The Shape of A Detour

There is a walking path near the YMCA that has been teasing me for a while now. I've noticed it several times on my walks to the Y, and every time I've wondered where it went. I kept telling myself that one day I would follow it.

I have a habit of doing that. If I see a path or a street I've never explored, I want to know where it goes. Not because I'm expecting to find anything special, but simply because it's there and I don't know what's at the other end.

Earlier this month, on my way home from the Art Gallery of Peterborough, I happened to approach that same path from the opposite direction. So now I knew where the section near the YMCA ended.

Except it didn't. The trail continued across the street as far as I could see, which meant that there was at least another kilometre of it. And damned if my curiosity didn't keep bugging me to follow it. So finally, yesterday I did.

 Following My Curiosity

Yesterday I decided that I was going to explore the rest of that path. I entered at Aylmer Street, from the spot that stirred my curiosity in the first place.

It was a pleasant enough walk, a gravel path with houses along some stretches and trees along others. Nothing particularly remarkable, at least at first. Just another one of those routes through Peterborough that people probably use every day without giving much thought to it.

I started counting the sections as I went. I'm not entirely sure why, although I suspect it had something to do with keeping track of how far I'd walked. By the fourth section, I was getting tired, but the trail just kept going.

As I was coming out of the fourth section, I glanced down. That's when I noticed the old railroad rails embedded in the pavement. It was a discovery, and one I knew I should photograph, but I didn't want to stop. I just wanted to find a place to sit.

Mind you, realizing that this was an old rail line was a pleasant surprise and put the whole exploration into a different perspective. I was halfway through the next section when I realized I hadn't photographed the rails. I figured I'd do it on the way back, but then I was surprised again by another set of rails embedded in the street.

I forgot about them almost immediately because across the street, near the beginning of the next section, were some great Halloween displays. Naturally, I photographed those. They were still on my mind as I continued along the trail, so once again I forgot about the tracks. Besides, I was getting so tired that finding somewhere to sit was becoming more important than anything else.

About this time, I started seeing things I recognized, including an apartment building called Princess Court. There was a parking lot tucked in beside the trail, several feet away from the building, which meant that residents had to walk along the street to reach it. Then I spotted some huge concrete blocks. I had no idea why they were there, but they were just about the right height for me to sit on, so I sat for a bit.

I had intended to keep going because I could see a tall, skinny tower a little farther along that I wanted to see up close. But by then I was tired enough that I decided it was time to head home.

 Since I was on Princess Street, I started walking back that way instead of returning along the trail. So I never did get a photograph of those rails. Maybe next time.

There will be a next time. That tower is stuck in my head, and I want to see what it is.

Following the Tracks of Curiosity

As I walked back, I kept thinking about Peterborough's history. We had a strong industrial base, with companies like Quaker Oats, General Electric, and the Canadian Canoe Company playing important roles in the city's development. The railway tracks were everywhere, and we even had streetcars at one time.

Over the years, as railway services disappeared, many of the old tracks were removed and some of the former railway corridors became walking and cycling trails. What had once carried trains through the city now provides a different way to travel through Peterborough.

I'd known about some of these old routes, but until I spotted those rails embedded in the pavement, I hadn't realized that the path I'd been following was one of them.

And that leads me into November. Its theme is Traces of the Past, and right now those old railway lines are dominating my thoughts. I suspect they'll be turning up in more than a few of November's stories.

Besides, this detour isn't finished. There's still that tall, skinny tower I want to investigate, and I want to know what lies beyond it. At some point, the trail should reach the river, and that's when I'll finally be able to say my curiosity has been satisfied.

Although, knowing me, I'll probably find something else to wonder about along the way.

Shadows, Songs, and Sculptures: Our Night at Pumpkins After Dark

There's something deeply nostalgic about a crisp October night. The cold air, the darkness arriving earlier, and that wonderful feeling that something unexpected might be waiting just around the corner.

Earlier this week, Rob and I headed to the Markham Museum grounds for Villains Night at Pumpkins After Dark.

We had barely passed through the entrance when the familiar Addams Family theme began playing. We walked beneath an open pergola-style tunnel, and somewhere along the way, the people around us seemed to disappear. Not literally, of course, but I was so caught up in the atmosphere that I stopped noticing them. I was enjoying that little introduction so much that I never even thought to take a photograph.

Beyond the tunnel stood an illuminated entrance arch, glowing with gorgeous orange and purple lights and carved pumpkin faces. It was clear we were about to enter a wonderfully strange land.

Just past the arch was a stage decorated with dozens of carved pumpkins. You couldn't really call them jack-o'-lanterns; they were works of art! There were villains, Disney characters, and some fantastic dinosaurs.

Nearby were several places where visitors could pose for photographs. We only tried a few, but two turned out to be perfect for us.

The first was a stagecoach. I decided to climb inside and have Rob take my picture. It wasn't until I looked at the photograph afterward that I noticed the story we'd accidentally created. We'd forgotten to close the coach door, but otherwise it was a pretty convincing kidnapping!

Rob's photograph was even better. He was the perfect King of Bones. As you can see, he really brought the regal attitude.

How I managed to get myself kidnapped by a stagecoach driver is still a mystery.

All hail King Rob, ruler of the Throne of Bones

I don't think either of us expected to become characters in the evening's stories, but there we were.

We decided to leave the 3D maze until later and headed toward the pumpkin trail. The first area included a jail scene and a mystery involving an escaped prisoner. There were clues scattered throughout the displays, but solving the mystery wasn't really what interested me. I found a few letters along the way, then promptly forgot about the investigation. There were far too many other things to look at.

We were greeted by what appeared to be collectible cards featuring familiar monsters, including Frankenstein's monster and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Now, I could try to describe every display we passed, but we'd be here all day. Instead, I'll tell you about the ones that stayed with me.

For starters, somebody had made a word search out of pumpkins! Not a little one, either. It was ten rows by twenty columns. A proper word search, only instead of letters printed on paper, the whole thing was made from pumpkins.

There was a set of rebus puzzles, too. I had a little trouble figuring them out, though the second one was a little easier than the others. I don't have the answers, but give them a try.

A little brain exercise among the pumpkins.

A pumpkin puzzle: can you solve the rebus?

I know, I know. It's called Pumpkins After Dark. Of course there were pumpkins everywhere. But it had never occurred to me that somebody would turn them into puzzles. I loved that.

As we wandered farther into the museum grounds, the displays became increasingly elaborate. There were enormous dinosaurs formed from glowing pumpkins, towering above the path. They were impressive, but the creature that really captured my imagination was a massive sea serpent weaving through the darkness. It seemed to rise and fall as though it were swimming through the night itself.

Somewhere in the pumpkin patch, a sea serpent took a wrong turn.

Oddly enough, I rather like the blurred photograph. The creature looks as though it's moving, shifting in and out of the shadows. Not a perfect picture, perhaps, but it captures something of the feeling I had standing there. And sometimes that's better.

Another display that caught my attention was a story told across four illuminated panels. It involved a couple of witches who turned another witch into a cat. The images changed quickly, and I was determined to capture the entire sequence. That turned out to be easier said than done. I did eventually get all four panels photographed, though, and later managed to stitch them together in the correct order.

Three witches, a little magic, and suddenly we're down to one cat!

There was something satisfying about that. I'd brought home a little story hidden among all those pumpkins.

Then there were the famous paintings.

Who knew the great masters worked in pumpkin?

The detail in these pieces was remarkable. I kept thinking about the patience and hand-eye coordination it must have taken to create them. It was one thing to carve a face into a pumpkin. It was quite another to recreate a recognizable work of classic art.

One of the largest displays was a train loaded with pumpkins. It had three cars and a caboose and must have been something like six feet high and ten feet long. There were so many pumpkins that it was difficult to take it all in at once, but again, the detail was fantastic.

All aboard the Pumpkin Express! Next stop: who knows where?

Apparently, even in Pumpkinland, the train is running late.

Along the trail, we also encountered several costumed villains. The first was a mad scientist, and I immediately wanted a photograph of him standing beside Rob. His wild hair reminded me of what Rob's looks like when he lets it grow out. We also met a long, white-faced phantom and a pumpkin-headed character who managed to sneak up on me. I nearly jumped out of my skin!

He sneaked up on me. I think he was rather pleased with himself!	I'm not entirely sure what the Mad Scientist had planned for Rob, but I wasn't volunteering!”
Some people will do anything to get into a photograph.

Not all the pumpkins were frightening, though. One display, for some reason, reminded me of a pumpkin school, with the big pumpkin in charge and all the little ones gathered around.

“Class, pay attention! I don't want to have to carve this lesson into you!

I have no idea whether that's what the artists intended, but it's the story I saw. And that's half the fun, isn't it? Sometimes the artist gives you a story, and sometimes your imagination supplies one of its own.

As we neared the end of the trail, we encountered a set of motorcycles, complete with sound effects, and finally a sweet goodbye carved into pumpkins.

We returned through the tunnel, where a different song was playing. It still made me smile, and once again I forgot to photograph it. Then we headed toward the tent where the maze was waiting.

I think it may have been my first experience with a 3D maze. There were some fantastic images on the walls, and I remember being completely caught up in the experience. We found ourselves at several dead ends, at least three that I can remember. Looking back, I wonder whether they were meant to represent prison cells, since the whole maze was built around the Blackthorne Prison story.

I did manage to take a few photographs near the entrance and toward the end, but mostly I was too busy finding my way through the maze and admiring the artwork.

Welcome to Blackthorne Prison. Checking in is easy. Checking out? Not so much.
I'm sure the entrance was here a minute ago…	Management assures us that everything is under control. Management is also made of pumpkins.

By the time we finished our one-kilometre stroll, our hands were thoroughly cold, but our spirits were bright.

It had been an evening filled with little stories. Some were created by the artists, some appeared unexpectedly in our photographs, and others existed only in my imagination. There were photographs I was delighted with, others that didn't quite work, and moments I never photographed at all. And I wouldn't change any of it.

For a little while, we'd stepped out of the ordinary world and into one filled with light, colour, humour, and imagination. What a wonderful way to spend an October evening.

The Price of Curiosity

I was looking forward to visiting the Art Gallery of Ontario. There were several exhibitions I wanted to see, and I thought it would be a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.

Then I discovered that admission was $30.

 Thirty dollars! For a visit that would probably last two or three hours at most. I know my limitations, and wandering around a large gallery for an entire day just isn't going to happen. Rob and I talked about it, and we decided not to go this time. Instead, we might make a visit together in December, when we can plan a proper outing rather than trying to squeeze the gallery into a couple of hours.

But it bothered me. In fact, it made me downright angry.

I know they have expenses, but it wasn't just the price that upset me. You see, you can get an annual membership for $40. While it pays for itself quickly, it seems like a waste if you don't live in the city and don't know whether you'll visit more than once a year.

It just seems so ridiculous. I would have accepted $10–$15 for a single visit. This, this just doesn't make sense to me. It's almost as though they're discouraging ordinary people from coming in to see what's on display.

Now, here's the thing. I could have gotten in free because I'm Indigenous. Anyone under 25 can also visit for free, and I appreciate that these opportunities exist. But what about everybody else? The ordinary visitor who lives out of town, who might only make it to Toronto once a year, or who simply doesn't fall into one of those categories?

I don't begrudge anyone their free admission. Quite the opposite. I just wonder why making art accessible has to depend so much on who you are, how old you are or how often you can visit.

Here in Peterborough, our museum and art gallery have a pay-what-you-can policy, with a suggested donation of $5. You walk in, have a look around, enjoy yourself and contribute what you can afford. Nobody is standing at the door telling you that you need thirty dollars before you can see what's inside.

Now, I know the AGO and the Royal Ontario Museum are much bigger institutions. They have enormous collections, expensive buildings to maintain and staff who need to be paid. I understand all that.

But since when did cultural education become a luxury item?

I looked into the free admission opportunities, too. The AGO offers limited free hours on the First Wednesday of the month in the evenings. That's fine if you happen to live nearby and can arrange your life around their schedule, but what about the rest of us? By the time you've travelled into Toronto, you've already spent time and possibly money just getting there. A few hours in the evening aren't necessarily much use.

And that's what really gets under my skin.

We're talking about places filled with art, history, science and stories about people and cultures from all over the world. Places where you can learn something without sitting in a classroom, where something you see might spark an interest you didn't even know you had.

Shouldn't that be available to everyone?

I'm not suggesting these places can operate without money. Of course they can't. But surely there's a better way to balance paying the bills with making people feel welcome.

Maybe Peterborough has spoiled me. I've become accustomed to being able to wander into a museum or gallery simply because I'm curious about what's inside. Sometimes I stay for an hour, sometimes longer. Sometimes I find something wonderful, and sometimes I don't. That's part of exploring.

I don't want every outing to become a calculation of whether I'll get my money's worth.

I just wanted to go and look at some art.

Is that really too much to ask?

Passing the Threshold

Some words have a poetry and music to them that our everyday language seems to have lost. Threshold is one of those words. We don't talk about crossing thresholds much anymore. We open doors, walk through entrances and pass through gates. Practical words for practical things.

But a threshold is more than a strip of wood or stone beneath a doorway. It can also be a beginning, the point where the familiar ends and something new waits to be discovered.

I've passed the Art Gallery of Peterborough more times than I can count. It's right beside Little Lake, and I've often wondered what was inside, but somehow I never got around to going in. This time there was an exhibition called The Pinks and a guest speaker, so I decided it was time to satisfy my curiosity.

I hadn't even made it to the front door before I discovered something. Along the path from the parking lot were the markers for the Peterborough Walk of Fame. I'd heard about it, of course, but I had no idea where it actually was. I stopped to read some of the names and recognized quite a few, including Peterborough's only woman mayor. I've lived in this city off and on for more than forty years, and I'm still discovering things that have been right under my nose.

Just inside the first set of doors was a little vestibule with a rack full of brochures about local attractions. Well, that was a promising start! I was barely into my first Venture and here were all sorts of possibilities for future outings. I made a mental note to have a proper look on my way out.

Through the next set of doors was the reception area, and I was surprised by how comfortable I felt. It wasn't quite like coming home. It was more like running into an old friend, that lovely feeling of being somewhere you belong without having to explain why.

The woman at reception was very welcoming. She pointed me toward the exhibition and mentioned the gallery shop behind me, then left me to explore.

The exhibition was down a ramp, but there was plenty to see along the way. Two pieces in particular caught my attention. One was an intricate metal sculpture with a weathered surface full of colour and texture. It reminded me of leaves or lichen. The other was an art quilt showing rolling fields, fences and wildflowers. I could have spent ages looking at the details in both of them, but I wanted to see The Pinks, so I continued down the ramp.

Near the entrance were six pale pink soft sculptures, and I remember thinking it was rather odd that there were only six. From the name of the exhibition, I'd imagined art dolls perhaps, or different ways of using pink in artwork. I wasn't entirely sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't what I found.

Inside the main gallery were illuminated frames containing animated versions of those strange pink figures. Each one had its own movements and sounds. They seemed almost alive! I stood there watching them perform their little routines, completely fascinated. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and I wanted to know how on earth the artist had managed to make them move and sound the way they did.

Unfortunately, the lecture wasn't quite what I'd hoped for.

The artist began by showing us her earlier work and explaining how she'd arrived at this point in her career. A lot of it was very abstract, large fabric constructions inspired by the human body. At first I couldn't see the connection at all. Looking more closely, I could begin to make out suggestions of human forms in the circles and elongated shapes, but minimalism has never really appealed to me.

I understood why she was taking us through her earlier work, but I wanted to hear about The Pinks. How had she gone from those large, static fabric pieces to these wonderful little animated creatures? How did she make them move? Where did the sounds come from?

After about half an hour, I decided I'd had enough and quietly slipped out. Perhaps she eventually got around to explaining it all, but I wasn't prepared to wait any longer.

On my way back up the ramp, I took more time to look at the artwork displayed along the walls, and I'm glad I did.

One piece, called Shining Desire, was covered in colour, beads and all sorts of little embellishments. There was so much going on that it took me a moment to recognize the heart at its centre. I loved it. Another piece, Detachment, combined painting with tangled strands that extended beyond the edges of the canvas. I found the mixture of materials fascinating.

But the piece that stayed with me most was a sculpture displayed in front of a window overlooking Little Lake. It was a tangle of metal and wire, with chains hanging from it. 

I didn't notice its title at the time, and I had no idea what the artist was trying to say. I only knew that it reminded me of prisoners, and seeing those chains against the open water of the lake made me terribly sad.

Later, when I looked back at my photographs, I discovered it was called Detain. No wonder I'd thought of prisoners. To me, it reflected what has been happening at the US border.

What surprised me even more was discovering that all these pieces were created by young artists taking part in the gallery's Youth Art Mentorship Program. Kids! I was amazed by what they'd accomplished. It wasn't just the technical skill, although that was impressive enough. It was the imagination, the different materials they'd chosen and the feelings they managed to express through their work.

I'd gone to the gallery expecting The Pinks to be the highlight of my visit, and I certainly enjoyed the exhibition. But those young artists made just as much of an impression on me, perhaps even more.

Before leaving, I stopped at the gallery shop. I hadn't brought any cash for the donation bowl, and I wanted to contribute something, so I bought a little portable paint set made from natural materials. It seemed an appropriate souvenir of my first visit.

For years I'd walked past that building wondering what was inside. Now I'd finally found out, and it wasn't at all what I'd expected. There were things that delighted me, things that fascinated me, a lecture that bored me and a sculpture that made me sad. Quite a lot to experience in one afternoon.

And all because I decided to cross a familiar yet new threshold to see what was behind it.