Wednesday, June 15, 2016

That Warm, Sweet Sunlight

Late afternoon sunlight, warm as oil, sweet as childhood
~ Stephen King

A couple of posts back, I mentioned that there was one evening when the sunlight was gracing us at that golden hour. I had walked to Little Lake where photo opportunities seem to ever-so-kindly present themselves to me, most days. There's always something of at least mild interest to be seen in Peterborough. Come join me on this walk and see for yourself.

pretty in purple
Pleasure is wild and sweet. She likes purple flowers. She loves the sun and the wind and the night sky.
~ J. Ruth Gendler
I pass by this little garden of phlox (and at that time, tulips) almost every time I head to the lake but this time, the late-day sunlight really intensified the purple colours.





creeping phlox
I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.
~ Alice Walker
Here's a close up view from directly above.




goslings - wild goose chase2
A wild goose never reared a tame gosling.
~ Irish Proverb
The goslings are growing up very quickly - no longer little goosebumps. However, Mother and Father Goose are still very protective of them. Here, the mother is shooing them along, out of possible harm's way.





goslings - nibbling amid violets
The family is one of nature's masterpieces.
~ George Santayana
They paused by the water's edge for a little nibble of grass and tiny, wild violets.





gosllings - sweet face
Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.
~ David Ogden Stiers
After giving it some thought, Mama figured it would be safest to bring them into the water where the Dad was waiting.





goslings - cuties
Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
~ Brad Henry
And they casually moved along, soaking up those warming rays.






dockters without borders
I would rather sail and hit a rock than sit and rot in dry dock.
~ Lester Roloff
Elsewhere on the lake, this odd sight was approaching - like an oversized wooden alligator.





dockters without borders3
I've learned .... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
~ Andy Rooney
I've never seen anyone move a dock like that but these folks did not appear to be having any difficulties with it. They transported it a fair distance, slowly and steadily.





tulips2
I have great joy in the tulips and lilacs which make my garden 'look like the waking of Creation.'
~ Helen Keller
On that day in May, the park's tulips were in full bloom.





tulips
Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.
~ Gerard de Nerval
There were different colours sported in various areas but I quite liked the oranges, yellows and whites of this collection.





harbour boats returning
To me sometimes a mute sky is more expressive than the roaring sea.
~ Munia Khan
The boats had only begun to gather at the marina for the season. Just a week later, it was quite full - but that's for another blog post.





pink warriors2
Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.
~ Steve Maraboli
There are two of these Survivors Abreast dragon boats filled with women wearing pink PFDs, who row to raise awareness and funds for cancer care in the community. Each of these women has had a diagnosis of breast cancer.





pink warriors
She made broken look beautiful, and strong look invincible. She walked with the Universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings.
~ Ariana Dancu
Here are the pink warriors on their return trip, an hour and a half later.





big catch
I worry about kids today not having time to build a tree house or ride a bike or go fishing. I worry that life is getting faster and faster.
~ John Lasseter
This poor fish had a rough go of being caught. It was rather battered against the rocks and then endured the wait while the kid wrestled the hook from its mouth. I'm not so sure that it survived its release back to the lake, but the kid sure was proud of his catch.





pit beauty
Pit bulls are famous, in circles of knowledgeable dog people, for the love and loyalty they bestow on anyone who shows them a smidgen of kindness.
~ Linda Wilson-Fuoco
Some of the sweetest dogs I've ever met, and heard about (I'm thinking of you, Roy Boy!) are pit bulls. And this handsome boy was no exception. Ontario has a very unfair and biased ban on pits. The ban should actually be for people who raise them to be aggressive. Of course, that or even educating the public about responsible dog "ownership" is the more costly and tougher task. This dog is only part pit bull but looks like he's a pure breed. He belongs to his human companion's daughter but was enjoying a lengthy, possibly permanent visit with "grandma" due to family circumstances. The dog tends to bark encouragement when excited, in a very non-threatening way, and a neighbour recently decided to make a call to police about this woman owning an illegal dog. The officer arrived, got down and cuddled with the pooch and got nothing but gentle affection from the dog. Still, she had to reluctantly make the report, and give the woman two weeks to get the papers from her daughter, in order to prove that the pit bull in him was truly watered down with another breed or two. She can and will get the papers, hopefully within the required time (which would be long passed by now). According to the woman, if she could not prove it, this beautiful soul of a creature would have to be destroyed. That's just unthinkable. Our province is very backwards with this law. I hope to see this duo out on a walk soon, so I can know for sure that all is well.





pit - shake it off
The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog.
~ Ambrose Bierce
All this sweetie wanted to do was dive into the lake to retrieve the sticks which his person was tossing, shake off the water and go back for more. Over and over again. He kind of reminded me of a crazy little JRT I once knew.






pit - crazy eyes
How come everyone calls me 'Crazy Eyes'?
~ Uzo Aduba as Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren
And speaking about Crazy Eyes.. it's almost time to binge-watch season four of Orange is the New Black. Who else will be watching?

40 comments:

Theresa said...

Just last week 3 pitties attacked and killed a JRT on a leash in front of the HS in Medford. Pit Bulls nice or not, are terriers and have a healthy dose of animal aggression in their genetic make-up. A scottie or a cairn can be just as aggressive. The difference of course is size and power. And Roy is an awesome dog!

thecrazysheeplady said...

Great shots and great quotes!

stephen Hayes said...

Thanks for cheerful images to brighten my morning. I hope you're having a terrific week.

joeh said...

Love the Geese.

Pit Bulls are the perfect breed to train to fight, but any breed can be trained to be violent. I've known really nasty Labs.

Jail the animals that raise them to be nasty, not the dogs.

Out on the prairie said...

Like the translucence on the tulips.The dog in Our Gang was a pit.

William Kendall said...

Geese are very watchful parents. I do love those tulips!

The dog looks like a sweetie.

Ruth Hiebert said...

This post is filled with beauty. The lighting on the flowers is amazing.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Many wonderful shots.

Piddies ROCK!

Marie Smith said...

Love the flowers, the ducks and the dog. Hope all is OK for him.

Marie Smith said...

The geese rather.

Birdie said...

Orange is the New Black! I have no idea how I am going to go to work on the 17th!

Your pictures are gorgeous. I do have a question. How does someone prove that a dog is a mixed breed?

Hilary said...

Thanks all!

Birdie, according to this woman, her daughter had the papers necessary to prove that the dog was not a pure bred pit bull. I understand that DNA testing could also be done. I just can't imagine the stress of knowing they could destroy this gentle creature if she can't provide them within the required timeline.

Hilary said...

AWWWWW.

Mage said...

Such beautiful pictures to buoy up my spirits. Thank you. I too hope you soon have good dog news for us.

messymimi said...

Beautiful walk, beautiful dog!

Red said...

You not only had warm sweet sunlight but a lot of water and flowers. Nice post.

Cloudia said...

Life lays down before you and barks it's joy!

Barb said...

Love going to the lake with you. "Goosebumps" - ha!

Barbara said...

Thank you for the tour! I'm a sucker for purple flowers and those phlox were gorgeous in the sunlight. I totally agree with you on pit bulls. I hope that one is alive and well and still fetching sticks!

Dan said...

Love the bright floral colours. People watching on & near the water... reveals its significance in their lives.

The discussion on banning certain breed of dogs rages on whenever there is an unfortunate incident. Any dog can do harm, bigger and muscular dogs can inflect significantly more harm. I'm of the opinion that not all dog owners qualify to own a dog.

TexWisGirl said...

i may have to give up blogging. my connection gave me 1 1/2 photos.

TexWisGirl said...

i may have to give up blogging. my connection gave me 1 1/2 photos.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I know, the goslings grow SO fast :)

Anvilcloud said...

I do like the ground phlox, and these are a great colour. They don't grow nearly as well for me here as they did in Sarnia, but that is true of most things. :)

Shammickite said...

Baby geese are sweet but it just means more green goose poop to step in!
I don't trust pit bulls, and i agree that the owners are usually the culprits when the dog is aggressive, but a few years ago a little girl was killed by a "lovely loving pet" pit bull just a few streets away from here, so I suppose my opinion has been coloured by that terrible event. I agree with the ban.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I never fail to marvel at the beauty of your photos. Well done, my friend. I love the quote: "The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog." Ain't it the truth? :)

DJan said...

I so agree about the pit bull ban. They are like people and vary tremendously. And I just watched the last four episodes of the last season of OITNB in anticipation of Friday! :-)

Jackie said...

Your photos are always splendid.
The ones of the tulips are breathtakingly beautiful!

Rosaria Williams said...

Love the woman with the big fish! All your pictures call us in, bestow us with gentle surprises. Thank you for sharing your beautiful world.

ellen abbott said...

always great photos from you though I find the bright sun washes out the color of flowers. and pit bulls are a maligned breed. my daughter and son-in-law have one and he is nothing but a big lug who thinks he's a lap dog.

Rita said...

Loved it all--the flowers, the geese,the rowers, and the pit bull. Love going on adventures with you. And I shall be watching Orange Is The New Black. Saw the preview and looked like a tremendous amount of upheaval at the prison this season.

yaya said...

Those beauties of Spring..the phlox and tulips..don't last long enough! They sure bring that relief of color missing in the Winter. Great shots! I sure hope that lovely guy can stay. How sad to destroy a dog that harms no one. Keep us informed on that one!

Mandy said...

I love OITNB but am only on season 3. Le Husband doesn't like it so I have to steal snippets of the show when he is otherwise occupied.

It's sad about pit bulls and the ignorance around them. Having said that, you have to know your own dog. Mine was aggressive on account of being abused as a puppy and so we always made sure to keep a muzzle on her in public and never left her alone with children. She was only part boerboel (a South African bull mastiff). Her tendency to bite came from fear but when you have a very big scaredy-cat, you have to plan around that. I would have been very sad if a law required me to put her down, rather than being given the chance to manage her like we did.

Love your photos, especially the tulips.

Daryl said...

i SO agree about who should be punished .. the pit or the asshat who treated it badly and turned a gentle by nature dog into a menace ... grrrrrrr ....

Anonymous said...

Love love these photos.

Kat said...

Fantastic photos!
That last picture makes me laugh. Those eyes! Ha! Great catch!
And wow! My phlox never look like that. Amazing!
And that first tulip shot. That should be blown up and framed. What a work of art.

The golden hour. That will always remind me of my dad. His favorite time of day. :)

Indrani said...

Lovely spring captures!he second pic is so delightful!

sage said...

Lovely images and a sad dog story--he does look like a good boy!

Bossy Betty said...

Ah, Hilary! You melted my heart with this post!

L. D. said...

You are such a superb photographer. I have had said that before. You always capture beauty and also tell a story in your work. This is a great body of work of wonderful visuals. Keep up the good work.