Thursday, March 13, 2008

in search of colour.......

And I found it....... It wasn't too difficult because downtown Fredericton sings with colour even when the snow is piled HIGH over the flower beds and the trees are bare boned naked. I took a walk at lunch today, and snapped many photos which I will upload over the next couple of days. This collection will give you a glimpse of how eclectically colourful my town is. With their pitched roofs, and interesting dormers, porches, stoops, verandas, and lovely woodwork, these old homes are a welcome sight on a winter's day. The above photo is my favourite shot of the day......... I LOVE the red roof of the barn right between this lovely yellow home and the majestic steeple of Christchurch cathdral. To top it off.....the sky today was robin's egg beautiful.


This is the cupola of Gallery 78, which is in the middle of an uplifting pink and blue paint job. The Gallery is home to many wonderful art exhibits, including my friend Will Forrestall who last year shared a showing with his father Tom, and his siblings who are all very talented artists. Gallery 78 is located on Queen Street, just down from my office, the Legislature and the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Across the street from this old lady home is the Saint John River and the Green.........a beautiful walking path which at the moment is covered in a ton of snow. IT ain't green.........


I love the lines on the above picture......and the RED tin roof! I was taken by the shadows on the side of the house and from the chimney. It's one of my favourite houses downtown. The blue is gorgeous............but it's the roof that stirs my gypsy soul.
Check out how many colours in this one photo of one side of a block........mauve, mint green, red, yellow, light blue.............all quirky shades are welcome............no colour is turned down. It's so chipper looking despite the arrogance of the snow piles along the streets........

Greens, taupes, blues all working together............backside shots to show how the colours blend to form a lively city neighbourhood. I love all the angles too. Many of these big homes have apartments in them for University students. The two universities are only a few blocks away from this area.


This is my second favourite picture today..........so many angles along with the detailed woodworking....it's just one beautiful peak in an area filled with this kind of eye candy. The background blue jumps out at me too. Despite the cold brisk air that forced me to continue wearing my gloves in between taking photos, there was a lightness of spring in the air, reinforced by the hopeful sound of the chickadees welcoming the other birds back to town.

Soon...................soon.............

I returned to my office with the sights and the sounds to sustain me for the rest of the day.



12 comments:

Marja said...

Oh how beautiful your pictures are. The street covered in snow could be used for a christmas card.
The houses are gorgeous. Some shapes remember me of old Dutch houses although they are made out of stone. There are no wooden houses in holland. I am looking forward to see more pictures

Mark said...

I love having the opportunity to see through your eyes. Thank-you for sharing this gift with us.

awareness said...

Marja...there is a European feel to some of the houses and streets. There is one street in particular that I was on and the houses are built right up to the edge of the street....no front lawns at all. Fredericton is "old" by Canadian standards too. Some of the homes are close to 200 years old.....well, parts of them are. They had a tendancy to keep adding on and on and on to them.

Mark....thank you. It's been a while since I went on a photo clicking spree......I'm glad you enjoyed part of me walk with me today. more to come!

Sherry said...

Thank you for the beautiful walk through your town. I, too, love the shapes, colors and lines shown here. This was a great way to start my Friday morning!

Sunny said...

I love our city!! It truly is picturesque. Even when you think you've seen it all you need only look again for a different view. I can't wait for the snow to melt away a bit so I can get back onto the green and enjoy the flowers and gardens again.
Your pictures are fabulous!!!! I love the angles, the colours....everything!

awareness said...

Hi Sherry......You're always welcome to join me on a "blog walk!" I will be posting more this weekend when I have a chance.

Sunny.....so true. In fact, I had never noticed the Cathedral steeple from George Street before. It's probably because the trees in the summer block the view or something.....I was so smitten with it that I took the liberty to walk up the driveway of the yellow house to get the right angle. I don't know if anyone in the area was paying attention to me clicking away.......

We do live in a unique and beautiful city......a very well kept secret I'm afraid. We need to be more open to spread the word that it's worth a visit... right?

Ellen said...

The architecture is stunning... reminds me of home in New England to a great degree. If it weren't for all the snowfall you get up there, I'd consider moving.

Oh, and by the way... things are blooming down here already, even though the day is gloomy with rain. We could use the perfect blue sky you captured so well in your pictures. But then, with all the drought we've suffered in the past year, rain is a pretty good thing for the crops.... so I'll stop complaining now.

Miss you lots!

Blogger Charles LeBlanc said...

OH MY GOD???

WHAT BEAUTIFUL PICTURES YOU TAKE!!!

Can you give me some tips??

:P

lol

carmilevy said...

Consider me moved by this series. This is just the kind of color and texture I needed tonight: it's been an awful week on so many levels, yet a little photographic inspiration can go such a long way.

Thanks for this.

awareness said...

Ellen....good to see you again. I'm glad it's raining there...the more the better. Hopefully you won't have to sneak out in the middle of the night with your watering can this summer to keep your flowers alive.
I continue to convince myself that my tulips and spring lovelies are still underneath that snow waiting patiently to bloom.

Yes, the architecture here is very similar to New England. I was in Bangor the other day to drop martha off at the airport and was smitten by the big old houses there.

Charles.......you have some great photos TOO! You know what we should do? We should go out for a walk one day together at lunch and take a few photos...our own perspectives and then post them on the same day.

Carmi....Hope next week is a better one all round for you. I'm glad my colours put a smile on your face.

Karen said...

What a charming, enchanting town you live in Dana. These pictures are just beautiful and look at that glorious blue sky.

urbanmonk said...

Great stuff Dana!

Love it all!