veterans

I don’t want to have to explain myself. I shouldn’t have to explain, thought Lohbado as he hung his new socks to dry. The pattern on the socks was a dead giveaway. If Ted saw the socks, he would know Lohbado bought new socks and would want to know how much Lohbado paid and where he got the money. The thought of Ted’s nosy questions... Lohbado winced. He wanted Ted to leave him alone. Life is difficult enough without having to deal with jealous people who resent your situation. A lot of people resented that Lohbado went on early retirement, on a veteran pension.

walk along Decaire Service Road Montreal

Décaire Service Road along the Décairie Freeway is a special environment best appreciated on foot. One can see what happened when a freeway ran through a section of the city, cutting it in two and creating open space, noise and desolation. It sometimes feels like standing on the edge or the shore of the city, gazing out into somewhere. Under the open sky, surfaces are often over exposed in the bright light. There are a lot of sunken entrances. To enter, one goes down a few steps. This matches the sunken freeway. Cairie is cavity in French. In a way, the freeway is like a cavity in the ground. The freeway acts as a major traffic artery. Sidewalks along each side make it pedestrian friendly for the most part. To offset the sinking feeling, apartment blocks tower up on each side of the freeway. As the weather changes or the sun shifts position in the sky, interesting light effects occur on the windows and surfaces of the towers.

expert at the familiar

I'm a Nothing-New expert, an expert at the familiar. I know how to play it safe, to roll my eyes and make fun of innovation. I don't tolerate questions. Critical thinking is out of the question. What's the point? Go with the flow. Don't rock the boat. Don't listen to talk about doom and gloom. Things will work out... Stop! Not another word. I gotta go back to the drawing board. Start again. I'm all mixed up... fighting demons hatched in my mind. I'm going to be an expert at dealing with the stuff in my mind.

hootenany finale

Randy Peters

A few photos from the last hootenany of the season... many wonderful people performed. I shot mostly video, so can't do justice to the event and include all the performers with merely a few pictures. It was fabulous; many thanks to Dana and Randy. They began hosting a hootenany in December 2014, as winter began, at Brasserie Beaubien each Sunday from 4 to 6 or 7 PM. It was a way to lighten up the heaviness of winter with a bit of weekly music performance and sing along.

having fun

Montreal signs from 2006

hat store, 2006

no dogs poster, Little Italy

rue Sainte Catherine

a random collection from Lohbado's image library

Lohbado has a library of street graphics. No need to buy a book, just walk around with a camera. Many of the signs have changed, or no longer exist because the business closed or signs were replaced. There's a beauty in signs, tags, graphic design. Each letter is a little art work, a symbol or signifier.

Lohbado also has a collection of old packages and labels. He peeled the label off the back of an old sketch pad. A sticky residue of glue indicated where the sticker had been, a darkened rectangle. Lohbado got lost in thought about sequence or time. Each instant occurs and maybe leaves a trace. It's the same thing with a human being. One goes from one moment to the next. How much do you notice or remember? What were you doing at this time yesterday, or last year?

insomnia

Often Lohbado woke sweating in the night, skin burning, itchy from head to foot. He couldn’t bear the thought of another instant of tossing and turning, fever and chills, sweating one moment, shivering the next, anxious, restless, claustrophobic.

    Trying to run away or avoid problems won’t do any good. Even if you ran across the plains and into an old abandoned farmhouse and tried to lock yourself upstairs in a room and barricaded the door you would not be safe from the demons. The demons are none other than the demons lurking in your mind. The demons entered your mind when you got careless, when you weren’t paying attention, when you became drowsy or distracted.

    When you toss and turn in torment and confusion an antidote is to get up, go the temple, supplicate Oogah and Oorsis, relax and contemplate existence. If you devote yourself to wisdom in the temple, the deities in your mind will protect you. You will never be hungry or without shelter. You will always find peace and quiet.

Heavy rain in Montreal

Another experimental video by Lohbado, a rainy day. The story exists as a series of mood images. It contains as well some pages from a painted book, acrylic on paper. The video was shot in 2010 and 2013. The downpour audio recording dates from July 2004.

boarding First Air jet in Kuujjuaq, March 2007

Kuujjuaq airport

These photos were taken before the new airport terminal building was built in Kuujjuaq.

airport limo Kangirsuk

August 2006

 

The Air Inuit plane landed. Luggage was put in the back of a pickup truck. Some of the teachers got in the back of the truck and were driven to their houses at the beginning of another school year in Kangirsuk. Euphoria... to finally arrive back in the arctic, after a long day of plane travel, a two hour flight from Montreal to Kuujjuaq then about a half hour flight or so from Kuujjuaq on a Dash-8 to Kangirsuk.

Kangirsuk memories

outside Coop Store Kangirsuk

Kangirsuk, northern side

These photos were taken August, 2006 and were originally posted on notobscure, which due to administrative issues, disappeared, then resurfaced as a legacy site at notobscure.blogsite.org

the reincarnation of Lohbado

Peter Stumps sometimes imagined he was the reincarnation of his grandfather the Reverend Woodlot Stumps, Church of the Living Monument. His grandfather died in 1969, when Peter was thirteen years old. That's another story, the violent death of Peter's grandfather. Years later, after Peter became Lohbado, he was convinced that it was in his power to redeem his grandfather. He wasn't yet sure how to do it; but he believed it was possible.

spare the rod and spoil the child

arctic landscape

view of Payne River

Landscape just outside Kangirsuk, Nunavik.

Lohbado and Jane

Lohbado and Jane

Sometimes Lohbado and Jane got on each others' nerves. There were a few times when Jane suggested they go separate ways. Why endure more bullshit? Why not just end it clean and simple. But then it's not easy finding a mate, even though the world population is over seven billion. That's a bit strange, so many people and so hard to find somebody. There's something in the human psyche, the faculty of criticizing others, endless fault-finding, afflictive consciousness. Sometimes negative thoughts are like water dripping endlessly. One feels bad then starts lashing out, judging or criticizing the closest person.

Jane and Lohbado loved each other in spite of intense moments. Lohbado appreciated Jane's intelligence and wisdom. Jane enjoyed Lohbado's sense of humour and imagination. Even after nine years, they continued together, the odd affair on the side, a few blow ups, but also many pleasant moments. Most importantly, it was wonderful that underneath it all they were good friends, kindred spirits. In spite of their differences, they understood each other. They offered each other kindness and encouragement.

karma

pencil on paper

bardo

Karma, cause and effect, who knows when it begins. Lohbado often paused to contemplate karma. It's common sense. If one behaves in a decent, friendly and cheerful manner, things go smoother than if one is abrasive and obnoxious. Sometimes things happen out of the blue, a mishap, unpleasant surprise, an affliction, disease. Karma doesn't mean punishment. When things go bad, it doesn't mean one is being punished. It just means a painful situation is happening. Do whatever is necessary to deal with the situation. Eventually it will pass. The wheel of ups and downs, clean sailing for a while, then turbulence, then a quiet stretch, alternating between anxiety, boredom and equanimity. It's something to contemplate.

summer in Kangirsuk

Three photos taken on the edge of northern side in August 2006, Kangirsuk.

landing in Kangirsuk, Nunavik 2006

Some photos Lohbado stumbled across on one of his external hard drives, these were taken in August 2006, on a Dash 8 from Kuujjuaq to Kangirsuk.