Illusions of Someday

First thing we'd climb a tree. And maybe then we'd talk. Or sit silently. And listen to our thoughts. 

With illusions of someday, cast in a golden light. No dress rehearsal. This is our life.

~ Gord Downie

1964 - 2017

This is what happens when I don't post for a long while - I end up posting all sorts of summer scenes in October. Of course, our autumn has been so incredibly summerish this year that you could hardly tell the difference. No? Okay fine.. just go along with me. I have images to share and they are found below.


Sunrise is now happening a little later each day but back in summer this one peeked into my apartment pretty early.






This is MusicFest. Every summer, Peterborough has free live concerts in the park on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. I've posted about them before - including some of this year's performers. On one beautiful summer evening, there was a fine performance by the fabulous Sheepdogs.






A fan with his shirt designed by a local young artist.






Toward the end of the season, we had a fun night of ABBA and Bee Gees cover groups. I think it's obvious which one this is.






During one of the concerts, this group was practicing their Tai Chi.






Once a month, during the summer, Peterborough hosts a multi course "Dinner Under the Lift Lock". I had somewhere to be that evening but I decided to stop by for a little while with my camera. I arrived in time to see chefs and guests arrive by Voyageur canoe.






This wasn't exactly under the liftlock. Since it was early, I was only able to witness guests arriving for drinks and appetizers before their tables were being set up under the lock. I needed to hurry off but please check out one person's experience from last year. It's pretty interesting. Perhaps I'll catch more shots next year.






And of course it isn't summer without catching sight of the Liftlock Cruise boat several times a day.






One Saturday each August, the usually-busy Hunter Street is closed to traffic and turned into a gathering place featuring music, food, drink and partying. It's the Hootnanny on Hunter. My good friend, Dakshina and I were trying to figure out if this couple standing on the right knew each other but hadn't seen one another for a long whilee.. or if we were witnessing the beginning of a new romance. What do you think?






A dog walks into a bar... Well no, not really. We were at the above bar during the Hootnanny when "Dougie" the puppy was carried into the bar. And yes, his fur was as silky soft as it looks.






Summer tomatoes ripening on the sill from my dear friend, Carol Anne's garden.






This little slugger was having a blast hitting the ball around in the park.






A yellow admiral enjoying the milkweed captured in flight, just after take off.






Somewhere over the rainbow, Crane flies fly.






ZimArt has to be seen to be appreciated. A short drive from home brings us to Rice Lake in Bailieboro where curator Fran Fearnley runs an amazing outdoor sculpture exhibit. Each winter, she travels to Zimbabwe to select an artist-in-residence who will reside with her through the summer to display and sell his or her art. Truly, this is a post all its own and hopefully down the road, I might expand further.






This year's artist-in-residence was this handsome young man, Rufaro Ngoma. He was making his way around the acreage cleaning some of his many sculptures. Coincidentally, about a month after I visited, I was walking with my son, Alex along the shore of Little Lake, back in Peterborough when we happened to meet Rufaro while he was biking around the area. I was surprised to realize that he recognized me, and even more interesting was that Alex recognized him immediately just from a quick glance at the above photo which I had just uploaded to my computer earlier that day.






The road home is always lovely and inviting.






And let's finish with an end-of-the-day view of the harbour (enhanced with Photoshop) from the upper floor of the Lighthouse restaurant.

Yup, I still have more. Next time!

Old Autumn

I saw old Autumn in the misty morn

Stand, shadowless like Silence, listening

To Silence.

~ Thomas Hood

Most of these photos were taken during a walk or two back in October and September.


Colours were still pretty much in full display along the shores of Little Lake in Peterborough.






This couple was enjoying the day's warmth.






As were these two.






This little cutie's colours shone in the late day sunlight.






All dressed up and nowhere to go.






This Liftlock cruise boat was sailing right into the rainbow.






I guess this was its turnaround point for the tour.






That boat sailed alone but this honking flotilla numbered thirty.






And our sweet little mallard friend is waving them through.






There is a rather large community of boaters who stay moored to the harbour throughout summer and early autumn.






The setting sun makes the building across the lake appear as if it's all ablaze.






Good to know that the fire department is always ready – just in case.

Still Walking

Thank you all for your kind and compassionate messages about my Skitty boy. They were all very comforting. Thanks also for so warmly welcoming me back to blogging. I'm not sure how much time I'll be putting into posting and visiting but I'll take it one step at a time. So for now, here's step number two..

.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.

He who limps is still walking. ~Stanislaw J. Lec

Peterborough - it's a lovely city. And an incredibly friendly town. I have gone out for walks most evenings and have yet to return home without having engaged in at least a couple of chats with people. There's a river and lake within walking distance of my apartment. All of my shopping needs can be reached by car in just a few minutes. It's a creative town - a musical city - an artsy community. There's always some form of entertainment happening somewhere - or so it seems. Of course, just as in the old days, if I go out walking, my camera comes along - and at least for today, so do you.


Somewhere on the street close to my place, the late-day sunshine was playfully teasing these vivid flowers.



A multicoloured clothesline caught my eye from a distance.



Breast cancer survivors were out for a group paddle on Little Lake. Champions, one and all. That's Centennial Fountain in the background.



As my fellow Canadians can probably figure out, Centennial Fountain began spouting water over Little Lake in 1967 - 100 years after confederation. All week long, the city has been celebrating Peterborough Pride and even the sunlit fountain shows its support with a colourful rainbow.



A view of the lakeside homes across the way.



Many Peterborians (yup, that's what we're called - I'd have preferred Peterbudlians but I just got here and don't have a say in those matters) take their boats out for a paddle after work.



Others might go out for a tour of the locks on the local riverboat.



There is no shortage of ducks, geese and gulls along the shores of Little Lake. I have also seen the occasional heron and I'm told there are loons - though I've yet to see or hear them.



On this particular evening, a group was setting up these floating candles in preparation for a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The candles were later sent out on the lake. I didn't hang around that long but you can see a photo of that here.



Here's a closeup of that world peace flower.



Heading back toward my apartment, the sun was still flirting with flowers.



As early as August 9, a solitary maple tree was anxious to get on with autumn. Slow it down, willya?

And this concludes our first walk together in Peterborough. Thanks for joining me. I hope you'll come along for several more before too long.

I stroll along serenely, with my eyes, my shoes

my rage, forgetting everything.

~Pablo Neruda