Zooming across the Hinterland, part the second
We're back on the train again, heading home after a long weekend spent in and around Our Nation's Capital Region. Heading out from a sleepy little town at 6am, there wasn't an opportunity to grab some bottled sodas before boarding. So, instead, we paid $2 for a tin of Diet Coke. Highway robbery meets the tracks, I guess.
Sunday was a busy day. We started off with a family brunch at a local pub, eniastoa and I, his sister and brother-in-law and new baby (AN, EG, and Riel), and his parents (GR, GD). Three generations at the same table, celebrating Father's Day. Afterwards, GR and I stayed home with Riel, while everyone else headed off to a local camera store to help the new parents choose an appropriate digital camera. Yup, hanging out with the little guy made socializing with the mother-in-law palatable.
Once the intrepid shoppers returned, Eniastoa and I headed off to the National Gallery of Canada. The 1930s exhibit was mind-blowing. I can now say that I've actually seen artwork done by the likes of Picasso and Dali. During History classes in high school, we looked at the so-called Dirty Thirties, but never really *saw* what it was actually like to live during that period of time. I was fascinated by the ways in which artists perceived and recorded the changes in society. I was also more than a little horrified by the sweeping effects of Hitler, Stalin, et al. I was absorbed by the experience, fighting the urge to close my eyes, click my heels and make it all disappear. I couldn't because it hadn't. I looked at it head-on, and tried to just accept that it happened, and promise myself to work on preventing this kind of thing from ever happening again. It disturbed me enough to prevent me from purchasing the coffee-table book that the Gallery created to accompany/document the exhibit - and I *always* buy the book.
I'll talk about the other exhibits later on - it's time for a nap.
Sunday was a busy day. We started off with a family brunch at a local pub, eniastoa and I, his sister and brother-in-law and new baby (AN, EG, and Riel), and his parents (GR, GD). Three generations at the same table, celebrating Father's Day. Afterwards, GR and I stayed home with Riel, while everyone else headed off to a local camera store to help the new parents choose an appropriate digital camera. Yup, hanging out with the little guy made socializing with the mother-in-law palatable.
Once the intrepid shoppers returned, Eniastoa and I headed off to the National Gallery of Canada. The 1930s exhibit was mind-blowing. I can now say that I've actually seen artwork done by the likes of Picasso and Dali. During History classes in high school, we looked at the so-called Dirty Thirties, but never really *saw* what it was actually like to live during that period of time. I was fascinated by the ways in which artists perceived and recorded the changes in society. I was also more than a little horrified by the sweeping effects of Hitler, Stalin, et al. I was absorbed by the experience, fighting the urge to close my eyes, click my heels and make it all disappear. I couldn't because it hadn't. I looked at it head-on, and tried to just accept that it happened, and promise myself to work on preventing this kind of thing from ever happening again. It disturbed me enough to prevent me from purchasing the coffee-table book that the Gallery created to accompany/document the exhibit - and I *always* buy the book.
I'll talk about the other exhibits later on - it's time for a nap.