Photography is a great way to show the passage of time. The top frame was taken in 1980, and the bottom one was taken 39 years later in 2019. It was taken in Windsor, Nova Scotia. The scene, that looks west toward the Annapolis Valley, was a farmer’s field in 1980. There was a gate which was an interesting illustration of Windsor’s status as “gateway to the Annapolis Valley.” There were oil tanks in the background and No Exit signs reminiscent of Hotel California.
The scene looks quite different 39 years later. Highway 101 on the left is being twinned–changed from a single lane to double lane highway. On the place where I took the photo, there is now a roundabout. There are power lines, a stop sign, and a pedestrian sign. But most notably, there is a Petro-Canada service station and Tim Hortons restaurant on the right.
Change is inevitable, and hard to say what constitutes progress. Small farms are disappearing and urban areas are on the rise. In these two photos we see a transition from agri-culture to pop-culture. At some point, around 2006 I think, the gate was left open and commerce came charging in. What will this scene look like 39 years from now? I can only hope it’s filled with wind turbines and solar panels.
