After coming and going to Hamilton for the past four years -- picking up, dropping off, moving in, moving out Kristin -- we have come to really love Hamtown. Or, as some call it, The Hammer. It really is a great place. Unfortunately, we waited until the very end of Kristin's tenure at McMaster to check out the Art Gallery of Hamilton. It's a great gallery: nice spaces, nice collection, not too small, not too big, staffed by typically-friendly Hamiltonians.

Plus, it has this thing: The Bruegel-Bosch Bus.

Somehow we managed to miss this event for the first eight years of its existence, but this year we made it: Nuit Blanche, the dusk to dawn contemporary art event. And wow, I hope we don't miss it again!

The Centre of the World (Omphalos - The Navel of the Earth) by Bill Vazan

In the summer of 2003, some strange precision sod cuts appeared in an open area of Sunnidale Park near our home. Barely large enough to walk in, and about 6 cm deep, these strange pathways swept in large arcs, creating a strange maze.

Cabin Fever by Patrick Dougherty

I consider this one of the funnest and most interactive exhibits of the lot. This is because you can wander around the work, go inside the structures, and even peer out through the windows.

Le Bateau (The Boat) by Gilles Bruni and Marc Babarit

The full title of this installation is "Le Bateau, entre proue et poupe: assembler une coque pour transporter l'eau au lac et construire une cabine pour amener les journaux dans la foret" which translates to "The Boat, between bow and stern: to assemble a hull to transport water to the lake and to construct a shack to bring the newspapers in the forest."

Between Land and Water by Alfio Bonanno

One of our four favourite Shore/Lines installations, Between Land and Water, looked like an infestation of giant pods making their way into Kempenfelt Bay.