Saturday, July 17, 2010


This afternoon we went to Paul Leisz’s home in Richmond. We invited ourselves so that we could all swim in his great pool. Paul had sun burnt himself the day before and his girlfriend Amy does not like to swim. So they watched us from the shade as we swam. Lauren had just finished this year’s summer swimming lessons and at long last she is not afraid. She jumps on the deep end and somehow between a primitive crawl and a more advanced dog paddle she maneuvers around. Rebecca, who inherited from my mother, swims beautifully, especially when she swims on her back. She likes to have water fights and expects me to dunk her. Paul took this picture of the two of us using my iPhone. The other colour pictures of the girls I took in Paul’s little backyard garden. The light was just right (low contrast) so that I was able to take pleasant pictures of Lauren and Rebecca. When Rosemary saw the picture of Rebecca she warned me about posting it here. I have come to realize that after so many years of being a photographer experience has taught me to be good at what I do. If Rebecca looks sexy it is partially because she is a striking girl but I must add that I also know what I am doing. It is not really a snapshot even though many would point out that with an iPhone that is all it could possibly be.

Knowing when and where to take a picture has to be a talent I have seeing that I am lousy at plumbing, engineering, accounting, etc. That when to take a picture has all to do with observing my subject’s face and knowing when the expression is one that will make the picture.



Amy asked me, when I told her that my blog from the few first postings more than four years ago is really a personal diary, “Why would you want to reveal to others your personal diary?” She may be right except that I would correct her in saying that I write the blog for myself and for my family. But then the story of one’s family can be interesting at times. My handwriting is all but illegible so a written diary would be of no use. And then if you think about it nobody would go into my bedroom or desk, open up that diary and read it. They would wait for my death. For me a blog is the better of those two worlds.

This morning, my friend Graham Walker called to tell me that he was going to pass by with a new plastic spatula that his wife Cathy had bought for me. Some weeks ago while making pancakes (both Graham and I are connoisseurs of pancakes, and in particular the thin almost crepe kind.) I had complained about my old spatula sticking to the thin pancakes I was making. He told Cathy and that explains the fine gift of a new spatula.



Now in our family Rebecca, Lauren and I can eat pancakes any time. Rosemary will tolerate them for breakfast. The idea of having pancakes for lunch is anathema. But when Graham called I had the perfect excuse to go over her head on the lunch menu. Initially the pancakes stuck to the new spatula but as soon as there was a little bit of butter on it, it worked beautifully. Best of all we still had the little small bottles of Peachland fruit syrups given to us by Paul.



In the picture here that’s Graham holding the new utensil. Cathy, thank you so much. If this particular blog is boring or lacking in substance, dear reader, consider that this is a personal diary and my day today was a pleasant one. Nothing really happened and sometimes that is just fine.