Overnight Getaway and No Posts of the Week

Once again, I apologise for being rather far behind with my blog visits and therefore the POTW. I'll catch up eventually - I usually do. And when I do, I'll be collecting some great posts to share with you, once again.

I hate dragging you all out here for nothing, so I'll share three photos which were taken when Frank and I took an overnight trip to a nearby town. We'd been there once before and enjoyed it enough to revisit. It was meant to be a Valentine's Day treat but both of us were quite under the weather on that date, so we postponed it until a few days later. The bonus was that we didn't need restaurant reservations.

And the romance! How could you top the two of us propped up by pillows, coughing up lungs and blowing our noses which were buried in our phones trying to figure out the best letter placement for Words With Friends (a Scrabble-like game). Yeah, it was great.

I jest, of course. We had a lovely time despite not feeling top-notch, and as always, I look forward to our next adventure.

This was our view from the balcony. There was a misty rain which seemed more fog-like when we peered out at the lights across the Trent river.

It stopped raining enough so that we scarecly needed an umbrella for the ten minute walk to the restaurant. By the time we returned from our wonderful dinner, it had cleared some. Off to the right, you can see the downtown bridge which spans the narrow Trent.

And this was one of the views from inside our motel room. It's the floor lamp and the interesting shadows it created, as I saw it reflected in a mirror on the opposite wall. If you squint you can also see Frank hunched over his laptop.

I should have some more photos for you tomorrow and hopefully the POTW will return next week.

Shadows and Light

It was time for a change - long overdue for this blog which hasn't had a face lift since it started over two and a half years ago. The yard sale critters header is gone and in its place one of my favourite photos of a rose which grew in my front yard a couple of years ago. You can see the post which talks about that rose here.

The photos below are from a recent trip to Campbelford - a small town situated on the Trent river in southern Ontario. All of them depict shadows and light. This new layout now allows for larger images than I had before. They'll still increase in size a bit if you click on them.

"You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in." ~ Arlo Guthrie

A late afternoon walk across the bridge which spans the Trent river. The sunlight produced some interesting shadows through the guard rails.

“For light, I go directly to the Source of light, not to any of the reflections.”
~ Peace Pilgrim

Just a few hours later, we walked into town near the edge of the river. Colourful lights dotted the opposite shore.

“Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides.” ~ Junichiro Tanizaki

A nearby chair at the restaurant where we had a very pleasant dinner.

“There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle” ~ Robert Alden.

And here's part of what made it such an enjoyable meal. My Shiraz, Frank's beer and the candlelight - each providing their own warm glow.

“There's something about shadows because you make your own mind up about what's lurking in them.” ~ Richard O'Brien

I hadn't noticed the pair of glasses folded up beside the lamp until I uploaded the photos. I was simply trying to capture the light and shadow.

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.” ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

We walked past a beautiful old home which was being renovated. This stained glass window caught my eye, begging to be photographed.

“It was still quite light out of doors, but inside with the curtains drawn and the smoldering fire sending out a dim, uncertain glow, the room was full of deep shadows.” ~ Kate Chopin

Early the following morning, the rising sun revealed this pattern on the motel room drapes. There was a sunrise happening on the other side...

“Shadows are in reality, when the sun is shining, the most conspicuous thing in a landscape, next to the highest lights.” ~ Bayard Ruskin

A peek to the right presented the rich colours of the early sunlight.

“I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time..” ~ Emily Dickinson

And across the river, a beautiful start to another perfect day.