When younger I used to visit Toronto for business. Then I was blessed to be in BC for 20 years to the day before moving to Toronto at the tail end of the pandemic.
EVERYTHING natural in Vancouver says look up, look around so BIG so abundant.
Nature can be intimidating to many people. It is safe to marvel at the North shore mountains, Coal Harbour and English Bay from a Seaplane, or peekaboo views through view cones DT, and scenery from the skytrain making its way to Waterfront Station.
In Toronto EVERYTHING man-made says look up, look around, so interesting and exciting. Here safe to see the many ravines, the Toronto Islands on the edge of the Great Lakes from high up in the CN tower, an Uber in the elevated Gardener expressway, or a GO train making its way to Union Station.
In Vancouver my sketchbooks and photos are full of dramatic macro scenery with lovely extra large landscapes.
In Toronto my journals are filling up with fantastic studies of the micro community and creatures around ponds and pools at headwaters that flow into the rivers meandering gently down to the Lakeshore.
Both Vancouver and Toronto have beautiful and breathtaking nature that keep me curious and content to calling each my home.
Neither is better than the other. They are equally compelling cities filled and surrounded by natural environments in different ways.
I am glad that you have made it to Toronto. And glad too that you keep me connected to Vancouver in one artsy sneaky cool way!
Looking forward to your return and hopefully I will join the crowds around you then, eh.
Such wonderful thoughts, Scott, you've expressed this really well. I love cities for the micro stories and I love my Vancouver life for the big picture it insists on giving me. I hope to gain a richer understanding by visiting Toronto more often.
Thank you Jennifer! Did you accede to publishers' pressure on the title? I think compromise is such a big part of the publishing process, and I've had to bite the bullet a few times. I hope those decisions will grow on me too, and I will learn from the process.
One of my favorite pictures of my mother is her sitting alone on a rocky shoreline. The photo was taken by my dad. Before digital photography, cost made us extra careful with each picture we took, and my dad was a skilled photographer.
One day it struck me: this is how my dad saw my mom. He had captured not just how she looked, and that moment, but also his love for her. I think of it as a picture of both of them, even though he is not in the frame.
Perhaps through your art, Rohan will someday see not just himself, but himself through your eyes, your love for him, your curiosity and wonder about the world, and you.
Nishant,
I hear you.
When younger I used to visit Toronto for business. Then I was blessed to be in BC for 20 years to the day before moving to Toronto at the tail end of the pandemic.
EVERYTHING natural in Vancouver says look up, look around so BIG so abundant.
Nature can be intimidating to many people. It is safe to marvel at the North shore mountains, Coal Harbour and English Bay from a Seaplane, or peekaboo views through view cones DT, and scenery from the skytrain making its way to Waterfront Station.
In Toronto EVERYTHING man-made says look up, look around, so interesting and exciting. Here safe to see the many ravines, the Toronto Islands on the edge of the Great Lakes from high up in the CN tower, an Uber in the elevated Gardener expressway, or a GO train making its way to Union Station.
In Vancouver my sketchbooks and photos are full of dramatic macro scenery with lovely extra large landscapes.
In Toronto my journals are filling up with fantastic studies of the micro community and creatures around ponds and pools at headwaters that flow into the rivers meandering gently down to the Lakeshore.
Both Vancouver and Toronto have beautiful and breathtaking nature that keep me curious and content to calling each my home.
Neither is better than the other. They are equally compelling cities filled and surrounded by natural environments in different ways.
I am glad that you have made it to Toronto. And glad too that you keep me connected to Vancouver in one artsy sneaky cool way!
Looking forward to your return and hopefully I will join the crowds around you then, eh.
Thank you Nishant.
Such wonderful thoughts, Scott, you've expressed this really well. I love cities for the micro stories and I love my Vancouver life for the big picture it insists on giving me. I hope to gain a richer understanding by visiting Toronto more often.
Bravo for fighting for the book title you wanted! It wouldn’t be right if “sneaky”
wasn’t part of it. I wasn’t so lucky when it came to titling my own book. It’s grown on me though.
Thank you Jennifer! Did you accede to publishers' pressure on the title? I think compromise is such a big part of the publishing process, and I've had to bite the bullet a few times. I hope those decisions will grow on me too, and I will learn from the process.
One of my favorite pictures of my mother is her sitting alone on a rocky shoreline. The photo was taken by my dad. Before digital photography, cost made us extra careful with each picture we took, and my dad was a skilled photographer.
One day it struck me: this is how my dad saw my mom. He had captured not just how she looked, and that moment, but also his love for her. I think of it as a picture of both of them, even though he is not in the frame.
Perhaps through your art, Rohan will someday see not just himself, but himself through your eyes, your love for him, your curiosity and wonder about the world, and you.