Thematic Photographic 221 - Windows

Windows to history
Kitchener, ON
July 2012

I'm looking forward to this week's Thematic theme, Windows, because it's so ripe for wide-open interpretation. In and of itself, a window usually isn't much to look at. It's transparent, near-invisible. But pull back a bit and suddenly the story becomes a bit richer.

This lovely set of upper-floor windows sits just above a Home Hardware store in Kitchener, a city about midway between Toronto and London. My wife and I had come here on our way back from dropping the little man off at camp. We didn't have anything scheduled for the rest of the day, so we took our time on the return leg and enjoyed the somewhat quiet journey.

It was a warm day, so we took a rest on a well placed bench on the sidewalk out front (note to city planners: buy lots of benches. They rock.) Inevitably I ended up staring at the facade, and just as inevitably my fingers fidgeted on my camera bag. As I composed the shot, the store's owner came out from his shop. I half-expected him to challenge me - sorry, but my big-city roots continue to betray my general sense of cynicism - but instead he was smiling. He noticed my Nikon, mentioned he owned one, too, and a delightful bantering session ensued.

In the end, I got my shot, but also came away with a life lesson that mattered far more than any collection of pixels on a memory card ever could. No offense to the big box stores at the edge of town, but I don't think I would have been able to have this moment of connectedness anywhere else. Score one for small-ish town life, and keep your hopes up that it continues to survive in an ever more bottom line driven society.

Your turn: You know the drill...take a picture in support of the theme, post it to your blog, pop back here and leave a comment letting folks know where to find it. Repeat as often as you wish through the week and feel free to bring along a friend or two or three. If you're new to Thematic Photographic, our weekly photo sharing/learning/enjoying activity, just click here. Thanks!