I am actually really happy with today's results. I woke up with a ton of energy, which has been quite rare this summer, so I knew that it was going to be a good day. I shot mostly with digital, but used the Holga for the random shot. I am truly satisfied with how the blue the sky turned out in most of the photos. I was practically making out with my screen as I flipped through the photos on my laptop.
I started my day by the old gas station on King St. Of course there are never any old, abandoned arcade games dumped there on the days that I want to photograph them! Sometimes there will be four or five arcade game boxes standing together in the middle of the station; today there was only one lying on the ground in shambles. I have no idea where they come from or who places them there, but their mysterious presence intrigues me so!
In the back of the building I found what seemed to be some kind of lighting system. The front of the box had been ripped open to reveal wires and electronics that I would not have any idea what to do with. On the top were three lights, one had a red gel on the inside. I could only imagine the life this thing had...
I felt ashamed of the pink and yellow paint and graffiti splattered on the walls and the amount of collective debris on the ground. It's sad to think that this gas station probably served many happy go-lucky drivers and now it's home to people who think that it's just a dump site. There is obviously history in this building and we honor it by writing on it and leaving garbage everywhere.
My next stop was a more pleasant one as I walked around Port Colborne's Museum. The main building showcases different artifacts and there are a number of log cabins outside open for exploring. Today was the first time that I actually spent time looking through the buildings when it wasn't Canal Days. The craft show used to be held there so it gave an excuse to give attention to these buildings.
I guess it never occurred to me that the Museum would be open for regular hours during the week. I first thought that I was trespassing and was making the effort to hide from the gardener. Once I noticed that all of the doors to each building were open did I realize that it was supposed to be like this.
Adrenaline rushes through my body every time I come across a new and unfamiliar setting which makes me become completely obsessed. I only saw two other people, not counting the gardner and employees, walking around the area which gave me the opportunity to become absorbed in the atmosphere. However, everyone that I did see, smiled and said hello which made me feel welcome.
It didn't seem like it, but I spent 45 minutes walking around and observing the Museum. I almost didn't want to leave, but I realized that I wanted to get some other places photographed before the afternoon was over and started feeling tired.
I stopped by the mini park which is located next to the Museum and the library before driving off to get a banana slurpee. It's been a while since I've swung on any swings and after a couple glides I remembered why... I was only on there for a minute when I started to feel dizzy and my stomach started going for a whirl. Those days of seeing how high you can swing are long gone for me.
While I was in my happy mood, I decided to venture over to my old neighborhood to take a look around. I haven't been in that area for a while now, but old memories hit me hard once I turned down Sheba Crescent.
The picture at the beginning of this blog was taken of the hill at the memorial park located in that sub-division. It's located next to No Frills and overlooks the West Side Arena and the baseball fields once you get to the top. We used to climb this hill to the top and then roll all the way down to the bottom. Something my stomach probably couldn't handle anymore. Today I ran up to the top, something that I haven't done in eight or so years, and my instant thoughts were, "I remember it being so much bigger".
Garbage and green bins lined the roads and I realized that Tuesday is garbage day for this neighbourhood. A smile ran across my face.
In the beloved book, A Secret Garden, Mary's nurse believes that being outdoors has a positive affect on a person's overall being. I'm beginning to believe this as I've been in a feel good mood since yesterday.
Yours truly.
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