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think the pride that Putty Lynes Ifmm (ESP Group is referring to m the recent article regarding the new civic square is the pride that comes with putting another one over on theWatedoo taxpayers. In the article l fluid Contradictions which make it dimcuh figuring out just what exactly they arcrdesqibing. ()n the one hand it is described as "lush greenery" and "trees and vege- tation in abundance" while on the other hand it is "a kn ofconcrete." When Lynes says "it will be very green" does she plan on painting the concrete green? A What a you mean when you say honey locusts trees will likely be piantelalong King slreet. . Are they Jr" areiit they going to be part of the plary - _ _ _ This water feature that is being suggested, is it similar In that other water feature across the street in front of the parking garage? You knofe the ohii. "if: water fea- No pride in civic square project We are, it scams. getting painfully close In nir- vana. The moment when all of our children will be gone from the house, And we face the terrifying question. "Now what are we going to do?" I'm ihld ihe divorce rate for those married more than 20 years is climbing. I don't know ifthat's true. We are going on to 28 years which annu- say is testimony to our commit ment to cach other. But I think it might have more todo with the beliefthat I got incredibly lucky in the marriage pool and know that won't happen again. Certainly it's proof of my wife's can didacy for sainthuod. We will have been together for 31 years at the end of this week. _ Going all the way hack to my 18m birthday when l was very quickly turned down for a date. I mean verrrrrrry quick- ly. . I barely got the question out, l couit Ems; We are the sum total ot our experi the time from that moment. ences. I often tell my wife I like her Diana clocks it from another day in November more now than 30 years ago. 1976 when I actually bought her dinner, Sensible Her life experience has made her a more inter- woman that way. Might as well get a meal at the esting person with more layers. same time. I think. like most men, I have Anyway as we have spent more and more time together without the kids, we have sometimes asked each other, "What will we talk about now?" After all this time, why do we run out ofthings to discuss? If you have kids. you know those rtrst few years are often centered on them. ll includes bizarre discus- sinus. often concerning bodily func lions. Once they get into school. ofcourse, it changes, but still the conversations revolve around what they're doing, what they're learning, who their friends are. our Parents left asking what's next when the chicks leave the nest ture that is seldom ever turned on And what's with the budgeting of this proiect. You approve the prelimi- nary design for under $2 million. but you set aside $2.7 million or a 35 per cent buffer to accommodate gem - ethnical problems that you didn't foresee in the planning stages? Did you hive ttt pair furihis expert planning?, _ So let me get this straight. You are pulling up an asphalt open area with trees and replacing it with concrete painted green with trees and shrubs and a water feature that isn't turned on and it is only costing $2.7 million. Sounds like anothe E'City of Waterloo, pTjrct to me. A I think% hle this one right next to RIM. Will city maintain its civic spaces? parkettepn Park Street, between Allen and William streets, features a lovely sculp- "We face the terrifying question, 'Now what are we going to do?' " BRIAN BOURKE COMMENT Chuck McMuIlan Kitchener The teenage years change again and a lot of those talks are tinged with worry. Did we do things the right way? It's surprising how many times you can look back and realize the mistakes you made. Thert you come to the conclusion -1-.- that however big the deal seemed to , , lit' l be at the time, it really does pale in the _ : light oflooking back. Brian Bourke, a member ofthe 105.3 K001. FM morning crew. can be latched by email at bhourke®kaalfrn.com. M So here weSre, with one gone, another moving out in a week and the third considering a career move to And we will be back to where we started. lust the two of us. We were just kids then. Our first child was born when I was 22. Diana was just 20. She was only 25 when our youngest was born, Really we have not spent a lot of time just as a couple. And we have changed so much. Everyone does, of course. We are the sum total ofour experi ences. I often tell my wife I like her I think. like most men, I have become less selfish with age. I think she likes me more too. She still laughs at the jokes. And we're beyond the point where we have to do that anymore I don't know why we've lasted while so many others haven't. Luck. maybe: Who knew: in did I would tell you because it's worth it to see everything come full cimle, The stone wall of the garden sur rounding it is falling down, half the plants have died, the mulch has blown away and the sculpture is rusting. lure by lane Buyers. Hundreds ofcitizens pass through the palkene daily. They must be discouraged by the lack of care. Why is the city's parks mainte- nance department ignoring it? I low can citizens have pride in their "intelligent community" with the lack ofattention to spaces displaying public art? ls maintenance beneath our "intelligent community" or an insult to our intelligence? The city is planning a square in the uptown area. I remember. as a child, that the creek runs close by the same location and how nice it was to have free-flowing water in the uptown. I like the thought of having a cooling water space again, but I worry that it also will fall into disre- pair again. Ruth Beninger Waterloo 've always been fascinated by the strange allure of photo Ibomhs ---- those photographic relics offering four photos for four dollars __ often tucked away in the corners ofshopping malls or travelling carnivals. And until recatiy, there were three of them left in the area, last week the photo booth at Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall was removed. And while I can appreciate the new retail "feel" Fairview Park Mall is about to launch on Aug. 23, with new stores, an expand- ed food court and renovated interiors. I am' somewhat miffed they took away the photo booth I've been visiting since the early '70s, when the department store anchors were Simpson's and Woolco. Stephanie Mussel, senior marketing director of Fairview Park Mall, says, "With the major S33-million renovations and brand new look of Fairview Park, the photo booth no longer fits with the overall design and spacious feel of the mall." In the past five years, I've taken my young daughters to that same photo booth countless times. documenting their growth through the magic of photo booth photography: l love the way those booths capture four little iFlaiiiiErE+5ii-IgErEE-emrgtIle moments in time, and the li tin ‘ , 2v1'p,dti,iglt,"igJ2('/ililt,t)t's1, imtlt5 [“1 certain mystique. a . I'm always intrigued by the caught- off-guard look often seen in the first picture of the strip, or the way images can capture the subiect in transition __ reminding me of a movie strip that tells a little story. From the sound ofthe thin black curtain being drawn to the paparazzi- like flash, I can see why these booths often bring out the exhibitionists in people, as well as the artists. There's just something so wonder- fully old school about classic photo booths, with their simple option of a blue or orange curtain for backdrop. In May ofthis year, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art threw their annual Modern Ball exhibit. covering the walls with massive blow-ups of 20th century icon Andy Warhol's photo booth pictures. As well, a black-and-white photo booth was on hand for free photo boom pictures for the attendees. Since the invention of the photo booth, artists around the world have used photo booth photos in painting. collage, film and video. taking advantage of the photo booth's uniquely expressive qualities. American artist lef Aerosol once displayed the photo booth strips of strangers in an an exhibition. He would acquire the photos by having a friend distract the person standing at the booth waiting for their photos, usually by asking for directions, and then Aerosol would steal the photo strip when they fell down from the machine and run away. As well, American artist Herman Costa became famous for his photo booth compositions, with his first photo booth exhi- bition, Overexposed: 300 Photo Booth Strips at the Hartford Art School in 1974. in 1986, one of his pieces was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and exhibited in their new acquisitions show. " am attracted to the photo booth because it takes a beauti- ful fine-grained picture," Costa once said. "The machines make no negatives so each piece is perishable. I like the fact that each strip is in a series and naturally forms a grid when laid together. I enjoy the excitement of working in public though I do want a photo booth of my own." Although photo booths rarely appear on eBay for auction. strangely enough, hundreds of anonymous vintage photo booth pictures can be found for sale at any given time --- some dating back to l9l0. Such vintage photo booth pictures can also be found at the International Photo Booth Convention taking place in NewYork from Aug 23-27. with photo booth artists and enthusiasts alike (or "boothers," in the lingo) sharing their photo booth art. And while it could beargued that every photo strip is a piece of art, there's no denying photo booths have a unique way of capturing special - sometimes magical f moments in Ime. . Now, Git, only two photo booth; left in town, Cm hoping time doesn't pass them try. Marshall Ward is an artist and independent filmmaker. Email is welcome at marsluzllytetrdCmhotmail- Smile, you're on Candid Camel-a “All HUM ) CHRONICLE. .Wtr0uesdas, August 22, 2007 . 9