Rays of God, Washington National Cathedral

Picture of coloured light rays at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC

Rays of God, Washington National Cathedral

The Washington National Cathedral is the 6th largest cathedral in the world, but size isn’t what you notice when you walk in.  Ever since an earthquake damaged the Cathedral in 2011, the view of the vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows has been interrupted by a dark netting, put in place to catch any loose masonry that could fall from the ceiling.  While most of the time the netting definitely detracts from the ambiance, at certain times of day it creates a magical effect – wonderful multicoloured rays of light suspended in the air, created when sunlight streams in through the stained glass windows and glances off the netting at just the right angle.  For that, I will forgive the netting interfering with a more straightforward view of the cathedral.

Carifiesta, Montreal

Black and white picture of Carifiesta parade and dancers, Montreal, Canada

Carifiesta Dancers, Montreal

Sorry for the silence – work and a long weekend conspired to divert my attention.  On the plus side, the long weekend was photographically productive (Montreal knows how to cram a visually interesting festival or three into a weekend!), so I have a lot of pictures to share.  This was from Carifiesta, a festival of Caribbean culture culminating in a street parade through the city centre.  I didn’t even know it was on, just happened to wander across the waiting crowds and decided it was worth sticking around to see what happened.  Turned out to be a good decision, the parade was a lot of fun to watch and photograph!

Dancer and Drum Circle, Washington D.C.

Picture of dancer in drum circle, Malcolm X Park (Meridian Hill Park), Washington D.C.

Dancer and Drum Circle, Malcolm X Park, Washington D.C.

I recently met up with a friend at Malcolm X Park, to see (and photograph) the regular drum circle held by locals every Sunday evening.  Both the drum circle and the park more generally were full of interesting characters, not to mention a really fun atmosphere – highly recommended as a place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Red Cuillin, Isle of Skye

Black and white landscape picture of the red Cuillin, Skye, Scotland

Red Cuillin, Isle of Skye, Scotland

I’ve debated putting this up picture of the Red Cuillin for a while now – it’s one of my favourites from the Isle of Skye, but the panoramic format really doesn’t translate well to this blog.  Still, I finally decided it was worth sharing, regardless of the limitations of the display format – I hope you like it!