Meet the Family

Celebrating the baptism of Elżbieta Janda, Częstochowa, March 19, 1944.

The lady behind the cake is my great grandmother Helena Górska, just before her 90th birthday. Her daughter-in-law, my grandmother Władysława z domu Caban is just behind her to the left, and my grandfather Czesław Sejfried is 3rd from the left in the back.

Everyone appears pretty happy in this picture, despite the fact that they are well into the fifth year of the German occupation of Poland. Perhaps they feel that things are going to turn around soon.

That same day, 11 German divisions crossed the border from Austria to occupy Hungary, in a desperate move to ensure Hungary's continued support in the war.

The next day, March 2oth, in Italy, my other grandfather, Michał Woroniecki, would take part in a raid on the town of Alfadena with the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division of the Polish 2nd Corps.

The previous night, 846 aircraft of the RAF's Bomber Command, 620 Lancasters, 209 Halifaxes, and 17 Mosquitos, had flown a bombing mission over Frankfurt.

And just a few days earlier, on the Eastern Front, the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front had broken through German defenses and reached the Bug river.

Outside, in the winter darkness, armies were massed for battle all over Europe. Yet for a few hours, in this room, a family celebrated, ate, drank, laughed, and perhaps forgot their cares and worries long enough to enjoy life just a little.

My Current Reading List

It's raining today, and not very warm, but it is still a beautiful day. I took this picture through the dining room window. What a joy to see the first hint of green in the tree tops, as the buds begin to open into leaves. The rain was necessary - there have been a number of grass fires around the edges of the city in recent weeks.

This may be a perfect weekend for reading, although Louise wants to go out and shop for new living room furniture. I just received some new books I bought on the Internet, one from Amazon and five from Merlin.pl in Poland.

The first is The Romantic Exiles by E.H. Carr, a story about Alexander Herzen and the rise and fall of the revolutionary upheavals that swept across Europe in 1848. It provides an account of the family tragedy described in Volume II of Herzen's memoirs, a passionate and doomed love affair between Herzen's wife Nathalie and the desperate poet George Herwegh.

The Polish books included a biography, Roman Dmowski, by Krzysztof Kawalec (Ossolineum, 2002), and four volumes from the Biblioteka Narodowa series of the Ossoliński institute: an anthology of Polish romantics, selected works of Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, selected writings of Józef Piłsudski, and Romans Teresy Hennert by Zofia Nałkowska (ISBN 83-04-04573-7).

It will have to rain for quite a while for me to finish these, as I am still in the middle of Noel Coward's Future Indefinite.

An Accident

so, i don't want to alarm anyone...but i cut my thumb pretty badly this morning and the pain has been almost unbearable at points during the day. when i changed the bandage an hour ago it was so excruciating that i almost passed out...had to grab onto the sink counter to keep from fainting. anyway, if it's still giving me problems after tuesday's exam i'll go have it checked out.

in other news, i'm in exams and pretty stressed out. this is definitely not the best time i've had.

Sulphur Skyline

"Mountains speak, and wise men listen" (John Muir)

Louise and I love the Rocky Mountains. Our last little hike was in Jasper National Park, Sept. 14, 2004. It was a short day hike, from Miette Hot Springs to the Sulphur Skyline Summit (elev. 2,070 metres). The elevation gain is about 700 metres, and you can reach the top in about 2 hours. Apart from the spectacular views, another reward is a well deserved soak in the hot pool.



Alpine Meadow, with Ashlar Ridge to the North.


Louise at the Treeline.


Ashlar Ridge.


On the Summit of Sulphur Skyline.


Fiddle River from Sulphur Skyline Summit.


Soaking in the Hot Pool (+40° C), Miette Hot Springs.

Images and Avatars

JW, Athabasca, 2004.

We may be briefly tricked into believing that the camera lens captures something real. Problem is, the reality is not necessarily the one we may think is portrayed. My philosophy, drawing heavily on the teachings of JW, is that nothing is as it seems. This wagon wheel hayloft scene may be a pastiche of popular clichés of the old west. Or is it the real JW, captured for posterity before the memory fades?

Maybe Ludwig Wittgenstein was right when he said that, like everything metaphysical, the harmony between thought and reality is to be found in the grammar of the language.

In our pictures, I think there are also patterns of grammar and vocabulary. The old west is one example, but there are countless others. I was fascinated by the following case.

Manet's picnic scene caused a scandal when it was first unveiled. It certainly would not have had a similar effect if all the subjects were clothed.


Edouard Manet. Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe. 1863 (The Louvre)

In fact, the painting gained some legitimacy when its relationship to an earlier work by Raphael was discovered. It takes on a different meaning and reality as soon as we read it as classical vocabulary, although I'll be the first to admit that the juxtaposition of the nude with the two well-dressed young men is striking, and much more interesting than if all four subjects were nude.


Marcantonio Raimondi, after Raphael. The Judgement of Paris (detail). ca. 1520. Engraving.

It is also interesting to see that there is a connection that goes back further still, to this 3rd century Roman relief.



River Gods (detail of a Roman sarcophagus). 3rd Century A.D. Villa Medici, Rome.

Manet brought the river gods down to earth. JW is his own incarnation. I, however, am definitely not Józef Piłsudski. Best regards and take care.


Stary Marszałek

What's Yuki?

Yuki Sushi Bar
1350, rue Ontario Est,
Montréal QC H2L 1S1

The Kickstart of my Artistic Career

go here if you want to see a photo of mine that was published:

http://www.stationaery.com/2/img/annaaligator.jpg

Midnight Twilight Tourist Zone

Alfred has just completed this portrait of JW. It is a superb likeness, showing him with a mirthful, benign Buddha expression on his face and that characteristic angle his head assumes whenever he says something like "Ah, that's wonderful, I understand EXACTLY what you are saying".

Fredek has been painting some excellent portraits lately, like "Suwalsczyzna" which is part of his evening twilight series of scenes from the Suwałki region, land of lost Baltic tribes and Old Believers.

In fact, that landscape is very similar to north-central Alberta, and for a glimpse into that mysterious world and its inhabitants I recommend you read the following book:


Midnight Twilight Tourist Zone by Sharon Riis. Douglas & McIntyre, 1989.

"What would be the point in endlessly asking those unanswerable questions?"

In Memoriam, 18.05.1920 - 2.04.2005

John-Paul II in Ottawa, Sept. 19, 1984.

Basset Hounds of Kaszowo

I wasn't sure if I should post this picture of these cute little puppies without their mother Gapa's permission. Finally, I decided to do so, with the understanding that I would remove it immediately if requested to do so by their parent or legal guardian.

A Study in Composition

Przyjęcie u Fredka i Eli, Warszawa, czerwiec, 1981.

I like this photograph because it has a bit of drama in it. It almost looks as though it was taken on a movie set. The three friends with their backs to us are the director, the writer and the art director. They are facing the actors, who are in the middle of a scene as Jan pours some vodka for his lady friends.