tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26296540675970108872024-03-04T23:11:40.017-05:00The Smitten Imagefor the thousands of words that pictures are worthHilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.comBlogger912125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-5604299183123941612018-08-10T23:54:00.001-04:002018-08-12T20:18:19.075-04:00Zephyr: A Soft, Gentle Breeze<br />
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I named him Zephyr because the above definition described him so perfectly. In all his grey furry softness, he would brush past a leg or an outstretched hand like a warm summer breeze. From his kitten-hood until his passing yesterday morning, my boy was sweet, gentle, loving and beautiful. In his 19 years, he never once attempted to hiss, scratch or bite a human being (though he once had a lengthy hospitalization where he reportedly growled a lot). This boy was a fluffy, purring mound of love in every way.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/15332661941" title="zeph"><img alt="zeph" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2944/15332661941_a3bae7c535_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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He was not a lap cat and in fact, displayed mild anxiety when being held. However the moment we'd place him back on the floor, he'd roll onto his back to accept belly rubs for as long as we were willing to give them. He had so much love in him. And a deep, resonant rumbling purr which started immediately upon anticipation of being touched. Early on, we referred to that as his Insta-purr.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/8835553417/" title="Alex with skitty and zephyr"><img alt="Alex with skitty and zephyr" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/8835553417_c27a686107_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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He came into our lives along with his brother, Skittles - another one of the best kitties on the planet. Together, they were the perfect tag team of sweetness, silliness, softness and spunk. They were as bonded as you would expect litter mates to be. Despite Zephyr's heft over Skittles' sleight body frame, Skitty was the alpha kitty in this pairing. Zephyr was significantly larger than his bro and as kittens, it was comical to see them chase and tumble with one another. Zeph never cared that Skitty wanted to be in charge - they had worked that out long ago. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/15139410118" title="brotherly love2"><img alt="brotherly love2" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15139410118_1d26938176_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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As a young cat - and really up until his brother died three years ago, Zephyr seemed to live for eating, sleeping and belly rubs. When not engaged in any of the above, he would fling himself at Skittles and flop down on top of him, silently demanding to be groomed. And Skitty always obliged. It was reciprocal, of course but mostly Zephyr got the best of that deal.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2W14Mq" title="Zeph and Alex"><img alt="Zeph and Alex" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8666/28238759946_e0e754233f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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He also had an especially big love for Alex, my younger son. As a child, Alex had a way of cozying up to Zeph and putting his head on his furry belly. Insta-purr. Zeph spent much of his time in Alex's bed through the night. As Alex got older and his hair got longer (waist length for all of his adult years and he's now 28), all he had to do was lean over Zephyr and those soft, sweet paws would bat at and gather Alex's blond locks. Insta-purr.<br />
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Of course, my older boy, Jeffrey dearly loved our cats, also. I think that he and Skitty were a little more bonded in the way that Alex and Zeph were, and there were countless times that one furry body or another would be snuggled up either on, or beside him.<br />
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Through most of his years, Zeph had a hefty appetite and would practically inhale his food while Skitty ate daintily as cats usually tend to do. Then Zephyr would nose around him as he was nearly done, and ever so expertly nudge his way into his bowl, easing his brother out while he'd quickly have those remaining tidbits for dessert.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/8835964500/" title="zephyr4"><img alt="zephyr4" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8546/8835964500_3c5d4b1acc_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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This boy loved to engage in conversation. He'd meow and I'd respond with "what?" He'd meow an immediate response which would evoke yet another from me. We could go on back and forth like this for up to a couple of minutes. He was such a vocal and connected little guy.<br />
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Zeph had a "quality" which is rather out of character for felines. He was a complete and total klutz. Cats generally have a way of easing their graceful selves into a space without so much as disturbing the air around them, much less nearby objects. Not this boy. Much more often than not, Zephyr's jump up onto the desk, a counter, a dresser or really any surface resulted in a clatter of items falling to the floor, a spilled coffee or an overturned lamp. He was oddly drawn to finding places to lie down which caused mini chaos for me. My desktop keyboard was one of those places. I have a tendency to leave my computer on and applications running when I head out for the day, but I turn my monitor off. I couldn't possibly count the times that a re-lit monitor revealed that Zephyr had changed desktop file names to an extensive blank name by his lying on the space bar or had sent a lengthy message to my sister through Messenger which consisted of one or two repeated letters from the keyboard's periphery. He consistently called up strange but interesting windows and files from somewhere deep within the bowels of the hard drive - the likes of which I never could have found on my own. There have been hundreds of times through the years that Zeph has evoked the question "HOW do you DO that?"<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/6920064848/" title="Zeph baby"><img alt="Zeph baby" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6920064848_735e28c081_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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This boy has had his trials and tribulations. A little over ten years ago, he had a bad bout of Inflammatory Bowel Disease which resulted in his having the surgical placement of a feeding tube through to his stomach. This was when not only his bowel was irritable but understandably, also his mood and he would growl when anyone approached his space. You can read about his care <a href="https://thesmittenimage.blogspot.com/2007/10/rules-according-to-cats.html" target="_blank">here</a>, where I also listed Zephyr's and Skitty's House Rules for when Benny, the Jack Russell Terrorist came to visit. That post is complete with photos of Zeph in his unbecoming sick boy outfit - and yet he still managed to look adorable. He was ill for a long time but rallied quickly once he was over the hump. When we went to pick him up that day, he rolled around on the examination table like a young feline in catnip. He purred and nudged his head into us and pulled our hands toward his body. The vet tech who reported the previously-mentioned growling was ecstatic over what an absolutely beautiful hunk of purring love he was now that he was happy to see us and no longer feeling poorly or frightened. Upon returning home, Skittles gave him the obligatory "you smell like clinic" hiss and then quickly turned to his task of licking that sick scent away. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/13887767163" title="Slitty and Zephyr brotherly love2"><img alt="Slitty and Zephyr brotherly love2" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/13887767163_d02730f27b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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We <a href="http://thesmittenimage.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-beautiful-soul.html" target="_blank">lost our Skitty boy</a> three years ago and from that day onward, Zephyr was never himself again. Oh he was still my gentle, sweet, loving boy but he went into a deep sadness, confusion and change over the loss. For more than a year, he spent most of his days crying out and searching for his brother. He would stand at one end of the hallway and let out the most mournful sounds - the one that most cat lovers would recognize as coming from the carrier during the drive to the veterinary office. This was followed by a frantic dash through my apartment looking under beds and peering into dark corners in hopes of finding where Skitty was now hiding. It was heart-wrenching. This would happen dozens of times a day - and without fail, every time he finished eating. Alex finally made the connection between food and crying: Zephyr had always moved in on Skitty's dish upon finishing off his own food. And that dish was no longer there. That cat was no longer there. His anguish was inconsolable. His bereavement seemed to possess him. My vet at that time was about an hour away (from when I had lived up north) and they very kindly armed me with advice and reassurance - none of which made a dent in his resolve to deeply mourn his brother. More than a year later, his frenetic behaviour began to ease ever so slowly. I eventually found a local vet who was recommended by the previous one, and who has been the most wonderfully, supportive gem of a human being.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/5479325834/" title="zeph b w"><img alt="zeph b w" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5211/5479325834_b0479bf050_o.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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By the time two years had passed, he only let out his cries once in a while - often in clusters and usually only after eating. But I now had a very changed kitty - much of which was in a very good way but he also needed my attention a lot more than ever before. Zephyr no longer panicked as much when being held. He would still quietly and not-so-subtly look for his way to freedom, but he could relax enough to accept a good head-scratch (he particularly loved that on the left side of his face) and he would even rev up the Insta-purr. He became more vocal but in a very direct way - he'd meow right at me, trying to convince me that it was meal time, or time to go watch TV where he would typically snuggle up beside me. If I didn't respond to his requests immediately, he began to paw me ever so gently. I'd be at the computer desk and he'd stand tall on his hind legs - his front paws resting on my lap. Then softly and sweetly, he would use one paw to tap, tap, tap my elbow and then he'd curl it around my arm and pull it down so I could pet him. In his first 18 years on the planet, he never did anything remotely like that. On the mornings that I wasn't up soon enough for his liking, he'd be up on the bed tenderly touching my face with that soft paw, attempting to angle my head toward the direction of getting my lazy self up and moving. Though if I opted to pet him instead, he was good with that. Insta-purr.<br />
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His eating habits also changed considerably. He always drank well but his once voracious appetite took a perpetual roller coaster ride through various expensive offerings. As with many older cats, he had developed a moderate stage of kidney disease which was being maintained with prescription cat food. He was also diagnosed with a thyroid condition and his medication helped with his semi-frequent nausea. His appetite remained finicky in spite of this. I never knew when he was about to enter a stage of eating really well for a few weeks or really poorly. With the latter, I would have to coddle him by offering minuscule amounts of costly tidbits at a time, lest the food go stale (in his opinion) over the next 20 minutes. If he ate that, he'd get more.. if he didn't, I'd open a different tin and try that - often mixing up a cocktail of various flavours and textures - occasionally with parts of my own meal. He went through these cycles of eating well and putting on a pound, or going off of his food and losing that weight again. He was clearly losing muscle mass and would never be the chunky boy he was for most of his life. Despite all this, he maintained reasonable enough health for his age, and still had some joy in his life. He knew he was loved.<br />
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I recently had the opportunity to go and see Jeffrey in Edmonton. I anguished over whether I should leave Zephyr for those ten days or not. I knew that at this more frail stage of his life, it would not be wise to just have someone come in to my place to feed and medicate him and offer a bit of snuggle time. He often needed to be coaxed to eat and I wanted him to be in an environment where that could be ensured. I found someone who would care for him in her home. The fact that she was also a veterinary technician helped me make that decision. All of the reports I got from her were positive. He was playing, purring and eating really well. Early on, she sent photos. That eased my mind considerably. I had a great time in Alberta and I expect to be posting about that eventually. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/15335829705" title="sleepy Zephyr3"><img alt="sleepy Zephyr3" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/15335829705_082f9b0ab9_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Upon my return, I picked up a very sick cat. The boarder told me that he had just started pulling away from food on the day I returned. He looked like he had lost weight and his eyes were running green. I have to admit that my knee-jerk reaction was to distrust what the boarder had been telling me but I wanted to get a fuller picture about what was going on with my boy before I came across as accusatory. In the end, I realized that she was indeed being entirely honest with me and that Zeph had been doing well despite incubating an upper respiratory infection with which he began to manifest symptoms the day I came home. She had done nothing wrong and she and her family had given my boy a lot of love while I was away. I'm most grateful for that.<br />
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It was a long weekend here, in Ontario so I brought him into an emergency clinic. His was mildly dehydrated and though his typically out-of-whack numbers for kidney and thyroid disease were not alarmingly different, his white blood cell count was very high. He was given subcutaneous fluids, a slow-release broad spectrum antibiotic and some drops for his eyes. I brought him home. He would not eat. He would not drink. I picked up a syringe from the pharmacy to try and get some liquid into him and though he fought me, he took some down. And I later stepped in the puddle which was indicative of his having brought it back up. I force-fed him a bit of his food and he kept that down. His poor little nose was stuffed up terribly and his eyes, despite regular antibiotic drops had a green discharge. Essentially, he had a cold with a secondary bacterial infection, but with his age, his frail state and refusal to eat, he was failing.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/8835968246" title="Zephyr"><img alt="Zephyr" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/8835968246_765dbdc207_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Once the long weekend was over, I brought him to my regular Vet and she suggested keeping him one or two nights on IV fluids and a different antibiotic, and hopefully he would feel well enough to start eating. He did not. She sent him home for the night after about 36 hours of support to see if he would eat in his own environment, with the intention of getting him back on fluids first thing in the morning if he didn't eat, or prescribing oral antibiotics for me to administer if he did show some interest in his food. He did not. Overnight, he just got weaker. His back legs could scarcely hold his puny weight and he couldn't get himself completely into the litter box. I knew it was the end of the road for my beautiful boy.<br />
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I brought him back at the appointed early morning time and spoke with Caroline, my vet. I expressed my feelings about believing this was it for him and asked her if she could convince me that there was any hope for him, to which I would have gladly clung. She gently examined him and listened to his heart and congested chest and sadly shook her head.<br />
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I need to tell you about Caroline. I have only lived in Peterborough for three years now so I don't know an especially large number of people and most of those people don't read this recently-neglected blog nor do they connect with me on Facebook. And some of those who do, do not have pets. However in the event that someone is Googling for a local clinic, I am tagging this post "best Veterinarian in Peterborough, Ontario" because without doubt, she absolutely is. I have had various vets in my forty plus years of being owned by felines (Don't roll your eyes. Yes, I'm way older than that but I just came into having cats in my twenties) and I have been reasonably happy with almost all of them. But I have never had a vet like <a href="http://www.ptbovets.ca/" target="_blank">Caroline de Haan</a>. My previous vets have always been professional, respectful and empathetic. Caroline goes above and beyond that scope.<br />
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You know your pet is in good hands immediately by how she intently listens to what you need to report, how she lovingly treats and talks to the animal... and how she compassionately speaks to the creature's person. She is an excellent practitioner without that side of ego which might preclude someone from admitting that she might have missed something. Just before Zephyr was diagnosed with his thyroid issues but immediately after she had done numerous tests, she phoned me up to say that she had been out with her friend (my former vet who recommended Caroline) and they had been discussing my boy. Caroline was asked if she had considered whether Zeph's blood pressure had contributed to his symptoms and since she had not, she asked me to come in and have that checked at no charge. His BP was fine but I was appreciative that she and my former vet both brainstormed a bit about his case and that Caroline was not at all adverse to admitting that she could have overlooked something. <br />
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I have had the small grand total of four cats (a nod to my much-adored late females Snag and Topaz) - all of which let me know when their lives needed to end without further suffering. I was therefore able to be with all of them at their time of passing. Caroline is the only vet who has ever held my hand through parts of that trauma, who offered numerous hugs whenever she knew I was losing it, and most endearing to me, gave Zephyr a gentle kiss goodbye on his head. I love her for all of that and make no mistake, her complete staff is also amazing. I strongly recommend <a href="http://www.ptbovets.ca/" target="_blank">Peterborough Veterinary Services</a> to anyone in the Peterborough area who is looking for quality, loving care for their pets. Thank you, Caroline for being the absolute best at what you do and for being the kind, compassionate soul that you are.*<br />
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Back to my Zephyr... <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/12795572113/" title="blurry zeph"><img alt="blurry zeph" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/12795572113_b8a0f77c98_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I needed to let my boy go. I remember reading a long while back that this decision should ideally be made neither too soon, while there is still reasonable hope nor too late when there is extended suffering. I readily adopted that concept for the decision-making process. I felt that that final night with him was the tipping point from too soon to too late. Caroline took him to another room to get the IV line into his vein and administered sedation and a pain medication. She had me wait for him in a comfy chair and soon brought him to my arms for one last cuddle. He was too weak and under sedation to even care to look for his way down. He settled in against my chest and Caroline gave me all the time I needed with him while she tended to other patients. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/29519304396" title="Sleepy Zeph"><img alt="Sleepy Zeph" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/29519304396_e43533cb30_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I held him and kissed him and scratched that just-right spot on his left cheek that he loved so much. I rubbed his belly and kissed his head. Whether he could understand it in any way or not, I told him what a perfectly wonderful little friend he was, and thanked him for how he made my life so much better by being in it. I told him how much I loved him and hoped that in some way - however the universe works, that he'll be with Skitty once again. One more gentle hug. One more kiss and I nodded to Caroline to give him his peace. He let out a very gentle sigh, and I could feel his beautiful life leave his body. My sweet boy was gone. I held him for a few more minutes before I left him behind.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56455393@N07/14434896810" title="Zephyr paw"><img alt="Zephyr paw" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14434896810_20af809937_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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You were one of the absolute best creatures on the planet, my Zephyr. You struggled through and survived a lot of pain and anguish to stay in my life. It's your time to rest. Thank you for being my sweet love. May you and Skittles be snuggling and purring together forever on. I love you both.<br />
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<i>* Since I wrote the above, I went to pay my bill for euthanasia and cremation and found that it had been greatly reduced. Thank you so kindly, Caroline. </i>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-70192662015634237822018-01-28T20:48:00.000-05:002018-01-28T20:48:34.373-05:00Frost from Fire<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Emily Bronte</span></i></span></div>
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It has been a cold, frosty winter for the most part. One downside is that it's been too cold to wander about comfortably with camera in hand. Another is that my apartment windows are so heavily covered in frost, that I have a hard time seeing outside of them. The upside however, is that it makes for some interesting macro photography. Frosty windows with minimal tweaking are below.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/K30197" title="frost with morning sun"><img alt="frost with morning sun" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4751/25062912567_dba7eb7b17_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winter is a glorious spectacle of glittering fractals complete with a soundscape and atmosphere entirely its own. ~ Anders Swanson</span></i></span></div>
The sun sent its first light over the horizon and sprinkled her golden glitter on my window pane.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/20D11d" title="frost with morning sun2"><img alt="frost with morning sun2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4744/39902123292_c1b49cf7f3_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Burroughs </span></i></span></div>
Just when I thought it couldn't sparkle any brighter.. it did.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/F5841C" title="frost at sunrise4"><img alt="frost at sunrise4" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4650/26062051868_426d8b794e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What miracle of weird transforming</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is this wild work of frost and light,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This glimpse of glory infinite?</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Greenleaf Whittier</span></i></span></div>
The day began to take on peachy hues.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/i2E3ba" title="frost at sunrise"><img alt="frost at sunrise" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4607/26062068358_4a1c1b3813_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How beautiful thy frosty morn,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When brilliants gem each feathery thorn!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Bernard Barton</span></i></span></div>
Peach blended with pink and mauve light turned icy panes into a bejeweled mountainous landscape.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/LZFe4b" title="frost at sunrise2"><img alt="frost at sunrise2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4768/26062064158_86a245c085_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What a severe yet master artist old Winter is. No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Burroughs</span></i></span></div>
As the day grew lighter, so did the colours reflected in the glass.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/DEG6J7" title="frost at sunrise3"><img alt="frost at sunrise3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4651/25062925407_09b31c62d1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The frost performs its secret ministry,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unhelped by any wind.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge</span></i></span></div>
I just kept seeing little worlds within this tiny frozen space.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/XhT5W0" title="frosty1"><img alt="frosty1" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4695/39223746854_b42b782c55_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In winter we behold the charms of solemn majesty and naked grandeur.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ James Ellis</span></i></span></div>
I love how depending on the time of day and the colour of the sky, various shades appear to soften the icy etchings.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Y7rCw8" title="frosty2"><img alt="frosty2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4655/39902034522_5ef242e811_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nothing burns like the cold.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ George R.R. Martin</span></i></span></div>
Silvery blue crystals with aqua hues in the sky beyond.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Si5s80" title="frost4"><img alt="frost4" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4670/28154421939_30c2293d74_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Carl Reiner</span></i></span></div>
Some of these photos are from last spring like this one taken in March of 2017.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/r3apPx" title="frost2"><img alt="frost2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4701/26062151568_3734ab8ff7_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I watch the springs, the summers, the autumns;</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And when comes the winter snow monotonous,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I shut all the doors and shutters</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To build in the night my fairy palace.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Charles Baudelaire</span></i></span></div>
As was this frosty feather.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/gTTa8f" title="frost"><img alt="frost" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4664/28154427949_7637109d09_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Robert Byrne</span></i></span></div>
Also from last year, I turned up the contrast and vibrance on this and the next image, and found that these sparse bits of frost looked like unusual bugs crawling around on the glass.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/i2WmJ7" title="frost5"><img alt="frost5" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4612/39902039022_f08d3df220_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Melancholy were the sounds on a winter's night.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Virginia Woolf</span></i></span></div>
This pattern should come with its own sound effects.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/J24z4g" title="frosty3"><img alt="frosty3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4617/39223738914_bef20d59e8_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winter came down to our home one night</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And we, we were children once again.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Bill Morgan, Jr.</span></i></span></div>
A nighttime shot with enough light from behind to silver-paint the window.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Q3YUND" title="frosty4"><img alt="frosty4" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4744/28154405319_0fba030e70_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is said that in a certain faraway land the cold is so intense that words freeze as soon as they are uttered, and after some time thaw and become audible, so that words spoken in winter go unheard until the next summer. ~ Author Unknown</span></i></span></div>
Layer upon layer of sparkling frost, and what appears to be a silver leaf a little left of center. I might not be able to see out my windows but they do entertain me.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3710bt" title="frost at night"><img alt="frost at night" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4722/28154444539_da6f5571b8_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The gaunt limbs, and stark, rigid, death-like whiteness of winter.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Bret Harte</span></i></span></div>
And later in the night, city street lights help illuminate the window's canvas so that Jack Frost can do his work.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4htGy1" title="NYE near-full moon3"><img alt="NYE near-full moon3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4701/28154394239_e426979333_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is a grandeur in winter, stern and wild it may be, but a grandeur which speaks to the soul.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ C. J. Peterson</span></i></span></div>
On New Year's Eve, the moon was nearly full - and it rose early. You might have to pull back a bit to see the curve of that lovely orb in the background.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/wPcjC7" title="NYE near-full moon2"><img alt="NYE near-full moon2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4658/39223725424_082a708fa8_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The winter frowned its icy eyebrows</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Florenin Smarandache</span></i></span></div>
Or I could just give you a more distant perspective instead.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/5F4GU3" title="NYE near-full moon1"><img alt="NYE near-full moon1" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4741/28154400679_6f189c503d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I hide myself in the quiet white of Winter and</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">nestle in her comforting folds of cold oblivion.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ Terri Guillemets</span></i></span></div>
And here we are further still - the near-full moon smiling contentedly at Jack Frost's work.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/80713N" title="Wolf Moon New Years Day"><img alt="Wolf Moon New Years Day" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4716/28154387859_0fedffe892_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ J.R.R. Tolkien</span></i></span></div>
And on New Years Day, the full Wolf Moon appeared bright and beautiful in the eastern sky.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1nNbP6" title="New Years Day wolf moon"><img alt="New Years Day wolf moon" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4722/39223732184_ab2547ff6b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Anton Chekhov</span></i></span><br />
A bit late in the wishing but Happy New Year, everyone.<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-37184342934117732682017-12-21T18:31:00.000-05:002017-12-21T18:31:19.840-05:00An Eightfold Spendor<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Kindle the taper like the steadfast star ablaze on evening's forehead o'er the earth, and add each night a luster till afar an eightfold splendor shine above thy hearth. ~ Emma Lazarus</span></span></i></div>
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We're quickly hurtling toward Christmas but Hanukkah has come and gone. I get a kick out of staging some photos of each of the eight nights that the menorah is lit. Those images are below.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9x88n4" title="Hanukkah night one"><img alt="Hanukkah night one" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4738/39176282082_0bcaeac606_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>On Hanukkah, the first dark night, light yourself a candle bright.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I'll you, if you will me invite, to dance within that gentle light.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>~ Nicholas Gordon</i></span></span></div>
Night Number One: A last minute purchase of a few cheap candle holders from the dollar store to act as a glittery turquoise backdrop for the first candle.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Uwiz64" title="Hanukkah night two"><img alt="Hanukkah night two" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4727/38496219094_c46d97b01f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You are such a light. ~ Moshe Davis</span></i></span></div>
Night Number Two: My Hanukkah candles match the ivory tones of a candle-lit lamp and a picture frame featuring my much-missed Skittles.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/03j5K9" title="Hanukkah night three"><img alt="Hanukkah night three" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4685/38327192695_f502eefb8f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The darkness of the whole world cannot swallow the glowing of a candle. ~ Robert Altinger</span></i></span></div>
Night Number Three: An odd little collection of items - a bedazzled little gecko, a tiny jar with a collection of feathers and a gold-dipped rose from a love long ago.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/v99859" title="Hanukkah night four"><img alt="Hanukkah night four" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4636/38327210405_b0af1b4ae6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Why Hanukkah is better than Christmas: It's much quicker to clean the wax from your menorah than it is to vacuum all the pine needles. No reindeer poop to shovel from your roof. And nobody will send you a video of dogs barking "The Dreidel Song." </span></i></span></div>
Night Number Four: Anyone for a cup of tea? Here's a cup just for you and some sugar if you wish. All three pieces are second hand finds.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3875pH" title="Hanukkah night five copy"><img alt="Hanukkah night five copy" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4691/27427603649_9fee606414_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians
called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it "Hanukkah"
and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People
passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy
Hanukkah!" or to the atheists "Look out for the wall!" ~ Dave Barry</span></i></span></div>
Night Number Five: Settle in for a night of reading and munching on mandarin oranges.<br />
(I cheated a bit here. For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook where I have already confessed, see if you can figure out what the cheat is.. and maybe why) <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/981M8v" title="Hanukkah night six"><img alt="Hanukkah night six" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4592/27427586229_bf6c5449cb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My family wasn't very religious; on Hanukkah, they had a menorah on a dimmer ~ Richard Lewis</span></i></span></div>
Night Number Six: Remembering my Mom on this night. The figurine and vase were hers. Each take up their own place of honour at my home. The humour in some of these quotes is a nod to my Dad. Eye rolls are most appropriate.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Gebuu5" title="Hanukkah night seven"><img alt="Hanukkah night seven" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4636/38327199685_4563686fdd_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Happiness never decreases by being shared. ~ Buddha </span></i></span></div>
Night Number Seven: More yard sale and thrift shop finds. A bowl with a fat candle, a lantern with tea light and an alarm clock - just because.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/v408Vi" title="Hanukkah night eight"><img alt="Hanukkah night eight" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4738/39176295542_b4b91a2ea2_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind. ~ Unknown</span></i></span></div>
Night Number Eight: On the last night, a little bit of whimsy. A candle-lit Kokopelli mirrors its smaller self on the turquoise clay tealight holder. Watching them play, is a wood sea turtle with shell that allows you to hide small treasures beneath it. The latter two are from yard sales but the larger Kokopelli was a gift.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2F3uV3" title="tree"><img alt="tree" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4633/39203665851_79dd919fdc_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tree decorating with cats: O Christmas tree, O christmas tree, your Ornaments are history!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ~ Unknown</span></i></span></div>
And this little tree provides the mini lights you see behind the menorah in most of the above photos.<br />
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For those who celebrate, I wish you a belated Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Solstice and a very Happy New Year. Thanks for sharing the seasons (at least in part) with me.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-6705694676498293642017-10-30T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-30T08:23:26.954-04:00Autumnal Sunshine<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">~Nathaniel Hawthorne</span></span></i></div><br />
I have another mishmash of images for you - some which date back a few weeks - some which are more current.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/wS4e74" title="morning breaks"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4481/38026630051_a0bfa212df_c.jpg" width="700" alt="morning breaks"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
One early October morning, the day broke in cloudy hues.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/48nx29" title="morning breaks - 3 mins later"><img alt="morning breaks - 3 mins later" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4472/38026633841_106efc2066_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A moment later, a band of colour lit the underside of the clouds and danced in colours that only nature can imagine.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/x7eMmi" title="sparrow ready for takeoff"><img alt="sparrow ready for takeoff" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4493/38026619301_8d543925b9_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A couple of months back, I was having lunch at an outdoor table in the colourful town of Warkworth. I was watching this little bird considering its takeoff.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/PojAG7" title="sparrow take off eh"><img alt="sparrow take off eh" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4445/38026612751_006caf3c79_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And then it did. I like how it appears as if the bird is in position to embark on a small roller coaster ride on the string of eight lights in the window.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/rNF5T1" title="cutie on a swing"><img alt="cutie on a swing" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4468/26250676129_d17bcc02b3_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Also in flight, was this little sweetheart. She and I chatted for a long time while we each sat swinging. She educated me about the complete storyline of some TV show or movie and she even stopped swinging every now and then to draw the characters in the dirt. She insisted that it's all a true story because her MUCH older brother (he's 6) said it was and he always knows. It was a lovely chat.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/5B7v77" title="inverted umbrella2"><img alt="inverted umbrella2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4488/38026653061_bbb9b15def_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A different little girl dropped her umbrella one windy, rainy day and left it to collect a puddle on the inside. This was photographed from my apartment window.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/175HN3" title="wavy clouds"><img alt="wavy clouds" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4495/24174616138_782a4585bb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
On another rainy day, these clouds seemed to be almost undulating in the sky. It reminded me a little of Van Gogh's kind of sky.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/P97ej7" title="under the rainbow"><img alt="under the rainbow" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4473/37973037036_138b66af64_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Rainbows - that ever hopeful transition between rain and sunshine.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1Nt17t" title="wooded area jackson creek"><img alt="wooded area jackson creek" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4492/37973030976_e230df9237_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Autumn along the sunlit woodsy trails of Jackson Park.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/k311H0" title="true colours jackson creek"><img alt="true colours jackson creek" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4482/37973046486_d2d2ee146f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The vibrant colour of algae when the sunlight hits it just right.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4D5a8X" title="fronds"><img alt="fronds" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4477/38026663771_ea705e4214_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Aging cedar fronds enjoying the sun's soothing ministrations.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/S0Wp38" title="into the trees Jackson creek"><img alt="into the trees Jackson creek" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4473/26250667279_9d1b35a41d_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A small boardwalk over a stream and between the trees.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/uQ7L7a" title="colourful carrots"><img alt="colourful carrots" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4489/37995872802_346b73b0e5_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Also sun-kissed are some end of season colourful carrots from the Farmers' Market.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Nvp8Q2" title="Love art 2"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4455/38026647201_ba09f1623c_c.jpg" width="700" alt="Love art 2"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
And another colourful display expressing our support of diversity. Sidewalks all over Peterborough were expressing inclusion and support during the <a href="http://thesmittenimage.blogspot.ca/2017/09/beauty-and-strength.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Love Lives Here</span></a> movement late in September.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/72xLdJ" title="Love art"><img alt="Love art" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4452/38026640601_0e989c84a4_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Gotta love the positive spirit of Peterborough. Note the "Love Wins Over Hate" sign partway up the alley wall.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Gtk7uD" title="setting sun copy"><img alt="setting sun copy" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4491/37996807582_9844e02e1c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This photo goes way back to mid July. The boats are all gone from the harbour now.<br />
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Summer stayed late but now she is done. Autumn is breezing through town in a hurry. It won't be long until the season changes once again. Hopefully, it will continue to offer something new to photograph.<br />
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Thanks for indulging me, once again. <br />
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Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-14268083439966987372017-10-23T23:18:00.000-04:002017-10-23T23:18:17.463-04:00Illusions of Someday<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">First thing we'd climb a tree. And maybe then we'd talk. Or sit silently. And listen to our thoughts. </span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">With illusions of someday, cast in a golden light. No dress rehearsal. This is our life.</span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">~ Gord Downie</span></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">1964 - 2017</span></span></i></b></div>
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This is what happens when I don't post for a long while - I end up posting all sorts of summer scenes in October. Of course, our autumn has been so incredibly summerish this year that you could hardly tell the difference. No? Okay fine.. just go along with me. I have images to share and they are found below. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/21u9Q4" title="Peterborough sunrise"><img alt="Peterborough sunrise" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4464/37849086992_62e6166e42_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Sunrise is now happening a little later each day but back in summer this one peeked into my apartment pretty early.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/u9154L" title="sheepdogs9"><img alt="sheepdogs9" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4457/37841652141_067bda7afa_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is MusicFest. Every summer, Peterborough has free live concerts in the park on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. I've posted about them before - including some of this year's performers. On one beautiful summer evening, there was a fine performance by the fabulous Sheepdogs.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2Vqqz0" title="sheepdog shirt"><img alt="sheepdog shirt" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4506/37583911380_22685848b6_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A fan with his shirt designed by a local young artist.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4w0R09" title="ABBAMania4"><img alt="ABBAMania4" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4447/37583914860_84bf823028_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Toward the end of the season, we had a fun night of ABBA and Bee Gees cover groups. I think it's obvious which one this is.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6Q2501" title="tai chi in the park"><img alt="tai chi in the park" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4491/37842243011_d55f5a6e87_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
During one of the concerts, this group was practicing their Tai Chi.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/AA9y80" title="Lift Lock Dinner - guests arrive by Voyageur canoe"><img alt="Lift Lock Dinner - guests arrive by Voyageur canoe" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4459/37841711381_86937c12c3_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Once a month, during the summer, Peterborough hosts a multi course "Dinner Under the Lift Lock". I had somewhere to be that evening but I decided to stop by for a little while with my camera. I arrived in time to see chefs and guests arrive by Voyageur canoe.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/546oJ0" title="Lift Lock Dinner - bon apetit"><img alt="Lift Lock Dinner - bon apetit" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4505/37809982982_f1e0348967_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This wasn't exactly under the liftlock. Since it was early, I was only able to witness guests arriving for drinks and appetizers before their tables were being set up under the lock. I needed to hurry off but please check out <a href="http://www.ptbocanada.com/journal/2016/6/16/under-water-dining-at-lock-21-experience" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;">one person's experience</span></a> from last year. It's pretty interesting. Perhaps I'll catch more shots next year.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/R87p6m" title="cruising"><img alt="cruising" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4457/37793703166_f0ca5d8672_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And of course it isn't summer without catching sight of the Liftlock Cruise boat several times a day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4g57Di" title="hootnany"><img alt="hootnany" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4446/37584275120_522e6d520f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
One Saturday each August, the usually-busy Hunter Street is closed to traffic and turned into a gathering place featuring music, food, drink and partying. It's the Hootnanny on Hunter. My good friend, Dakshina and I were trying to figure out if this couple standing on the right knew each other but hadn't seen one another for a long whilee.. or if we were witnessing the beginning of a new romance. What do you think?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/MG2yLb" title="Cutie on Hunter St"><img alt="Cutie on Hunter St" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4445/37584268220_fb47585a0c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A dog walks into a bar... Well no, not really. We were at the above bar during the Hootnanny when "Dougie" the puppy was carried into the bar. And yes, his fur was as silky soft as it looks.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/YK6b11" title="sunny toms2"><img alt="sunny toms2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4458/37132139644_e7a345115d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Summer tomatoes ripening on the sill from my dear friend, Carol Anne's garden.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4tVTaz" title="little slugger"><img alt="little slugger" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4456/23989675548_f452fa7a22_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This little slugger was having a blast hitting the ball around in the park.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Q6Z2hB" title="in flight"><img alt="in flight" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4502/37793788056_3028cfed5e_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A yellow admiral enjoying the milkweed captured in flight, just after take off.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9G5Q0r" title="over the rainbow - crane fly"><img alt="over the rainbow - crane fly" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4481/37793815916_11968e7b62_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Somewhere over the rainbow, Crane flies fly.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/HAjxP3" title="ZimArt"><img alt="ZimArt" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4504/37810154232_5b2f77cbc6_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<a href="http://www.zimart.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;">ZimArt</span></a> has to be seen to be appreciated. A short drive from home brings us to Rice Lake in Bailieboro where curator Fran Fearnley runs an amazing outdoor sculpture exhibit. Each winter, she travels to Zimbabwe to select an artist-in-residence who will reside with her through the summer to display and sell his or her art. Truly, this is a post all its own and hopefully down the road, I might expand further.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/WC1N2i" title="Rufaro Ngoma"><img alt="Rufaro Ngoma" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4497/37584091010_d8d9a9eb4c_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This year's artist-in-residence was this handsome young man, Rufaro Ngoma. He was making his way around the acreage cleaning some of his many sculptures. Coincidentally, about a month after I visited, I was walking with my son, Alex along the shore of Little Lake, back in Peterborough when we happened to meet Rufaro while he was biking around the area. I was surprised to realize that he recognized me, and even more interesting was that Alex recognized him immediately just from a quick glance at the above photo which I had just uploaded to my computer earlier that day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1977J3" title="road home2"><img alt="road home2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4481/37810601682_06ff65cee9_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The road home is always lovely and inviting.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/cgBeeQ" title="harbourenhanced"><img alt="harbourenhanced" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4469/37793900356_2ff0eb538c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And let's finish with an end-of-the-day view of the harbour (enhanced with Photoshop) from the upper floor of the Lighthouse restaurant. <br />
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Yup, I still have more. Next time!Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-67780394462960357532017-09-28T22:28:00.000-04:002017-09-29T09:20:21.810-04:00Love Lives Here<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. - Maya Angelou</span></i></span></div>
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Peterborough, along with most of southern Ontario and points beyond has just exited a lengthy and lovely heat wave - summer's last hurrah. Although the following images are from earlier in the recently-ended season, some of them express the recent heat and the current mood of the area, in more than one way.<br />
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This Saturday is Yom Kippur - the holiest day of the year for observant Jews. And it will be on this date that a lowlife who bears a swastika tattoo on his chest, will lead a <a href="http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/man-with-swastika-tattoo-organizing-white-supremacist-rally-in-peterborough-ont-1.3609480" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;">white supremacist rally</span></a> in our beautiful city. It is under the guise that they are protesting our Prime Minister Trudeau and illegal immigration. Make no mistake that these are nazis who also oppose legal immigration, and any skin colour other than white. A large counter-protest in the form of peaceful, solidarity events called <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/3771662/solidarity-weekend-planned-in-peterborough-in-response-to-anti-illegal-immigration-rally/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Love Lives Here</span></a> will also take place throughout the weekend. That's the Peterborough I know and love. I feel certain that messages of anti-hate will far outweigh those of the "the deplorables," but it's still all so unsettling and disturbing. <br />
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The photos are from a couple of summer day trips to Cobourg - where all of the beach pics were snapped, as well as Port Hope, Warkworth and Campbellford. The shore of Lake Ontario reflects the sizzling days of the past couple of weeks, and some of the various signs echo the prevalent mood around town at all times but especially during this particular week. For variety's sake, I'm going to alternate scenes and signs - some of which are welcoming in nature and some simply humourous. All which make up the fabric of my Canada.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/T9rA66" title="cobourg harbour3"><img alt="cobourg harbour3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4363/37313420335_64142bf0a6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Welcome to the lovely port Cobourg, Ontario. Boats were everywhere and so were people. This was the early August long weekend.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9b9R4H" title="signs5"><img alt="signs5" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4430/37140162822_9ce208d50e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This image goes back to June - an attention-grabbing Fathers' Day ad.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6jV79G" title="cobourg sand canada"><img alt="cobourg sand canada" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4434/36915447780_f67c9a0618_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
On the beach, a sand sculpture competition was happening as part of celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/gaxwb9" title="signs2 with crane fly"><img alt="signs2 with crane fly" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4385/37122628196_df364b2280_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This sign was outside of a more mom-friendly type shop - but didn't want to exclude others - no matter your order of preference.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/525M3J" title="cobourg - cold water2"><img alt="cobourg - cold water2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4351/36475678084_d6364c3fa7_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A pair of protective arms keeping her safe from the cold water of Lake Ontario.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8uq4C0" title="signs2 with crane fly2"><img alt="signs2 with crane fly2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4364/37122624376_56c6fccbd3_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Here's closer look at that crane fly you might have noticed in the previous sign photo.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/qm2374" title="cobourg - splash"><img alt="cobourg - splash" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4352/37140191852_5259673006_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Despite the really cold lake water, some thought it best to charge right in.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2Q1x17" title="signs 3"><img alt="signs 3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4388/37122634706_48f98118e1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A coffee shop reminding customers why their daily dose of caffeine is so essential.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7G1Xv1" title="cobourg - texting and wading"><img alt="cobourg - texting and wading" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4424/36915465780_3b17f07509_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Others preferred to wade in while texting or perhaps prepping for a selfie.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2MMaEE" title="Signs"><img alt="Signs" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4423/37122632126_651ae5c686_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
These are the signs I like to see in my city. In my country. In my world.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/0jgU49" title="road home"><img alt="road home" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4339/36915443530_126af03602_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The road home provides a pretty vista.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Ve8324" title="signs4"><img alt="signs4" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4349/37122620366_17e35833e6_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And signs at home in Peterborough help to restore faith.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/fRnDAe" title="cobourg - gulls just wanna"><img alt="cobourg - gulls just wanna" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4396/36915470470_20d92b24bb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
May love, acceptance, inclusion and respect always soar above bigotry and hate.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Canada is like a bird, it likes to soar freely. ~ Unknown </span></i></span></div>
Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-7620882938122987482017-08-21T22:12:00.000-04:002017-08-22T01:06:23.541-04:00Staring at the SunSince I don't own the appropriate filter for my camera, I didn't plan to take any photos of the eclipse today - just of the admiring crowd. I didn't even own a pair of protective glasses that everyone else was smart enough to snap up weeks ago. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/831627" title="solar eclipse - at Armour Hill"><img alt="solar eclipse - at Armour Hill" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4411/35915685643_087e4d7473_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I did hear though that there would be "viewing equipment" available up on Armour Hill, here in Peterborough. Alex happened to be here for a short visit, so I dragged him along with me.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/f7L84R" title="solar eclipse - at Armour Hill small crowd"><img alt="solar eclipse - at Armour Hill small crowd" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4361/36555338772_97c34dc819_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A moderate-sized crowd had already gathered when we arrived to view the eclipse and quite a few more kept coming, the closer we got to complete eclipse - which here, was only 68%.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1yX15y" title="solar eclipse - telescopes and crowd"><img alt="solar eclipse - telescopes and crowd" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4353/35890192184_f26bf1e96f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The equipment was in the form of numerous telescopes set up by The Peterborough Astronomical Association (PAA) for public viewing. They had also been handing out a few hundred pairs of glasses but had run out before we got there.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/496J1T" title="solar eclipse - son watching sun"><img alt="solar eclipse - son watching sun" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4347/35890198364_1b2361bb2f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
We each took peeks through the telescopes and through glasses which so many people kindly offered to share.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/x85a2y" title="solar eclipse - telescope with camera"><img alt="solar eclipse - telescope with camera" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4375/35915667953_5848421ad4_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
At least one of the telescopes had a camera mounted on it which was showing images in real time. You can see the camera right near the man with his arms folded.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Z2F1x5" title="solar eclipse -mounted camera"><img alt="solar eclipse -mounted camera" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4365/36555315172_9efb9e4592_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I decided to snap a photo of what that camera was seeing.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/kgS840" title="solar eclipse - filtering lens"><img alt="solar eclipse - filtering lens" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4428/36586023641_e6c5d78799_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
One of the PAA's devices was a handheld circular protective lens which we could not only peer through but also snap photos through it.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/L7D21e" title="solar eclipse - child with telescope"><img alt="solar eclipse - child with telescope" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4364/35890205204_f6e10c9ae7_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Kids took their turns at the telescopes. It wasn't always easy to focus on it right away - you needed to move around a bit to find it which made it a bit tough for the kidlets whose natural tendency was to grab the viewfinder and move it.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1WyT2d" title="solar eclipse - grandpas helping hands"><img alt="solar eclipse - grandpas helping hands" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4425/35915673213_963b761348_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
By the time we were much of the way through it, we could see the changes in the colour of the surrounding landscape. Everything was a little more saturated like it gets a couple of hours before sunset - but in the early afternoon. In that lovely light, scenes like this were everywhere. Parents and grandparents helping little ones to see the eclipse safely.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/00ogZ9" title="solar eclipse - woman with filtering lens"><img alt="solar eclipse - woman with filtering lens" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4391/35890189354_006704e8f2_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Here again, is that homemade, handheld lens which allows you to look and take photos through it. Had I known that, I'd have brought a more suitable camera lens.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/wnh235" title="solar eclipse Aug 21 2017 - 5 stages"><img alt="solar eclipse Aug 21 2017 - 5 stages" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4432/35890185464_8a9fa71eb8_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I gave it a try anyway and had less-than-stellar but good-enough results. Here are a few shots Photoshopped into one image. Pictures were taken at the half-hour mark, one hour (with clouds passing by), about ten minutes from totality, a couple of minutes from and right at totality (68% here).<br />
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It was great fun to witness it and to record it. Thanks, Peterborough Astronomical Association! <br />
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How was it in your part of the continent?Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-66329339955485705932017-08-06T19:40:00.001-04:002017-08-06T19:40:28.035-04:00Where Roads and Rivers MeetIf you like the title of my blog post, you're not exactly in the same boat as most of Peterborough. "Where roads and rivers meet" was the proposed new tagline for the city but it was widely rejected recently. Despite it being a rather accurate description, I think its irony comes too soon after the great flooding we experienced this and previous springs. Social media spots and other various online publications have suggested a contest for a new slogan. Some of those suggestions as well as previous slogans, and those for the Trent and Kawartha area in particular will appear with my images below.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Hv4cm8" title="london st generating station"><img alt="london st generating station" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4311/36297015996_5bc6d247a3_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: Electric City</span></i></span><br />
These are the churning waters of the London Street Generating Station.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/23uy1h" title="fishing on the otonabee"><img alt="fishing on the otonabee" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4361/35505674374_dc941842ce_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: The place at the foot of the rapids</span></i></span><br />
This woman was fishing closer to the shoreline at the base of the generating station.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/QHx173" title="statement"><img alt="statement" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4386/36297004396_ed63f489be_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: City of bridges</span></i></span><br />
A small show of defiance on the nearby walking bridge.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/tdo8B5" title="litlle lake kayaks"><img alt="litlle lake kayaks" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4355/36341513445_52d5c18eee_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: It's just around the way</span></i></span><br />
Regardless of water levels, many locals have kayaks and canoes, and enjoy getting around town via the waterways.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/u11WZ0" title="lower side lock 19"><img alt="lower side lock 19" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4316/36341504075_5751052ff0_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: Heart of the Trent-Severn Waterway</span></i></span><br />
A twenty minute walk or a three minute drive from the above scene, we found ourselves at Lock 19 where some of the same boats were now in action. This group really got around on that day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/60cm6A" title="lock 19"><img alt="lock 19" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4388/35505655974_e9814a7cf3_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">Slogan: Gateway to the Kawarthas</span></i></span><br />
The watery gates were soon opened and they continued on their way.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/tqn9vx" title="canoes by lift lock"><img alt="canoes by lift lock" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4381/36172848032_d1caedf8bc_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: Bright waters and happy lands</span></span></i><br />
A few boats having a bit of a rest near the lift lock.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Z0ox61" title="lift lock"><img alt="lift lock" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4357/35944697330_e0b1293439_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><i>Slogan: Marine highway</i></span></span><br />
And here is the lift lock in action. A couple of boats (including the Lift Lock Tours boat) in the left chamber are about to make their ascent.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/876pJ1" title="lift lock2"><img alt="lift lock2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4355/35532706543_02046c0749_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: The land of shining waters</span></span></i><br />
Almost at the top, they'll continue their journey north along the Trent-Severn Waterway. The caisson on the right was full of smaller boats including some of the kayakers we saw in previous photos. I told you they really get around.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/s05GRs" title="little library"><img alt="little library" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4347/36172831332_713dfdaabe_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: Popular Peterborough for progressive people</span></i></span><br />
Peterborough has dozens (it would seem) of these Little Libraries around town.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/rn90b7" title="graffiti"><img alt="graffiti" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4355/35505669984_f942b9f583_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: The participaction city</span></i></span><br />
A little more graffiti on the way into Jackson Park expresses sentiments like "the whole earth is our hospital" and "resolute kindness."<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/m252h0" title="meadow rev copy"><img alt="meadow rev copy" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4425/36172818302_67cba7de3a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: Nestled in nature</span></span></i><br />
It was a beautiful early summer day with puffy clouds scudding across the sky. This Jackson Park meadow was very inviting with its long grass undulating in the wind.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/t1pf99" title="male downy"><img alt="male downy" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4407/36341498985_7b05c6b908_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Slogan: Where land and nature nurture us</span></span></i><br />
A male Downy woodpecker was working hard at this one tree. His rat-a-tat easily caught my attention.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Cc3TuL" title="vine covered pole"><img alt="vine covered pole" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4339/35944664780_794d900a2b_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: Is there anyplace you would rather be?</span></span></i><br />
This pole pretty much disappears behind the vines.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Ex40g9" title="oldie"><img alt="oldie" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4375/35944720370_41c6034c92_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><i>Slogan: Your life right here</i></span></span><br />
Step back in time with this beauty parked near my place. Something tells me that it's from 1956.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/810G3v" title="on a walk"><img alt="on a walk" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4376/36172816032_17cf43e196_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: It's a natural</span></span></i><br />
One of the many pretty spots seen while out walking one day in May.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/BQ4N83" title="graffiti at jackson creek"><img alt="graffiti at jackson creek" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4435/35944724350_8be388f8d2_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slogan: The wide awake city</span></span></i><br />
A litte more graffiti because who doesn't love bees? And cake!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1854K3" title="birthday rainbow2"><img alt="birthday rainbow2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4331/35532723843_e33f6d3d8e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">Slogan: Come share the magic</span></i></span><br />
And finally, let's close this tour with a rainbow - a double one, in fact. This one illuminated our view on my birthday while my younger son was visiting and we were both on speaker phone with my older boy. Life is good!Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-68743534760004318492017-07-23T00:01:00.000-04:002017-07-23T00:01:04.770-04:00Canada 150 - The Smitten Image 10Time between blog posts seems to be longer and longer as my everyday life seems to get busier and more demanding. I keep hoping that I can put more time into blog posting and visiting but that just doesn't seem to happen. I'll keep hoping though!<br />
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This time, I thought I should acknowledge a couple of events - Canada's 150th birthday and my 10th blogging anniversary - both happening this month. Unfortunately, only one of those occasions gets a parade, party, music and fireworks - so my photos will focus on Canada's celebrations as they occurred in Peterborough.<br />
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Before I do, I want to express how very rewarding it has been (and hopefully will continue to be) to connect with hundreds of amazing bloggers this past decade. I've made friends with whom I've connected in real life, in email, on the phone and through Facebook. And I have sadly lost wonderful people along the way to <a href="http://theviewfromthisend.blogspot.ca/2012/10/in-loving-memory_12.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">illness</span></a> and to <a href="http://eastgwillimburywow.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">tragedy</span></a>. I've had incredible feedback on my photography and feel validated and appreciated because of it. Thank you ALL for allowing me to share my creativity through the years and for sharing yours with me. I hope we can all enjoy many more years of that blogging connection.<br />
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That's enough of stealing the spotlight from my elderly country. Canada turned 150 on July 1, and my town of Peterborough celebrated in style. Let's start with the parade.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/e9597H" title="on wheels"><img alt="on wheels" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/35599637960_b1c5a0797a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Kidlets of all ages brought their wheels to the event.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/B7Y270" title="sir john a"><img alt="sir john a" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4325/35817738942_699cdc82cb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This guy represents our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. McDonald who did many wrongs to our Indigenous People - wrong which we continue to hope that our current government will begin to right.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7gd28b" title="Shriners Hospital"><img alt="Shriners Hospital" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4306/35988642945_d185e7cdcc_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
What's a parade without the Shriners and their funny little cars doing tricks and spins throughout the route?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7yz39n" title="Terry Fox"><img alt="Terry Fox" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4300/35817724252_c9a841a64e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Remembering our beloved Terry Fox who raised awareness and funds for cancer research by attempting his walk across Canada. Cancer took his leg prior to his journey across our country and it sadly also took his life during his Marathon of Hope in 1977 - a month before his twenty-third birthday. His life is celebrated every September with a 10k run, walk or cycle which raises money in his name.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/tv09Jo" title="Southcrest Farms in Lakefield"><img alt="Southcrest Farms in Lakefield" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4323/35148654364_979d0e4647_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This original float represents Southcrest Farms in nearby Lakefield, Ontario.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/m0408N" title="brownsea base rowing"><img alt="brownsea base rowing" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4326/35817752892_8f00142dcc_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The Trent-Severn waterway passes through Peterborough. This means that boats, canoes, kayaks and floating recreational devices of all kinds are very popular in this area. This young canoe enthusiast sporting Canada-red hair represents Brownsea Base Water programs for Scouts.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/oW0BT8" title="All decked out"><img alt="All decked out" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4299/35817807092_1d19268bb0_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
After the parade, I wandered over to Del Crary Park where some of city celebrations were happening. Crowds had already gathered.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/pzD67B" title="dance"><img alt="dance" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4311/35856072261_7f1dc5333a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Several local performers took their turns to sing and dance on stage.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/LG6NQe" title="cakes"><img alt="cakes" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4326/35988684085_3938e7a703_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Two cakes were presented for sharing with the crowd. One was Canada's 150th birthday cake and the other represented our Multi Cultural Day which coincides with Canada Day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7883CU" title="Four Little Canadians"><img alt="Four Little Canadians" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4322/35946963276_3e0b5b9c1d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Leaving the park, I encountered this adorable scene. Their Canada Day hats were homemade. Mom had posed them on this couch sculpture and was taking their photo from the front. I thought the back of their heads, all decked out in their patriotic finest were every bit as cute.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7g44de" title="Four Little Canadians2"><img alt="Four Little Canadians2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4293/35148709844_ca0ce219c9_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Eventually they turned to look over the back of the seat and I stole around to the front for a different angle.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Ufn1T8" title="tree hugging flag"><img alt="tree hugging flag" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4309/35817789782_0b80c36a8a_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I headed home for a few hours to recharge and saw this tree-hugging flag along the way.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/73ES16" title="kim Mitchell6"><img alt="kim Mitchell6" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4323/35148819154_179ba2ac25_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The evening took me back to Del Crary Park to see singer/DJ Kim Mitchell perform. The concert kicked off the MusicFest season of free outdoor concerts every Saturday and Wednesday night through the summer.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/053fgx" title="kim Mitchell3"><img alt="kim Mitchell3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4298/35148821364_bc1f8ff95b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Our seats were close and the music was LOUD.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/rhytPD" title="kim Mitchell2"><img alt="kim Mitchell2" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4305/35148824094_77234f1e40_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
They put on a good show.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6T8CA0" title="kim Mitchell8"><img alt="kim Mitchell8" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4292/35599795950_e155b796f1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The crowd left with major smiles and minor hearing loss.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/i4N878" title="little lake at night"><img alt="little lake at night" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4299/35654456740_ed02f12556_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Night had fallen and we walked along the shoreline of Little Lake so that we could take in the Canada Day light show..<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8Jj178" title="Canada 150 fireworks19"><img alt="Canada 150 fireworks19" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4306/35873187812_fa8c602e8a_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Colourful jets of fire burst forward with colour, exploding in the night sky leaving tinkling showers of silver in its wake.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2q7WBL" title="Canada 150 fireworks"><img alt="Canada 150 fireworks" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4309/35879695801_fb0ff72b48_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Canada's signature red and white lights scattered across the sky, shattering into a multitude of glittery sparks.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/bC143h" title="Canada 150 fireworks3"><img alt="Canada 150 fireworks3" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4305/35202321123_58574c22fb_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Puffy golden stamens were ablaze in the dazzling heart of a delicate flower of fire.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/QR0j24" title="Canada 150 fireworks16"><img alt="Canada 150 fireworks16" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4303/35879694021_1ff9512bad_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The finale brought cascading waterfalls, dazzling whirls and shimmering spirals - all which rained down on the lake in a twinkling trail brilliance.<br />
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Hopefully it won't take me this long to get my next blog post out but I'll have more photos for you whenever that is. Thanks for celebrating with me.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-72916100306137143942017-06-04T17:30:00.001-04:002017-06-04T17:30:51.272-04:00Water Flows<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">~ Margaret Atwood</span></i></span></div>
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Most of these photos are from a bit earlier in the spring. I am pretty far behind as far as both posting and visiting go. There are lots of photos still in my camera and about which I'm nearly ready to blog. Time, however, has a way of getting in the way. So for now, there's this. I hope you enjoy.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/fUd9HE" title="rainy window pane"><img alt="rainy window pane" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4226/34831627262_8c3a673cd6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A lot of this..<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/xYG623" title="hazy sun"><img alt="hazy sun" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/34607273020_14c9038a48_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
... and not very much of this...<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/w6m22A" title="flooding"><img alt="flooding" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/34831640542_720d3ba438_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
... has made for a significant amount of this.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/hf42d3" title="Holiday Inn Patio"><img alt="Holiday Inn Patio" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4204/34607268180_0a4c1dc53a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The flooding has receded greatly over the past week or so but this is what the patio at the lakeside Holiday Inn looked like just a couple of weeks back.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/e6U12N" title="underwater path"><img alt="underwater path" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4219/34831614682_d40587c24d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This footpath, which appears to end here ordinarily takes you all the way to that opposite shore with plenty of grassy area to the right - when it's not hidden under water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/i283L8" title="water tulips"><img alt="water tulips" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/34863019851_425da73d6b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The path is located between the mooring docks and these amazing water tulips.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4Pm7ox" title="flooding2"><img alt="flooding2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/34152102974_ca131dfa33_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is the sign on a nearby street which tells you that you're approaching a dead end. In this case, it was just a little too late.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7LX1io" title="new growth"><img alt="new growth" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4273/34607248340_6b2dc9a055_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Not everything suffered from the rain. It provided much needed hydration for trees in bloom.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/w04DXJ" title="ginger ale tulips"><img alt="ginger ale tulips" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4269/34831637082_370dedaaaa_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Flowers everywhere were at their finest. These tulips in a pop bottle caught my eye.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6b4EB6" title="weeping willow catkins"><img alt="weeping willow catkins" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/34863014511_3d79b76b6d_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The catkins of the weeping willow soon gave way to full, sweeping boughs.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/a350V7" title="spring green"><img alt="spring green" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/34152079274_4ef427ef68_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And the virginal green of spring was everywhere.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9948ni" title="magnolia"><img alt="magnolia" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4220/34831633412_85706b72e7_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I hope your spring is blooming beautifully!<br />
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More photos coming up before too much longer. Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-48688827238268777572017-05-16T12:15:00.001-04:002017-05-16T12:15:38.140-04:00Go Where You Shouldn't<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A small town is a place where there's no place to go where you shouldn't. ~ Burt Bacharach</span></i></span></div>
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Come join me for a few sites from around town, taken on a sunny day or two in late April. Spring had just begun to emerge and so had the people. I hope you enjoy.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/XBA8by" title="Peterborough Sunrise"><img alt="Peterborough Sunrise" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34638181666_e81753dc8e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
One April morning, it appeared as if there was fire glowing outside of my window. This stunning sunrise had the sky all ablaze.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/20p6D8" title="textures"><img alt="textures" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/34516081532_f9ea397250_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A bit of a worn down home, in close walking distance from my place caught my eye for the textures and collection of items in the upstairs window. There appeared to be some Christmas ornaments along with a boarded up glass pane and a knotted curtain. The photo was taken at the end of March. On May 8, I immediately recognized the home in a news report of a kitchen fire which caused extensive damage to the home's interior. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/d8757R" title="young swinger"><img alt="young swinger" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/34678819015_0b16f88f5b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Oblivious to troubles in the world, this little guy was having the time of his life swinging from a tree branch while his Dad watched over him and helped him along with a hefty push.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Xgs3JP" title="quaker oats water tower"><img alt="quaker oats water tower" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/34293106840_8ec7521710_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A Peterborough landmark, Quaker Oats first began operating here in 1902 but suffered a major fire just fourteen years later. In 1920, it was fully rebuilt into the structure you see in this photo. If the wind is blowing the right (or wrong) way, you can smell the sickly sweetness of flavoured oatmeal wafting over the east end of the city.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/K1eu34" title="Willow on Little Lake"><img alt="Willow on Little Lake" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34677901505_06b7ac343f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The catkins were just emerging on the weeping willow at the large lakeside patio of The Silver Bean in town. The café offers meals, snacks and drinks to enjoy out on their patio or dock. They're closed all winter but have just opened up for the season. In the distance, you can see the foot and train bridge which connects the west and east shores of Little Lake.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4FF401" title="graffiti - dont get close"><img alt="graffiti - dont get close" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4167/34516102842_fd5018d039_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Here's a closeup of one of the beams on that bridge as it sports some of its ever-changing graffiti.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/928115" title="Esker - dog sculptures"><img alt="Esker - dog sculptures" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/34293130800_85c7058539_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This sculpture which is situated in Millennium Park is called Esker. Depending on whose article you might read, it depicts 1) a mama wolf and her cub, 2) a sled guide dog staring down a wolf or 3) a regular canine puppy and its mother. The artists are Maryann Barkhouse and Michael Belmore and I'd assume they know the truth. Back in 2013, vandals did damage to the smaller figure when they removed it and threw it into the lake. The artists restored their work, and the pair of pooches were soon happily reunited.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Q68SuR" title="children remembered"><img alt="children remembered" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/33835663324_6b5a8fec0c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This boulder is located near the Butterfly Garden - a children's memorial put in place by The Bereaved Parents of Ontario. Easter had arrived and these colourful offering were left by grieving parents.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3X5966" title="guitarist"><img alt="guitarist" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4158/34516098732_900db9a7f3_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Sitting on the rocks, by the swift waters of Little Lake, this lone guitarist was enjoying his music.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8SCPa2LW5qk?rel=0" width="700"></iframe><br />
Have a quick listen to the guitar and the water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2K2012" title="going fishing"><img alt="going fishing" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34547607941_98e73b74d1_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I chatted with a young woman while we watched her brother head off along the walkway at the nearby lock. With the excessive rain which followed for days afterward, the walkway has now become completely submerged by the swift river current.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/n72hhE" title="flooding"><img alt="flooding" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/34567381351_26bd5c8ac3_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Only the very top of the rail is now visible.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1F5PX8" title="minnows"><img alt="minnows" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/34516091302_b708c3e9f7_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Thousands of little minnows were dancing and darting in the water below.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1X92C1" title="gnarly"><img alt="gnarly" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4183/34678826975_262f1698e7_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is the last we'll see of those tree roots for a while. The bottom three feet (at least) of its trunk are now under several feet of water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/T1x119" title="big boy toys"><img alt="big boy toys" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/34547617431_ebb8452098_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
On my way back home, I found myself amused by the collection of toys in this young man's hands. Perhaps they were inadvertently left behind by a younger boy's hands. Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-76316251835292673372017-05-07T11:48:00.000-04:002017-05-07T11:48:18.116-04:00Poems by Heart<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It is spring again. The Earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: serif;"> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">~ </span></span></span>Rainer Maria Rilke</span></i></span></div>
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Springtime - when everything awakens after a long winter's sleep. A couple of weeks back, I took advantage of the warm weather by heading out to walk whenever I could. All sorts of creatures had the same idea.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Jxjg76" title="Fluffy"><img alt="Fluffy" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2869/34271389905_dc29942da1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
One day, early last summer, I ran into a man who was allowing his pair of pet snakes to sun themselves on the rocks.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/t3X31e" title="ball python"><img alt="ball python" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2844/33429744814_c211d11b99_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Well, I encountered him again this year, and he had one of his Ball Pythons with him.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/AC47RY" title="ball python and girl"><img alt="ball python and girl" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2868/33461641993_e54134956a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Kids kept stopping by to get a closer look.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/qh3B3S" title="ball python and kidlet3"><img alt="ball python and kidlet3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33429750154_587ee1afc1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Some opted to try him on for size.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/HuG7u3" title="ball python and kidlet"><img alt="ball python and kidlet" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2879/34271394485_0bf7fdc92b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This little cutie was proudly showing off his new friend to his dad.<br />
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On to other, less slithery creatures...<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/J9w35g" title="somebody is watching me"><img alt="somebody is watching me" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2808/33429785554_8bae169aee_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The ducks are enjoying the new growths of spring.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/vx722h" title="mallard"><img alt="mallard" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2866/34140595541_d442162fca_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
It looks as if this guy just quit smoking.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/UYc9pr" title="take right off eh"><img alt="take right off eh" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/34140561041_0f8c443eb4_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This mallard is sailing free over Lock 19.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/UAk753" title="robin"><img alt="robin" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2828/34230967076_0e3360e17f_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Robins have been back in the area for quite a while now, but this is the first one who has held still long enough for me to photograph it. Thanks, little one.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6m76jQ" title="young starling"><img alt="young starling" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2812/33429775534_1970917f96_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A starling has found a nice little glass house in which to build her nest.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/0vXp8P" title="snapping turtle"><img alt="snapping turtle" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2950/33429789184_ef9d921fa5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A rather small snapping turtle was keeping her eye on things while hanging out near the water's edge. I wondered if she was laying eggs or just having a relaxing moment.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4592PP" title="mink3"><img alt="mink3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2849/34230975686_07662a84ea_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
It was a treat to see this little mink pop up on the rocks with its catch. She watched me for a few seconds then disappeared back into the water with her meal.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/28Dm13" title="Oliver"><img alt="Oliver" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2834/34271434095_1afc16de63_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
My neighbour's cat often hangs around my place. He thinks my door is an extension of his own place and just steps right in when he gets the opportunity. Make yourself at home, Oliver.<br />
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That's it for today. More photos coming up whenever I get around to them - which is not so often, these days. Thanks for sticking by.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-43061518594608612272017-04-23T13:17:00.000-04:002017-04-27T13:15:49.440-04:00The Soft Laughter of April<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~Byron Caldwell Smith</span></i></span></div>
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If I didn't hurry up and post again soon, you'd all think it was still winter in my world.<br />
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It isn't.<br />
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In fact, it has turned into lovely spring weather.<br />
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At least for now.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/J4ZXq4" title="blazing"><img alt="blazing" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2839/34180837446_b50eb75cae_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A couple of weeks back, Carol Anne and I took a day trip into Port Perry, Ontario - less than an hour from home. The day started off sunny, warm and perfectly lovely.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/FU7467" title="driveby barn"><img alt="driveby barn" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2882/34180830146_8bcd7943cd_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The best part about being a passenger is the opportunity for drive-by shootings - in this case, of a barn which caught my eye.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/i31ks0" title="port perry"><img alt="port perry" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2925/33410630113_2f99b142df_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
We arrived at Port Perry just in time to have a bit of a wander before lunch.<br />
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After feeding our faces, we looked around at some of the local shops. It's not a large town so we soon ran out of shopping spots and instead, zigged and zagged down a couple of side streets.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9z2MHm" title="Ozzie aka Fang"><img alt="Ozzie aka Fang" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2903/34180820756_cd5a0a8fa0_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
One of those streets led us to Ozzy, this adorable eight week old French Bulldog pup.<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Correction: Both Theresa and Daryl indicated that they believe that Ozzy is a Boston Terrier. Mine was a guess. I stand corrected. :)</i></span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Xx1622" title="Ozzie shake"><img alt="Ozzie shake" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33379484474_5931578288_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
He was irresistible, and he got lots of pats and belly rubs in whilst chewing on fingers and shoes. I managed one last photo of him in the middle of a good shake.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/953XXo" title="port perry about scugog"><img alt="port perry about scugog" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2872/33837226870_69407b3ec5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
As clouds began to gather, we were indecisive about setting out for a walk which would take us farther from the car. We stuck to the nearby waterfront of Lake Scugog.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9N0J51" title="port perry before storm"><img alt="port perry before storm" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2939/33379465754_a7449975e1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
It turned out to be the right choice. We knew that rain was expected and those dark clouds approached rather quickly.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7205F8" title="port perry storm cometh"><img alt="port perry storm cometh" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2894/34221396295_69c4484acb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
There's something beautiful about dark, gloomy skies - especially if you aren't far from shelter.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Pxe1i4" title="port perry storm approaching"><img alt="port perry storm approaching" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2870/33410643623_3112b48d3a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
By now the wind had also begun to pick up so we took that as our clue to get to the car and head home.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Z815a5" title="rainy windshield2"><img alt="rainy windshield2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2868/33410621753_efb57ee069_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Five minutes into the drive, and the windshield looked like this.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Wq44P0" title="spring willow"><img alt="spring willow" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34181675916_26854288cc_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
But all of that rain and subsequent sunshine soon gave us new growth like this.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2QTiCo" title="spring blooms"><img alt="spring blooms" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2915/33838219330_97dfe2e9cf_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And like this.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8MvQP3" title="spring tree"><img alt="spring tree" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/34181678156_61772dc064_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And this.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Q615p4" title="sun setting on buds"><img alt="sun setting on buds" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4167/34064012942_51c0900a60_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And now, when the sun begins to set, the newly-budded trees are ablaze with colour and life once again.<br />
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Spring has indeed sprung.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-11429785785871221412017-03-26T11:57:00.003-04:002017-03-26T11:57:53.520-04:00A Soft White Damn<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ E.E. Cummings</span></i></span></div>
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There is no snow on the ground as I write this. In fact, it's been teetering between rain and freezing rain all morning. The following images were taken after February's big snowfall. Hopefully it was the last big one.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/0M8H9d" title="Peterborough after the snow"><img alt="Peterborough after the snow" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2922/33233107106_7859b7ab0a_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Stepping outside of my apartment, I can see that the parking lot and walkway have been shoveled. Not all of the roads and sidewalks were as clear though. Let's head out to the lake.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/v03ki7" title="Peterborough after the snow2"><img alt="Peterborough after the snow2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3905/33233099146_6b8b35a8b2_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
If those slingshot chairs, aptly named The Launch Pad were real, they might just be powerful enough to send you out into the open water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/04j85n" title="frozen little lake"><img alt="frozen little lake" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3905/33233121516_bc7ce1a767_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A fresh snowfall makes it difficult to discern where the land ends and the lake begins. The tree does grow rather close to the water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Gf4v81" title="Peterborough after the snow3"><img alt="Peterborough after the snow3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/696/33146162241_52a725c053_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This walkway leads onto a large T-shaped dock. It's mostly covered in snow but you can still make out the outline.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/zA77oM" title="Peterborough after the snow4"><img alt="Peterborough after the snow4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3854/32459566683_1c70bb1639_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
You can see it a lot better from this angle. Just a few months ago, <a href="http://thesmittenimage.blogspot.ca/2015/10/a-walk-around-lake.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: white;">these guys</span></a> were having the time of their lives fetching tennis balls thrown from the pier, into the water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/5cBQ07" title="Peterborough after the snow6"><img alt="Peterborough after the snow6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/683/33146152841_8a79f341b9_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This was as far as I could get around the lake. The snow was too deep to traverse beyond this point.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8QZ0ZP" title="firefighter in snow2"><img alt="firefighter in snow2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3771/33118637412_d67a36a968_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
In a different direction, this guy was accepting his fate of trudging through the snow.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/84S7iL" title="firefighter in snow3"><img alt="firefighter in snow3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2936/33146178031_1c0768fbfb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
He had several metres of frozen hose behind him, too.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/SFb3n2" title="reflection in snowy red"><img alt="reflection in snowy red" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3686/33274252785_d4b94964d2_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Heading back toward home, this bright red truck amid all of the snowy white caught my eye.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6C53d8" title="snow covered little library"><img alt="snow covered little library" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3800/33146143871_a97ffc8d37_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The Little Library was wearing its snowcap. Nobody had visited since the recent storm.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/803r1h" title="memorial centre after snow"><img alt="memorial centre after snow" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/751/33233111526_5e479976c7_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is the parking lot at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. It took a long time for those piles to melt. I do believe they're completely gone by now - more than a month after the snowfall.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/bEm0Yg" title="snow melts away2"><img alt="snow melts away2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2825/32754047724_d9489b354d_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A few days later, warming temperatures made for a quick melt. Bright, late afternoon sunshine made for saturated hues. And puddles offered some colourful reflections.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8CV140" title="golden blvd"><img alt="golden blvd" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3810/32754068544_1ca7705961_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Walking into the lowering sun made for golden light.<br />
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The road that leads to home - where Netflix awaits.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-59261749062257434372017-03-14T17:10:00.001-04:002017-03-14T17:13:08.901-04:00The Great Indoors<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I like winter because I can stay indoors without feeling guilty.</span></i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Teressa Skelton</span></i></span></b></div>
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This winter hasn't been overly difficult. We've had cold temperatures but we've also had unseasonably warm spells. We've had significant snowfalls but also long periods of rain to do away with the evil white stuff. As some significant snow has fallen over much of the eastern United States and much of Ontario, as I post this, I can still see the grass but snow has begun falling in the last hour. Over the winter, many days were great for being outdoors but some of them lent themselves to enjoying the comfort of indoors. This post is about the latter.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/790e8V" title="Peterborough snowstorm"><img alt="Peterborough snowstorm" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3944/33231925845_f64675d85d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
More than a few times, this was how the world looked outside my apartment window this winter. This was one of the bigger snowfalls we had - just a couple of weeks ago but it's long gone now. It looked a lot prettier from up here than it did whilst trying to drive through it in the pre-shoveled parking lot.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1fpRn3" title="Neighbour kitties Oliver and Zephyr"><img alt="Neighbour kitties Oliver and Zephyr" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/634/33103640191_29e2fcf0d4_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
It was the kind of day which lent itself to cozying up together in bed. The grey and white guy on the right is my Zephyr and the orange tabby is Oliver who belongs to my neighbour, Carol across the hall. He never hesitates to take advantage of an open door opportunity. If both Carol's and my doors are open, he bolts into my apartment and makes himself comfy. Zephyr doesn't seem to mind too much.. anymore.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/B45vXp" title="Judy3"><img alt="Judy3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3945/33231931055_0cf233104c_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
In February, I had the great enjoyment of listening to my cousin Judith lecture and perform at Trent University. She's an Ethnomusicologist, and a very entertaining speaker who engaged her intimate audience with stories about Spain's Medieval musical history in the Catholic, Jewish and Muslim cultures. I realize that sounds rather specific, particular and possibly a tad dry but I assure you that it was anything but. My friends Carol Anne, Dakshina and I enjoyed the evening greatly. Here, Judith is singing and demonstrating a style of tambourine. It was great to be able to spend time with my cousin during her first trip to Peterborough. She came by for dinner the following day before she had to head back to Toronto.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/p10gQs" title="Angular stairs"><img alt="Angular stairs" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2862/33190254896_ae04be4db6_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This vertigo-inducing staircase was the way up to washroom. It was as narrow and angular as it appears when looking down. Maybe even more so.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/nyE6VJ" title="freezing rain"><img alt="freezing rain" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/660/33190233636_957b2eac17_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The weather really doesn't quite know what to do with itself, this winter. On this night, we had rain which eventually froze over to leave this interesting pattern on my window.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/yUi7SP" title="bboyizm"><img alt="bboyizm" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/569/33190249346_3501abd2e3_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A couple of nights after the lecture, Carol Anne and I attended a performance at Market Hall in downtown Peterborough. Here are five of this group of seven (usually eight but one was recovering from an injury) which forms a dance company called Bboyizm. They "<i>promote and preserve the foundation, authenticity and true essence of all street dances.</i>" We weren't permitted to take photos during their performance but were allowed to do so afterward, during their very interesting and informative question and answer period.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/13Z967" title="bboyizm3"><img alt="bboyizm3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2830/33190241286_18fe2c98ae_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The man speaking is the Artistic Director/Choreographer/Founder and dancer, Yvon Soglo aka Crazy Smooth. From the program: "<i>He has come to be known as one of Canada's top street dancers and the first "b-boy" to obtain a Canada Council grant to pursue and hone his art. He has studied with some of the top street dancers in New York, Philadelphia and Orlando. He has also coached acrobats at Cirque de Soleil and performed, taught and judged at events throughout North America and Europe. He has also facilitated projects and acted as advisor and received numerous prestigious awards</i>." This very talented group from Gatineau (Quebec)/Ottawa (Ontario) has been together since 2004 and if you are given the opportunity to see them perform, I strongly advise you take it.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/UVqCa6" title="frost and freezing rain"><img alt="frost and freezing rain" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2885/33103649521_b4545f720e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I have no idea how some of the window had some liquid/melt and the rest had frost but it made for an interesting image.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/w32s76" title="FUtrump"><img alt="FUtrump" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3771/33231936835_6f13606623_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Back in January - the twentieth to be exact. This was an image I caught on my television screen during the inauguration. Her face and earrings expressed the sentiments of many and her mittens might have represented her Canadian roots. I like how the closeup caught that she forgot to peel the size sticker off of the mits. She wears a size small/medium or petite/medium en français.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/0897j3" title="pothead"><img alt="pothead" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/743/33075425672_1634111e66_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I had Carol Anne over for dinner one night and I had to laugh when I caught sight of the big smile on this pot of boiling potatoes. The face reflected in the curve of the pot was actually the two empty burners and a paring knife resting on the surface of the stove. What a happy cooking utensil.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Q69ei4" title="sun peeking"><img alt="sun peeking" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/727/32416988783_21819eeb8a_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I took this photo because I liked the colours that came out in the lighter clouds over to the left, above the tree. I bumped up the vibrancy a bit on this one so that you could see the subtle but colourful effect. It made for a pretty sky as seen from the great indoors.<br />
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More photos coming up before too long.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-86708332776892712662017-03-03T15:27:00.000-05:002017-03-03T15:27:20.932-05:00So You Walk<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">How can you explain that you need to know that the trees are still there, and the hills and the sky? Anyone knows they are. How can you say it is time your pulse responded to another rhythm, the rhythm of the day and the season instead of the hour and the minute?</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">No, you cannot explain. So you walk. ~ Author Unknown</span></i></span></div>
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The following photos were taken during various walks throughout December and January. I hope you enjoy the stroll.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8hQA8N" title="daybreak"><img alt="daybreak" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/410/32798927121_97b59eea63_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Daybreak brought some rich colour to the morning sky as seen from my apartment window. The vertical line is just a reflection from inside.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/609456" title="toward the lock - O rivers"><img alt="toward the lock - O rivers" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/756/32922582145_af6c85888d_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
My feet first brought me down to the Otonabee River where the sunlight sparkled on the water.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/afDqHi" title="toward the lock - O river2"><img alt="toward the lock - O river2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/734/32107849923_e3290c1020_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
There's a vague promise of spring in the daylight.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/ZqCU4x" title="lock 19"><img alt="lock 19" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/557/32882334226_64f16ec6e1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The view facing north from the lock.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8MPfxx" title="lock 19 rushing water2"><img alt="lock 19 rushing water2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/666/32542330770_9ae25fd84b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And a bit of an idea of how quickly that water is rushing.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/qr99E8" title="turbulant waters"><img alt="turbulant waters" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/570/32107857693_00771895bb_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Not someplace I'd fancy losing hold of my camera.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/UJ5iT5" title="toward the locks"><img alt="toward the locks" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/399/32882326156_aa220e913d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Heading back along the riverbank, let's make our way through town and to Little Lake.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4Uz453" title="parking"><img alt="parking" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2175/32798917021_a62e67169a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This sign in front of a driveway amused me.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Y0XvN7" title="Wintry Little Lake"><img alt="Wintry Little Lake" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3749/32079450414_ddef2ff6c3_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
You can see some open water in the distance but much of the lake was frozen over and snowed upon.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/ZUDd97" title="winter docks"><img alt="winter docks" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2116/32769186752_1eab92f09f_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The empty docks await the return of boaters in late spring or early summer. That's when the city comes alive again.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9Rr6pR" title="batman delivers"><img alt="batman delivers" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3907/32769212882_7a3bafbfa6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Did you know that Batman is alive and well, and living in Peterborough?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6W13EX" title="Crescent street view"><img alt="Crescent street view" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/580/32882350126_11094f0924_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Late in the afternoon, clouds roll in. A small break in their puffiness allows the sun to shine her golden charm upon the lake and shoreline - enhanced somewhat with Photoshop.<br />
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More photos coming up before too much longer. Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-19444815479020957752017-02-16T10:04:00.001-05:002017-02-16T10:04:02.800-05:00Forest and Frost<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ Edward Abbey</span></i></span></div><br />
Early in January, my friend, Susan suggested a hike through the trails of Northumberland County Forest - about forty-five minutes from home. Below are my photos from that day, along with a few frosty window images as they appeared over the course of that week.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/645jky" title="frosty morning"><img alt="frosty morning" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/317/32859396046_ecc851c6ed_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The day started off sunny and very cold. The frost on my window seemed eager to greet the morning sun.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9cjB8G" title="cloud mountain4"><img alt="cloud mountain4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3850/32085217163_dce3e4e899_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
As we headed south, we wondered if we were in for some interesting weather. A huge wall of clouds appeared like a small mountain range, silently punching its way into the sky. It was a pretty cold day (-14C/7F) with an even colder windchill. You can see how icy the fields were.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/022HgY" title="xcountry trail2"><img alt="xcountry trail2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3820/32519655280_85318ccccf_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
We weren't sure exactly where we were going to end up and once we arrived, we had difficulty finding the hiking trails anywhere near a logical place to park. So we kind of broke the rules and walked along the cross-country paths instead. The snow was very hard - icy, even and so we we knew we weren't going to be ruining any smooth skiing trails for anyone who came behind us.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/fdH9bK" title="frost and droplets"><img alt="frost and droplets" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/398/32776119331_249f98f61b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The sun was strong but lacked the power to coax the frost from my windows at home. A January deep freeze is undaunted by the vague, warming rays of a faraway spring.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/QnF50u" title="xcountry trail susan"><img alt="xcountry trail susan" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/425/32519664010_598a9380d2_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Susan led the way and when faced with a fork in the road, wisely avoided the path less taken. And yet - that didn't stop us from getting a little lost.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/u87Wx1" title="xcountry trail3"><img alt="xcountry trail3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3751/32057228704_18e5eec48d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Trails were not as clearly or logically marked as we thought and so we found ourselves zigging instead of zagging a time or two. One of those zig brought us up a steady incline overlooking much of the forest. You can see what we assumed was Lake Ontario in the distance.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2Cg13q" title="beech tree backlit2"><img alt="beech tree backlit2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2732/32899866925_39f0026065_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The sun shone brightly from behind the hardy leaves of a beech tree.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/oy8M23" title="frosty blue"><img alt="frosty blue" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3853/32776115851_b585d9f195_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Meanwhile, back at home, fairies celebrated their alone time by dancing and flying across my window panes.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/74u16S" title="pine cone marker"><img alt="pine cone marker" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/389/32057273104_bf3a7827d0_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A little pine cone branch set in the snow suggested that someone else might have thought it wise to mark their path.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/45oQW3" title="xcountry trail"><img alt="xcountry trail" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2753/32519659150_b38c997705_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
After a couple of head-scratching decisions, we finally felt certain we were on our last stretch of the hike and headed back to the parking spot. One day, I'll have to tell you how my friend Carol Anne and I managed to get lost in a paddleboat...<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/0cC38Y" title="Drive by shooting-"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2597/32899831165_5d7681436d_c.jpg" width="700" alt="Drive by shooting-"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Heading back home, Susan was driving so I took the opportunity to snap a few "drive-by shootings." There's something about an old barn that tends to catch my eye.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9Pa907" title="frosty tips"><img alt="frosty tips" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3696/32899920185_7af2d48907_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
While we motored along and explored the Ontario countryside, icy feathers teetered and swayed while exploring the terrain of a frosted window.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/442F9L" title="drive by shooting"><img alt="drive by shooting" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2344/32519673230_5eebe49fa6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A brief sighting of an old tree and aging structure will live on in a digital capture as we zoomed by.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2QTR98" title="drive by shooting3"><img alt="drive by shooting3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/697/32776055591_64524c6cbc_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
There's a lot going on in this image despite my having noticed very little of it when I clicked the shutter. The body of water is Rice Lake. I'm thinking that this place had a dock or two to dismantle and pile up for the winter, and probably a few boats to move to storage. Aside from some trailers, I see a barbecue, several propane tanks, a wheelbarrow, a bench looking out over the water, a bird feeder hanging near the bench, a weather vane on the small shed and a faux owl just to the right of the permanent section of the dock. The sign tells me that this place is part of the cottage and boat rental spot called <a href="https://www.advenbay.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">Adventure Bay</span></a> in Gore's Landing.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/V98e9F" title="night window view"><img alt="night window view" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2072/32859414716_931eaab665_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Nightfall also offers a moody view through my third floor window, though this one was taken back in December as you can tell by the Christmas tree lights.<br />
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I will be back before too long with more snowy pics, as our winter persists.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-39949687059022945782017-02-04T21:10:00.001-05:002017-02-05T16:19:38.767-05:00Clothes Line SagaAs you might have noticed, from time to time, I like to put aside some photos and possibly revisit a couple of older ones which make up a theme of sorts. This is one of those time. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/659Z9J" title="clotheline dish"><img alt="clotheline dish" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5772/30633727550_196b3f5014_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The blog post title is one of Nobel Prize winner, Bob Dylan's pieces. And the quotes beneath each of the following photos are all from that song.<br />
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This is a ceramic dish I saw at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, and it's what gave me the idea of a clothesline/laundry theme. Thomas Aitken designs the ceramics and Kate Hyde does the whimsical art. I hope you enjoy my version of laundry day.<br />
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Don't worry - I won't ask you to fold.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/253FB8" title="laundry on the line"><img alt="laundry on the line" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5549/22756734538_23bf701b15_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a while we took in the clothes</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nobody said very much</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which nobody wanted to touch</span></i></span></div>
Laundry drying in the fresh country air. As you can see the sun was setting and so it needed to come in before too much longer - though it probably stayed there until morning.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8L7UNZ" title="laundrymat"><img alt="laundrymat" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5749/30941103375_03ee392b33_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mama come in and picked up a book</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">An' papa asked her what it was</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Someone else asked "what do you care?"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Papa said "well, just because"</span></i></span></div>
A bench outside of a laundromat here in Peterborough. I've posted this image before but at that time, I opted to display it in black and white.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/e6udXL" title="clothesline2"><img alt="clothesline2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5782/30643865800_f02e08fdf7_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then they started to take back their clothes</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hang 'em on the line</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was January the thirtieth</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And everybody was feelin' fine</span></i></span></div>
I see this clothesline full of items regularly when I walk down to the
lake. It seems like most days are laundry day at their house.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/VVS59Z" title="colourful laundry2"><img alt="colourful laundry2" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5635/30935120005_aaa2de6114_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next day, everybody got up</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seein' if the clothes were dry</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mama, of course, she said "hi"</span></i></span></div>
These colourful towels belonged to Liz and Ron - my seasonal neighbours just down the road when I lived up on the lake. They're lovely, kind people. This photo was taken in May of 2015. I think they were just settling in for the summer.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/5m0a2k" title="clothespins7"><img alt="clothespins7" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5779/30633711600_d61755858a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Have you heard the news?" he said with a grin</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"the vice president's gone mad"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Where?" "downtown" "when?" "last night"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Hmm, say, that's too bad"</span></i></span></div>
Colourful clothespins dancing in the wind.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/63134f" title="towel line2"><img alt="towel line2" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5544/30846917921_c0952049e0_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Well, there's nothing we can do about it" said the neighbor</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"It's just something we're gonna have to forget"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Yes, I guess so" said ma</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet</span></i></span></div>
Another clothesline by the lake. And yes, the towels were probably still wet.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/q3Wtc6" title="clothesline"><img alt="clothesline" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5622/30935123935_63747eb2b5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I reached up, touched my shirt</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the neighbor said "are those clothes yours?"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I said "some of them, not all of them"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">He said "ya always help out around here with the chores?"</span></i></span></div>
This was in a public picnic area in a park near a walking path on the shores of Lake Ontario in Ajax.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Hj2Lpd" title="bras"><img alt="bras" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5539/30633993140_b062970e9b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I said "sometimes, not all of the time"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then my neighbor blew his nose</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just as papa yelled outside</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes"</span></i></span></div>
Peterborough showed support with over 7000 bras which adorned the walls of a local radio station for the 6th annual Bras Around the Building fundraiser. The campaign raised over $16,500 for breast cancer research this year. After the bras were all laundered, Seeds of Hope donated them to relief efforts in Haiti and Honduras.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/90U2Nd" title="laundry in the sun2"><img alt="laundry in the sun2" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5331/22756732398_db9a652cff_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, I just do what I'm told </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So I did it, of course</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I went back in the house and mama met me</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And then I shut all the doors</span></i></span></div>
See? I told you I wasn't going to ask you to fold. It's all doneHilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-91241045205488984712017-01-26T21:16:00.002-05:002017-01-26T21:16:56.811-05:00This Crisp Winter Air<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~John Burroughs</span></i></span></div>
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December and January have been roller coaster months as far as temperatures go. We've had bitter cold nights, unseasonably warm days and a fair bit of rain, freezing rain and snow. Below are some frosty window scenes interspersed with general images of winter in Peterborough.<br />
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Pour yourself a coffee, bundle up for the cold and enjoy the photos.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/190eWx" title="frosty3"><img alt="frosty3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/268/32289209066_2aabb29518_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The frost performs its secret ministry,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unhelped by any wind.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge</span></i></span></div>
A dull day serves as a monochrome backdrop for winter's fine artwork.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/39169p" title="little lake warm colours"><img alt="little lake warm colours" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/523/32208596011_b3d87c5363_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank goodness for the first snow, it was a reminder--no matter how old you became and how much you'd seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered. ~ Candace Bushnell</span></i></span></div>
A crisp winter morning along the shores of Little Lake<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/51uM3Y" title="frost"><img alt="frost" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/550/31953155170_c76132d347_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How beautiful thy frosty morn,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When brilliant gems each feathery thorn!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Bernard Barton</span></i></span></div>
This is how my window appeared one morning as the sun was just beginning to rise.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Kk376E" title="exclamation point"><img alt="exclamation point" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/550/31486235324_706490230c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Carl Reiner</span></i></span></div>
Every now and then, Donald Trump actually forgets to end one of his tweets with an exclamation point. Here's one which escaped his incessant Twitter fingers. This errant, frozen punctuation mark was found floating past the Peterborough shoreline. "Sad!"<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/vTy9z0" title="night frost4"><img alt="night frost4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/660/31517763943_88095485e0_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The frost performs its secret ministry,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unhelped by any wind.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge</span></i></span></div>
This frosty window with the moon behind it reminded me of lemmings about to throw themselves off a cliff. Thankfully. there's a feathery-soft landing awaiting them.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/GX5tDv" title="winter waterfront"><img alt="winter waterfront" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/407/31486161854_3dff033884_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winter lies too long in country towns; hangs on until it is stale and shabby, old and sullen. ~ Willa Cather</span></i></span></div>
The view across the river and lake will take your eye to the east side of the city where Quaker Oats is busy churning out overly-sweet-smelling oatmeal.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/13mRa0" title="icy window 2"><img alt="icy window 2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/350/32289205326_47363e0afe_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What miracle of weird transforming</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is this wild work of frost and light,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This glimpse of glory infinite?</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Greenleaf Whittier</span></i></span></div>
There was a lot of ice on our streets on this day. We'd had hours of freezing rain overnight and we awoke to this on our window panes. My son, Alex was staying with me and had plans to drive home that day. <a href="http://www.ptbocanada.com/journal/2016/12/26/heres-a-guy-skating-on-a-peterborough-road" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">This page</span></a> which appeared in my Facebook feed convinced him to wait until the day warmed enough for a significant melt. The first video shows a kid zooming past my apartment building. I could see both Alex's car and my own in the parking lots. Do <a href="http://www.ptbocanada.com/journal/2016/12/26/heres-a-guy-skating-on-a-peterborough-road" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">click</span></a>. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/628Jr9" title="concrete couch through laneway"><img alt="concrete couch through laneway" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/469/32289233826_d1b3a77f99_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery. ~ Bill Watterson</span></i></span></div>
This is a peek between two buildings belonging to the Art Gallery of Peterborough. That sofa sits out there facing the lake all year long - it's made of concrete.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/oN12Aw" title="moon frost2"><img alt="moon frost2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/690/32328283685_7ace347a20_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One breathy vowel</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">mists the glass warming window</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">panes crystallized with snow</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Robin Glasse</span></i></span></div>
Another moonshot with a confusion of images etched into the frost. What do you see?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/LzL8B3" title="Swinging"><img alt="Swinging" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/759/32178277752_410af266ae_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? ~ J.B. Priestley</span></i></span></div>
The kids' playground is mostly abandoned throughout winter. Swing seats are padded with fresh puffs of snow.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/s93870" title="frosty2"><img alt="frosty2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/580/32208608001_cddd074d3d_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One winter morning I awoke to see magnificent lines of frost stretching across my window panes. They seemed to rise with the sunshine and the bitter cold outside. They looked like little miracles that had been formed in the dark of the night. I watched them in sheer amazement and marveled that such beautiful forms could be born during such a winter-cold night. ~ Joyce Rupp</span></i></span></div>
I find it difficult to stop taking photos of my frosty windows. If winter is lemons, this is my lemonade.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/436E04" title="bare trees"><img alt="bare trees" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/499/32289357146_882b79b362_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winter teetered on the verge of succumbing to the returning sun, but today the breeze still preferred the touch of snowflakes. ~ Rue</span></i></span></div>
Bare branches against the partly-cloudy sky. Some days it only takes a matter of moments until you have entirely different weather.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4Fu02B" title="moon frost3"><img alt="moon frost3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/353/31486187204_679833886a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">These Winter nights against my window-pane</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nature with busy pencil draws designs</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of ferns and blossoms and fine spray of pines,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Oak-leaf and acorn and fantastic vines,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which she will make when summer comes again--</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Quaint arabesques in argent, flat and cold,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like curious Chinese etchings.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Thomas Bailey Aldrich</span></i></span></div>
It looked to me like birds landing atop the cedars but it's only the frost so delightfully backlit by the moon.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/m5sZh2" title="wintry little lake2"><img alt="wintry little lake2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/564/31517739783_73be9ad9a8_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Burroughs</span></i></span></div>
Snowy shoreline on a late winter afternoon. The gulls and ducks seem unaffected by the cold.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/T2kCyV" title="night frost3"><img alt="night frost3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/297/31517772083_a28a687521_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Frost grows on the window glass, forming whorl patterns of lovely translucent geometry.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Breathe on the glass, and you give frost more ammunition.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now it can build castles and cities and whole ice continents with your breath's vapor.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a few blinks you can almost see the winter fairies moving in . . .</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But first, you hear the crackle of their wings.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Vera Nazarian</span></i></span></div>
One more moonlit frosted window. Let your imagination take flight.<br />
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I'll have more winter images for you before too much longer. No doubt there will be more frosted windows among them. More coffee?Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-48837779689995539302017-01-19T11:43:00.001-05:002017-01-19T11:43:56.691-05:00Each Night A Luster<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kindle the taper like the steadfast star ablaze on evening's forehead o'er the earth, and add each night a luster till afar an eightfold splendor shine above thy hearth. ~ Emma Lazarus</span></i></span></div>
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So we're a little past the holiday season and as usual, I'm behind in posting my photos. I hope you'll bear with me as I share images from the the eight nights of Hanukkah. A few photos from a recent day trip to Mississauga will be sprinkled in with them.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/A48768" title="Hanukkah first night 2016"><img alt="Hanukkah first night 2016" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/541/32312292806_cf79433f49_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Hanukkah, the first dark night, light yourself a candle bright. I'll you, if you will me invite, to dance within that gentle light.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Nicholas Gordon</span></i></span></div>
First Night: The menorah is all set to share the scene with a small Christmas tree in the background and a bottle of wine closer at hand.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/62u860" title="wabukayne"><img alt="wabukayne" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/572/32231698621_f8bdce2ae6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bare branches of each tree</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">on this chilly January morn</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">look so cold so forlorn.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gray skies dip ever so low</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">left from yesterday's dusting of snow.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yet in the heart of each tree</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">waiting for each who wait to see</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">new life as warm sun and breeze will blow,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">like magic, unlock springs sap to flow,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">buds, new leaves, then blooms will grow.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Nelda Hartmann</span></i></span></div>
Beautiful Lake Wabukayne. My son, Alex and I took a tour around my old neighbourhood. This was the small lake in Mississauga where I spent countless hours photographing creatures of all kinds - just steps from my old door. We were in town for a family Hanukkah party and had a bit of time to kill. What better way than to take a walk around the paths of our past?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/hJ51Wd" title="Hanukkah second night 2016"><img alt="Hanukkah second night 2016" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/539/32312411416_25666e468d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. ~Chinese Proverb</span></i></span></div>
Second Night: Night number two landed on Christmas. Alex was with me and you can see that plates were piled high with turkey, potatoes and other goodies. Wine and gravy each wait their turn to be poured, and a wine goblet makes a nice home for my spiced orange flavoured cranberry sauce.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/14a3cs" title="Wabukayne bird hours"><img alt="Wabukayne bird hours" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/256/31974799100_6f28325575_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show. ~ Andrew Wyeth</span></i></span></div>
Here's a new addition to my old surroundings. Many of the trees around the lake have acquired bird houses. That should help encourage nesting for the winged lovelies.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7925BZ" title="Hanukkah third night2 2016"><img alt="Hanukkah third night2 2016" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/688/31540479523_8f2ca551b5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Put on your yarmulke, Here comes Hanukkah! So much funukah, To celebrate Hanukkah! ~ Adam Sandler</span></i></span></div>
Third Night: Hanukkah humour to tickle the funny bone. Both cards came from neighbours.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/gNN436" title="Wabukayne my trees"><img alt="Wabukayne my trees" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/734/32231633371_50f0a1cb31_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The trees down the boulevard stand naked in thought,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Their abundant summery wordage silenced, caught</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the grim undertow; naked the trees confront</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Implacable winter's long, cross-questioning brunt.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ D. H. Lawrence</span></i></span></div>
My beautiful trees, still standing sentry for those who walk the paths of Wabukayne. I have photographed this spot so many times - in every season.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/048UA1" title="Hanukkah fourth night 2016"><img alt="Hanukkah fourth night 2016" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/506/32231425141_e26946cdf7_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The darkness of the whole world cannot swallow the glowing of a candle. ~ Robert Altinger</span></i></span></div>
Fourth Night: Reminders of dragonflies in summer - and an owl that doesn't give a hoot which season we're in.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/sL52n7" title="snowy bench"><img alt="snowy bench" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/456/31540519893_c46f681ef8_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Winter frowned</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Its icy eyebrows</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Florentin Smarandache</span></i></span></div>
There are far better seasons to stop and sit.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/TaY27B" title="Hanukkah fifth night2 2016"><img alt="Hanukkah fifth night2 2016" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/611/32312345296_2884f7a602_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You are such a light. ~ Moshe Davis</span></i></span></div>
Fifth Night: This fan belonged to my maternal Grandmother. It adorns a window ledge along with other keepsakes - a tiny set of brass goblets and decanter from my mother, tea candle holders and an old oil can from yard sales.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/0M75QM" title="Wabukayne 2"><img alt="Wabukayne 2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/546/32231605281_b2f35c0b99_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the bleak midwinter</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Frosty wind made moan,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Earth stood hard as iron,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Water like a stone;</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snow had fallen, snow on snow,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snow on snow,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the bleak midwinter,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Long ago.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Christina Rossetti</span></i></span></div>
I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to revisit my beautiful oasis, from time to time.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/y53VRo" title="Hanukkah sixth night 2016-4"><img alt="Hanukkah sixth night 2016-4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/611/31509262114_e2c3ccaedc_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, near the Winter Solstice, it is good to light candles. All the nice meanings of bringing light to the world can be beautiful. But perhaps we are concentrating on lighting the world because we don't know how to light up our own lives. ~ Ralph Levy</span></i></span></div>
Sixth Night: A different window ledge and a small collection of turquoise and blue.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1fwP9c" title="spindleberries"><img alt="spindleberries" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/607/32201545472_cf8f785a33_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I please myself with the graces of the winter scenery, and believe that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></i></span></div>
The Spindle berries were only beginning to fade around the edges. They keep their colour so beautifully through the earlier part of winter.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2958G7" title="Hanukkah seventh night 2016 3"><img alt="Hanukkah seventh night 2016 3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/748/32312374216_01291fe3ba_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most Texans think Hanukkah is some sort of duck call. ~ Richard Lewis</span></i></span></div>
Seventh Night: Once again the tree makes its appearance in the background and a couple of birds enjoy the glow of the almost-full menorah.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/451y8F" title="milkweed pod"><img alt="milkweed pod" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/671/32231611641_ab2d007292_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is deep January. The sky is hard.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The stalks are firmly rooted in ice.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is in this solitude, a syllable,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Out of these gawky flitterings,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Intones its single emptiness,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The savagest hollow of winter-sound.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Wallace Stevens</span></i></span></div>
A solitary milkweed pod soaking up some of the winter afternoon sunlight.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/75HfaS" title="Hanukkah eighth night 2016"><img alt="Hanukkah eighth night 2016" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/695/31974576030_3804fe4d9c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Colourful candles burning bright, each lit on eight very special nights. ~ Unknown</span></i></span></div>
Eighth Night: This is the first year that I can remember being home for all eight nights of Hanukkah. On this final evening, I am glad to be able to share the kindling of the candles with all of you. Thank you for joining me for this season of light - here on the blog and in Facebook.<br />
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More winter photos coming up before you can say "Jack Frost."Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-23389612855904834342017-01-12T20:58:00.001-05:002017-01-12T20:58:44.749-05:00I Am Grateful<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #45818e;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I live in a loving, abundant, harmonious, universe and I am grateful.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~ Louise Hay</span></i></span></div>
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One day, between Christmas and New Year's Day, I decided to go out into the the freshly-fallen snow for a bit of a wander. The temperature was pleasant enough and I figured I would end up at one of my two usual destinations. I headed south for the river but while walking along the sidewalk, I happened to notice something which had somehow eluded me before. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4525pf" title="laneway"><img alt="laneway" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/439/32118765631_c0439c1fb2_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A lane. A simple lane which paralleled the streets on either side of it. A walking space between the fences of neighbourhood back yards. The fresh snow made it stand out to me and I decided to accept its unspoken invitation to walk it instead of my originally intended destination. An intense wave of nostalgia washed over me, bringing me back to my childhood in Montreal where so many of these back street lanes existed. We often walked much of our way home from school through one lane or another. I felt very grateful for this wistful memory, and now I know that I will have to explore Peterborough much more carefully from now on.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/6x4H2u" title="cutie daughter father snowman"><img alt="cutie daughter father snowman" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/470/32118773911_96be418e8d_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
As I exited the lane, I decided to zig instead of zag. This brought me another gift on this lovely winter's day. A father and child were busy putting finishing touches on their snowy masterpiece.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/i26WS0" title="cutie with snowman2"><img alt="cutie with snowman2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/731/32088859592_14704775bc_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The little girl was quick to advise me that she had done almost all of this creation herself. Dad stood back and allowed me to engage his sweet daughter in chitchat, and I learned all about the importance of having the right eyes, nose and apparel when planning to make a snowman.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/575308" title="sidewalk ends"><img alt="sidewalk ends" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/286/31861763250_60629abb27_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I continued along the same street and came upon its apparent end - or so the sign said.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4k3101" title="toward lock 19"><img alt="toward lock 19" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/484/31427226983_d2aa8340db_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The sidewalk may have ended but the walking path did not. I have been walking in this area for nearly a year and a half but I never opted to walk in this direction along this particular street before. This brought me to gift number three.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/245p83" title="lock 19 Scotts Mills3"><img alt="lock 19 Scotts Mills3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/399/32237386845_9fa362ec86_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This lovely walking path along the river's edge was leading up to one of Peterborough's many locks - #19 in Scott's Mills.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/D8owYY" title="lock 19 Scotts Mills2"><img alt="lock 19 Scotts Mills2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/321/32088857482_2888dedfc6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The locks are only in use during the warmer months but it still made for an interesting outing and an unexpected treat just a few minutes from my place.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/7EXBRG" title="picnic on hold"><img alt="picnic on hold" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/341/31427277093_ae3d602650_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Of course, picnics were also on hold for the winter. These tables were set up a little like dominoes.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/y0zW10" title="near lock 19"><img alt="near lock 19" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/468/32118758661_b66a6ec0ae_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
On the way back, I stopped to admire a fallen tree dusted by the recent snow.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/y81GnR" title="droplets and snow"><img alt="droplets and snow" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/681/32088778032_9f4b8c5af4_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The day was warming up a bit and snow was beginning to melt despite new flakes gently adding to the landscape.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/FP25bq" title="cuties snowman2"><img alt="cuties snowman2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/341/32118770271_f8b31dc496_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Hopefully the snowman lasted a few more days.<br />
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I returned to the locks again a few days later, and I'll have some of those photos for you, among others, before too long. <br />
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Thank you, Universe for bestowing these three gift upon me on that day.<br />
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I am indeed grateful.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-87331157873052415952017-01-03T09:46:00.001-05:002017-01-03T09:46:33.309-05:00In an Ordinary Place<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them. ~ Elliot Erwitt</span></i></span></div>
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Once again, I have an odd collection of items kind of left over on my drive. Some of them are food related (yeah, food leftovers!) and others are just oddities that caught my attention for one reason or another. <br />
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Let's start with food - in case you're hungry and are trying to decide what to eat.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4J25jN" title="MexiQuinoa7"><img alt="MexiQuinoa7" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5556/31044954911_3fa376b872_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is one of those one minute video recipes you find in Facebook from time to time. When I happen upon one, I usually watch it, think that it sounds good and then promptly forget about it. In this case, I decided to save the page and cook it up. I might have altered <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">the recipe</span></a> to suit what I had - I definitely left out the cilantro because I'm one of that small percentage of the population who has an aversion to it - that stuff tastes like burnt plastic to me. I kept the avocado out of the cooking process so it would be less mushy. I just added it on top in the end, ground some pepper over it and sprinkled it with fresh lime. Delicious!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1mA34Z" title="fresh eggs"><img alt="fresh eggs" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5690/31044975161_ca5f0e903a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>More food in the form of fresh eggs from Carol Anne and Michael's chickens which reside in their back yard. I keep all my suitable fresh food scraps for them and in return, I'll get occasional egg offerings.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/01Y2M9" title="fresh eggs4"><img alt="fresh eggs4" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5693/31123303706_2c4a500565_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And they're pretty yummy!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/80z7YE" title="egg muffins"><img alt="egg muffins" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5524/31015479142_571d7f3974_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This was a recipe I once got from my favourite namesake over at <a href="http://crazyasaloom.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Crazy as a Loom</span></a>. Essentially, they're scrambled eggs baked in muffin cups. I have no idea what I've done with that recipe but there are plenty of options available online. They took a little more time and care than standard scrambled eggs do, but they worked out well and were fun to have for company.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/D3t6gn" title="What is it"><img alt="What is it" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5348/31044940701_f5f298e66c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Let's have a bit of fun. No scrolling any further now - what do you think this is?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3na4x5" title="What it is"><img alt="What it is" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5523/30338092924_57c6b4d7be_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Did you guess? This concludes our breakfast theme for today. Grab that cup of hot coffee and enjoy the rest of the post.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/hS479y" title="maynooth"><img alt="maynooth" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5665/31159272305_657f97e2b4_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This was a fun little shop in the small town of Maynooth, just north of where I had been living for a couple of years.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/2GH409" title="Herc3"><img alt="Herc3" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5447/31044967721_7c3485c8b6_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I was on a small lakefront beach, south of Bancroft when this Hercules jet made one of its semi-regular, fairly low, thundering flyovers in the summer of 2015.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/gAv98H" title="Unintentional Placement"><img alt="Unintentional Placement" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5455/31044942281_c7b7ed31c5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is a cell phone capture. I was waiting in my doctor's office a couple of years ago when I noticed these two unrelated information flyers clipped to the wall. I was certain that someone with a sense of humour had placed them together like that intentionally but when I pointed it out to the nurse practitioner, she assured me that she had hung them herself and had never noticed how one seemed to reach into the other. Gotta love the unintentional but amusing placement.<br />
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Because of the kind of business he's in, my younger son, Alex meets a
lot of performers and he very rarely gets starstruck. He has taken meeting
some very big musical names in stride. This past July 1, he excitedly
texted me from a Canada Day show he was doing with "I just got Fred
Penner's AUTOGRAPH!!" For non-Canadians, the only American children's
entertainer to whom I could possible compare Fred Penner is another Fred
- Mr. Rogers. They have similar philosophies and concern for kids'
self-esteem. Plus, he's a singer and songwriter, actor and author. His
CBC morning television show through the 1990s, Fred Penner's Place was
must-see TV for my boys. And their dad and I made sure that his music
was often played in the car during road trips - even after the kids had
nodded off to sleep. Anyway, it was no surprise to me that the wonderful
<a href="http://fredpenner.com/biography/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"> Fred Penner</span></a> had made such a deep and long-lasting impression on my
unflappable, heavy metal-loving son. And my other boy was also pleased
and impressed that Alex got to meet him. I can't blame them one bit.<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Jdw27L" title="Fred Penner signature"><img alt="Fred Penner signature" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5481/31123306486_8d0d18dc16_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Anyway, this is where Alex happened to collect his autograph - on the back of his cell phone's Otter Box which he now leaves at home so he won't compromise the signature. Never mind that his phone is now vulnerable - the autograph is safe!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/mjv0sA" title="Skitty glasses"><img alt="Skitty glasses" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5791/31044947451_5eee297e3b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
A few years ago, I uploaded a couple of photos of my cats to order my own cosmetic bag design. I use it all the time. This is my dear, departed Skitty on the front and there's an image of Zephyr on the other side. On this day, I had briefly taken off my glasses for some reason and laid them to rest on the zippered bag. It was only when I looked down to reclaim them that I noticed that it appeared as if Skitty boy was wearing them. He was always a very amusing cat and even though he's gone, he still manages to make me laugh. I deeply miss that sweet boy.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/FQ2iet" title="Little Lake Sunset"><img alt="Little Lake Sunset" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5339/31123298486_349b1b485c_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I'll close with a photo I took with my phone one day a year ago, when walking around Little Lake with Carol Anne. It was one of those rare times that I didn't have my camera but my phone still came through for me.<br />
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Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that 2017 is a great year for one and all!Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-42145309891608918862016-12-23T11:36:00.001-05:002016-12-23T11:36:59.662-05:00Ways of Expression<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everyone has their own ways of expression. I believe we all have a lot to say, but finding ways to say it is more than half the battle.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ Criss Jami</span></i></span></div>
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I'm tying in a bit of miscellany here. Some of this post is about creativity and some about nature. The photos are from September through November.<br />
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Back in September, Peterborough Artsweek was in full swing. That meant that we could take day tours of artists' studios all around the city and surrounding area. We could enjoy a guided nighttime tour to various downtown storefronts where local artists displayed their work. And we could wander around designated areas in town and hear live music. All for free. <br />
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On this day, I had been heading toward home from touring some of the studios with my friend, Susan when I got a text from my dear friend, Carol Anne suggesting that we wander around her part of town where Porchapalooza was taking place. This meant that everyone gathered on and around the front lawn of a designated home where they'd be entertained by various performers. As each set was done, the audience would move on to another porch, where chairs were set up for a different performance. Susan had things to do, so I was on my own.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/sy2ZdH" title="porchapalooza"><img alt="porchapalooza" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5768/31147439895_22f1113cec_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>I was a bit late to the event but caught this one local artist - <a href="http://www.electriccitymagazine.ca/2015/08/evangeline-gentle-emerging-artist/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Evangeline Gentle</span></a>. Her music was folksy, vulnerable and very impressive. She is the recipient of Peterborough's Folk Festival's 2015 Emerging Artist Award. She defines her songs as expressing "my queer bleeding heart," and I very much enjoyed her music.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Y8n9ju" title="Sunflower3"><img alt="Sunflower3" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5694/31147433855_8ddee0c37b_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The day was cooling down and it was going to be some time between her porch performance and the next, so I decided to wander back up to where I was parked to grab some warmer clothes. I saw a small cluster of sunflowers along the way.<br />
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From somewhere nearby, I could hear music and laughter. I followed the sound over to the Ashburnham Ale House where <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmnI3LVgAoQ" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;">The Three Martinis</span></a> were performing their jovial musical improv. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/ngDDfM" title="Dan Fewings - Three Martinis"><img alt="Dan Fewings - Three Martinis" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5326/31003714202_f3671ec099_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The lead singer was this guy, Dan Fewings and I'm not sure I can express how hilarious and entertaining he was. He made songs up on the spot based on audience suggestions for "never before written songs." I snapped a few photos and discovered that in some of them, Carol Anne and Michael were visible in the background enjoying his humour while trying to get my attention. I joined them for the next hour or two of pure fun.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/504193" title="Martinis Tiny Dancer"><img alt="Martinis Tiny Dancer" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5482/30326002594_fc4ab27cfe_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Fewings had a way of engaging the audience and passersby alike - making their very presence and activities part of the song lyrics. This tiny dancer was as entertaining as he was amused. I would most definitely see The Three Martinis again if I had the chance. Each show would be entirely different because the lyrics are made up on the spot and incredibly funny, to boot!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/j4596R" title="hawkins"><img alt="hawkins" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5676/30779492210_d6571fccb5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The Pathway of Fame is a series of markers for recognized contributors (artistic, scientific, political.. etc.) to Peterborough, such as this one for Ronnie Hawkins, which can be found through the walkways of Del Crary Park. I snapped this one while strolling with my sister, Andrea and brother-in-law, Bill when they visited in October.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/55493T" title="totem pole3"><img alt="totem pole3" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5638/31003675282_40c9ad0d20_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is part of the property at Whetung Ojibway Centre in Curve Lake, Ontario - about twenty kilometres from home. I accompanied Carol Anne and Michael there on their quest to find moccasins. They were both successful, and I scored a simple dream catcher necklace. The colourful totem pole is one way to continue breathing life into our trees.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Fjk888" title="warm light"><img alt="warm light" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5649/31033076521_092098d308_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Like this one which filtered the mid-morning sunshine so beautifully on an exceptionally mild November day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/724T9K" title="autumnish"><img alt="autumnish" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5803/31111388116_605b7e1fa3_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
On that same mild day, these fall decorations probably knew their days were numbered and that they would soon have to make way for winter and Christmas finery. I did like the sign over to the right which was welcoming felines.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/4y1aTq" title="discarded poppies"><img alt="discarded poppies" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5728/31111381026_9015ba65f1_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Windblown leaves and discarded poppies on a front step, just outside of the Curve Lake shop. Yes, I'm all over the place with this post!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/CQ50cS" title="late blomer"><img alt="late blomer" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5661/30779486810_344ed11b52_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This late blooming rose was soaking up the afternoon sunshine outside of a home near my place, on the last day of October. I was out walking with my friend, Lloyd when it beckoned to my camera.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/R180R1" title="window view dusk"><img alt="window view dusk" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5730/31033069511_f495f0b5f4_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And this is how a mid-November dusk appears outside of my window. The clouds were colourful in the eastern sky.<br />
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There will be more photos coming up before too much longer.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-28561483383039228182016-12-12T18:08:00.001-05:002016-12-12T18:08:28.175-05:00The Lazy Mist<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So dull and dark are the November days.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The lazy mist high up the evening curled,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The place we occupy seems all the world."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Clare</span></i></span></div>
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A week into November, the day started off sunny and bright. I made some coffee and settled in at my desk to check email and to see what was happening on social media. Time passed and I was probably about to pour a second cup when I turned to look out the window. No more sunshine. But no real cloud. It had become rather foggy, and the sunlight was ever so slightly visible on the edge of the haze. Time to grab the camera and head out.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/89V45n" title="foggy morning"><img alt="foggy morning" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5757/31031675151_dc87bd8c3e_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I wandered around the neighbourhood for a while. The sun was already threatening to burn through the mist and I decided to make my way to the river.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3o71XY" title="foggy morning2"><img alt="foggy morning2" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5688/30778091060_08e6e8bf53_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Although the air was crisp enough between the bench and where I was standing, I could scarcely make out the opposite river bank.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/u4X895" title="foggy morning7"><img alt="foggy morning7" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5699/31002269042_75c3638182_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The view came into focus a bit better once I reached the shore.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/h17aiN" title="foggy morning3"><img alt="foggy morning3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5582/31002285272_7162d2a3f3_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Bare trees and misty air. Cold - and yet comforting.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/AQK7PM" title="foggy morning5"><img alt="foggy morning5" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5484/31002281222_3f9179719a_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
It wasn't long before the sun brought brighter colours into view.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3d0399" title="foggy morning6"><img alt="foggy morning6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5443/31109938056_2908364e2b_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The day soon resumed as it had started - in full sunshine.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/16415x" title="tiny chain"><img alt="tiny chain" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5711/30324556654_d07ec845b4_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Ten days later, on November 18th, the day warmed up to near-summer temperatures. I needed nothing warmer than a t-shirt for my walk.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/91Euvn" title="fence to the river"><img alt="fence to the river" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5793/31031878761_ab0e54557e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
I wandered in areas both familiar and less so. This was one of the latter.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/jf5nfD" title="river view"><img alt="river view" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5548/31002257392_786c08e210_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The day smelled like spring, felt like summer, looked like autumn...<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/Pr77vr" title="ornaments"><img alt="ornaments" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5666/30339526283_fffb155396_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
...and yet, in anticipation of winter, people were taking the opportunity to decorate for Christmas.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/q4Bps9" title="rings"><img alt="rings" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5343/30324571564_1b2de48d34_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Despite the unseasonal warmth, the playground was devoid of kidlets.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/63Y5WY" title="mallard drake"><img alt="mallard drake" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5724/31109928446_1345780cc0_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The ducks were strutting around as if they had somehow managed to sidestep winter altogether. I might have been doing likewise.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8S55WB" title="window view dusk colour bump"><img alt="window view dusk colour bump" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5716/31002249392_a9318a0eb5_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The end of a perfect day.<br />
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Reality returned two days later with below-freezing temperatures, very strong winds and a little more than a dusting of snow. But it sure was nice while it lasted.<br />
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More photos coming up before too long.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2629654067597010887.post-35794303960590685322016-12-05T10:25:00.000-05:002016-12-05T10:25:54.174-05:00Nature's Peace<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">~ John Muir</span></i></span></div>
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So as usual, I'm at least a half season behind with my posts. I'm guessing that you won't mind too much if we revisit the golden hues of autumn as she appeared just a few weeks ago. These few hours were spent around Little Lake - just a twenty minute walk from my place.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/h03m26" title="gold on blue"><img alt="gold on blue" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5508/30771397510_74926ac1ff_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This vivid contrast of yellow and blue greeted me just outside of the Peterborough Art Gallery, one sunny afternoon.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/r56N9T" title="backlit leaf"><img alt="backlit leaf" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5730/31102387966_8dab1b73c9_b.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is one of its leaves back lit by the sun. I bumped up the contrast a bit.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/j46198" title="autumn in the park"><img alt="autumn in the park" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5347/31138661305_cee24f2134_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Many but not most of the leaves had fallen by then. They're all gone now that it's a few weeks later. But this was then.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3p1282" title="across little lake2"><img alt="across little lake2" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5347/30317402804_9453a82b77_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Across Little Lake, the trees were lit with gold as the afternoon sunlight breathed its fire on them.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/04LDhq" title="paddling the treetops"><img alt="paddling the treetops" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5780/30317374664_32f896422e_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
In a matching coloured kayak, this boater paddled into their brilliant reflection.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/8g9T4C" title="waiting for a picnic"><img alt="waiting for a picnic" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5639/30317372014_7ff4186eef_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Just one week after, most of the leaves had fallen but there were a few holdouts who were keeping their picnic tables available for a hopeful outdoor lunch.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/82Ko12" title="steps to little lake"><img alt="steps to little lake" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5798/30331507093_86fa4512d5_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This is the same tree you saw in the first image. One week and strong winds made all the difference.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/3r7a96" title="bird clouds"><img alt="bird clouds" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5562/31102381436_687157fe1d_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The clouds above the dock reminded me of white birds taking off in flight.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/9V7G31" title="bird clouds - then this happened"><img alt="bird clouds - then this happened" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5666/31138642165_b30ffa61c2_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
And then this happened.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/1f54ow" title="wispy"><img alt="wispy" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5736/31102332616_30f456b8ee_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
This wispy stem was gently blown about in the breeze, challenging me to freeze it for just a second.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/56455393@N07/q3ws2u" title="window view dusk2"><img alt="window view dusk2" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5480/31138614375_d5582349a2_h.jpg" width="700" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
The evening proudly wore her autumn best in the eastern sky, promising another day to enjoy with camera in hand.<br />
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I'll see you with those images soon. Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.com32