WJW in the Octagon

Another artifact from Mom and Dad's effects--a photo of Dad's dad in a frame made of orange and blue thread wrapped around a metal octagon, presumably made by Hope Woods. 
 

Always Yours, William Woods

Here's a scan of a photo of my paternal grandfather in a small metal and glass photo frame. 
 

Man in the Mirror

 

Patterns Now Unseen Forever

 

Pit Stop Pothole Wit Slop Hobo

A stick in the abyss
In the middle of our street
A pit within our midst
The riddle we must meet

Gaping like a wound
Festering and dark
A hazard to our safety and
One less place to park

Some say it is a pot hole
And easy to repair
But what if it's a knothole
A pit of pure despair?

Some say it is a gateway
A tunnel straight to hell
Some argue for its innocence
And sincerely wish it well

As for me, I do abstain
From judging empty space
I'll hold my tongue and keep the peace
And try to show some grace
 

Blue Vegas

View from the Cabot Trail

 

Jellybean Streets

My anthipathy for the boring beige houses that seem to be the default in Edmonton intensified when Sylvia and I visited St. John's. I wish I lived on a rainbow road. 

A Woman of Salt Lake

In 2019, Mom accompanied Aunt Jean and Uncle John on what would ultimately be her last trip to Manitoba. I can't ask her now, so I don't know if this is Mom or Aunt Jean in the image. This is most likely Salt Lake, but I can't be sure. 
 

Alden Gray and the Lady

 

Back Alley Robot

 

Chopperspotting

"Let me know if I'm coming too close to any power lines," the chopper pilot said. "Or one of the other helicopters." 

I told him I would.

And that's why I'm here today. 


 

Pitchers in the Clover

Three wee tykes
In fields at play
They made their pitch for lives ahead
Dreams in clover, dare to tread
Where are they now?
No one can say
Perhaps to dust they have returned
A final rest, well-loved, well-earned
The marks they made in history burned

 

Fanfare for the Unknown Couple

Ba, ba--bum ba ba
Pum pum ba ba bum ba ba
Lum de dum ba pum pum pum
ba, ba--bum ba ba
 

Man and Horse

Man and horse
A symbiosis 
Animal husbandry's
Ultimate gnosis
Strong back, fleet hooves
Domestication
Foundations of the horse-drawn nations
Bit and bridle, tack and saddle
A riding crop to act as paddle
An equal partnership, we say
But what of horse?
"I say thee neigh!" 


 

Paper Birch

When for beauty do thee search
Look no further than the birch;
Gaze upon it and you'll see
A thin-leaved, deciduous hardwood tree
Sure to soothe the nerves of primates
Seeking shelter in boreal climates
And should you need to recollect 
An extraordinary caper
Take a moment to reflect
Then use birch bark for paper

Two Ladies in Aylsham

That might be my grandmother on the right...or one of her sisters. 
 

Robert Stone Woods on the Farm

Dad's grandfather, Robert Stone Woods, sometime in the 1930s. He looks like a character from The Grapes of Wrath. 
 

Sawing Logs with Logs

Asleep on the job, eh? I'll capture it in black and white. 

These are the words my grandmother or grandfather might have thought in 1940 when they snapped this photo. 
 

Popcorn Sequence

Back in 2008, I tried to capture a photo of popcorn bouncing off my face. The effort failed.