Welcome back to Arva. I know it’s technically double-dipping, but there was just so much at the Mill, I had to split it into two posts.
While I’ve shopped at the Arva Flour Mill before, I’d never taken the time to wander about the property and it’s such an interesting blend of the industrial and the pastoral. And not only is it a destination for local shoppers, fishermen, and wildlife; the White Stripes performed there in 2007!
If you’ve been over to the shop before, you may have noticed that 1) it opened in January and 2) it’s sat empty since then. I’m something of a perfectionist, and the idea of choosing out the “perfect” prints or writing the “perfect” profile has left me looking for anything else to do but this. I’ve now been home and immobile for a week, and it’s given me a lot of time to think, take a deep breath, and just do it.
Welcome to my little shop. It’s wee right now, but it will grow.
And if you’re not shopping Etsy yet, you should be! It’s the finest place online to find handmade goods, and I won’t tell you how much time and money I’ve happily lost over there. If you’re looking for more fab photographers on Etsy, go check out my
This weekend couldn’t have been better, spent with great friends and enjoying the beautiful weather with camera in hand. I spent this afternoon with A., who was visiting from BC, and not only did we watch Spain defeat the Netherlands, but he also joined me for my Sunday small-town Ontario project in St. Agatha. A’s father is a great photographer, and I was floored to see his amazing photos from recent expeditions to Iceland, the Galapagos Islands, and the American Southwest. Some day soon, I hope to see some of his work online and pick up a print or three. Thank you all for a lovely day!
Without further ado, welcome to St. Agatha:
As one of the backroad towns between Cambridge and London, I must have driven through Drumbo countless times over the years and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped until now. It’s always struck me as the plain sister to the pretty tourist towns in the area, and I’m curious to find out how and why Drumbo came to be, and why it feels so much more like a frontier town than Ayr or St. Marys. Information online has been remarkably sparse; as someone who is used to finding everything and anything online, it’s been surprising.
I came across the 2010 Ontario Heritage Conference in my searches, and a reference to Katherine Ashenburg’s book, Going To Town: Architectural Walking Tours In Southern Ontario. I loved her most recent book, The Dirt On Clean: The Sanitized History, which made me both giggle with delight and squeal with disgust. While I don’t think Going To Town will necessarily cover the information I need, I think it’ll be a great accompaniment to my summer travels, along with some old musty history books from local used bookshops and a stack of books by Ron Brown. Unfortunately, no one in town has Going To Town in stock so I’ll have to wait a few days for my order to come in.
Next week, something a little more “picturesque” perhaps?
A few days ago, I was driving home from work, and I had an epiphany. And then… I had an epiphany ABOUT having epiphanies. Are you still with me?
The original epiphany is unimportant to the world at large, but the second mini-epiphany (epiphany aftershock?) was that I do my best thinking while driving. I thought back to a posting at Chookooloonks on meditation a few weeks back about meditation. For me, photography is very much like meditation. As Karen noted, the act of considering my subject, my settings, my intention is an act of meditation for me. And when I drive, I think. I compose. I ponder. I’ve written the best letters, stories and, yes, blog entries, while on the open road, only to lose them like dreams when I reach my destination.
I remember coming back from the desert last summer, and wondering what the future would bring and where I would find myself. The uncertainty led me to fall in love … with Ontario. It was so startlingly lush and green after the muted tones of the desert, and everywhere I looked was just more lovely than the last. I’d always had this dream to leave Ontario, to move out to BC Nova Scotia or anywhere with gorgeous vistas around every bend of the road. While I would never rule out a move in the future, I appreciate my surroundings so much more now.
Welcome to Nilestown, and the beginning of the Small-town Ontario Project.
Internet, if you’re excited now, just wait until you meet Drumbo next week!
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