2021-11: Mid-Fall
This year, the town of Antigonish paid tribute to veterans by putting their pictures and names on lampposts. It garnered a lot of attention; engaging folks with the individuals who served. It is easy to look back on the statistics of the World Wars and forget that behind each number is a face, a name, and a story.
Olympus E-PL9: f7.1, 1/640 sec, ISO 200
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Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/400 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the community from coming together in-person at the Cenotaph. As a result, Remembrance Day 2021 was the first one when most people got to attend a ceremony at the monument's new location in Columbus Field.
Olympus E-PL9: f5.6, 1/400 sec, ISO 320
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Olympus E-PL9: f5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO 200
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The new setup provides a nice, level space for the band in the municipal tennis court (Here, hidden behind the crowd). The attendees can make nearly a full circle around the Cenotaph, and have plenty of room. Since there are slopes on most sides, the location even provides a bit of a stadium-style arrangement, which hopefully gave more people a better view.
Olympus E-PL9: f5.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 500
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As the month of November progressed, we passed through the portion of Autumn when it earns the nickname, "Fall". Leaves rained down from the trees, including the big ginkgo in the Halifax Public Gardens. Hundreds of its distinctively-shaped leaves turned golden before fluttering to the Earth.
Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 1000
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Olympus E-PL9: f5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
Throughout November I continued my adventures in climbing. While still certainly a novice, I have advanced to some intermediate-level routes. I also took a course in belaying, which means I can now hold the rope for someone who is climbing, and know how to tie myself in if someone's belaying me. To that end, I purchased the Grigri. It works like the opposite of a winch: It increases the friction on a rope, making it safer if the person climbing falls. Also pictured is a quickdraw, a pair of carabiners connected with a piece of webbing. Quickdraws are used when lead climbing. While I am waiting to take the lead course until I am a better climber, I am really looking forward to it. Perhaps by next Summer I will be proficient enough to try leading an outdoor route.
Olympus E-PL9: f5.3, 1/15 sec, ISO 800
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Olympus E-PL9: f5.2, 1/15 sec, ISO 800
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I am unlucky in cups. I once had a favourite glass, which had a handy handle. Unfortunately, I broke it one day while doing the dishes. My Mom surprised me by finding a replacement. Sadly, I knocked it off the counter while reaching for a pen, and it smashed. Will I ever learn?
Olympus E-PL9: f6.1, 1/50 sec, ISO 6400
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I am on a two-month roll of reaching my 12000-step goal every day. My commute accounts for about a third of that, and the rest I can get if I walk to the climbing gym. On days when I don't go climbing, I sometimes take walks in the nearby parks. Whether it's skeletal trees who've recently lost their leaves, pigeons, raindrops, or stormclouds, there's always something interesting to see!
Olympus E-PL9: f4, 1/320 sec, ISO 200
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Olympus E-PL9: f6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 5000
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Olympus E-PL9: f4, 1/250 sec, ISO 200
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Olympus E-PL9: f4.5, 1/400 sec, ISO 200
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Once, when I had several hours available, I went on a really long walk. I strolled several kilometers to a business park by way of the Chain Of Lakes trail, then back. A week later I bussed to the end of the route, then walked back. It's tiring due to the length, but the trip is only hilly in one spot and the trail is strictly for pedestrians and cyclists. My last photograph from November is one I snapped near the end of the second journey, taken just after I passed through the Armdale Roundabout and was coming up the Northwest Arm on Quinpool Road. November is somewhat like that point in a long walk when you're approaching your neighbourhood. You start to think about the journey as a past thing, before it's even quite finished. And yet, December awaits.
