Corrigan School of Irish Dancing, London, ON

The Corrigan School of Irish Dancing presented their Christmas show Sunday at the Wolf Performance Hall in the Central Library in downtown London.

The dance troupe, mostly young girls, put on a great show. With taps loudly keeping time, they danced about the stage both to the music of the muscians and while tapping out music themselves.

Legs kicking high, hair and skirts flying, they kicked their heels and spun about the stage.

It was wonderful but no one was too astonished at the talent. During the year, many of the girls on stage travel great distances to compete in Irish dance contests right across North America and even occasionally in Europe.

When I used to work for the local paper, covering something like this was easy. I had a professional camera and fast lenses that let in enough light to shoot at the high shutter speeds action photography demands.

I'm retired. I shoot with two point and shoots: A Canon S90 and a Fuji FinePix HS10. Dance offers great picture moments but capturing these is tough.

The best bet, although it doesn't capture the all important action, is to wait until the end of the reel or the jig and grab a quick shot of the girls posing. This offers good form and almost guarantees a sharp picture.

I can't settle just for images of the girls taking a pose before leaving the stage. I have to at least try for action. Here it is very important to keep the camera steady. The subject movement will destroy almost all your images. Do not add camera movement to the mix. I found a steel post to steady my camera.

And sometimes, sharpness is not the deciding factor on whether a picture is a keeper. When my 3-year-old granddaughter performed a beginner reel with Nora Corrigan, sharp or not the picture was a keeper.

Still even a strong emotional attachment to an image doesn't grant it the right to be played large. It just doesn't have the quality. I upped the contrast of the image to hide a little of its defects.

I wish everyone reading this post, and everyone filing pictures to the City Daily Photo group, a very Merry Christmas and hope you all have better luck than I when shooting the difficult moving subject stuff for your blog.

Cheers!

Most homes do not last forever

 
It looks like it was a fine home not all that many years ago. Sitting on one of London's widest roads — a road that was probably just two, narrow lanes when it was built — today, the classic, little home sits empty of family, awaiting demolition.

I understand that most homes will not last forever. Still, it seems a shame when a home able to deliver many more years of shelter is forced to renege on the promise.

Yes, there are still Christmas pageants!

If you watch Fox News from the States, I can't imagine why you would, you have probably caught one of their mentions of the war on Christmas. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show has had fun poking fun at their seasonal paranoia.

I cannot speak for the U.S., but here in London, Ontario, Christmas is alive and well. (Although, I cannot say the same for my pocket book.)

Last night I attended a Christmas pageant at one of the local schools. The little ones sang Christmas carols, clapped to the music and at the end enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus.

It's official: Christmas is on its way.

 

Saturday morning Santa Claus made his annual visit to the Hyde Park area of London, Ontario. Crowds lined Gainsborough Road from Wonderland Road to Hyde Park Road in anticipation of the red suited gentleman.

Floats, marching bands, dance troops and more preceded the arrival of Saint Nick. And then it was over. Once the kids got a wave from Santa, the parade was done for another year.

 . . . but for many, the shopping has just begun.

Children's Museum still a draw

Fiona, my granddaughter, loved "ice fishing" at the Children's Museum.

 The Children's Museum in London has been going for decades. At one time it was located in some pretty tight quarters on London's main street just east of downtown. It was popular even then.

Today it can be found in the former Riverside Public School which the museum modified for its use. Brilliant. The museum provides three floors of entertaining instruction for area kids, although it attracts children from far and wide. I've encountered children there who are from out-of-province and even out-of-country.

On our last two visits, my granddaughter has been particularly taken with the display featuring life in northern Canada. She loved the "ice fishing" set-up. It was very well done with lots of ice holes and lots of fishing poles. Children did not have to wait to sample the fun.

There is talk of moving the museum, again, this time locating it closer to downtown. If the museum moves I wonder what will happen to the present building.

Fall: leaves turning, birds migrating

. . . and Londoners are taking pictures of it all. Yes, we are right in the middle of autumn here in London, Ontario.

London: a culturally rich community

Randy Richmond of The London Free Press, the local paper, has been on kick about London, Ontario, being boring. Geesh! He's been on this kick for more than a year. Talk about boring.

When I read his rants, I think: "No town needs this — being bad mouthed in print and online by the local daily paper." Talk about not being a team player.

My granddaughter just turned three. She is a second generation Canadian but she still has strong connections to Ireland. Since the little girl loves to dance, it was decided to give her an opportunity to sample Irish dance.

It was soon clear London was the perfect city for learning Irish dance. Nora Corrigan, a former female principal lead with Riverdance — The Show runs a fine Irish dance studio right here in town.

Corrigan moved to London with her parents when she was just a little girl. She considers London her hometown but she knows the world well. She toured with the famous show, performing throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. She has even appeared on Broadway.

It says a lot about London that when this young woman decided to settle down, she returned to London, Ontario.

Springbank dam reflection sparkles at dusk

The dam at Springbank Park in London, Ontario, is brand new and out of commission. It didn't pass its first test. A hinge jammed and the affected gate stuck. Now, the entire problem is stuck in the courts. Still, the dam makes for some interesting pictures. This reflection has been posted before but it never looked as dramatic as it does in this image.

Fall goes out with a blaze of glory

When I was a boy I had friends from Western Europe who told me the fall colours here were better than in Europe. In researching this post I learned they weren't kidding. There are more species of trees here than in Western Europe. Hence there are more hues to be found here.

Still, the flipping of millions of leaves from green to bright hues of yellow and scarlet is a world wide phenomenon, and one that comes and goes all too quickly. The trees in Springbank Park may be past their peak but Sunday was a rain-free day and the park was filled with strollers with cameras.

I added to their number.

Traffic calming

This new neighbourhood being built in North London is but one of many being built in an expanding London on former agricultural land. The curved entry slows traffic as it passes beside the suburban children's playground.

Western Fair

The annual fall Western Fair is now on in London ON. Attendance is dropping at the old agricultural event. I know one reason: cost. To take my granddaughter set me back $85. Wow! She is only three and so entered for free. I'm more than 65 and got in under the senior discount. Still, tickets for the rides and some fish and chips for dinner set me back a whopping $85. A visit to the fair is no longer a fun day for a struggling family.

Easy getaways another London plus

I found these guarding a neighbourhood temple in the Cotes-des-Neiges area of Montreal.

I love living in London, Ontario. One nice perk, which I have mentioned before, is how easy it is to getaway from London.

London is located on 401, the major highway running from the southwestern end of the province all the way to the Quebec border. Montreal is but a day's drive away.

In the summer there is Montreal and Quebec City beckoning. In the winter one can add the call of the many ski resorts in La Belle Province: Mont Tremblant, Mont Ste. Anne, Le Massive de Charlevoix, and more. Some of the highest vertical drops this side of the Rockies are found in Quebec.

But it was late August when my wife and I made our quick, short visit to Montreal. Driving a Jetta powered by a VW designed diesel engine, we made it from London all the way to Quebec without one stop for fuel. Coming home we drove from the Ontario-Quebec border all the way to London on little more than a half tank of fuel. Getting to Montreal was not expensive.

The Cotes-des-Neiges neighbourhood has tree lined streets filled with duplexes.

 We stayed with friends in the Cotes-des-Neiges neighbourhood, strolled the duplex lined streets and later took the rubber-tired subway system downtown to see a film shown as part of the World Film Festival. We dined in Chinatown, visited old Montreal and savoured Montreal bagels (we brought dozens home for family and friends). We enjoyed cafe au lait served in a bowl.

And everywhere we went the Quebec folk were wonderful --- sometimes too wonderful. I had a young man offer me his seat on the subway. I didn't know I was "that" old.

The Montreal Biodome offers everything from penguins to bobcats.

Where the sidewalk ends

Click on image, enlarge, read the sign.

I changed this post after hearing from a reader. I'd forgotten the children's book, Where the sidewalk ends, by Shel Silverstein. They wrote to say I'd found the place made famous by Silverstein in his book and in his poem of the same name.

How I forgot the late Shel Silverstein's book and poem, it a question. He is one of my favourite children's book authors. I'll have to go to Chapters for a couple of his efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where the Sidewalk Ends 

by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.