Summer 2006

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” – Dorothea Lange

It has been a hot and slow summer so far. One very short and blissful camping trip, some gardening, some bread making and lots of reading. I also, a few days ago, flipped through some old photo albums. Nostalgia is part of my DNA. I have always loved looking back on the past, not in a sad regretful way, but to revisit happy times. Photography, of course, has allowed me to do that. I am not a photographer of people, but when my children were younger I photographed them a lot. In the heat of this 2024 summer, as I flipped through my photo albums, I revisited a trip we took in 2006 to the South Eastern tip of Québec. We had packed our three young boys in a van and driven 1 800km to spend a week in Percé. I have wonderful memories of endless days spent on mostly empty beaches, collecting seashells and rocks, eating sandwiches full of sand and trying to catch a glimpse of a whale’s tail. When I look at these photos of my now all grown up boys, the memories and emotions are intact.

I apologize for the awful scans. I wish I could remember what film camera I used on that trip, but I don’t. And now, I want to pack my bags and drive to Percé. We might all return together one day, who knows. It would be lovely.

I hope you’re all enjoying your summer and are busy making memories and taking lots of photos.

Valérie