So You Walk

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?

No, you cannot explain. So you walk. ~ Author Unknown

The following photos were taken during various walks throughout December and January. I hope you enjoy the stroll.


Daybreak brought some rich colour to the morning sky as seen from my apartment window. The vertical line is just a reflection from inside.






My feet first brought me down to the Otonabee River where the sunlight sparkled on the water.






There's a vague promise of spring in the daylight.






The view facing north from the lock.


And a bit of an idea of how quickly that water is rushing.






Not someplace I'd fancy losing hold of my camera.






Heading back along the riverbank, let's make our way through town and to Little Lake.






This sign in front of a driveway amused me.






You can see some open water in the distance but much of the lake was frozen over and snowed upon.






The empty docks await the return of boaters in late spring or early summer. That's when the city comes alive again.






Did you know that Batman is alive and well, and living in Peterborough?






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.

More photos coming up before too much longer.

I Am Grateful

I live in a loving, abundant, harmonious, universe and I am grateful.

~ Louise Hay

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. 


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.






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.






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.






I continued along the same street and came upon its apparent end - or so the sign said.






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.






This lovely walking path along the river's edge was leading up to one of Peterborough's many locks - #19 in Scott's Mills.






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.






Of course, picnics were also on hold for the winter. These tables were set up a little like dominoes.






On the way back, I stopped to admire a fallen tree dusted by the recent snow.






The day was warming up a bit and snow was beginning to melt despite new flakes gently adding to the landscape.






Hopefully the snowman lasted a few more days.

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.

Thank you, Universe for bestowing these three gift upon me on that day.

I am indeed grateful.

The Lazy Mist

So dull and dark are the November days.

The lazy mist high up the evening curled,

And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;

The place we occupy seems all the world."

~ John Clare

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.


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.






Although the air was crisp enough between the bench and where I was standing, I could scarcely make out the opposite river bank.






The view came into focus a bit better once I reached the shore.






Bare trees and misty air. Cold - and yet comforting.






It wasn't long before the sun brought brighter colours into view.






The day soon resumed as it had started - in full sunshine.






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.






I wandered in areas both familiar and less so. This was one of the latter.






The day smelled like spring, felt like summer, looked like autumn...






...and yet, in anticipation of winter,  people were taking the opportunity to decorate for Christmas.






Despite the unseasonal warmth, the playground was devoid of kidlets.






The ducks were strutting around as if they had somehow managed to sidestep winter altogether. I might have been doing likewise.






The end of a perfect day.

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.

More photos coming up before too long.

Among Trees

I am at home among trees.

~J.R.R. Tolkien

Spring is such an enchanting season. The sun is warm. The grass is green. Flowers are blooming. And the trees have both blossoms and leaves. Let's visit some of those trees, shall we?

In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,

Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

~ Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

This wonderful view of the Otonabee River is just a few minutes on foot from my place. At the time of this photo, its trees were just beginning to fill out with that lovely early verdant hue which I often refer to as "virgin green." It's a short-lived period of time, but when that early or late-day sunshine hits the leaves, the colourful sight is magical.

A tree is beautiful, but what's more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees.

~ Anton Chekhov

See what I mean? We were getting close to sundown one evening, last week. There were a large number of photographers out by Little Lake and I soon learned that a camera club had selected this location for their outing. They chose a good place and time as lots was happening in and around the waters but that will appear in another post.

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.

~ Alice Walker

Back in April, I headed back to my old haunts in Mississauga for a few days. While visiting with my past neighbours Caroline and Lloyd, we took a walk around the lake which yielded so many of my photo subjects back in the day. This tree has always been a favourite of mine. Over the years it has changed considerably as it has lost its branches but it still provides shelter for small creatures. Many a bird have dined on insects from its bark.

And see the peaceful trees extend

their myriad leaves in leisured dance-

they bear the weight of sky and cloud

upon the fountain of their veins.

~ Kathleen Raine

Another favourite is the weeping willow which towers over the dock. It lost a lot of its branches in an ice storm a couple of winters back but it persists as a beautiful landmark on Lake Wabukayne. It was a hazy day and the sun was having difficulty breaking through.

If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree.

~ W. B. Yeats

The newly-emerging leaves framed the hazy sun quite nicely.

On pavements and the bark of trees I have found whole worlds.

~ Mark Tobey

One last tree from that walk. This squirrels had begun shredding the bark when I lived here. They have clearly made good work of it since I've been gone. I imagine that the bark makes for good nesting material.

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.

~ Willa Cather

Back in Peterborough, a few weeks ago, this flash of red caught my eye from a distance. I can't say that I've ever noticed the Christmas bow up in the tree before, and now that the tree is in full leaf, it's unlikely that I will again.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

~ Albert Einstein

Although the bright bow caught my eye, the soft colours of new life caught my breath.

Trees are as close to immortality as the rest of us ever come.

~ Karen Joy Fowler

A couple of weeks back, I saw this guy inching his way along a less-than-sturdy branch which reaches out over the water and directly above some large, jagged rocks. I could hear the branch creaking with his every movement and my heart mimicked his progression by edging its way toward my throat.

All our wisdom is stored in the trees.

~ Santosh Kalwar

Thankfully, he decided to abandon his mission.

To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.

~ Richard Mabey

But then his buddy took up the cause. He didn't get quite as far as the other guy before he realized it was too risky. What was their quest?

The story of the tree is written on every leaf.

~ Marty Rubin

All I could see was this but they said that there was also a forty dollar fishing lure toward the end of the branch which would have never held their weight. I'm glad they determined that their safety was worth more than the lure.

Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.

~ Kahlil Gibran

So many blossoms in bloom. The colours are both soft and vibrant. What season could possibly beat spring for beauty? Well, maybe summer. Perhaps autumn. Nah.. let's just enjoy the spring.

"Listen to the trees talking in their sleep," she whispered, as he lifted her to the ground. "What nice dreams they must have!"

~ L.M. Montgomery

The brief blushing blossoms of the striking magnolia tree.

A tree against the sky possesses the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human.

~ Georges Rouault

No matter how early or late our spring season begins, the lilacs always manage to be in full bloom on May 21st. I have noted this every year since 1988 on the approaching occasion of my late in-laws, June and Ken's golden anniversary. June fondly recalled how there were freshly cut lilacs on the tables at her wedding on that date, fifty years earlier. They thought we were just going out to dinner to celebrate that night but we threw a surprise party in their honour at our home. I made sure there were plenty of lilacs from our tree on the table. To this day, I think of them when those lilacs are in bloom.

When the time has come, every leaf turns to face the sun!

~ Akilnathan Logeswaran

These are the russet leaves of the red maple trees as they make their first appearance in spring. The foliage will show off its true scarlet brilliance in autumn. These backlit beauties were wind-dancing for me in the early evening.

More photos coming up before too long.