I am Washington โ neither the city nor the state. I am not a character in the novel which bears my name. (For the record, I am white, not black.) I am a brand name, almost brand new washing machine. I am one of a generation of household appliances replete with special features, but sadly... Continue Reading →
One camera lens โ Two very different photographers
Bill Cunningham at work (and play) Two photographers, one living, one no longer with us, documenting our world, brilliantly. It has been some time since I have blogged on photography. It has been however one of my priorities since launching takenote.ca. Today however, I return to photography. Two recent news articles highlight the work of... Continue Reading →
No long sermon from me today
Amongst other gifts and duties, deacons preach in congregations as they connect us with the wider community In fact, no sermon at all today. As I now only preach on the first and third Sundays of each month today is truly a day of rest. Instead I share a reflection on sermons as an art... Continue Reading →
Ability and inclusion โ The gift of โdisabilityโ theology
[Ken Gray] Asย General Synod 2025 draws to a close I was delighted to learn of a conversation around disability and inclusion. As one who has lived with legal blindness since birth, and given recent acute hearing loss with a subset of arthritis challenges, I am interested to learn of this initiative. Society as a whole,... Continue Reading →
Kicking back on western maple โ A celebration of fine furniture program graduates
Now fifty years since I graduated from Victoriaโs Oak Bay High School I have fond memories of wood shop class. Lacking an eye for detail coupled with insufficient powers of concentration I particularly loved making bowls on the wood lathe. I likely created more shavings than bowls, but it was wonderful fun. When invited by... Continue Reading →
Get the picture, using AI?
I am always suspicious of the promises of emerging technology. Existing tech allows me to do so much more than I could five years ago. Why bother? My writing, conversation, photography, research, and most recently sports entertainment all benefit from hi-tech resources and solutions. Social media algorithms however suggest I need to go further in... Continue Reading →
CO2 levels just broke another record. G7 leaders ignored it
[Ken Gray] The G7; meeting is a wrap and a yawn. Kananaskis in Albertaโs land of oil and gas returns to whatever normal is these days. Top of the agenda was global trade relationships, escalating warfare in the Middle East, but definitely not consideration of the effects of global climate change on both economy and... Continue Reading →
Canon โ A picture of resilience and innovation
[Ken Gray] It has been some time since I featured a blog on photography. Today I seek to correct that imbalance. I have owned Canon equipment in the past but that predated my serious interest in digital photography. In 2005 I purchased my first set of Nikon gear, a D50 body with two lenses and... Continue Reading →
Rolodex rules
You can still buy them because more people than you think still use them. They were ubiquitous office organizational tools before the advent of digital contact managers. The brand still exists offering a wide variety of office management tools and devices. The one device however that put Rolodex on the product map was the folder... Continue Reading →
The photographer, not the camera is not the instrument โ Appreciating Eve Arnold
I have the equipment I need to practice the craft I love. Those who know me best might be surprised to learn that I have lost my desire to upgrade my photographic equipment collection. For years, you could not keep me out of camera stores, often in search of the latest models of Nikon and... Continue Reading →