Matt, Groggy, Charlotte, and Jamie
I saw them clustered on a street corner in Toronto’s Kensington Market, the four of them accompanied by two dogs and a scattering of backpacks and musical instrument cases. They seemed to be in a good mood socializing so I approached them and introduced myself, explaining that I thought they would make a very nice group portrait if they were willing. The young woman was the outgoing one and served as their spokesperson, saying “Totally.” It was a friendly reception. Meet Matt, Groggy, Charlotte, and Jamie.
I think the guys were a bit nonplussed by this man in his 70s approaching them but they seemed carried along by Charlotte’s outgoing, bubbly response and the photo was taken without further ado. It took a little bit of arranging to get them lined up but the dogs even stood still. Charlotte was eager to have a copy of the photo and wrote down her email and said she would share it with the others.
I learned that Charlotte and Groggy are a couple. Groggy is originally from London Ontario but is now living in Halifax with Charlotte. They set out cross-country a couple of months ago, (clearly on a shoestring) and joined up in Toronto with Jamie who they had met last year. It seems Matt joined the group by being a friend of Jamie's. When I asked what had motivated Charlotte and Groggy to leave Halifax she said Halifax is too small and the whole city (one of Canada’s Atlantic ports) is under construction which is a big pain. Charlotte and Groggy hitchhiked and hopped trains with their two dogs and slept out wherever they could find an informal camp spot. They were currently living beneath the Spadina Bridge in Toronto in a tent. She explained that they had stopped over in Montreal for a while before moving on to London Ontario where they visited Groggy’s parents before setting up camp in Toronto where they are busking for a living.
They seemed to be living a life of adventure which had the flavor of the 1950s and I couldn’t help wondering what they would wind up doing when they got a bit older. They seemed to have an affectionate bond and were very nice to me, not being put off by my friendly interest. Jamie said he was trapped in Toronto because he is on probation (unexplained) and he said he is the founder of a group called PIS (Punks In Space). When I asked them what message they had to share with the world they started tossing out a variety of ideas which coalesced into a single coherent message through a “work in progress” process: “Be kind. The world shits on us enough that we don’t need to shit on each other.”
Today I took advantage of the spring sunshine and rode my bike to Kensington Market again. It was bustling due to the weather and it being Saturday. It was fun to run into Groggy and Charlotte and their dogs on the same corner. They were busking with Groggy on guitar and kazoo and Charlotte on the banjo. They paused for a brief wave when they recognized me and I hung around to enjoy the song, then made a small donation and complimented them on their music. They weren’t sure just where Matt and Jamie were but said they would run into them later on. We visited for a while and Charlotte was clearly eager for their photo from yesterday which I had not yet edited and sent. “People take our photos fairly often and say they are going to send them but don’t always remember.” I promised to remember. Charlotte said something about taking photos herself and I said if she had a camera or cell phone I would gladly take a photo on their camera too. She said she had been broke a little while ago and “stupidly” sold her camera and now regretted it.
I offered to take another photo with my camera even though the light was problematic. Groggy was in a sliver of shade against the storefront but Charlotte had bright sunshine skimming her face. I asked her to press back into the sliver of shade which she gladly did. I regretted that their instruments and hands were going to be overexposed, but I was glad to have an extra photo of them. Not wanting to monopolize their earning time I said I would move along but would say goodbye when I returned for my bicycle. Charlotte said “No problem. See you in a bit. Actually, today has been pretty good. People in the Market are super-friendly and we made enough money this morning that we were able to have a restaurant breakfast. That was a nice treat!”
As I left the Market a half hour later we gave one another a thumbs-up across the street.
This is my 482nd submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Matt, Groggy, Charlotte, and Jamie
I saw them clustered on a street corner in Toronto’s Kensington Market, the four of them accompanied by two dogs and a scattering of backpacks and musical instrument cases. They seemed to be in a good mood socializing so I approached them and introduced myself, explaining that I thought they would make a very nice group portrait if they were willing. The young woman was the outgoing one and served as their spokesperson, saying “Totally.” It was a friendly reception. Meet Matt, Groggy, Charlotte, and Jamie.
I think the guys were a bit nonplussed by this man in his 70s approaching them but they seemed carried along by Charlotte’s outgoing, bubbly response and the photo was taken without further ado. It took a little bit of arranging to get them lined up but the dogs even stood still. Charlotte was eager to have a copy of the photo and wrote down her email and said she would share it with the others.
I learned that Charlotte and Groggy are a couple. Groggy is originally from London Ontario but is now living in Halifax with Charlotte. They set out cross-country a couple of months ago, (clearly on a shoestring) and joined up in Toronto with Jamie who they had met last year. It seems Matt joined the group by being a friend of Jamie's. When I asked what had motivated Charlotte and Groggy to leave Halifax she said Halifax is too small and the whole city (one of Canada’s Atlantic ports) is under construction which is a big pain. Charlotte and Groggy hitchhiked and hopped trains with their two dogs and slept out wherever they could find an informal camp spot. They were currently living beneath the Spadina Bridge in Toronto in a tent. She explained that they had stopped over in Montreal for a while before moving on to London Ontario where they visited Groggy’s parents before setting up camp in Toronto where they are busking for a living.
They seemed to be living a life of adventure which had the flavor of the 1950s and I couldn’t help wondering what they would wind up doing when they got a bit older. They seemed to have an affectionate bond and were very nice to me, not being put off by my friendly interest. Jamie said he was trapped in Toronto because he is on probation (unexplained) and he said he is the founder of a group called PIS (Punks In Space). When I asked them what message they had to share with the world they started tossing out a variety of ideas which coalesced into a single coherent message through a “work in progress” process: “Be kind. The world shits on us enough that we don’t need to shit on each other.”
Today I took advantage of the spring sunshine and rode my bike to Kensington Market again. It was bustling due to the weather and it being Saturday. It was fun to run into Groggy and Charlotte and their dogs on the same corner. They were busking with Groggy on guitar and kazoo and Charlotte on the banjo. They paused for a brief wave when they recognized me and I hung around to enjoy the song, then made a small donation and complimented them on their music. They weren’t sure just where Matt and Jamie were but said they would run into them later on. We visited for a while and Charlotte was clearly eager for their photo from yesterday which I had not yet edited and sent. “People take our photos fairly often and say they are going to send them but don’t always remember.” I promised to remember. Charlotte said something about taking photos herself and I said if she had a camera or cell phone I would gladly take a photo on their camera too. She said she had been broke a little while ago and “stupidly” sold her camera and now regretted it.
I offered to take another photo with my camera even though the light was problematic. Groggy was in a sliver of shade against the storefront but Charlotte had bright sunshine skimming her face. I asked her to press back into the sliver of shade which she gladly did. I regretted that their instruments and hands were going to be overexposed, but I was glad to have an extra photo of them. Not wanting to monopolize their earning time I said I would move along but would say goodbye when I returned for my bicycle. Charlotte said “No problem. See you in a bit. Actually, today has been pretty good. People in the Market are super-friendly and we made enough money this morning that we were able to have a restaurant breakfast. That was a nice treat!”
As I left the Market a half hour later we gave one another a thumbs-up across the street.
This is my 482nd submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.