Shelagh's Lens
Bringing Vancouver and the world to inspired travellers
After the Party is Done
Graduation or convocation ceremonies involve a great deal of organisation, on the parts of both the hosts and participants. This stage of studies is complete. Speeches have been thoughtfully crafted, and students have taken painstaking care (or not) over the right shoes, and more.
Valedictorians and other speakers have offered their bits of wisdom, and graduands have crossed the stage, shaken hands and smiled (or endured the spotlight they dislike) as they received their credentials – while parents and other loved ones snapped and messaged or emailed photos, cherishing this culmination of a multiplicity of efforts.
Here, we look at just a portion of a stage after the pomp and ceremony. The graduates have moved on to the reception with families and friends, and it’s all over except for vacuuming up the confetti and preparing for the next round.
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Window Shopping
Window shopping and an eye for style needn’t be limited to clothing.
Feast your eyes on this lovely plate of macarons, nestled in the window of a shop in old Montreal.
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Streets of Gold
In an earlier post, I offered that new locales can often be more interesting photographed before people begin to stir.
Well, there’s also a great deal to be said for evening photography. Here’s a shot I suspect is not uncommon for Lisbon; this tram way and incline were immediately beside a great Portuguese restaurant known for good food and for attracting footballers as well as locals.
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Old Friends
Before telling you about this shot, am writing with a sincere note of thanks to those who have already been viewing, liking and/or following this new site I launched this week … and for putting up with my multiple posts as I build a bit of a presence on the site! I promise that I won’t be posting multiple images every day.
Now, to these two gentlemen. On the eve of a major festival, and surrounded by literally thousands of people just feet away, with music and bright lights in full force, these two managed to find a bit of quiet, perched on the doorstep of a centuries-old building.
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Painted Skies
British Columbia’s west coast is a place of beauty; at the risk of bragging, we have it all – the ocean, mountains, gorgeous lakes and rivers … and, in a number of areas, plentiful rain to keep things green.
In this shot, taken on the west coast, we have an evergreen (with many more in the background) silhouetted against a colourful sky.
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Boy On Log
Ah, the perfect summer day, now drawing to a close, complete with the innocence of somewhat gangly pre-teen boys poking around logs extending into the water.
I hesitate to publish this shot, but do so for its timeless quality; this young fellow could be enjoying a summer’s eve in any of a few recent decades, and in any of a number of locales.
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Early Birds
When travelling, near or far, new locales can sometimes be even more interesting before most people have begun to stir.
Here, in San Francisco, these fishermen and their companions were out on the pier well before the sun rose. As may be seen in the hands of the fellow at the far left, it was a productive morning and it didn’t take long before buckets began to fill.
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Lions Gate Bridge
Lions Gate Bridge connects Vancouver, via much loved Stanley Park, to West Vancouver and the North Shore.
Here, on a foggy December 23rd and away from the cheer of Christmas lights elsewhere in the city, one might be forgiven for thinking the bridge leads into an abyss of the unknown.
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Porto’s Festa de São João
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Portugal, you may want to plan your travels for June, since villages and cities there have patron saints whom they take great pleasure in honouring. The kind Portuguese are very welcoming of guests to their parties, and they certainly know how to have fun.
It was sheer luck that our stay in Porto coincided with residents’ celebration of Festa de São João, the Festival of Saint John. A couple of days earlier in Lisbon, we’d taken a roundabout route to the gorgeous and intimate Heritage Avenida de Liberdade Hotel, since Avenida de Liberdade was closed down for musical performances and parties celebrating that city’s festival honouring Saint Anthony.
Our time in Portugal yielded a little treasure trove of photos and memories, but for today I’ll start with this one from Porto, in which a young girl – surrounded by thousands of people – took in the midnight fireworks display over the Douro.
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Swan Ballet
While Palma de Mallorca’s Le Sue (Cathedral) is much to be admired for its Gothic architecture, scale and views out to the water, there’s a quiet spot nestled to the side of the building that I also appreciate.
Here, we were treated to the antics of a family of swans, complete with cygnets/young ones. Depending on the time of day, you may see the entire brood in the water. In this shot, some of the family offered a synchronised, and almost balletic approach, to seeking food.
What could be mistaken for fluttering pieces of linen surrounding a mature swan are actually its mate and four of the little ones bobbing gracefully for food, as may be seen by the gently churned waters surrounding each immersed beak.
Earlier the same day, the entire family made their way out of the water together, with the parents taking time and great care grooming themselves once they were on land – and with the little ones mimicking their parents.
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