Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Cottage Days & Nights

Continued from the previous post, here are a few more photos from our stay up at Frank's cottage the week before last. This time I've indicated (in pink) which camera was used for each photo - the older digital (D) or the Digital SLR (DSLR).



A simple photo of a corner of the dock. No, not exactly. Look a bit closer and you'll see an unusual insect camouflaged against the wood. Frank's observant eye noticed him. (please click to enlarge) (D)






Another camouflaged item. I took this photo of cooking utensils because I saw an onion in them. Really. Click here to see what I mean. I might have been drinking at the time... (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)





We weren't at the cottage for very long before we began hearing the familiar wail of the Loon. This beauty surfaced not too far from the neighbour's dock so we wandered over to get a better look. (please click to enlarge) (D)




The mosquitos and other insects were everywhere but I was on the better side of this window screen - or the bug was. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)




My favourite insect by far has to be the dragonfly. They were out in full force dutifully feasting on mosquitos. Unlike last year, I rarely saw one pause to rest for any period of time. I zoomed in on this one in a hurry and only while sorting through the photos on the computer, did I realize it was laying on its back. (please click to enlarge) (D)




This isn't a site I usually see from this angle, as we typically see the boat house from the dock. We were fishing nearby and I snapped this shot as we passed in front of the steps. (please click to enlarge) (D)






The diminishing light, clouds and reflection and stillness captured my attention for this shot.. as did Benny. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)






Though very dark and difficult to make out details, I like the colours and mood that this image breathes. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)






Just one of the many, ever-changing sights which greets us from the end of the dock. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)






As night descends, the breeze nudges boughs and the dusky sky is reflected in the lake below. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)




Goodnight. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)

60 comments:

steviewren said...

I feel rested and relaxed but looking at your pictures of the lake. What a nice place to get away to.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Those pics of the pier with the two chairs were mesmerizing, as were several others. I could look at these all day long.

Sarah Anne said...

I LOVE DSLR!!! Wish I had one. Lovely photos, as usual. :D

Kaye Waller said...

Wonderful, wonderful! Good to have you back, too.

Maggie May said...

What a great set of photos.....
They all have something great and interesting about them. Still trying to work out about the onion though.......!
Glad you had such a good time.

david mcmahon said...

A beautiful place, HIlary - and what great images.

Tabor said...

You ARE having fun with this new camera, aren't you? Wonderful photos. Wish I had that talented eye that you seem to have. ONIONS!!??

Gary's third pottery blog said...

BENNY on the dock!

Brian Miller said...

you have some brilliant shots here. love the close ups and the dock in the evening is amazing. congrats on POTD!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos, Hilary. I just had Hubby come up and look at the picture of the loon because we get one here once in a while, but I've never managed to get a close-up of it. Thanks! btw, I especially love the picture of Benny sitting on the end of the pier contemplating life! :) (and I didn't see an onion in the one shot -- either you should cut back on the drinking or I need new glasses. :) )

Hilary said...

beautiful......is this lake in Ontario??? Reminds me of vacations as a child.
And yes, lol, you MUST have been drinking!

Country Girl said...

I'll take a Frank and a cottage, please. To go.

Hilary, these are awesome photos. I enjoyed your onion, too! Always a pleasure visiting here.

Mental P Mama said...

Amazing. As always. Love Benny contemplating the dusk...

Shammickite said...

You seem to be having fun with your new camera, keep on doing what you are doing, the pictures are great.
I wonder why the dragonfly was laying on it's back? Too many mozzies and his tummy was just too full for him to get off the ground?
And I had to laugh at your onion, what exactly was it that you were drinking? I have to pour me a couple of those!

Butternut Squash said...

Benny on the Dock is especially fantastic! I loved all of your photos. Peace.

Susan English Mason said...

Congrats on post of the day nomination. What a great cabin. I'd forgotten about mosquitoes. Pesky little critters.

Suldog said...

You have such a magnificent gift for taking shots from interesting angles, showing the types of things I wouldn't normally notice.

Is the bug in the first shot always that color, or does he change to match his surroundings?

Anonymous said...

I love the landscape photos!!! I have a weakness for the sky and the water!!! LOL, I often see onions when I've had a little vino too, ha ha!

lime said...

frank is eagle eyed to have seen that first bug. the chairs on the dock at sunset speak to me. there is peace in that picture. and an invitation to it.

Bubblewench said...

What an amazing place! Beautiful shots. The Onion one had me cracking up!

Daryl said...

The shot of Benny on the dock w/the 2 chairs .. perfection

Your Onion shot was a total GUFFAW ...

ds said...

So...first you hurt my poor, wee brain with the first two shots (I will see "onion" everywhere now) & then you proceed to such beauty. Benny on the dock is awesome, but all of the sundown shots "breathe." Thank you.

Nancy said...

What an incredibly beautiful place. How wonderful you get an opportunity to spend some time there. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Just beautiful! [breathing a sigh of happiness and contentment]

You could certainly count these as part of the Weekly Words Challenge today. The words were "Wood" and "C" (clouds and chairs definitely count)!

Frank Baron said...

You have an array of talents my dear - but perception's not high on the list.

I STILL say it spells "rutabaga." ;)

And after looking at your shots, I want to head back to the cottage now....

Hilary said...

• Thanks very much Steviewren. It sure is a most relaxing place. :)

• Thanks kindly, Angie. I'm glad you enjoyed them. :)

• Thanks very much, Georgie. I'm hoping I'll learn to do it justice. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thank you, Steph. Much appreciated. :)

• Thanks very much, Maggie. The word "onion" just jumped right out at me from the hanging objects. It must have been a really fine drink. ;)

• Thank you so much, David. And thank you kindly for the Post of the Day nomination. Always an honour to make your list. :)

• Thanks very much, Tabor. I am indeed having fun with it.. with both of them. And yup, it was ONION! ;)

• Gary, how did you spot him? ;)

• Welcome, Brian and thanks very much for your very kind words. Much appreciated. Please come back soon. :)

• Thanks very much, Sandra. I'm glad you could get a good close-up look at the loon, if only in a photo. They're incredible birds. As for the onion, I don't think you need new glasses, nor should I necessarily be cutting back. The word kind of jumped out at me. Blame it on the cottage elves. ;) Thanks always for your very kind words, my friend. :)

• Hilary, I was indeed drinking but not excessively. ;) Yes, this lake is in Ontario - about half-way between Kingston and Ottawa.. ish. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Kate, I'm glad I could count on you to see an onion too! And Frank is one of a kind, but a cottage might be negotiable. ;) Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks, MPM but I think you give Benny way too much credit.. he was contemplating his latest mosquito bites. ;)

• Thanks so much for the kind words, Shammie. I'll pour you one of those drinks if/when we ever meet. You'll be seeing onions in no time. ;) I'm not sure about the dragonfly, but your theory is the best one I've heard so far. Thanks always for stopping by. :)

• Welcome, Butternut Squash and thanks very much for the kind words. Much appreciated. :)

• Thanks very much, Pouty. I didn't think anyone could forget about mosquitoes.. once bitten. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks very kindly, Suldog. You always make me feel so appreciated. :) That bug was new to me. I just spent the last half hour trying to identify it on an entomology website, but without success. It just looked so much like the wood, that I assume it's got some sort of camouflage talents. Maybe someone else can identify it. Thanks always for stopping by. :)

• Thanks kindly, Rain. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. And one could see a lot worse than onions when drinking. ;)

• Thanks very much, Lime. That's exactly how I felt about that dock scene. It begged to be photographed. I'm glad you felt its call too. Thanks always for the visit. :)

• Thank you, Bubblewench. I'm glad you could see my onion! :)

• Thanks so much, Daryl. I kind of thought you might like that one.. and that you'd "get" the onion. :)

• Thanks very much, DS. I bet you'll see much more than onions from now on. ;) Thanks so much for your kind words about the photos. That means so much to me. Always a pleasure when you stop by. :)

• Thank you, L of L. It's always a joy to spend time there. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. :)

• Thanks very much for the always-kind words, KC. I suppose it would have made a good WWC entry - if I participated in memes. ;) Your visits always make my day.. thanks for that. :)

• Thanks, Frank.. I think. ;) I want to head back there too, so you'd best wait for me. :)

Reb said...

How lovely. Sad about the dragonfly though. I really like your new camera. The shot of the boat house if great.

CiCi said...

Hi there! I kept a pic of the rough old looking wooden shelf with hooks for utensils and I know I can make this!!
Really appreciate all the photos in the post and your commentary and it is helpful of you to describe what camera was used for the photos.

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

Absolutely breathtaking! Here from David's. No wonder you got POTD!!

scarlethue said...

Beautiful shots. That lake is so beautiful and restful too. You have a great eye!

UmmFarouq said...

I want to go jump in a lake. Really. That can happen very soon...I'll be stateside in just a few days. Alabama has almost as many lakes as Minnesota. My point-and-shoot Nikon can never do justice to whatever it is I'm photographing, though.

Thanks for the great pics and the gift of "serenity" in them.

Louise said...

These are wonderful photos. My favorite is the dock with in the evening with the perfectly still water reflecting the sky. It looks like the dock is suspended in the sky.

Anonymous said...

The chairs on the dock in the dying light, the moth on the wood, the duck merging with the stripey water...fabulous shots. Worthy of a mention of POTD? I'll say.

Reasons said...

Wow what a fantastic place. Took a look at the other post too. No doubt you returned refresed. Doing well with the camera Hilary!

Reasons said...

PS The onion shows what a clever mind you have!

Redbush said...

Love the "onion" photo! Your mind is amazing! The picture of Benny enjoying the ripples and the evening made me smile, and as usual your sunset pictures are gorgeous!

Woman in a Window said...

How wonderful does all of that look? Beautiful, tranquil, perfect, onion? I better click through to make sure you haven't lost your marbles.

Woman in a Window said...

Heck! You're as sane as they come.
Onion, indeed!

Lowell said...

From the mundane to breathless grandeur!

Bogey said...

Sigh! It doesn't get any better than that. Love the night time pics and the dock pics just scream Serenity. Benny seems to know when the camera is on him that's for sure. Cute little ham he is. I've never been to that part of cottage country.

Andrea said...

That shot of Benny and the two chairs on the dock had me mesmerized! Well done! I love taking shots at the cottage...I will spend almost the whole time there with camera in hand!! I've missed visiting your blog Hilary...I'm happy to be back! :)

SandyCarlson said...

Onion! Wow. You are a keen observer.

I love that loon shot.

I will be back again to drink from this well.

Hilary said...

• Thanks very much, Reb. I mislabeled the boathouse steps photo. That was actually taken with my older camera after all. Your kind comments are always appreciated. :)

• Thanks, Technobabe. I'm glad you enjoyed the post and I hope you'll post photos of your shelf if and when you make one. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Welcome, Mimi and thanks ever so much for your very kind words. I hope you'll be back again soon. Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thank you, Scarlethue. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Thanks kindly for stopping by. :)

• Go jump in the lake, UmmFarouq! ;) That's cool that you'll be in the U.S. soon. For how long? Thanks very much for your always-kind words and thank you SO much for so sweetly linking to my gosling goose-ip post today. I truly appreciate it. :)

• Thanks kindly, Louise. I was pleased with how that photo turned out and I'm glad that you like it too. Thanks for taking the time to visit. I know how hectic it's been for you lately, and I appreciate your stopping by. :)

• Thanks so much, Moannie. Your kind words mean a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks very much, 123. I'm relieved that others can see my onion too. And probably without benefit of alcohol. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

• Thanks kindly, Redbush. I'm glad you like the photos. My mind was more intoxicated than anything to see the onion, but I'll graciously take "amazing." Thanks for the visit. :)

• Ha! Thanks, WIAW. Your comment made me laugh. I'm sure you could probably find a few marbles in my wake but I appreciate your kind words all the same. :)

• Thanks very kindly, Jacob. Much appreciated. :)

• Thank you so much, Bogey. Your kind words mean a lot to me. Benny is indeed a ham. He knows no other way. We're very lucky to live in a province that is so beautiful, aren't we? Thanks very much for stopping by. :)

• Welcome back, Andrea. I missed yours too and am glad to see you're home and refreshed after your weekend getaway. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your own cottage photos. Todays collection was wonderful. Thanks always for your visit. :)

• Thanks, Sandy. Your kind words always mean a lot to me. Take your time and enjoy the photos. You're welcome back here anytime. :)

Kerri Farley said...

These are gorgeous! I especially love the ones at sunset with Benny and the chairs looking out over the water! Superb!

Barry said...

I loved the effect of the chair through the window screen!

Swetha said...

gr8 shots.. u have captured the scenery well !

Leah J. Utas said...

Love the pics. That first one looks like a piece if cake.

imbeingheldhostage said...

I could sit for weeks by that lake... well, not by that bug tho ;-)
Gorgeous.

Cloudia said...

Moving yet relaxing photos, you magician ;-)

aloha-


Comfort Spiral

the Bag Lady said...

Hilary - I love going to the cottage with you - we always have such a good time! :)
I think my favourite this time is the one of the chairs and Benny on the dock at dusk. Love it.

Zuzana said...

Hello Hilary1 I am back trying to catch up on everyone's posts.;)) Beautiful pictures as always in both last posts; my favorite is of the two lone chairs on the bridge; so very calm and romantic.
I too love dragonflies and I really can not understand how you managed to take such a great picture of the eagle.;))
I will be in touch.;))
xo

SandyCarlson said...

You did an amazing job with those darkening sky shots.

abb said...

All are nice - the onion particularly - but those steps going into the water is really special.

blunoz said...

Looks like a beautiful place for a relaxing vacation. I totally didn't see that camouflaged bug in the first photo until after I read the caption and went back to look for the bug. That's amazing!

Crabby McSlacker said...

Love the Loon among the ripples especially!

Kappa no He said...

I never would have seen the hidden word. Boy, you have honed your eye to a very high degree!

Hilary said...

• Thanks so much, Kerri. I'm glad you liked them. I'm kind of fond of Benny photos, myself. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks, Barry. Much appreciated. :)

• Thank you Pranksy. I'm pleased that you enjoyed them. :)

• Thanks, Leah. It has caught my eye that way a couple of times too. :)

• Thank you, IBHH. I could too.. and you'd hardly notice that bug. ;)

• Aloha, Cloudia. Thanks so much for your very kind words. :)

• Thanks very much, Baggie. I love having you along too. Thanks for stopping by with your always nice comments. :)

• Welcome back, Protege! Thanks very much. I'm glad you stopped by on your catch-up schedule. :) I'll reply to that email sometime soon. I'm glad you're home - I've missed you, my friend. :)

• Thank you, Sandy. Very much appreciated. :)

• Thanks very much, TSannie. I'm glad you like them. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks, Blunoz. I'm sure the military can, or perhaps has, learned a lot from creatures like that. Thanks very much for dropping by. :)

• Thanks, Crabby. I'm sure you meant the bird, and not Benny. ;)

• Thank you, Kappa. It's called Bacardivision. ;)

Indrani said...

Great shots!
How come you haven't joined the RedBubble yet? Or have you?

Hilary said...

Thanks, Indrani. I've just looked into that today. :)

Swetha said...

hey i have tagged you ... peep into my blog!