Vacation and Camping

Today we are off for our annual summer family vacation - which over the past few years has meant "camping"! This is a picture of Emma cooking up some popcorn from our camping trip - Labour Day weekend (September 9th) 2006. We decided to go camping near to home at Bronte Creek Provincal Park. It was Emma's first time sleeping in a tent all on her own and she loved it.

What I remember from that weekend is that the weather was particularly uncooperative as were the local teenagers who decided to stage an all night piss-up next to our campsite. For the first time ever, I had to call the Provincal Police to come in and kick them out - which of course they didn't do...but gave them a strong warning - duh! welcome to Canada.

Anyways - we love camping - it enables us to get out of the city and relax in the "wild". But there are various levels of camping. What you see here is something mid-range that most people can relate to. A propane portable BBQ, the ever-handy Coleman stove, tents, air mattress (inside the tent!), etc. This is vastly upgraded compared to camping in say - Algonquin Park and having to canoe in all of your gear. There you have to bring freeze-dried food, etc. I have never done that but someday I would like to give it a whirl.

Camping for us today, however, is about going down to Shalamar Lake campground where we keep our 5th Wheel trailer. It has air conditioning, a fridge, stove, toilet, and so much more. We sleep on a queen size bed - have a flat screen TV and sound system. Essentially - its our cottage but at a fraction of the price. I know its not really camping anymore...but really - what is camping other than an excuse to build a fire and sit around it telling stories. That's something that every human being around the planet can relate to I think. It returns us to our primal roots.

Stay Thirsty!

Antony and Cleopatra

I was reading the newspaper today and came across an article about how a couple lost their children in some sort of accident and they found comfort/love in the form of two dogs they had acquired soon after. So - I thought I would flip up a picture of the two cats we had for many years - Cleo (the black one) and Tony (the orange one).

We lost Cleo when we moved out to Mississauga - and then we lost Tony (our favourite) last summer. I am not a huge pet person - but I can totally see how people can get attached to animals (some more so than others). As to the medical benefits of having pets - of that I am certain - lonliness is one of the worst diseases we as humans face. We NEED each other in so many ways - and when that's not possible, certainly an animal "stand-in" will do.

But on the other hand - pets can be a real pain in the ass. My neighbours have this little dog they leave outside most of the day. Whenever I go outside the thing runs up to the fence and barks its head off...this makes working outside (which I have a lot to do today) very aggrevating.

This picture was taken around 1994 - we had just moved into our first home in Oshawa (you can tell its new - very little furniture and no paint on the walls). We loved that house, but it was just too far away from everything.

Ok - I am off to be a carpenter for the morning...wish me luck!

Big Shoes To Fill

Today my daughter graduates from Grade 7! I can't believe it - can she really be that old? It seems like just yesterday I was feeding her really gross baby food (green peas? yuck!) and changing diapers (I was pretty good...once I got the hang of it). All the same, this morning she left the house and I congratulated her on finishing Grade 7 with honours and distinction (she won 7 awards - academic and leadership based).

It got me to thinking though - expectations aside...what kind of shoes is she going to fill? (mind you...she has pretty big feet, so it shouldn't be a problem) I shy away from asking her what she is wanting to be when she grows up because everytime I do she says something silly like - "I want to be a singing archaeologist" - which as you can imagine could be a challenging combination. Nevertheless, as she gets older it is becoming clear that she is making some plans and setting goals for herself - that is what makes me proud! She is creating her own shoes to fill...not the ones that I have made for her - and that's the way it should be.

Ok - now on to the picture. This photo was taken sometime in late 1997 or early 1998 when we were living on Sussex Ave. in Toronto while I was in grad school. She is wearing her mothers shoes (and is a habit that she hasn't quite shaken as I hear discussions all the time about shoe borrowing around the house). On the floor you can see books - which isn't suprising since she is a voracious reader now...going through books like they are nothing. Though I do question her recent facination with vampires and warewolves...whatever happened to the Romans!!??

The years we lived on Sussex were some of the best for us...and while it was graduate student living...meagre bugdgets, long nights at the library and in the lab - it was all worth it.

We all have big shoes to fill - the expectations of our parents, our friends, our children...but most importantly - ourselves. The degree to which we are able to balance all of that and stay sane...is the degree to which we are truly satisfied and productive members of society.

Stay Thirsty....

I Am Mesha, Son of Chemosh...

Todays picture reflects two separate "pasts". This is a picture that I took of a replica (the original is in the Louvre in Paris - which I got to see in 2002 - see pic below) of the Mesha Stele (I'll get to that in a moment) sometime in the summer of 1988 at the British Museum (my first - and so far only visit there). The Mesha Stele or 'Moabite Stone' was originally constructed sometime in the 9th C. BCE by King Mesha of Moab and rediscovered in Dhiban in 1868. I am not going to recount the entire history of this inscription - for that you can check out the wikipedia article - its pretty good and relatively accurate.








I guess what is most striking about this first photo (1988) is that my reason for taking it was because I thought it was an interesting artifact...little did I know at that time that I would persue doctoral studies that focused almost entirely on the land of Moab (located in the modern day country of Jordan) - and spend 10 years excavating there.

I am sure as time goes by I will produce a significant number of images from my 'adventures' in Jordan - they continue and I hope to be in the field again next year. You can check out the website of the main project I have been involved with there - the Tell Madaba Archaeological Project if you are interested.

Best Friends...

Today I want to look at the idea of what is meant by the word "friends". First off - this picture is an easy one to identify. It was taken during the first week of September way back in 1988 outside the Eaton Centre. I can remember this day as clearly as if it happend just a few weeks ago. The picture is of myself (middle) and my two best friends - Terry (left) and Bruce (right). All three of us were "Dons" in residence at University and its where we met. We had just finished "Dons Camp" and were wrapping up "Frosh Week" when Bruce and Terry decided to "kidnap" me for a roadtrip into the city. I got into the car under the pretense of a trip to the beer store...little did I know that that roadtrip would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship that continues to this day.

Friends are those people who you turn to for advice - they are the once who will accept you for who you are and the ones who will give it to you straight with no bulls*^t! Friends are the people you can call once a year and it doesn't make a difference. Friends are the people who you know that if everything else crumbles around you - they will be there - no matter what. To me - that is what friendship is.

Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how you look at it) - you only get the opportunity to establish a few friendships in your life. Yes, you can have alot of "friends" (small 'f'), but if you stop and think about it...most people have only a few "Friends" (capital 'F').

My friendship with Terry and Bruce is very important to me - I guard it very jealously. In 2007 we all turned 40 (I was the first...and therefore, the oldest and wisest of the three men - something I am sure the others would dispute - not the oldest part...you can't help that...its the "wisest" part I think they would have trouble with). We went on a cruise together for d days down to Mexico - what a blast, and I am sure I'll eventually get around to one of those pictures eventually.

So back to the picture at hand - some of the things I notice are the clothes we are wearing...how 1980's. Bruce is wearing the shorts they gave us for "Frosh Week" - the ugliest things I have ever seen...but he wore them well. The other thing I notice is how freakishly skinny I am. Oh - to go back to those days...perhaps someday!

Finally - Bruce is holding in his hand his wallet. Just before this picture was taken, Terry had grabbed Bruce's wallet and threw it into a "reflecting pool"...thoroughly soaking it. I can't remember why he did it...but knowing Bruce and Terry...I am sure it had to do with Terry calling Bruce cheap or some such thing. Too funny.

I will never forget that day - it was glorious...it was sunny...we were young and had our whole lives ahead of us. Sometimes its good to go back to spots like that in your mind and take a bit of a vacation from all the responsibilities and worries of life. We were all young once...

Until next time.

Fathers Day

I hope everyone had a good weekend - especially all of you who are fathers. My choice for picture today is clearly related to the proximity of fathers day. First off - I am (like I think most dad's are) very proud of my daughter. Even though her and I don't see eye to eye on everything, I know deep down we have a very special relationship that only a father and daughter can have. So when I look at this picture, I think of all sorts of things - some I can share with you - others, I have to keep to myself.

Part of the fun of this exercise is (as I have mentioned in a previous post) trying to figure out just when and where a picture was taken. At first glance - you tend to say "I have no idea"...but then when you concentrate...its amazing the details that will come back to you.

This picture was taken sometime during the summer of 1997 - most likely August. We (my wife, daughter and I) were up visiting my parents who were living in Lindsay at the time at a Condo that had a lovely swimming pool. It was a great day of playing around by the pool...I recall a particularly stimulating game of shuffleboard as well (it was a retirement condo after all).

That summer (1997) was particularly fun-filled for me as I was fortunate to have 4 months of relaxation before heading back to grad school. I had just left THE BANK (those of you who know me...know why thats in caps) and was waiting for classes to begin in the new phase of my worklife. Not many fathers get to have such uninterrupted time with their children at such a young age. I consider myself fortunate. And for all of you out there who have yet to become fathers...if you get the chance to take some parental leave...do it.

"We shall never surrender..."

Sorry for not posting yesterday, as I was commenting to one of my friends (Annlee - she was in the last post) this morning - one of the challenges of blogging is the idea of consistancy. You have to remember to do the post...eventually it becomes second nature...but as things get busy, other things slip. Ok - so I think I have expressed myself enough on that.

Todays picture is a special one for me. This is my grandfather, my mothers father. The picture was taken in my room when we were living in Unionville. I don't remember exactly the date of the photo, but it would have been sometime in the spring of 1986 - when I was in Grade 13. The calender on the wall shows the month of April. My grandfather was living with us at that time and his room was just down the hall from mine. It was great having him with us. He passed away about 10 years ago or so at the age of 101. He had a profound influence on my life and I cherish the time we spent together. He was constantly giving me advice and is the person responsible for introducing me to Winston Churchill (hence the title for this blog post) - one of the greatest leaders of our time.

Other things that are noticeable in this picture are some of things I have pinned to the wall of my room and on the shelves over my desk. Some items that I see in the background make me smile. The transition from childhood to adulthood is a slow one (if ever really achieved!) - and the "brick 'o brack" that we surround ourselves with is the "evidence" that betrays our intimate thoughts and desires. For example - on the shelf over my desk is an empty Carlsberg beer bottle. Its the stubby kind (which you cant get anymore in Canada except for Red Cap) and it has a flower in it. That flower was worn as a boutnieer (sp?) at my "prom" for Grade 13. Clearly both of those items are related and at the time - held special meaning for me.

Another item of note is pinned to the cork board over my desk - its the acceptance letter to Wilfrid Laurier University's Near Eastern Archaeology programme. A goal that I had been working towards since I was in grade 3.

Its amazing what a picture can preserve that is unintended. Clearly the focus of this picture was my grandfather - but the background material is just as illuminating. This blog has made me look at this picture more closely - and reflect on what was an exciting period in my life...the transition from high school to University...the transition from dependance on my parents to one of independance (or so I thought at the time). Somtimes I wish I could go back there - I wouldn't change a thing (well...maybe just a couple, but as a friend of mine reminded me the other day - "don't mess with time travel...nothing good will come of it).

Its Friday - so that means its off to the trailer - I will resume next week.

Until next time...

Loozing it in Amsterdam

Ok - well - I think I am just going to take pictures at "random" from the vast archive that I have created over the years. When I say archive...I mean, I have collected (either directly...or through scanning negatives and prints) well over 15,000 images. A bit excessive you say?! You are right...BUT....I think if most people went through all their photo albums, their parents albums, etc....they would find that they have a similar (if not way more) amount of photos.

Now - on to today's iteration. This photo was taken back in 2002, July 7th to be exact. In this photo is myself (sporting the biggest beard I have ever managed to grow) and one of my good friends, Annlee. We were in Amsterdam for a couple of days before heading "into the field" (Madaba, Jordan). I remember when this picture was taken - Annlee, Debra (another friend whom I am sure will eventually make their way onto this blog) and myself were playing cards (evidence on the table) in a cafe (!). Annlee orders this drink called "Looza"...(I just tried Google translate and I have no idea what the word actually means...or what language it even is). I thought that was funny - so I kept calling Annlee a "Looza" all night (which got very boring after a while and I was forced to stop).

Until tomorrow....

...in the beginning...

This picture is supposed to be the earliest one of me. Unfortunately I don't have any specific dates assocated with it. Obviously I am in my crib - and looking at the heater that is attached to the wall in the background it looks like my room in our first house in North York. So my best guess is that this picture was taken sometime in 1967 - after May for sure, perhaps as late as September/October - but I have no way of knowing.

Clearly I don't remember this picture being snapped - if I did...I think I would be a mutant! In fact - my childhood memories are very dim in my memory...a few stand out, but for the most part I have a hard time focusing in on the remote past. I don't know if that is normal or not - but thats the way it is with me. Nothing trumatic has ever really happened to me - so its not like I am blocking anything out.

Having said all that - when I look at this picture, it envokes more questions than answers. I have a big smile on (which is par for the course with me...I tend to be more happy than sad) - so something was pleasing me a the time (probably food!).

I don't know who took this picture but my guess would be either of my "uncle Jims" - they were always taking pictures of everything, but my own parents didn't have real passion for the camera - at least that is my recollection.

We all have baby pictures...and as parents we all take baby pictures. I wonder - what are we really trying to capture with that process? Is it purely to document the moment? the individual? I am not trying to be philosophical - but the thing about pictures is that the person taking the picture, does so for a particular reason - what's the reason for this picture...I have no idea since I wasn't the one taking it. Its like art criticism...when people come up with ideas in interpreting artwork (of which photography is a varient). Unless the artist (or in this case the photographer) explicitly documents the reasons...its up to the viewer to provide the answer. I find this process frustrating when I am looking at something becuase how I view it doesn't necessarily reflect what really "is".

Ok - I am rambling...but this was the first post for this blog, and I wanted it to be a good one (I think I failed on that....)

Until tomorrow!