July has come and gone

I haven't posted anything to my blog in the last month or so, and I thought the first week of August would be an opportunity to showcase a few photos that I've recently taken. 

I had the opportunity at the beginning of July to photograph some of the Halifax City Councillors. Councillors Bill Karsten, Lorelei Nicoll and Russell Walker were more than accommodating during a very fast and rushed shoot in one of the main rooms and entrances of Halifax City Council.

Councillor Russell Walker, District 10, Halifax-Bedford Basin West -- Councillor Walker was elected to Council in 1994 and serves as President of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM)

Councillor Lorelei Nicoll, District 4, Cole Harbour-Westphal -- Councillor Nicoll was elected to Council in 2008 and serves on the Union of
 Nova Scotia (UNSM) Board

Councillor Bill Karsten, District 3, Dartmouth South-Eastern Passage -- Councillor Karsten was elected to Council in 2004 and serves as the HRM representative on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Board

July 12, 2013, saw one of rock and rolls legendary bands come to the Halifax Metro Center to perform two shows in three nights. I first saw Rush in 1977 and then again in 1987 and then again a few weeks ago at the Metro Centre. I shot these photos from afar with my Iphone 3GS. Not the best quality, but you can basically get a feel for the great show that they delivered.

"Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist and backing vocalist Alex Lifeson, and drummer, percussionist and lyricist Neil Peart. The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their current form when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first United States tour.

Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for its musicianship, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy. Rush's music style has changed over the years, beginning with blues-inspired heavy metal on their first album, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, and a period with heavy use of synthesizers. The band finished the Time Machine Tour in July 2011 and released their latest studio album,Clockwork Angels in June 2012 with a supporting tour that began in September 2012.

Rush has sold 25 million albums in the U.S. for a ranking of 79th. Although total worldwide album sales are not calculated by any single entity, several industry sources estimated Rush's total worldwide album sales at over 40 million units as of 2004. The group has been awarded 24 gold, 14 platinum, and 3 multi-platinum albums.^]

Rush has won a number of Juno Awards, was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994, and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Over their careers, the members of Rush have been acknowledged as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each band member winning numerous awards in magazine readers poll. ( Wikipedia)

As most of my friends know, I love RV'ing/camping and on the weekend of July 20th, my friend and I picked up my RV in Chester and headed to one of the most beautiful provincial campgrounds in the province, 

Blomidon Provincial Park.

 Hiking the Jodrey trail and came across this beautiful piece of scenery. The late Roy Jodrey donated 400 acres to the Blomidon Provincial Park. 
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"The highest tides on Earth occur in the Minas Basin, the eastern extremity of the Bay of Fundy, where the average tide range is 12 metres and can reach 16 metres when the various factors affecting the tides are in phase (although the highest tides occur typically a day or two after the astronomical influences reach their peak).

The primary cause of the immense tides of Fundy is a resonance of the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine system. The system is effectively bounded at this outer end by the edge of the continental shelf with its approximately 40:1 increase in depth. The system has a natural period of approximately 13 hours, which is close to the 12h25m period of the dominant lunar tide of the Atlantic Ocean." ( Hantsport and Area Business Assoc. website article)

I thought this car restoration shop was interesting enough to stop at on our way to the ' look off ' and take a few pictures. The owner of the shop was more than obliging to let me roam around his property.

Green Goblin Customs

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Greek Fest and 'Play On' hockey tournament

The Greek Festival 2013

The Greek festival first began in Halifax in 1986 after Lillian Meletedis had attended a similar event in the US. It was brought up as an idea to then priest Father Elles and other community leaders in the Halifax community. The first Greek festival went beyond crowd expectations in the early summer of 86 which resulted in total depletion of food early on  Sat. evening. The Greek community fused together and started preparing food in the late hours of Sat. night into early Sunday morning with the help of local Greek restaurants donating and preparing a lot of the food.

My first experience going to the Greek festival was in the summer of 1991 as I attended it with a few of my Greek, Lebanese and Italian friends. Ever since, I have been a huge fan of the Greek Festival and try to get out every year to take part of this cultural experience. This year I took my camera along to capture a few moments from a brief visit  this past Saturday.

This was a game to score on the goaltender and win a t-shirt.
This boy and girl were only fooling around while the regular goaltender was on a short break.

Greek School Dancers

Greek School Dancers

History of Greek Folk Dancing

"Greek folk dancing ties Greeks to their past and to their future. Greek folk dancing is very much an active art, both in Greece and throughout the world where Greeks have immigrated. Dancing is a vivid expression of everyday life and everyone of all ages dances at important occasions – weddings, baptisms, family celebrations and community social events."  ( Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church )

Maria Panopalis helping the Greek School Dancers explain
the history of Greek clothing attire.

 "'POSEIDON' plays both contemporary and traditional Greek music from a wide variety of popular Greek singers, and most recently has focused its attention on composing and recording original music. They have performed at hundreds of dances, festivals, televisions shows and concerts from coast to coast in Canada, and in parts of the United States, such as West Palm Beach (Florida), San Francisco, New York City and New Orleans." (poseidonband.com)

Preparing Greek Cuisine 

 Hockey Night in Canada's 

'Play On'

4 on 4

Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 15/13

A friend of mine had called me up early Sat. morning as I was getting ready to photograph at the Greek Festival. He told me about a 'Play On' tournament where 4 on 4 road hockey teams take on each other in a weekend tournament. Being a hockey fan, I was ashamed to say I had never heard of the tournament but thought I should be photographing this event as well. Below are some of the action I captured last weekend and here is a little history about the 'Play On' tournament.

"Play On! is a story of a small-town hockey fan who was passionate about the game and wanted to make a positive difference for the sport across this great nation. The concept was formed after he graduated from one of Canada’s most prestigious business schools and couldn’t find a job. Now, 10 years later, that same business school teaches the story of Play On! to all entrepreneurial students, reinforcing a message that anyone can fulfill their dreams if they just never quit." ( Playon.ca)

"Starting from a single tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia back in 2003, Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! has grown to 21 annual tournaments that take place from coast to coast across Canada. Now in it’s 10^th season, over one million people have taken part in one of the 90+ events held to date." (theqmjhl.ca/article)

"Hockey Night in Canada's Play On! tournaments feature hundreds of teams and thousands of participants and include separate divisions for both genders, all skill levels, and all ages." ( Playon.ca

"Each year, the top Elite, Grinders(u19) and Enforcers(u17) teams from across Canada qualify to compete in the National Championship where teams have the chance to hoist the Redwood Cup and earn the title ‘Greatest Street Hockey Players’. At four feet tall and sixty-three pounds, the Redwood Cup is taller and heavier than the holiest of grails – the Stanley Cup." (www.moncton-wildcats.com)"

The Oval, Halifax Commons, Sat. May 15/2013
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King of Donair and The Works Gourmet Burger and Bistro photos that didn't make it to press.

Back in March I had the opportunity to photograph some food shots for Halifax magazine. One assignment was a new Gourmet burger establishment, The Works on Doyle st. in downtown Halifax and the other was an old favourite of mine; King of Donair on Quinpool st. I have always been a huge fan of King of Donair especially as a late night snack..LOL. Being a photographer I wanted to cover all the bases with possible shots that the magazine would need so I blasted away with tons of shots. Below are some of the photos that never made it to press but thought were honourable mentions in my photo blog.

The Works Gourmet Burger and Bistro

  The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

 5431 Doyle st. Halifax, NS.

"Each burger has a name, with the menu arranged into sub-categories, so the array of options isn’t as dizzying as it sounds. While Works is a chain, the menu, like the décor, features several local touches: the Tall Ships burger, the Dockyard burger, the Halifornia burger and more"

( Halifax Magazine, halifaxmag.com, May 2013 ).

  The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

 5431 Doyle st. Halifax, NS.

  The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

5431 Doyle st. Halifax, NS.

When I first arrived at The Works to take photos, Allan Garner ( Co-owner) showed me around his establishment and all of the interesting décor the dining room has that is unique for Halifax and from his or his wife's personal life.

  The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

    5431 Doyle st. Halifax, NS.

  The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

    5431 Doyle st. Halifax, NS.

                                                       The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

                                                             5431 Doyle st. Halifax, NS.

                               --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

King of Donair

King of Donair
6420 Quinpool Rd.
Halifax, NS.

"Just as mysterious as the meat is, the same could be said of the origin of the delightful donair. An internet search will yield conflicting information on its origins, as does researching local newspaper archives. “As you can imagine, the story ends up growing over the years,” says Norman Nahas, whose family owns King of Donair. “It’s like the Chinese telephone game.”"( Halifax Magazine, halifaxmag.com, May 2013 ).

King of Donair
6420 Quinpool Rd.
Halifax, NS.

King of Donair
6420 Quinpool Rd.
Halifax, NS.

HOW TO EAT A DONAIR

"There’s a sign at King of Donair’s Quinpool Road location that explains how to eat a donair. It advises people to simply peel back the foil and eat it like an ice cream cone. Seasoned donair consumers know that can be a messy proposition. In the interests of keeping one’s face and hands clean (as well as their shirt stain-free), there’s no shame in using a fork and knife." ( Halifax Magazine, halifaxmag.com, May 2013 )

Being a freelance photographer has its perks when you have assignments like these. Although I didn't get to taste the burger at The Works, I did however consume the donair that I photographed. My personal favourite when it comes to the donair is the donair sub.

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A Sat. morning drive

          I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to spend my first weekend in May but I knew that I wanted to get out of the house and the city for a drive and to take a few "snaps" along the way. I called up my friend Gail and threw the idea out there of an early Sat. morning drive to the valley somewhere, not knowing exactly where the destination was going to be. She was up for the idea as well, so I researched what kind of things were going on that weekend in the Wolfville area. One of the first things I came across was Luckett Vineyards. I've heard a lot of great things about this vineyard through one of my camping friends who works for Pete Luckett. I thought this would be a great first stop for our little excursion.

       We arrived a little time after the vineyard opened for the the day and Pete Luckett was one of the first people to greet us with some of his staff and a taste of apple and blackcurrant wine. We chatted for a little while and Pete suggested that we take a walk around the vineyard to check it all out. Even though the grapes were not in full bloom, the beauty of being up high and overlooking the valley below was totally captivating.

Along the Gaspereau River rd. on the way to Pete Lucketts Vineyard.
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More views along the  Gaspereau River rd.
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Here is a few facts taken from the "Invest in Nova Scotia Wines" web page.

March - May 

When the buds start to grow, it is important to protect them from late frosts. By the end of May, the frost threat ends. While battling frost, potential mildew is treated with sulfur applications. As the land starts to dry in late March/April, mowing and tilling under the cover crops begins. Then suckers are removed from the vines to maximize quality so that the vines can focus on growing great grapes.

May is bloom time. While the self-pollinating flowers do the work, rain-free days and and mild temperatures present ideal conditions. Meanwhile, the shoots are positioned to avoid overcrowding. After the bloom, the leaves are pulled around the berry bunches to expose them to indirect sunlight – allowing flavors to develop. The earlier you get sun exposure, the better.

June - September

It's veraison time, when sugar accumulation begins. White Chardonnay grapes turn from green to gold. Red Pinot Noir and Merlot turn green to dark red. As the crop moves to 85 percent of their colour, the remaining green berries are dropped to the ground. This removes potentially uneven flavors and concentrates the flavors of the remaining berries. The grapes reach maturity at 24-25 percent sugar content.

October - December

October is typically harvest time in Nova Scotia (unless you're making icewine when harvest is late December). It helps with the winemaking process and the crush as the grapes are at the optimal temperature to produce premium wine.

January - March

After the harvest, cover crops are planted to prevent erosion during the rainy months and to add nutrients to the soil when they are tilled under. Areas are stabilized and any damaged trellises repaired. The vines enter full dormancy in mid-December. The dormant season lasts through March and the cycle begins again.

The infamous telephone booth in the middle of the vineyard.

You can make toll free calls in North America.

A view from the Vineyard

Gail making sure the phone works.

"Here, Luckett Vineyards captures the magic of Nova Scotia’s distinctive character through wines that truly are worth phoning home about. Visitors can enjoy stunning views of the Minas Basin and Blomidon from the outdoor dining patio while sampling a menu of locally produced foods, specially chosen to compliment the unique red, white and fruit wines.

The winery also offers an elegant barrel room featuring custom décor by a local artist, ideal for hosting small corporate functions and private events. Owner Pete Luckett’s British roots are evident throughout the winery, including an authentic London phone booth in the vineyard". 

( Wines of Nova Scotia web page ).

Mulching

Pete Luckett 

_________________

"Media personality

Luckett's TV career started while in Saint John as a frequent guest on the CBC television show Midday.

Upon moving to Nova Scotia in the early 1990s, Luckett became a contributing guest to the Halifax CTV affiliate, ATV, where he hosted a bi-weekly segment on fruit and vegetables on the supperhour news show Live at Five.

Luckett currently hosts the Food Network series The Food Hunter where he travels around the world.

Luckett writes a column for the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. He also serves as a consultant for Chartwells, which delivers all food services at Acadia University, near his current home.

Luckett Also Star On CBC's Steven and Chris.

Luckett also presents at the OptiMYz Live Health Expo in Halifax

Luckett's catchphrase in his broadcast media appearances is "Toodlee-doo."

Luckett currently (January 2012) stars as a cab driver at the end of a TV ad for the NSLC encouraging Nova Scotians not to drink and drive by saying "If you've had a few, your car has too". The ad shows cars parked outside a party as drunk saying such phrases as "I love you man" and other drunken ramblings." ( Wikipedia )

---------------------------------

After visiting Luckett Vineyards, our excursion took us to Grand Pre to do the touristy walk around the gardens and church area. Pretty quiet in Grand Pre as the official weekend to open is May 17th.

Grand Pre Church

__________________

"Grand-Pre Nova Scotia

Settled in 1680 by Acadians who had ventured out from the original French settlement in Port-Royal, Grand Pre, which means great meadow, has a history as rich as its dyke land soil. These settlers built the dykes which keep back the tides of the Minas Basin and created very fertile lands for crops and animals.

Grand-Pre grew to be the largest of all the Acadian settlements in the Annapolis Valley area. That is until September 5, 1755 when from the church in Grand-Pre the order was declared that all Acadians would be deported. From that date until 1763 more than 10 000 Acadians were deported from Nova Scotia.

Today Grand-Pre is a National Historic Site and it has had a memorial church built on the grounds which serves as a museum. Other notable sites are the Deportation Cross which was built to ensure memory of the deportation and a sculpture of Evangeline the main character in the famed poem by Henry Longfellow." ( Our Valley.ca )

---------------------------

Our last stop was a little pub called the Library Pub and Winery. Not a huge lunch menu but the burger and side I ordered was better than most I've had. Gail ordered a chicken sandwich and she to raved how good it was. We both agreed that we would highly recommend it to friends.  Here are a few links to copy and paste if you are interested in visiting this establishment. 

http://thelibrarypub.ca/.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=library+pub+wolfville+menu&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=library+pub&hnear=0x4b585508649b3e03:0xb991fdcccab87245,Wolfville,+NS&cid=0,0,11468267822878429695&ei=h9KHUZbONq-24APUn4HABQ&ved=0CLUBEPwSMAA.

I will definitely be visiting Luckett Vineyards again when the grapevines are in full bloom and the weather is a bit warmer. It is a very accommodating place for people to get away on a beautiful day to enjoy the beauty of the valley and to sit back and relax with friends 
and a glass of red or white wine. 

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Landscape - Images by Stephen Jesswww.stevejess.comwww.stevejess.com