The Tuesday Diptych Project: Week Eleven

Johanna (left): This week's photo is a dedication of sorts to my current town of Hamilton or as some call it "The Hammer". Hamilton is an interesting town. On the outside, people see the industry, the factories, the smoke stacks but beyond that there is so much more. Hamilton is a hard working people's town. Despite major job loss from the steel factories, the people remain the heart and soul of this city. Over and over again I have been impressed by the general attitude of people in this town. It is a real, down to earth, kind hearted attitude and trust me, that is not something that you can find just anywhere.

When driving down to the beach last week I pulled over on a side road and took this picture. The scene that I saw pulled at my heart because what I saw was a strange juxtaposition of a community of houses and then towering industrial buildings directly behind them. The closeness of the two made me realize that this town truly is a hard working town and that sadly it's the people that live here who suffer from the impact of all this industry. There are many beautiful parts to Hamilton, don't get me wrong and for the most part I like to focus on beauty but this is the side that of Hamilton that isn't always shown- the real and raw side of "The Hammer" and I wanted to show that too.

Desiree (right): It's been been a tough couple of days & I'm feeling a little shaken -- I feel as though I'm waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Wondering what I've done to deserve such a rotten string of events. This is a rare train of thought for me. I really am the kind of person who tries to stay positive 99% of the time, but do you ever just feel like the fates have lined up against you? Like you've somehow stepped out of your normal life & each awful thing that happens is just trying to push you back where you belong, but somehow, you just can't get there? That's this week. I'm trying to find my footing again, to reconnect & prioritize. I'm trying to get more sleep, I'm trying to eat less sugar.

Thank goodness for sunny afternoons in the park, with a curious baby who says "hi!" to passing dogs and who likes to crawl through the grass and along the path. She always helps me to put things in perspective.