The Rise and Fall of the Winter Sun

A few sunrises and sunsets from last winter.. last home.. last life.

Sunrises

Male or female, if my name were either Don or Dawn, I'd be up at sunrise to celebrate the glory that is me.

~ Jarod Kintz

The morning of February 11, 2015

Morning is wonderful. Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day.

~ Glen Cook

January 29th's sunrise.

The sun got confused about daylight savings time. It rose twice. Everything had two shadows.

~ Steven Wright

February 11th through my bedroom deck.

Four AM - if I'm ever up that early, it's because I'm up that late.

~ Jarod Kintz

Same day - different window. And considerably later than 4 a.m.

The sun never sets on the British Empire. But it rises every morning. The sky must get awfully crowded.

~ Steven Wright

January 26th also pitched in with some pretty colours.

Sunsets

I need to call it a night. But only because I don't know what else to call it. What's in between evening and morning?

~ Jarod Kintz

A lovely end to Groundhog Day, February 2, 2115.

If a university's colors were blue and pink, they could be the Fighting Sunsets.

~ Jarod Kintz

January 27th - dusk over the frozen lake.

As the evening sky faded from a salmon color to a sort of flint gray, I thought back to the salmon I caught that morning, and how gray he was, and how I named him Flint. ~ Jack Handy

This is how it looked over the bay on Valentine's Day.

Speeding along I-10 last summer, heading west, I chased the sunset, thinking if I kept up I could extend my day indefinitely, or at least until I hit a major body of water. ~ Jarod Kintz

Facing west, outside the kitchen window and over the hills. Also February 14th.

Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he's carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he's carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you're drunk.

~ Jack Handy

A slightly zoomed in view.

Every Path Tells

A walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells.

~ Robert Macfarlane

It's time for another walk through the streets of Peterborough. Actually, these images are from various walks.

We've had a bit of snow (since these photos were taken) and a rather short-lived but very cold snap. But for the most part, our weather hasn't been all that winterish. I know there's probably more to come (right now, in fact) - it is only January after all, and this is Canada. But each passing day brings us closer to spring and that makes for a shorter winter season, which is fine with me. Enjoy the cool air – bring something to imbibe and come join me.


This dual lift lock (Lock 21) is situated on the Trent Canal, of the Trent-Severn Waterway.






It opened for operation in 1904 and is the highest (19.8 m or 65 ft) hydraulic boat lift in the world.






When it becomes cold enough, the canal below will be open for skating.






Back in the spring, this lovely train emerged from the tunnel under the bridge, on which I was standing.






Shortly after it was announced that same sex marriage was legally embraced throughout the U.S., these flags began appearing on many city streets in Peterborough as a show of support for our neighbours to the south.






These tall, waving stalks of fluff (yes, I know they have a name but I just don't know what it is) were beckoning me to snap a sunlit photo of them. They seemed to sparkle with the sun behind them but I didn't manage to capture that effect very well. Regardless of that, they're still pretty.






There are some beautiful and peaceful walking paths at Little Lake Cemetery. The walkways weave throughout the hillside, toward and away from the lake, and offer up a different views at varying levels. I spent a couple of hours walking the area, one November day.






And here's a different view of Little Lake from further along its shoreline.






This colourful porch collection, warming in the sun, caught my eye and before I knew it, I was trespassing in order to snap a couple of shots.






You know how dearly I love cats. I'm just not fond of all of their habits. My friend, Carol Anne and I were walking (back from the lift locks, I think) when we spotted a couple of felines which appeared to be checking each other out. Upon closer inspection, Carol Anne noticed that they weren't interested in each other but rather in a small deer mouse which was having a difficult time trying to escape their curiosity and their paws.






The little guy was injured, and truth be told, I don't think he was going to survive - but you never know. And at least, he didn't need to be subjected to further terror and torture. Carol Anne was wearing leather gloves and was able to scoop him up and relocate him to a sheltered spot a few houses down. I hope he managed to make it. Take care, little guy!






A jazzy decoration outside a house. Solar lights, wind chimes and multicoloured dangles.






While out walking when she came to visit me on the Labour Day weekend, my beautiful niece, Jaime and I saw this lovely antique sitting in the lane beside a shop. Come back for another visit soon, Jaime!






A graceful stretch of the mallard variety.






Just a few steps which take you away from the shore of Little Lake, toward Del Crary Park. Or the reverse – depending on your perspective.






Spindle berries on somebody's front lawn still looking pretty fresh in mid-November.






Hanging on a handrail at a neighbourhood house, some little princess' tiara.

And that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed our walk – and your potable. More photos coming up before too much longer.

There Dwells a Spirit

Within every block of wood and stone, there dwells a spirit, waiting to be released. Direct carving is a way of freeing the spirit - my own and that of the stone or wood. ~ Hap Hagood

Early in December, I accompanied my friend, Allyson to the town of Haliburton where she was interested in possibly attending their School of the Arts. She had a tour and appointment booked at the school, in this town where I had almost settled a few years ago. Good company and a lovely destination – I didn't need my arm twisted.

The day was rather dull and dreary but my camera doesn't seem to care about that sort of thing. It flung itself over my shoulder like it always does when it hears the words "road trip!"



We knew we were on the right track, so to speak, when we saw this classic Haliburton landmark. Engine 2616 is something of an impostor, which you can read about here if you're at all interested.






The timing was such that we took a quick look around to locate the school and then headed off to have lunch. I selected the diner - a place where I'd eaten once before, and we were both pleased with the meals.






Allyson enjoyed this dessert.






Getting closer to our destination, this colourful home caught my eye.







While waiting for the tour (which consisted of the two of us, a teen and her mom) to begin, we chatted with this young weaver. She brought to mind my namesake at Crazy as a Loom  and Theresa over at Camp Runamuck - two very fine weavers and even better people.






The tour took us through several creative spaces. This beautiful mess was begging to be photographed.






Lots of fabric for those who know how to express their creativity through stitches.






Over in pottery, the wheel was having a bit of a rest...






But a potter was busy shaping handles for the mugs she was making. And this, of course, made me think of Gary - an artist of whimsical creations over at his Pottery Blog.





One of the students or visitors was carrying this little sweetie around – a young lop-earred bunny.






Once the tour and interview was over, we were encouraged to have a wander around the grounds to see the sculpture garden. We had actually seen this one near the front entrance on our way in. It's called Kennisis – Horse and Rider by William Lishman. It's a celebration of muscle and leg power and was inspired in part by Terry Fox.






This limestone sculpture with a bronze maple leaf by Mary Ellen Farrow is called A Walk in the Woods.






Somebody wore the wrong shoes for trail walking. The artist, Charles O'Neil calls his work Fire and Ice: A Really Big Shoe.







This "mystical totem" called Dreaming Stones was created by Kevin Lockau. Its granite boulders are from around the area and include a sleeping coyote at the base, topped off by an owl.






Moose Scraps is made from retired vintage farm and other hardware by artist, Leo Sepa.








After seeing this Conspiracy of Ravens made of bronze and steel by John McKinnon, we took it as our cue that it was time to fly home.

Happy New Year to all of my wonderful blogging buddies, and to family and friends who continue to peek in from time to time. May 2016 bring you nothing but happiness.