photographs

Halloween to New York and back again. Here’s life lately:

I discovered a pumpkin carving hack online – cookie cutters! My creation was titled “Stars Hollow”. David scored lots of candy and I am proud to say I didn’t eat one piece until after the marathon, which is pretty much my biggest achievement in life.

Filled up on Julian’s – carb loading before New York. I made their signature cream cheese and chive spread myself.David and Mike’s new favourite hang out. The blur flying out of the yellow slide is my son.First time watching Michael Jackson’s ThrillerFinal race of the year for David: Second place at the Beazly. There was a parent run which we made Mike do. He wants to be sure you know he finished in a three-way tie for first
Meetings at Dalhouse University always end with a salad from Pete’s
I am kind of in to having a niece close by. Jill and Alex need to take full advantage of my willingness to babysitOff to New York! I spent the 6-hour layover in Toronto hydrating and taking selfiesWe rode the subway a lot. David’s highlight from the trip was watching a guy breakdance in a car. A low was probably when we arrived at the Times Square station only an hour after someone was pushed to their death (dun dun…)Coffee stop in Brooklyn. I take pictures of coffee shops for my friend, NancyAnd here’s where we stayed in BrooklynWho’s running the NEW YORK CITY MARATHON tomorrow? It’s me! (read about it here)So this was a big deal for DavidClearly, he’s an urban kid My sister and neice came down for the afternoon and we toured the Intrepid. The kids loved it.My mom and I found the Highline and took a strollDavid, Mike and my Dad went to an Oilers vs. New York Islanders game and they had a great time. The Barkley Center was really close to our place and the game went in to overtimeGround Zero. The last time I was in New York, it was just a construction siteWe found a Ben and Jerrys in the Rockefeller! I tried Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Dough and it was so goodAt the top of the Rockefeller – amazing views!The eve of the election and I was feeling pretty optimisic… A stoll through Central Park – spotted the filming of Oceans Eight. We were told Rhianna, Cate and Sandra were right thereTimes Square with all of the big screens was very overwhelming for a kidYup, we were still feeling pretty excited about the election on the eve ofLast supper in BrooklynOh and this was being filmed on our street where we were stayingPeace out NYCBack to reality. School drop off. This is hopefulRemembrance Day service in Point Pleasant Park Run and coffee date with the bestie and holiday cups make me happy!Someone is pretty excited about finishing all of his swimming levels Edith came over for the evening while her parents went out, it was a school night so she had to help with French homeworkThe Movember Run happened – it was a mini reunion for the Fundy Dippers (7 out of 10 girls were able to make it!) Henry and I ran in the dog division but took a short cut back to the finish to see the runners come in (sometimes it’s fun to be a cheerleader instead) Sorry for the blur, but Robyn and Erica flew by too fast! Speaking of Henry – happy eleventh birthday! I am happy-sad about this. He’s the best. And that’s a wrap. All the races are over for the year… We ended on a high note with the Youth Running Series pizza/pool party. David took home 2nd place overall for the musquito boys. We’re pretty impressed, especially considering he missed the first three races. Next year he moves up to PeeWee and I can’t say enough how great this program is for kids. ($25 for 11 event) In conclusion, sometimes its okay to make fun of yourself

psst. If you like what you’re reading, please subscribe and share. xomeg

There’s something special about sisters.

Forty portraits in forty years

Jill (younger sister) sent this to Erin (older sister) and me the other day. Forty Portraits in Forty Years is a photo series by Nicholas Nixon of his wife and her sisters every year for forty years– I can’t stop looking at these photographs! In all honesty, my first reaction was sadness because I quickly scrolled down watching them age in 10 seconds. Yikes, life is fast! Once I read the story behind the project and looked slowly through the photographs, I totally fell in love with the series. In 1975 social media did not exist, which means special moments captured on film were usually only shared with your family and close friends. It amazes me that people started things and kept them going for their own preservation … Who imagined, forty years ago, one photograph would start something special and circulate all over the world? Here are some excerpts from the article in The New York Times Magazine:

Throughout this series, we watch these women age, undergoing life’s most humbling experience. While many of us can, when pressed, name things we are grateful to Time for bestowing upon us, the lines bracketing our mouths and the loosening of our skin are not among them. So while a part of the spirit sinks at the slow appearance of these women’s jowls, another part is lifted: They are not undone by it. We detect more sorrow, perhaps, in the eyes, more weight in the once-fresh brows. But the more we study the images, the more we see that aging does not define these women. Even as the images tell us, in no uncertain terms, that this is what it looks like to grow old, this is the irrefutable truth, we also learn: This is what endurance looks like.

With each passing year, the sisters seem to present more of a united front. Earlier assertions of their individuality — the arms folded across the chest, the standing apart — give way to a literal leaning on one another, as if independence is no longer such a concern. We see what goes on between the sisters in their bodies, particularly their limbs. A hand clasps a sister’s waist, arms embrace arms or are slung in casual solidarity over a shoulder. A palm steadies another’s neck, reassuring. The cumulative effect is dizzying and powerful.

The sisters’ privacy has remained of utmost concern to the artist, and it shows in the work. Year after year, up to the last stunning shot with its triumphant shadowy mood, their faces and stances say, Yes, we will give you our image, but nothing else.

* * *

If we start this summer, Erin will be 78 when the project wraps up. Doable. We’ve already been unknowingly practicing.