Brick and stone. Stone first, and then brick, that's the way they seemed to appear in my home town of Cambridge, Galt. The area was settled by Scottish Immigrants in the early part of the 19th century, the Scots brought with them their talents in working stone.
When you walk around the buildings in the downtown core you first notice the front facades of carved stone or ornate brick. next you marvel at the buildings sides and rear, how it is composed of carefully fitted rough stone. You see this method of construction in the tiny little cottages that have survived the century and one half since they were first built. I think that as people in my area prospered they began desire the sophistication of brick.
Brick is a hallmark of civilization, any peasant can gather field stones and pile one atop the other, but it takes structure and civil planning to organize a brickyard.
When you walk around the buildings in the downtown core you first notice the front facades of carved stone or ornate brick. next you marvel at the buildings sides and rear, how it is composed of carefully fitted rough stone. You see this method of construction in the tiny little cottages that have survived the century and one half since they were first built. I think that as people in my area prospered they began desire the sophistication of brick.
Brick is a hallmark of civilization, any peasant can gather field stones and pile one atop the other, but it takes structure and civil planning to organize a brickyard.
3 comments:
Wow, Peter! the color in both of these photos is amazing—as is the composition! these are some of my favorites yet.
Cambridge/Galt seems very intriguing. what i read about it what you've written makes me curious about Canadian towns, culture, architecture, people... maybe because my father lived in Canada, i have a bit of an urge to know more. i have only ever been to Niagra Falls in Canada, but there are so many places i would love to see.
my sister has been to Prince Edward Island—one place I would really love to see. Also, she has been to Bamph (spelling?) on the west coast, and the pictures were incredible.
Another place I hope to visit is Westfield where the movie Anne of Green Gables was filmed. My whole family talks about how beautiful it is there—we are all big fans of the movie.
i do love brick and if i ever get my Craftsman bungalow, i want it to be brick. anyway, it's nice to get a little background and cultural lesson from you on Cambridge. are you originally from there? are you of Scottish descent? your last name does not sound Scottish to me, but then i'm not sure what it does sound like—i know, i know—i'm a regular Nancy Drew! :)
When I say that my mind is small I'm not saying it to seem humble. My mind is large enough to know that it is small in the vastness of all there is to know.
I have no Scottish ancestry as far as I know, though I do like Scotch whisky, can make wicked Lorne sausage, and have read a wee bit o' Robbie Burns in my day. My family goes back along way in Canada 5-6 generations at least. We were farmer folk, my father came off the land in the early 40s and I've been a City boy all my life, though I do have a love of all things rural.
There is kind of a loose idea in my family that we come from Germany or the neighbouring French province of Alsace. My father spoke German in the house as a child and my grandfather who lived to be 96yrs old, would say his prayers in German. My name Tschirhart to me seems to have a Russian or Ukrainian spelling in it's transliteration. There's a variation of Tchaikovsky with a tsch. I don't know.
You pronounce it Sheer heart. My family doctor who I've known for year pronounces it wrong, I never correct him, never correct you doctor or your waiter one has the power to kill you, and the other can spit in your food.
I hope I've answered some of your questions.
once again, you've made me chuckle quite heartily.
yes, i kind of thought it sounded Russian, but i did not want to sound stupid by saying so if you turned out not to be. The pronunciation actually sounds Scottish, but the spelling definitely looks Russian.
my parents' both came from German families. I am mostly German. my papa was from Essen. I was there once. I knew I must be German while I was in Germany, because I loved everything about it—the food, the architecture, the lifestyle . . . everything! it felt like home.
okay, what i am most impressed with in you comment is that you knew how to spell Tchaikovsky. not many people can—or did you look it up? :)
well, i'm off to watch your dog. i could not see it at work, because my work blocks U-Tube videos.
cheers!
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