I’m thinking of putting off my trip to Chernobyl and instead visiting the mining town of Asbestos, Quebec. It is a little closer and a lot safer.

Asbestos is located near Drummondville and can be accessed via a shortcut to Quebec City. The town is famous for having the largest asbestos mines in the world and being the site of one of the most violent labour disputes in Canadian history. One time, on a family trip to Quebec City we stopped in Asbestos and visited a local mineral museum. The mines are truly massive and a little frightening when you think about the health risks associated with them. I believe at that time, you could take a full tour of the working asbestos mines, I wonder if you can still do that?

I have been obsessed with the Chernobyl Accident and “Zone of Alienation,” as long as I can remember. The idea of visiting the area didn’t hit me until I saw the infamous kiddofspeed website which depicts a sexy scientist riding through the radioactive landscape on her motorcycle. HOT!! (like post cold war buffy) The story is mostly fiction but she did actually visit Prypriat, Ukraine and the outside of the Chernobyl reactor on a guided tour. I found the company that gave the tour and I am thinking of going on it myself. Naturally, I would need to learn more about radiation but I think it would be a worth while experience.

Update 11/15

I found a better tour. This tour offers a two day option.

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After reading about a global network of art smuggling , I am starting to wish that my art was “stealable.” Which makes me wonder, how much does a piece of art have to be worth before someone wants to steal it?

I found this article by Debbie Grossman that promises to put the soul back in your digital images. The point of the article is to show you how to take a color image and make it look like you spent hours in the darkroom making a black and white image. That isn’t what I am going for, but I think it is a good start.

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