Take me down the Drive

A year after I was born my Father’s Mother, Ella May Virtue, was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was given less than a month to live. The youngest of six children, my Father was unbelievably close to my Grandmother. A few days before her passing Ella asked my Father if he could take her down, “The Drive” one last time.

“Take your time, there is no rush.” She told him.

While working on this project I have often thought about those final moments between a mother and her son. I wonder what the light looked like streaming in through the trees. Was it a bright blue sky day, or did the weather reflect the somber mood? What was shared between them? I hope that final drive down Riverside provided some degree of closure. I cannot yet imagine what it is like to lose a parent; to be blunt, the thought is something I try to avoid. However, I can imagine how people across our city have found themselves in similar situations. Sharing that last scenic drive with a person they hold near and dear to their hearts.

I have tried to capture what I hope that last drive was like. I imagine that perfect sunset that only Riverside Drive can provide. Below you will find a collection of images stretching from the Ganatchio Trail all the way to the Ambassador Bridge. In a way, I suppose, these images are for the Grandmother I was too young to remember.

Here is to you, Grandma.