Things: Like a Walk in the Park

It's been a while since we've taken a walk in the park. I'm heading there right now. Would you care to join me?


I love when the sun is at this angle, late in the day. Long shadows and saturated sunlight makes everything look a bit more beautiful. If we hurry, we can catch up with Frank and Benny. When Benny is being particularly accommodating, he does his business when we're close to a garbage can. He's pretty thoughtful that way.




Speaking of Frank, I recall something sweet that he told me about his older son when he was little. They were visiting a relative whose place was home to a few children, dogs and others. It was a bit chaotic and disheveled but welcoming and warm. He took a look around with a delighted smile on his face and declared it to be "a beautiful mess!" That's how I think of this smattering of berries, asters seeds and leaves strewn across the path here in the park. It's a beautiful mess.




There's a busy roadway on the other side of this fence but you'd never know it from where we're walking. Have a look at the deadhead flowers against the wires above. Is it just me or does that remind you of musical notes on a staff? Squint if you have to. And lie to me if you must.




Look up at that cloud - all peachy and golden and all on its own in the sky. Now look down at its reflection which looks like a fiery duck floating upon the water. Or perhaps I'm just quacking up.




That beautiful, rich light, low in the sky sure does know how to illuminate its surroundings. Just a shaft of sunlight cut through some branches to highlight the hues in these leaves. Summer, I'm going to miss your vibrant colours but your sister, Autumn sure knows how to use her paintbrush.




Across the pond, the sun is making its way beneath the horizon. It's time to bid another beautiful day "goodnight." Thanks for joining me. As always, you were great company.

Blue Mood

My own mood is just fine but I decided to dig deep (really it's quite shallow) into the archives to find some photos of blue-coloured subjects. My last post had a bit of a gold hue to it and I've always thought that blue and gold worked together quite nicely - much like a sapphire ring. This may well be a new series of monochromatic posts as suggested by Meeko Fabulous in my last set of comments.

So please sit back, listen to some music (the blues, perhaps) and enjoy a bit of a blue mood. Please remember to click on each of the images to enlarge them.

On a cool spring evening Benny sits at the edge of the dock, welcoming you to the blue waters of the cottage lake. He's hoping you'll notice him, and that you'll come along and throw that speedy-worm-on-a-string out into the water so that he can bark at it.

It looks like Frank came along in his blue jeans and took the bait. And tossed it. Benny stands alongside watching as he casts.

While we're revisiting the cottage, take a look at this blue caterpillar which was in a bit of a standoff with the green dragonfly seen out of focus in the background.

Last summer, we wandered around a nearby town which had these bright blue bleachers (say that three times fast) by their baseball diamond.

This was taken at our annual street party in the summer of '07. Our theme was Mardi Gras and for our craft table, the kidlets were making their own masks using feathers, pompoms and glitter. This is Brittany with her colourful, blue creation.

Early one summer morning, neighbours might have been scratching their heads to see the woman with the camera lying down on the park path beneath the level of a low-growing wild blue chicory in order to catch the sun's rays from behind it.

Nobody would have been surprised to see me snap photo after photo of this beautiful Great Blue Heron on the day he came to fish off of the dam at the end of the pond.

Back to winter and back to reality. The snow often appears to be blue at dusk.

I hope you enjoyed your visit through my archives and that it didn't leave you feeling blue. I'll be back soon with a different colour.

Cottage Days & Nights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Goodnight. (please click to enlarge) (DSLR)