Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Ruins

Why are we so obsessed with ruins? It has been going on at least since the 18th Century in travel, art, and of course much longer in Archeology. Even Shakespeare was writing about ruins before that.There were even people who built "Ruins" for decoration of their property!
In photography we like the textures of age, especially on the surfaces of buildings. If there isn't enough we add it using filters and digital enhancement like HDR. We seem to be obsessed with "patina."
Here are some photos of Detroit's ruins published recently. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2011/jan/02/photography-detroit
Wooden Building showing some Weathering

Old Car Wreck

Barn Roof Shingles Falling Off
In 1953 Rose Macauly published a book called " The Pleasure of Ruins." Check it out.
  Today here are a few of our photos of surfaces altered by the ravages of time....

Monday, August 6, 2012

Hodology

Hodology is the study of pathways. Could be in the brain, in psychology, in philosophy etc but today it is about walking, wayfaring, travelling, on paths, lanes, roads, holloways. drove roads, green lanes, coffin routes, pilgrim tracks, and so on. Today we explored a narrow gravel road between Penticton and Summerland called Shingle Creek Road, because it went beside the creek, which eventually joined Trout Creek in Summerland, about twenty kilometres away. Pathways are means of connecting, and never having been on this one before, we had to have faith that it did connect eventually! Our map showed that it did, but various unmarked forks had to be decided upon. It would have been better to walk on a path, rather than drive, in order "to better think and write". Good advice for bloggers. One such was Edward Thomas, a compulsive wayfarer and poet, who lived for only 39 years before being killed as a soldier in France in 1917. He wrote:
                                                                           "The hill-road wet with rain
                                                                             In the sun would not gleam,
                                                                             Like a winding stream
                                                                             If we trod it not again"

Here are a few photos from our wayfaring today on Shingle Creek Road:-
One of two vehicles we met!


Ponderosa Pine Grassland

Two paths cross the landscape
Trout Creek near Summerland