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Quiet Corner of the Castle

This is a piano I found in a corner of the Scottish castle otherwise known as the Banff Springs Hotel, in Banff Alberta. When I was there I took quite a few photos of the place which is a small measure of how impressed I was by the ambiance and architecture. If anyone ever invents a time machine, this is the place I’d like to visit fifty or a hundred years ago. From the looks of the furnishings I’d think little has changed, it’s as though the place was cut right out of a movie set and a playground for the rich and famous. Perhaps the only difference now is that people like me, not so rich and famous, can wander the halls and get lost in reverie and imagination.

This is a piano I found in a corner of the Scottish castle otherwise known as the Banff Springs Hotel, in Banff Alberta. When I was there I took quite a few photos of the place which is a small measure of how impressed I was by the ambiance and architecture. If anyone ever invents a time machine, this is the place I'd like to visit fifty or a hundred years ago. From the looks of the furnishings I'd think little has changed, it's as though the place was cut right out of a movie set and a playground for the rich and famous. Perhaps the only difference now is that people like me, not so rich and famous, can wander the halls and get lost in reverie and imagination.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Rundle Lounge

No trip to Banff in Alberta Canada is complete without a visit to the Banff Springs Hotel. This is the Rundle Lounge where I imagine many VIPs have sat and discussed, well whatever VIPs discuss. My musings aside, the grandeur of the place is enhanced by the Canadian Rockies just outside. I took this early in the morning before it was crowded, but later that day a Royal Canadian Mountie in a red uniform and wide brim hat was in the lounge talking to some children. The children were wide eyed and I too was a little impressed. What a nice gesture to have these legendary officers come here and mingle with the guest and pass on a little legendary Canadian hospitality.

No trip to Banff in Alberta Canada is complete without a visit to the Banff Springs Hotel. I was there this summer and so availed myself with camera in hand. It's patterned after a Scottish castle and the interior exudes old world charm and architecture. This is the Rundle Lounge where I imagine many VIPs have sat and discussed, well whatever they discussed. My musings aside, the elegance and grandeur of the place is enhanced by the majestic Canadian Rockies just outside. I took this early in the morning before it was crowded, but later that day a Royal Canadian Mountie in a red uniform and wide brim hat was in the lounge talking to some children. The children were wide eyed and I too was a little impressed. What a nice gesture to have these legendary officers come here and mingle with the guest and pass on a little legendary Canadian hospitality.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Light in the Mirror

I’m not much of a furniture buff but place it in a castle and turn down the lights and suddenly my imagination seems to take over and I’m transported away from this world. Mostly I imagine the scenes of past ages playing out with me as a bystander, as though watching a movie or viewing a prior life. Certain music does that to me also, for instance when I listen to Loreena McKennitt scenes and emotions from a different place and time play out. So it is that when I take photos like this they are not so much about the furniture but the images they evoke in my mind and the portals they open to other worlds and other times. But then a hotel guest walks by in flip flops and I’m brought back into this world.

I'm not much of a furniture buff but place it in a castle and turn down the lights and suddenly my imagination seems to take over and I'm transported away from this world. Mostly I imagine the scenes of past ages playing out with me as a bystander, as though watching a movie or viewing a prior life. Certain music does that to me also, for instance when I listen to Loreena McKennitt scenes and emotions from a different place and time play out. So it is that when I take photos like this they are not so much about the furniture but the images they evoke in my mind and the portals they open to other worlds and other times. But then a hotel guest walks by in flip flops and I'm brought back into this world.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Another Century

Despite the old world look, this picture was taken this summer while in Banff. This is the front of the Banff Springs Hotel and is usually crowded with cars, buses and people coming and going. However, if you’re eager enough to get up at the break of dawn you just might glimpse a view that’s perhaps more reminiscent of the old glory days. Not much of the Banff Springs architecture has changed in a hundred years and walking inside or around this structure you appreciate the old world grandeur normally reserved for faraway places and long passed eras. In any case, I was just glad to get this shot before the first tour bus pulled up about five minutes later.

Despite the old world look, this picture was taken this summer while in Banff. This is the front of the Banff Springs Hotel and is usually crowded with cars, buses and people coming and going. However, if you're eager enough to get up at the break of dawn you just might glimpse a view that's perhaps more reminiscent of the old glory days. Not much of the Banff Springs architecture has changed in a hundred years and walking inside or around this structure you appreciate the old world grandeur normally reserved for faraway places and long passed eras. In any case, I was just glad to get this shot before the first tour bus pulled up about five minutes later.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.