Waterworks

Trout River boardwalk along the northwestern coast of Newfoundland; July 2015. (Ps. This landscape is for Natalie :)

Boardwalk vantage point depicting the small town of Trout River, Newfoundland.

Children playing in Trout River, Newfoundland.

Active 120 year old water-powered sawmill in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia.

The sawmill worker saw us coming and ran to throw the switch to open the dam to power the sawmill. The sound of the water pressure was tremendous!

McDonald Bros. Sawmill from the backside. Inspiring to no end. Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia.

Grandsons of the McDonald Bros. putting on a show for us. I love observing nature-powered mechanics at work!

Last night Iain and I lay on the floor of our hot and sticky home totally starkers (the only solution to enjoying August humidity to the fullest in my opinion) and talked about our recent journey east. We both long to be in that truck again, windows rolled down, hair flinging around and Mac DeMarco blaring. I miss that rolling landscape that we took in so easily then. The lines of the land blurring the further east we drove. Thank goodness for photography. Visiting the northwestern coast of Newfoundland and cruising through Nova Scotia were definitely the highlight of the trip for me. I'm grateful I shot what I did (depicted above) on contrast. I so look forward to enlarging that negative of the McDonald Bros. sawmill that shows a little of the water-powered process. I didn't even notice the reflection in the water at the time I composed the shot, I was simply drawn to the rough logs in the holding bay and that A-frame roofline. I knew my dad would get a kick out of that special place. I knew Iain was thinking of his dad and brother (who are woodworkers) as we explored the heritage site separately. What a delight to look at our collection of travel photography together. Iain shot the inside of the mill very differently that I did. His accurate shutter speed caught the main gear shaft whizzing the belt around that powers the saw to slice the logs in such a way that I can nearly hear the sound of the metal teeth ripping through the wood and the lumber flapping to the pile on the ground when I look at it. The smell inside the mill was heady and made me think of my grandpa Frank KK. The two-man show manning the mill worked so casually yet efficiently. They told us that together they mill locally felled spruce and pine and their product is sold directly to all of the heritage museums in Nova Scotia for upkeep purposes. Their collective work was a beautiful dance I won't soon forget.

ps. After much schlepping and jigging yesterday, the darkroom is beginning to resemble a place of work. While it is not nearly there yet, I can start to imagine the process when I stand in the middle of the corner I carved out of the basement yesterday. Exciting times ahead. It feels a bit like a crime to admit it while it is only late summer but I am thrilled to experience winter in this home. It's going to be cozy.
Kiev 60 / 120 Delta 400