and hanging plant it becomes uber-art!

Emerging back onto the street and into the sunshine, my eyes are dazzled by the brightly coloured enhancements decorating this charming ground floor flat. 

Down another street it was moving day for some folks.  

They had cool furniture.

Because Merisi (of Merisi's Vienna for Beginners asked if this might be an Eames chair
(see comments below),
I thought I should post a bit better picture of it to show off its designer quality.
(Meanwhile, Wayne of Meandering in Lotus Land 
stopped by the comment box and confirmed that it is, indeed, an Eames.)

Zip down another alleyway for another bit of urban grit.

Bricks, weathered wood, graffitti and greenery.  

What's not to love?

This piece is rather exceptional.  

Maybe we should quit now 

while we're ahead (pardon the pun).

After all this grit, I think it's time we head off to find a little terrasse and take a little liquid refreshment, 

n'est-ce pas?

See you there!

Window on Montreal

I had a fabulous week away, checking out the wildlife in Montreal.

I was open to every opportunity that presented itself

in either of Canada's official languages, English or French.

Rest assured that I wasn't just clowning around...

or up to any monkey business.

Well, at least not too much.

Will by to visit your blogs and see what you've been up to in my absence as soon as the blisters on my feet heal from all the walking I did.

See you soon!

Avenging Angel or Art Aficionado?

There is a sculpture of an angel in Montreal on Sherbrooke Street that I am in love with.

I've previously posted pictures of him but this one gives a different view.  He stands upon a very high pedestal so I climbed some nearby stairs in front of a church to get a different angle on the angel.  With a bit of cropping, I think I made it look as if he's strolling into town, or possibly limping in...perhaps in the guise of an Avenging Angel (he looks a little trigger-happy to me!)...or maybe just on his way to see the latest exhibit at the Musée des Beaux Arts across the street.

***UPDATE: Finally discovered the name of the artist and sculpture:  The Eye, by David Altmejd

go here for more information.

The Writing's on the Wall

Like it or hate it, graffiti does grab one's attention. Often, the wall it's splashed on makes a wonderfully interesting, richly-textured background to the paint splashes--sometimes the surface is even more visually engaging than the graffiti itself.

I was really grabbed by the varied surfaces and colours on this wall in Montreal.  In fitting with this holiday weekend, one could even look at it as a giant, rectangular-shaped, decorated Easter egg!  (oh, pity the poor chicken that produces rectangular eggs! Or, as I used to believe, the Easter bunny who lays the eggs.)

Another reason to post this wall now is Bonnie's prompt this weekend to produce a piece of photo art with the theme "Graffiti."  I didn't do much to alter the original photo: boosted the levels and colour intensity a little, added a touch of poster-edges, and snuck in my own logo (do you see it?  LCi).

Please don't hesitate to search out some more writing on the virtual gallery walls over at Bonnies'Pixel Dust Photo Art.

Happy hunting!

Pigeon English

Seen in Montreal's Chinatown.

Here it is fast approaching Christmas and I have not been posting anything remotely seasonal here. 

Truth to tell, I haven't been out taking pictures for quite some time.  So I am digging through my archives of  photos and gift-wrapping them in new colours.

Quite often when I play with my pictures in Photoshop I'm not sure whether I should tuck them into my Décolleté here for you peek at, or over wing them up over on my art blog.

So I'm doing a cross-over.

Or maybe it's a form of  "re-gifting." 

To put it in pigeon English,

I hope you don't think I've gone coo-coo.

Brunching Out

When visiting Montreal, I like to branch out a bit and do brunch. Well, really, I'm not generally an early riser, so most days, even at home, what I consider breakfast, others would likely call brunch.  A favourite little "resto" in Montreal's colourful "le Plateau" area is Les Entretiens.

Here's a diplomatically round table for six.  

Who'd like to join me?

While sipping your Mimosa, why not tip your head back and take a good look at the attractively patterned hammered tin ceiling?  Careful not to tip too far back!

If you're feeling a wee bit dizzy from gazing upward 

(surely not from your Champagne & OJ!), you could wander around la salle a bit and check out the art.  It's all for sale.  Just put it on your bill along with the cost of your omelette, pourquoi pas?



















I've been wondering just what it is about this little bistro that makes me feel so at home.  And then it dawned on me...

This is my kitchen at home.

This is a cozy corner in my kitchen at home.

Okay, so here's the test to see just how observant you are.

What is it about Les Entretiens and my kitchen that are almost identical?

Sorry there's no prize, other than the smug self-satisfaction of knowing you're right.

Cattitude

This venerable Siamese was enjoying the warm weather on a Montreal porch as I passed by.

He seemed to be waiting for someone to come along and admire his feline grace and mature pulchritude.

But as I fiddled with my camera, trying to get just the right angle, contrast, framing and so on (even though it's a point and shoot--god forbid I should ever get my hands on a digital SLR), he gave up on me and settled down for a cat nap.  

(scratched up texture from
Shadowhouse Creations)

Fade out on the photo op...

Ya snooze, ya lose.

La Bolduc

One of the many things I love about Montreal is the wide choice of restaurants, cafés and bistros.

 A colourful favourite is La Bolduc,

Echoing the writing on the wall of the post just previous to this, La Bolduc sports a fine specimen of graffiti.  I can't help but wonder, though, if it's been commissioned to be painted, does it still qualify as graffiti?

Or is wall art by any other name still graffiti?  In any case, this rather abstract design looks to me like an artist's impression of the hefty lunch I ordered.

After consuming the whole thing, I felt very familiar with the concept of "hefty."  This burger involved ground lamb (oh, that does sound barbaric!  My apologies to any vegetarians out there) and goat cheese; two things I almost never eat at home so am compelled to order when confronted with them on a menu.

The restaurant is named after a colourful and extremely popular Quebecoise entertainer who made her way to widespread popularity (that is, within the confines of the province of Quebec) in the 1930's.

 Wikipedia informs us:

Mary Rose-Anna Travers, (June 4, 1894 – February 20, 1941) was   a French Canadian singer and musician. She was known as Madame Bolduc or La Bolduc. During the peak of her popularity in the 1930s, she was known as the Queen of Canadian Folksingers. Bolduc is often considered to be Quebec's first singer/songwriter. Her style combined the traditional folk music of Ireland and Quebec, usually in upbeat, comedic songs.

Let's add a tinge of nostalgia to the scene, shall we?

Eh oui,, c'est bien moi p'is mon chum, Pierre
(*thanks to Kim Klassen for the photo texture)

At any rate, these two oldies but goodies had a wonderful lunch in great company, 

sitting out on la terrasse chez Mme. Bolduc.

And here, for your further edification and entertainment is a little "heritage moment" from the annals of Canadian popular history.

Le Dep

I'm back

from Quebec

and am in the process of getting my mind and eyes back into blogging mode.

(graffiti recently seen at a local *dépanneur* in Montreal)

*In the province of Quebec, a dépanneur is a corner grocery store, affectionately referred to as a "dep."
The verb dépanner means to help out of a difficult situation.  At least it does in French-speaking Canada.  In France it refers to fixing a breakdown of an auto or an electric device

Someone to Watch Over You

I'm going away for awhile.  To Quebec.  With Pierre.  To hang with the Daughter.  To visit the in-laws.  And, hopefully, to give my eyes time to rest and recover from their ongoing troubles.  My intention is to step away from the computer, which I think has been aggravating my vision.
So, no more blogging for a time.

Here's a statue that I fell in love with last time I was in Montreal. 

 I think he's just the guy to leave in charge here while I'm away.

"See" you in a few weeks.

Statue Story Holiday

Seen last autumn on holiday in Montreal...

Man contemplating his window of opportunity.

Man having romantic thoughts.

Man thinking of a cow.

Man who failed to climb the ladder of success.

Man having hang-ups about being placed under a gag order.
.

Two men having the same out of body experience.