It was on a drive back to film school after Christmas in January 2006 that I stopped to take these pictures. I must have driven by this wind farm near Swift Current, Saskatchewan about twenty times before, and I decided to take the brief detour off of the Trans Canada to check it out.
I remember it being particularly cold, but it was neat to finally see the turbines up close. The giant blades made a pulsing whooshing noise as they rotated, and it was an impressive thing to see standing directly below them. In what was otherwise just another bit of quiet prairie landscape, visiting that wind farm changed my view of that part of the drive after years of passing it from a distance.
After the research I did about Medicine Hat's original city hall, I couldn't help but snap up this vintage postcard when I came across it. Much like the old postcard I found of St. Patrick's Church, one of my favorite things about this one is that it was used. Mailed from Medicine Hat in 1926, and affixed with a 2 cent King George V stamp, it went off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The message handwritten on the back couldn't have given a more glowing account of this couples experience in Medicine Hat: "We are stopping here for 20 minutes. Love to all, Mama and Dad". It really paints a picture, right? It was like a vintage text message. They thought it was worth sending a postcard though, and it's kind of amazing that it's lasted for nearly 90 years before making its way back here. At the very least, it's a cool bit of local memorabilia.
Ringing in another year is an arbitrary celebration, but it does seem to renew ones view of what's possible in the coming months. I don't really have anything pressing in mind for 2013, but I did want to put down in writing a few of the things that I'd like to have accomplished 365 days from now.
1. I want to complete Searching Salvation. The project surrounding the death of my friend Dave and our trip to Salvation Mountain was something that I had slated to be done much earlier in 2012. Other projects took precedence, and suddenly the timing just didn't seem right. My distance from the project has been valuable I think, and coming back to finish this this year seems very likely.
2. I want to complete (or at least begin to visualize the end goal of) Around the Hat. I think there's a lot of potential in store for what could happen this year with what I've already done, however, I'd like to define more of what the project is by the end of 2013. I already have numerous new shoots in mind, but I think this year will also be about exploring the ideas of a potential photo book, an exhibit, and/or a government grant to make it happen. A deadline will make the work more focused, and it gives the photo series a more definite theme regarding Medicine Hat's boom years a century ago in the early 1910s.
3. I want to travel somewhere. Unlike years previous, I have no plans to go anywhere in 2013. It's still early I realize, but it's something I'd like to remedy asap. Whether it's a trip out east, a reunion somewhere with friends, or a vacation, I want to do some exploring.
Those are really the main things for the time being. What generally happens is that old projects simply spawn new ones, and it's likely that I'll be writing about how things have snowballed at some point in the coming months. I feel like all of these things are challenges though, and the fact that none of them have determined endings gives me something to work for.
At the very least, it feels like a good start.
Image from Ideas of Jenny Lee.
