Freddie's Queen named "Canada's Great Street"

Queen Street in downtown Fredericton has been declared Canada's Great Street in the Great Places in Canada contest. The contest, run by the Canadian Institute of Planners, found our own little Queen Street to be Canada's Great Street. So I thought I'd share some of my nicer photos of Queen Street from the past year or so. Pretty nice place, isn't it? Amazing to think, however, that in an entire year of trying to find new photos to take of Fredericton, it never occurred to me to take a night photo nor a winter photo of Queen.

This top photo shows the Queen Street sign amidst the banners and posters that adorn the street in summer time.

The second shot is more of a street scene, looking east from York Street.

Shot number three shows the shadow of a barren tree adorning the wall of the historic barracks building.

The fourth photo gives an example of some of the lovely architectural details on the buildings up and down the street. There's a lot to see on Queen Street, both big and small.

This fifth picture shows the ceremonial historic guard in front of City Hall on a hot summer day, with the strange fountain in the foreground.

And finally, Queen Street hosts a number of buskers and street musicians through the warmer months, their tunes mixing with the singing birds and the chatter of the pedestrians to bring the street to life.

Halifax In Pictures 2 - On the Waterfront

Today, more photographs from my visit to the port city of Halifax. I admire this city and the way if combines tourism with its continued work as an active sea port. The walk along the waterfront is amazing, filled with scenes of natural beauty and the industrious of the citizens.

In today's first photo, taken on that waterfront, we see the Canadian Navy's frigate Ville de Quebec cruising serenely out of the sun-speckled harbour, past the lighthouse on historic (and often tragic) George's Island.

I have a natural affinity for these ships since, in my youth, I served briefly aboard the then elder statesman of the Canadian Navy, HMCS Assiniboine, and got the chance to experience Halifax Harbour as a sailor as well.

The second image shows the beauty of the rocky shoreline, shot through a chainlink fence intended to keep the tourists off the slippery stones. And image three is more of the sun-dappled morning water, George's Island front and centre (or at least front and left) once again. I love Quebec City but I'm not sure there's a more beautiful town in Canada than Halifax in the sunshine.

And the final two shots are fairly self-explanatory: me trying to be a bit artsy in capturing details (of a wooden dock or a ship's sail) of the scene. Not bad shots, I think. They won't win any awards but they do give you a nice idea of the beauty that you find at every turn along the Halifax waterfront.

Halifax in Pictures - Chapter One

I've spent the past nine days in the lovely city of Halifax, one of Canada's principal seaports on the Atlantic.

Halifax holds an especially dear place in the hearts of members of my family because it was at Pier 21 in this amazing town that our mother, her parents and her siblings first set foot in Canada when they emigrated from post-war Holland in the early 1950s. I have visited Pier 21 (now a national museum) on several occasions and never fail to feel a sense of reverence when I'm there.

I went to Halifax this time for some rest and relaxation and very much enjoyed myself, even despite the sometimes bizarre and often ghoulish Titanic Centennial Celebrations taking place there during my stay. I walked the city and spent time reading and writing at various coffee shops and parks along the way.

I also decided to get my trusty old Olympus out of storage for the trip, hoping to capture the beauty and history of the city for this blog. Unfortunately, it's now clear that my photographic skills have become a bit rusty as there really aren't any WOW pictures among the 300 or so I took.

Still, there were a number of shots I like enough to wish to share, including the top one, a shot of one of the small beach huts that line the waterfront, this colourful one serving as an ad for the Art Gallery.

Shot number two captures one of the murals that add charm to the downtown. In this case, the establishment went one better than the usual colourful paint job: they created a life-like statue of a young woman leaning out of an upper window above the street. Neat.

The picture to the right is included for Gavin, who wanted a shot of the ocean. That's me standing on the shore of Point Pleasant Park, with the meeting place between the Atlantic and the Halifax Harbour somewhere in the distance behind me.

The fourth photo, also taken at Point Pleasant Park, is my attempt to juxtapose Halifax's history, in the form of the Anchor monument to the maritime history of the city, with the current busy sea port that continues to connect Canada with the world. Those cranes in the background are absolutely massive and dominate the skyline from several directions.

The final shot was suggested by Patti. It is a close up of the wall of a building (I wish I could give the name) at the north end of the city centre. The stone has been carved in amazingly intricate patterns that are quite stunning in person. I tried a shot that showed the entire building but it doesn't capture the beauty of the detail in the same way this this photograph does. More photos from Halifax in the coming days.

Missing her after three years

I can't believe that it's been more than three years since I last spoke with my Mom.

I can't believe that three years ago today I said my final goodbye to her. I can't believe how much I still miss her.

Resupplied: The Nest without the Green

Well, friends, my sister was kind enough to re-supply me with the colour-corrected photograph of the Owl's Nest.

What do you think? Is this better than the original as a piece of art?

Lynn certainly seems to think so. I'm not so sure -- I kind of like the greenish version since it conveys something of the atmosphere of the place.

What do you think?

July's favourite photo is...

At the Owl's Nest.

This was a real surprise to me. I like the photograph too but I really thought one of Cousin Ineke's choices, the two gorgeous sky photos (#4 and 6), would win. But people seemed to really like the form and composition of this photograph of the shelves and books at the best used book store in Fredericton, the Owl's Nest.

My sister Lynn had sent me a colour-corrected version of this photo (making it less green) but I managed to delete it accidentally while cleaning up my email account before I could include it here. I'm not sure I like the corrected version better but I was hoping to let you decide for yourselves!

Oh well. If Lynn can send me the adjusted pic again, maybe I'll add it. Thanks again to everyone who voted and don't forget to cast your vote for your photo favourite from August, from the choices posted last week.