Vintage London: The war to end all wars.

 

There is a Facebook site called Vintage London. It carries interesting photographs doumenting London, Ontario, from days long past. Today an image taken shortly after the end of the First World War was featured. 

The posted image showed an arch, one of two, erected after the war to honour local soldiers returning from Europe after the end of the First World War. Listed on the arch were the major battles in which Canadian soldiers played a prominent role.

The First World War was know as the "The war to end all wars." War had become simply too horrible to contemplate a replay. Sadly, as we know all too well today, the First World War was just one more war in an apparently never ending, constantly growing, list of wars going back thousands of years.

 

This is the caption from Vintage London:

"Two large 'Welcome Home' Arches were constructed on the streets of London as soldiers returned from World War I. This arch was located on Dundas Street just east of Wellington Street and had to be large enough to allow London Street Railway trolleys travel through it. 

A second arch was built on Richmond south of Dundas. On the illuminated arch in the photograph we see plaques that detail the battles in which Canadians participated, including: Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, Bourlon Wood, Cambria, Valenciennes, Mons, Ypres, Festubert, St Eloi, Sanctuary Wood, Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Hill 70.

 
As the various battalions returned home the soldiers would march from the train station to the armories as crowds cheered their return."

An American icon

 

The moment I saw this bus shelter beside the highway heading west I knew I had a picture. The blue sky, green grass, white clouds and that oh-so-eye-catching iconic U.S.A./Old Glory art all came together to create visual magic.

Devolution of a Mall

 

The mall in southwest London was a beauty when it was first built. In its early years it was so successful that a second wing was added. But time and the coming of big box stores took a steep toll. As the mall slowly emptied the second wing was demolished but to no avail. The mall was unable to fill even the remaining stores which were now far fewer in number.

It had been a high end mall, a citywide shopping destination. Today inside the shop is almost devoid of retail outlets but an exterior wall has been modified to feature a Dollarama store.

Years ago there were those who thought the city should never have zoned the area south of the mall for big box stores. Those retail businesses could have been located within the mall. Westmount is a fine example of poor city planning and the Dollarama store is a hint at what could have been done but wasn't.

A search engine sampling of my life

Often I google folk I knew as a child, curious to know what they did with their lives. Today I wondered what someone googling me would find.

What I found surprised me. As a photojournalist, the pretentious term applied to photographers who shoot pictures for a newspaper, I have quite the record of work on view and so much of the stuff on view I shot but I don't remember shooting.

Life's long, so very, very long and complex. You think you recall everything and yet you don't. Not even close.

After admitting that, I have to say finding my shot of Canadian singer Bif Naked uncovered long buried memories. Bif, or should I say Ms Naked was a sweet heart, a gentle, young lady. I had to spend a couple of hours with the artist before she went on stage. It was a delightful two hours. And her look, those eyes, that voice, Bif Naked was the complete package.

Rick Mercier, a Canadian comedian/journalist/documentary-maker (Don't ask.), spent a day with Bif Naked some years ago. I liked some of the comments made by viewers of the little clip.

• Bif is one of the sweetest, kindest women I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
• i LOVE her!!!!!! you can't get any cooler than that :) <3 its so awesome to live in vancouverrr :)
• How cute was that? Biffy and Rick should team up!
• Met her twice in person. She is as awesome as she seems from this video.
• I have never felt more Canadian! :D
  

 

Shopping carts no longer must be sanitized

 

When COVID-19 first appeared, no one knew for sure how the virus was spread. There was more fear than fact, or even virus, in the air. Folks believed the contagion might be spread by touching contaminated surfaces. Cleaning wipes appeared everywhere. Grocery store staff ensured every cart was wiped down after use and before being given to another shopper.

Now, it is understood that COVID-19 is primarily an airborne disease. Shopping carts are no longer guarded by concerned grocery store staff. The carts are used and left stacked in rows in front of the store awaiting the next customer. 

We may not have beaten COVID-19 yet but we are getting a handle on our fears.

Walkin' the dog

 

It looked like a quick way to walk the dog. It wasn't. The fellow with leash had to stop numerous times. 

Pooch, it seems, was not into quick walks. He liked to take his time. Relax. Enjoy the day. 

From watching these two, it is clear why dogs are good for their owners. Pooch kept Mister Efficiency with his rollerblades slowed down, encouraging him to take notice and enjoy the day.

Now, we know; owls don't frighten.

I've always had my doubts about plastic owl scarecrows. I thought they might work for awhile but surely the ruse would wear thin. Well, I was half right. At least, when it came to frightening nesting robins away from our outside lights.

A robin has been attempting to build a nest on the light beside our front door. It brings the nesting material to the lamp. We find it and brush it off. This little game is repeated many times day and night. Frustrated, my wife hung an owl scarecrow from the lamp. The bird was not deterred.

Then, I had a brain wave. I emptied a tissue box and ripped open one end. The box fit neatly on top of the lamp. The loop of string from which the owl was suspended could be jiggled about to hold the tissue box as well.

The result? The robin, with no place to build its nest, departed.

The lesson? Think twice before buying a scarecrow owl. The voting is still out on scarecrow hawks. My wife had one of those guarding her garden.