This weekend we brought home the family furniture (mentioned on this blog before here) that has been being lovingly restored for the past year. That’s it. We’re officially finally all moved in to our new house now. I didn’t say unpacked — just moved in. (And, true to my word, I did get some of the family history wrong in that first post. Oops.)
Many thanks to Dave MacFee and his talented crew for bringing this wood back to life. It was dark and dull when we dropped it off to you and look at it now. There are fireworks in that grain. Thanks also to Chris, Estelle & Jonathan for helping to heft the very heavy top half of this cabinet onto the very heavy bottom half. We couldn’t have done it without you guys.
To make a long story short (ish), this furniture was commissioned by Sally’s grandfather’s grandmother’s grandfather (I think I got that right — but you know my track record) who was instrumental in the building of many of the early canals in Montreal in the early 1800s. Phillips Square in downtown Montreal was named for him and the furniture was made for a large home he had built on Beaver Hall Hill.
Why I need to pay more attention…
When I was in Montreal a couple of years ago, I made a few casual remarks about the family history but didn’t really know enough to ask the right questions. I knew the house had burned down in the mid-1800s but was curious where it had stood. With new research we’ve been doing this past month to try and answer some questions about the furniture, I now know that I was nearly standing on the spot where the old house stood when I took this photo:
If I have my bearings right, the street along the right is Cote du Beaver Hall. I was right there and never knew it. And Phillips Square is probably within a three minute walk from here as well.
We’ll go back, do some family research, and properly visit these sites sometime in the near future. It’s just funny how close I was to a place I’d always wanted to see and didn’t even know it. Glad I at least took some photos.
Watched 
I had a great experience last night on the Maligne Canyon ice hike in Canada’s Jasper National Park. This is a trip you must make with a guide. Boots and ice spikes are provided — a necessity for the second half of the hike when you are literally walking on the frozen and sometimes slushy river. It’s a pretty good trek from the parking area to the ice falls and fairly disorienting in the dark with only an LED headlamp to show you the way. There are a few overlooks at the top of the falls that are accessible during the day on your own but the fun of the night trip begins when the guide leads you off of the path and down into the canyon. It’s similar to exploring a cave except you can see the stars between the high canyon walls and many of the formations are ice instead of stone. This is not a trip that can be made in the summer as the river prevents all access.
Grabbed a few shots of Lake Louise this morning with some fog coming off of the ice. There was a patch of open water at the lake’s outlet that provided another nice opportunity for a reflection. The fog came up almost instantaneously and only remained for 15 minutes or so but it was beautiful while it lasted.
The spot was perfect as it allowed for several shooting opportunities. Nearby hot springs had kept this body of water open and the stillness made for perfect reflections of the nearby mountains — including Mount Rundle shown at the right. Ice around the edge of the lake provided a good surface to shoot from as well as some nice leading lines and foreground elements. in other areas patches of golden reeds broke the surface of the water giving some nice warm color and a very different look than shots that were dominated by the ice. In the end I was able to grab lots of different images that don’t all look like they were shot in the same place or on the same evening. A very versatile location. What a great way to end a day.
