What Children Like

I never get any protests from children. All you get are giggles of mirth and squirms of delight.

I know what children like. 

~ Roald Dahl

There is no shortage of adorable children in Peterborough. And of course, since kiddos come in all shapes, sizes and species, you'll find a few of the non-human variety here, as well.

I hope you enjoy.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

~ W.B. Yeats

These two siblings were having a bit of a tug of war on the dock, one evening. He wanted to stay and she wanted to return to the nearby restaurant.

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

~ Kahlil Gibran

She won!

Watch the littlest kids carefully; the biggest messages for the grown-ups are hidden there!

~ Mehmet Murat ildan

Closer to sundown on the same day, a younger pair peered into the water together while their mom watched over them from just outside of the camera's view.

I like dogs

Big dogs

Little dogs

Fat dogs

Doggy dogs

Old dogs

Puppy dogs

I like dogs

A dog that is barking over the hill

A dog that is dreaming very still

A dog that is running wherever he will

I like dogs.

~ Margaret Wise Brown

Bounding into the water just like a little kid, this dog couldn't be happier.

The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. ~ Ambrose Bierce

And back out again with his victorious capture. He runs to his person to toss the ball into the river for another opportunity to swim and fetch.

A child's imaginary playmate just might actually be there. ~ Doug Dillon

Same river, different dog with his kidlet, having a late afternoon swim.

Your children will smash your understanding, knowledge and reality. You will be better off.

Then they will leave. You'll miss them forever.

~ Tibor Kalman

And then they moved on. The dalmatian was in a kayak with one of two adults (though only one of visible in this photo) up ahead.

A party without cake is just a meeting. ~ Julia Child

I'd hazard a guess that there were a bunch of kids enjoying a birthday party just inside this home.

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Speaking of parties, the little cutie hidden behind the cup is one of Carol Anne's neighbours who recently attended her milestone birthday party.

A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I suspect that this little guy has another pair of shoes much like this at home.

Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia. ~Joseph Wood Krutch

The only "kid" I have still living with me is my beautiful Zephyr.

The soul is healed by being with children. ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

This little sweetness was having fun exploring the sand and splashing in the water.

When a kid says "smell my hand," it almost never smells like cinnamon. ~ Brian P. Cleary

And finally, this exuberant little girl was feeling the evening music at an outdoor concert.

More photos coming up soon. I do also hope to get around to some blog visits before too long. See you soonish!

The Unexpected

This is a scheduled post as once again, Frank and I have decided to spend a few days up at the cottage. I'll be pre-posting again on Sunday and I'm not sure just when we'll return home after that so if you don't hear from me, you'll know where I am. I'll try to catch up with comments and return visits sometime after I get home. I hope you're enjoying your summer so far (those of you in the Northern hemisphere). I know I sure am.

One day, early last month, I went for a rare walk without my camera. Always a mistake! I was in a hurry and had Benny with me, and thought I'd take him for a quick morning walk before we had to hurry off elsewhere. On the dock, at the pond, I saw an unusual scene which had me mildly perplexed. I knew that I could either go back for my camera and return to snap the shot, or forget about it completely. I opted for the former. Things had been added to what I first saw, but with permission, I was able to alter items so that it resembled what I had first seen a few moments earlier.



It was like happening upon a scene from Forrest Gump - this simple chair, a battered old suitcase and a globe. It made little sense to see it out in the middle of the park, until I returned with the camera and discovered that what I'd seen were props for a photo shoot which was about to commence. Since my first pass, a few items had been added.




Including these festive balloons.





Here's how it looked when I returned.




Another unexpected occurrence was this lovely grackle taking a splashy bath, oblivious to the camera snapping it from behind.




This sparrow hopped around in front of me with a feather in its mouth. He kept shaking his head (hence the blur) as if he wanted to discard it but he never opened his mouth to let go of it. I wondered where he might be going with it.




A moment later it flew up to a nearby roof. Perhaps it was off to feather its nest.

I never expected to turn the next corner and find a couple engaged in a passionate moment right there in the park...


But here there were. Dragonflies are not shy.




I simply liked the way this leaf looked after it had fallen after a rain, on the freshly tarred walkway.




According to Environment Canada, last month was the wettest June on record for the greater Toronto area. These mushrooms were probably grateful for that.




I'm sure that this snail didn't mind the wet weather either. They need moist conditions to create mucus which keeps them from drying out. I'm not sure how that twig/stick over by its head got into the picture. It might have been stuck to him or it might have been carrying it off somewhere. Possibly it's just an illusion and appears in focus from the foreground when I zoomed in. I don't know.

I never know what I might find when I'm out walking. I just know that I'm usually glad that I've got my camera with me. Thanks for joining me.