Awake.  After an evening on the street with my camera, I always have a small case of insomnia.  Maybe it’s something about having looked around,  attentive for many hours, that does not let my mind rest easily.  I started the evening in my neighborhood with a large street sale on Plaza St -Hubert.  Of all the places people congregate to shop in Montreal , this has probably the most divers clash of cultures.  From bras to wedding dresses and shoes to wigs, you can have it all, on the street and for a good price.  After a few photos and some street food, I headed into the metro to make my way downtown.

The next stop was pride week, filled with the village crowed and a nice show of drag queens.  The dancing and lip sinking of old pop songs while showing off curves and colorful faces, made for a few more snaps.  I walked around the village for a while, trying to put together some shots without much success.  I checked twitter for a #manifencours and saw a gathering.  Within a couple minutes, a classroom sized crowed of carré rouge protestors, ranging from ages seven to seventy marched through the village.

A few blocks later, I headed into a bookstore an picked up a photo book on Robert Capa.  I crossed the street to a small café and settled in under a light.  Capa is my favorite of the 30’s to 50’s range.  I love the emotion he can show while maintaining the context of the environment.  His photos are striking.

I walked out of the café preparing to head home.   In the distance I saw small pops of light towards Place des Arts , so I followed the scent.  As I got closer, the music was felt and became louder.  Baseball sized bubbles flew high over my head.

I came upon a few thousand people having dinner outside on the Place des Arts, all dressed up, in pure white, drinking, dancing, a party.  I walked around, in and out of tables taking photos, more obvious than a wedding crasher, but without the disapproving glares.  Someone yelled at me above the music.  With an drunken bottle of wine  through his vocal intonation, he explained that this was a “flash-mob, ‘Diner en Blanc’”, and that I should grab a drink.  I stayed and let the shutter lose.

I love this city, summer is winding down but the vibe is still strong.  And now awake, late, I write this blog post in my head.