It's What You See

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Henry David Thoreau

I have a few photos from late summer which are still occupying my hard drive. Now would be as good a time as any to share them.


An early September wander down to the Otonabee river where waders, swimmers and kayakers enjoyed the day.






Back in August, the Peterborough Exhibition came to town. This was the closest I could get without paying for admission. I wasn't permitted to drive, or even walk past the grounds which was just a couple of blocks from my place. The detour was a lengthy one, on foot but I snapped this over the top of a fence from a block away.






Along with the rides and games, there was a rodeo - which was well hidden from the street. The rodeo brought several PETA protesters, strategically placed at entrances and on corners, most of whom were happy to be photographed.






This adorable little Rottweiler sweetie was in a wagon with a little girl, waiting patiently for their people to exit a store.






There's a Tribal Voices shop in the nearby town of Fowler's Corners which sells these little wood carvings. The pair of cats reminded me of my furry guys - the grey and white Zephyr and my always-missed tabby, Skittles.






A couple of posts back, when we were viewing the lift lock, this crew on tour with The Canoe Museum was waiting for their turn to approach and descend.






Here's a bold little seagull, pecking along the shoreline of Little Lake in the late-day sunshine.






He then turned for the camera so that I could capture his best side.






Last month, at my friend Carol Anne's milestone birthday party, some of the guests played a game of croquet. I liked the faded paint colours on the mallets.






Then of course, there were the matching balls.






This sweet girl is Bailey - a cutie that my friend Dakshina and I encountered on one of our walks around town.






Last but not least, a fine Peterborough sunset.

Hopefully, I'll have some autumn images for you before too much longer.

Beneath the Trees

The morning woods were utterly new. A strong yellow light pooled beneath the trees; my shadow appeared and vanished on the path, since a third of the trees I walked under were still bare, a third spread a luminous haze wherever they grew, and another third blocked the sun with new, whole leaves. ~ Annie Dillar

Can you guess that what this post is about, you clever people? Of course you can. So there's not much of an introduction required, is there? Let's go look at some trees.

The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This interesting cluster of trunks was found along the the northern shore of Chemong Lake, leading up to the causeway which crosses over the lake and into Bridgenorth, just northwest of Peterborough

All our wisdom is stored in the trees. ~ Santosh Kalwar

The sad remains of a felled soldier in one of our parks.

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason. ~ Jack Handy

Here's a closer look at its beautiful texture.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.

~ John Lubbock

A friend and I took a walk around town, one beautiful late summer day and we sat for a while near the waters of Little Lake.

But down deep, at the molecular heart of life we're essentially identical to trees. ~ Carl Sagan

The tree ahead of us was leaning ever so elegantly toward the water.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~ Nelson Henderson

Elsewhere, this gentleman sat himself beneath the shade of the trees so that he could enjoy the company and sweetness of ducks - and a couple of gulls.

Plant trees. They give us two of the most crucial elements for our survival: oxygen and books.

~ Whitney Brown

Same park, different day and a little bit closer to the water and to nightfall.

Trees indeed have hearts. ~ Henry David Thoreau

They say you're not supposed to shoot directly into the sun. But who are "they," anyway?

Let's take our hearts for a walk in the woods and listen to the magic whispers of old trees. ~ Unknown

This photo is actually from five years ago. It resurfaced when I was looking for something else and I thought it would want to join all of the other trees in this post.

Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky. ~ Kahlil Gibran

As the sun made its way ever closer to the horizon, the scene brought a photographer into view. Along with the trees, he made an interesting silhouette against the gold of Little Lake

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

So come and have a seat with me among the trees, and we can watch the sun go down. There will Be more photos to take tomorrow, and I'll share those with you another day.

Written in Stone

The past is history written in stone that can't be altered. The future is transitory and never guaranteed.

Today is the only thing you can alter for certain. Make the most of it."

~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

This post might come across as kind of cold. It's neither the most colourful (except for a few) nor does it exude warmth but there are some interesting sites around and I hope to offer you some concrete evidence of that. See what I did there?


I snapped this image early in May. This dilapidated bench sits outside of a laundry mat. A discarded Tim Horton's cup and an empty coffee can sits on the concrete nearby. We take our morning java seriously in Peterborough.






I thought that these stones resembled a turtle's head and front foot as it emerged from the water.






This very impressive piece of architecture is the dual lift lock on the Trent Canal in Peterborough. It was built in 1904 and remains the oldest and tallest (65ft/20m) hydraulic boat lift in the world. Let's go climb up to the top.






From Wikipedia: The lock has two identical bathtub-like ship caissons in which vessels ascend and descend. No external power is needed. The lift lock functions by gravity alone using the counterweight principle. One caisson always ascends and the other always descends during each locking cycle. When one caisson reaches the top position, it stops 12 inches (30 cm) below the water level of the upper reach, and the control valve is closed.






You can see a larger boat on the top left anticipating its drop into the canal below so that it can continue it's journey southward. The smaller boats (only one visible in this photo) at that bottom will arrive at the upper area of the canal at the same time.






They briefly meet near the middle.






Just a few more feet to rise and the gates will open, allowing the small boats to continue on their way. The same goes for the large boat which we can no longer see down below.






Another place and time - this is the lookout near Combermere, a half-hour drive from where I lived previously. This rocky view of the highway below was a good place to sit and think.






A glance beyond the highway took in this beautiful view of Kamaniskeg Lake.






Back in Peterborough, a graffiti artist's teary rendition of my favourite creature - the feline.





If you stand back a bit, you can take it all in.






Here's a bit more from a different section.






On a nearby ledge, someone decided to add some less permanent art of their own.






They also kindly left their chalk behind for others to use. Grab a piece and start drawing!






I'll leave you with this feather. I was sitting on a rocky ledge, splashing my feet in the river when the wind gently caught the feather which in turn, caught my eye. It was clinging to to side of the rocky wall beside my leg.

More photos coming up soon.