f11project

Johnston Canyon is located in Banff National Park, Alberta and it is only a short driving distance from Banff. Johnston Creek is a tributary of the Bow River in the Canadian Rockies originated north of Castle Mountain in a glacial valley south of Badger Pass. ​

The Johnston Canyon Trail is a very popular destination for hikers. The trail is about 6 kilometres (3.6 miles) long. There are catwalks anchored to the side of the canyon in parts of the trail which offer ​good vantage points for the river below.

The Lower Falls is about 10 metres high with a deeply carved pothole below. You can get right up close to the falls through a small tunnel to experience the sight and sound of water plunging into the pothole and feel the mist on your face (hopefully not your lens).

As you push forward to the Upper Falls, the terrain becomes more rugged. The Upper Falls is much more dramatic at a height of 30 metres. Beyond the Upper Falls are the Ink Pots which is about 3.5 kilometres away. The ink pots are six greenish blue pools of spring water that remains at a constant -1˚C year round.

To hike the trail in the winter or spring, you will need proper gear and footwear. As I found out the hard way, negotiating the icy paths can be treacherous especially on steep climbs. However, to be able to avoid the hordes of tourists in the summer months is the big payoff. ​

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Jasper National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. It is the largest park in the Canadian Rockies spanning 10878 square kilometres (4200 square miles) and is located north of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

The park offers spectacular views of glaciers, crystal clear lakes, breathtaking rugged mountain ranges, broad valleys, deep canyons, evergreen forest and of course, abundant wildlife. It has over 1000 kilometres of hiking trails in this vast wilderness and the largest Dark Sky Preserve on the planet.

The ​scenic Icefields Parkway that connects Banff National Park to the south takes you alongside a chain of massive icefields that straddle the Continental Divide. The famous Columbia Icefield is at the southern end of the park and it is only a short walking distance from the parkway.

​Jasper National Park is also one of the few remaining areas in southern Canada that carnivores like grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolves, wolverines and coyotes call home. This park remains one of the protected ecosystems remaining in the Rockies.

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The Anglican St. James Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Toronto still in operation. The cemetery was opened in July 1844 for the burial of people professing the Anglican faith. 

At that time most of the city’s population of 18,000 lived south of Queen Street West and the cemetery’s present location during that era must have been regarded as being outside city limits. The cemetery was necessary as the burial ground around the cathedral itself, in use since 1797, was out of room.

Recognizing the growing trend towards cremation throughout the world, a crematorium was added in 1948. To date over 89,000 interments and 75,000 cremations have taken place at the cemetery.

The entrance to the cemetery is located at the intersection of Bloor and Parliament Streets, overlooking the Don River ravine. Just to the west is the St. James Town neighbourhood, which is named after the cemetery.

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I am pleased to announce that I will be participating in this year’s Toronto Urban Photography Festival. The 2 pieces of work shown below will be part of ‘Home - Group Exhibition’ at IX Gallery. The exhibition will run from March 9th - 23rd, 2013. Opening is March 14th, 6:30 - 9 PM.

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wall of crucifix, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico

Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center. After the Spanish took over, Vasco de Quiroga worked to make Pátzcuaro the capital of the New Spain province of Michoacán, but after his death, the capital would be moved to nearby Valladolid (today Morelia). Pátzcuaro has retained its colonial and indigenous character since then, and has been named both a “Pueblo Mágico” and one of the 100 Historic World Treasure Cities by the United Nations. Pátzcuaro and the lake region it belongs to is well known as a site for Day of the Dead celebrations.

~ Wiki

The Wallace Avenue pedestrian bridge was built around 1907 and it connects the neighbourhood to Dundas Street West. You can check out this photo taken in 1916 from the City of Toronto Archives.

A Slice of China: Leisure

A Slice of America.

A Slice of America. Wyoming.

A Slice of America. Chicago.

Motel: Motorists’ Hotel refers to an establishment which provides lodging and parking and in which the rooms are usually accessible from an outdoor parking area. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

The word motel first appeared in 1926 (the “Milestone Mo-Tel” in San Luis Obispo, California). The history of the motel is directly linked to America’s love of the car culture, which began with the first affordable car, the Model T. The automobile and the freedom it represented and provided touched the American spirit of adventure, individualism and exploration.

Santa María Magdalena Cuitzeo is one of the most magnificent 16th century monastery built by the Augustinian missionaries in the western province of Michoacán. 

This ex-convent are filled with imagery of Christian faith. In the room above, you are able to see a fresco depicting Mary Magdalene holding a jar filled with oil and washing the feet of Jesus. In the cloisters, the Capitulary Hall also houses the convent’s nearly 1,100-volume bibliographic and documentary archives, most dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Tibetan Mani wheel (prayer wheel) is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle. It is made from metal, leather and wood. It plays a very important role in Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The mantra ओं मणिपद्मे हूं Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ that is on the outside of the prayer wheel is associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The mantra is especially revered by devotees of the Dalai Lama, as he is said to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara.

The concept of the prayer wheel is a physical manifestation of the phrase “turning the wheel of Dharma,” which describes the way in which the Buddha taught. Prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit (good karma) and to purify negativities (bad karma).

The practice of spinning the prayer wheel helps with the mind-stabilization technique that trains the mind while the body is in motion. Buddhist teachers extol its ability to quickly harmonize the environment, promote healing, increase compassion, and assist practitioners on their journeys to enlightenment.

A netsuke (根付) is a form of miniature sculpture which developed in Japan during the 17th century. Netsuke served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress, had no pockets. Women would tuck small personal items into their sleeves, but men suspended their tobacco pouches, pipes, purses, or writing implements on a silk cord from their obi (kimono sash). These hanging objects are called sagemono. To stop the cord from slipping through the obi, a small toggle was attached. The toggle is called a netsuke. (The most popular pronunciation is “net-ski”, while the actual Japanese is closer to “netskeh”). A sliding bead (ojime) was strung on the cord between the netsuke and the sagemono to tighten or loosen the opening of the sagemono.

The entire ensemble was then worn, at the waist, and functioned as a sort of removable hip pocket. All three objects (the netsuke, the ojime and the different types of sagemono) were often beautifully decorated with elaborate carving, lacquer work, or inlays of rare and exotic materials, including: wood, ivory, precious metals, shell, coral, and semi-precious stones. All three items developed into highly coveted and collectible art forms.

~International Netsuke Society~