Alan's prompt for this week on Sepia Saturday triggered an immediate reaction
and I went through a few pics I keep on the side,
just in case,
and Voila!!
What looks like temporary lodging,
a few men making merry with music and booze;
a nice way to kick off the new year!!
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My response is this,
a house seen here in 1903 in what I think was the "Faubourg a M'lasse",
a poor district of Montreal back then.
The wood planks,
the roof incline reminds me of the photo prompt.
But nothing so joyous can have happened there,
though it is merely a judgement on my part.
The men worked hard,
the women did their best to provide the best life possible for their family with what little they had.
Montreal had its fair share of fires
and you'll not be surprised to learn such districts suffered total damages
burning to the ground absolutely everything.
While this is a sad affair,
let it be known that districts,
much like a phoenix,
are reborn from their ashes.
I currently live in South Central,
pretty much the same district,
and it is thriving nowadays,
or trying to.
And the only molasses you can find around here is at your local market,
not like in the old days
when it was unloaded by the barrel!!
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I guess I could go on with this topic but...
well...
Would I rather dress up and dazzle you?!?
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Would I rather be the hit of the day with a song and a dance number?
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Would I rather stay home and gossip about boyz over the phone?
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Nope!!
I would rather hug my pillows
and stay in bed!!
That's What!!
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But I do still answer my [e]mails and comments!!
Since I feel this lazy,
let me redirect you right away to
where other contributors will entertain you.
I'd like to thank my friend Marilyn for standing in for me for those pics.
Now,
let me go back to bed...
This bear needs to hibernate for a [little] while...
That's my ONLY resolution this year.
:)~
HUGZ
Hibernation is a good idea......I feel much the same myself today! I'm hibernating vertically!
ReplyDeleteOnly you could come up with such a notion!!
DeleteLoving it!!
:)~
HUGZ
It must have been grim to live in that Montreal house. Good to seen Marilyn entertaining the troops (and us as well!)
ReplyDeleteGrim? Surely, but people are resilient,
Deleteand I'm sure they found some comfort with each others,
within their family, within their community.
Perhaps not the degree of pleasure as we define it nowadays,
but perhaps something more vital, more genuine...
Marilyn was a bonus!!
I didn't feel up to doing too much research
and I thought it'd be funny to include her here,
to reflect my mood.
:)~
HUGZ
I hope they were a few happy times even in that very sad looking house.
ReplyDeleteAs I've just told Bob,
DeleteI don't think their happiness would qualify with our standards,
but given their circumstances, surely they found a way to be happy somehow,
in a more basic manner.
Nowadays, a large part of the population on this globe lives in somewhat dire conditions.
Are we to assume these people are never happy?
:/~
HUGZ
Me too! This day has been a very LAZY one for me! Something in the air, maybe?! I remember sneaking into a Marilyn Monroe movie when I was about 11 or 12! I fell in love that day! Then it was BB (Brigitte), then.....I woke up! lol
ReplyDeleteFor me, It was Romy Schneider and Catherine Deneuve, but as an romantic ideal.
DeleteAs far as sexuality goes, I always knew... I didn't know what it was,
but I knew there was something different about me.
Was I right, or was I right!?!
;)~
HUGZ
Don't get me wrong, I like Marilyn, but I'd have enjoyed more vintage Montreal house photos since I've not seen many of those before. The textures and angles are fascinating. The house that is. (And I suppose Marilyn too!)
ReplyDeleteIf you insist, you can always look at previous posts where I've discussed Montreal at length...
DeleteMeanwhile, Marilyn will have to do as I wrote this in advance and I was very tired when I did,
and I'm still tired...
So, better luck next time!!
:)~
HUGZ
I think I will take both the old Montreal House and the Marilyn photos : it's called having your cake and eating it, which is one of my New Years' Resolutions.
ReplyDeleteCake? You said "cake"?!?
DeleteSince I haven't had more than one slice of cake,
sounds good to me right now,
even if when I go to the grocery store,
I'll have a look but dismiss them all usually.
But as far as this post goes,
I wanted to answer the prompt,
while keeping it light as well.
I've so often gone overboard with some previous posts
that I grant myself the right to keep some a little simpler.
I have a little too much on my mind right now
and I have to be realistic in my priorities.
No worry, I'll eventually go back to my old ways,
but I'll keep the option opened for a repost or a short post.
Some folks skip weeks at the time. There's another option.
;)~
HUGZ
When you thanked Marilyn, I thought you meant "Little Nell." Duh ~ Too much celebrating for me, I guess. But let me get serious a minute. I take great delight in seeing a depressed area undergo revitalization and become the new hip place to be.
ReplyDeleteMe thinks you may have had one too many...
DeleteHappy New Year BTW!!
Next to the port, industries were numerous
and laborers lived close-by with their families.
There is no such activities anymore.
The modern port has been moved to the east
and labor comes from all places, by cars...
The neighborhood has only a few traces left of that era
and it is not being gentrified by condo constructions,
lots of them!!
But the less fortunate population has less and less options
on where to live as they can't afford these new lodgings.
To every action, there is a consequence.
:/~
HUGZ
You're right about the less fortunate being unable to enjoy the revitalization. I was thinking of neighborhoods near me that are more or less abandoned to begin with, rather than displacing the poor in order to build a swanky condo.
DeleteAs far as lodgings, we don't much of that, abandoned zones.
DeleteThe same can't be said about commercial and industrial lots.
Some streets look rather empty. So aside from these,
anything new means some poor folks had to move away...
Our reality, here...
:/~
HUGZ
The Marilyn photos were a nice surprise! The house photo is fascinating; it would make a great story prompt and it sparks my imagination.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Bruno.
Kathy M.
I was keeping this one aside, hoping one day to be able to use this.
DeleteAnd voila!!
Happy New Year!!
:)~
HUGZ
Happy Hibernation!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping!!
DeleteHappy New Year to you!!
:)~
HUGZ
That dilapidated structure reminds me of some in New Orleans that weren't falling down, just had a similar French feeling. It also reminds me of some little fantasy houses located in Burbank, California that looked more like movie sets than houses. They were a strange little group I used to pass on my way to the grocery store.
ReplyDeletePlaces like that look also like those American ghost towns from past centuries.
DeleteSafety was not a priority for the industries relying on this labor,
and such a thing was a luxury laborers couldn't afford,
settling into those houses, at their own risk, in retrospective.
This looks very sad to me,
but I went to the Museum Pointe-a-Calliere last year where they had an exhibit
about those old districts, and while it was a difficult life,
they also depicted the sense of community that prevailed there,
and I suspect a few laughters could be heard on occasion,
even in such places.
:)~
HUGZ
I always enjoy a little surprise - and the flexibility of participating in Sepia Saturday. Some days we have a lot to say or a longer story to tell, some days just a photo or two will do. Here's to keeping your resolution in 2013!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm SO good at keeping those...
Delete;)~
HUGZ
Well, you can never go wrong with Marilyn!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I figured, I she sang for soldiers, so that too kept me on theme!!
Delete:)~
HUGZ
I love, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and also molasses, so this post was GREAT for me! (Sorry, I am so late though.)
ReplyDeleteKat
My fave is "Niagara", and also "River of no return", but I like them all all things considered.
DeleteAs for Molasses, it's the best mixed in some peanut butter on my toasts.
:)~
HUGZ