I have a love affair with Taschen (http://www.taschen.com) they produce the most beautiful and crazily affordable books on art, architecture, design, furniture...the list is endless.

The one that I have currently been on the hunt for is The Polaroid Book: Selections from the Polaroid Collections of Photography by Barbara Hitchcock (contributor) and Steve Crist (editor), $17.00. Yes, you read that correctly $17.00!

Since the recent demise of the manufacturing of polaroid camera in favour of all things digital this is an exceptional book for anyone's collection... if you can find a copy. After a brief history of the polaroid camera and the relationship between the inventor Edwin Land and Ansel Adams and Land's desire to elevate photography to an even higher, more widely accepted art form you are presented with nearly 300 fantastic images.

So yesterday, after meeting with my allergist who took a more forensic approach to my reactions and doesn't believe that I'm reacting to food at all but gave me a prescription for epi-pens just in case, I hooked up with my sister-in-law for dinner. To kill time I stopped by a small book store and on a whim asked clerk about the book and they had ONE COPY left and it was only $15.25! I bought it, walked over to a pub, ordered a pint of Caffrey's and settled down to pour over the images. Having never even held the book in my hands, having only read a review in a magazine, it does not disappoint.

Here are a couple of images to wet the appetite:




I'm off to St. Thomas to visit my mother this afternoon, returning on Sunday. I am not looking forward to it. I'm hoping to convince her that an assessment would be in her best interest and any extra help we can bring in would only improve her quality of life. And also go determine if she should move to a retirement home of sorts.

I am looking forward to seeing my sister, enjoying the smuggled bottle of wine I'm bringing - not taking the chance that St. Thomas has a liquor store with an acceptable selection of bottles to choose from - and the two hour train ride back to Toronto where I can sit back in silence, read my book and yes...order another glass of wine which I will so deserve.