Canada 150 - The Smitten Image 10

Time between blog posts seems to be longer and longer as my everyday life seems to get busier and more demanding. I keep hoping that I can put more time into blog posting and visiting but that just doesn't seem to happen. I'll keep hoping though!

This time, I thought I should acknowledge a couple of events - Canada's 150th birthday and my 10th blogging anniversary - both happening this month. Unfortunately, only one of those occasions gets a parade, party, music and fireworks - so my photos will focus on Canada's celebrations as they occurred in Peterborough.

Before I do, I want to express how very rewarding it has been (and hopefully will continue to be) to connect with hundreds of amazing bloggers this past decade. I've made friends with whom I've connected in real life, in email, on the phone and through Facebook. And I have sadly lost wonderful people along the way to illness and to tragedy. I've had incredible feedback on my photography and feel validated and appreciated because of it. Thank you ALL for allowing me to share my creativity through the years and for sharing yours with me. I hope we can all enjoy many more years of that blogging connection.

That's enough of stealing the spotlight from my elderly country. Canada turned 150 on July 1, and my town of Peterborough celebrated in style. Let's start with the parade.


Kidlets of all ages brought their wheels to the event.






This guy represents our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. McDonald who did many wrongs to our Indigenous People - wrong which we continue to hope that our current government will begin to right.






What's a parade without the Shriners and their funny little cars doing tricks and spins throughout the route?






Remembering our beloved Terry Fox who raised awareness and funds for cancer research by attempting his walk across Canada. Cancer took his leg prior to his journey across our country and it sadly also took his life during his Marathon of Hope in 1977 - a month before his twenty-third birthday. His life is celebrated every September with a 10k run, walk or cycle which raises money in his name.






This original float represents Southcrest Farms in nearby Lakefield, Ontario.






The Trent-Severn waterway passes through Peterborough. This means that boats, canoes, kayaks and floating recreational devices of all kinds are very popular in this area. This young canoe enthusiast sporting Canada-red hair represents Brownsea Base Water programs for Scouts.






After the parade, I wandered over to Del Crary Park where some of city celebrations were happening. Crowds had already gathered.






Several local performers took their turns to sing and dance on stage.






Two cakes were presented for sharing with the crowd. One was Canada's 150th birthday cake and the other represented our Multi Cultural Day which coincides with Canada Day.






Leaving the park, I encountered this adorable scene. Their Canada Day hats were homemade. Mom had posed them on this couch sculpture and was taking their photo from the front. I thought the back of their heads, all decked out in their patriotic finest were every bit as cute.






Eventually they turned to look over the back of the seat and I stole around to the front for a different angle.






I headed home for a few hours to recharge and saw this tree-hugging flag along the way.






The evening took me back to Del Crary Park to see singer/DJ Kim Mitchell perform. The concert kicked off the MusicFest season of free outdoor concerts every Saturday and Wednesday night through the summer.






Our seats were close and the music was LOUD.






They put on a good show.






The crowd left with major smiles and minor hearing loss.






Night had fallen and we walked along the shoreline of Little Lake so that we could take in the Canada Day light show..






Colourful jets of fire burst forward with colour, exploding in the night sky leaving tinkling showers of silver in its wake.






Canada's signature red and white lights scattered across the sky, shattering into a multitude of glittery sparks.






Puffy golden stamens were ablaze in the dazzling heart of a delicate flower of fire.






The finale brought cascading waterfalls, dazzling whirls and shimmering spirals - all which rained down on the lake in a twinkling trail brilliance.

Hopefully it won't take me this long to get my next blog post out but I'll have more photos for you whenever that is. Thanks for celebrating with me.

Till Sundown

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~ John Muir

The sun clearly indicates summer's departure by easing itself beneath the horizon earlier each evening. That might just be nature's way of telling me to take advantage of some great photo opportunities and still have enough time left at the end of the day to catch some of the new fall shows on television. Yeah, I'll go with that.

How long has it been since we've walked together? Too long? Okay, let's remedy that right now. No need to grab a jacket. The evenings are still plenty warm here and we'll be around the water and back before you know it. Let's head to the calming waters of Little Lake.


This photo was taken much earlier in the spring before the marina was actually open for docking. The combination of clouds and late day sunlight made for an interesting view. I also played around with the image a little bit in Photoshop to make it a tad more dramatic.






By the time the first of many outdoor concerts began (see previous post), boats were coming from far and wide to dock and enjoy the music.






When the evening sun hits it just right, the spray from Centennial Fountain lights up like a rainbow beacon.






There aren't usually any boats moored in this location. The man on the dock often tosses tennis balls far out into the water, and his two dogs readily jump in to retrieve them. On this day, he had a narrow opening between the boat through which he could throw them. One of his dogs was uneasy about the presence of these large watercraft while the other dog continued leaping into the water as if nothing had changed.






Homes which face west across the water are treated to regular sunsets. As we face east, they provide us with the view of a colourful, quaint community.






Shortly before dusk, the Liftlock Cruises were probably done for the day and a young man relaxes while fishing the waters of Little Lake.






Here's the view to his left, in case you were wondering.






A warning to boaters as they pass through a channel with more shallow waters.






Evening skies provide such pretty colours.

It's getting late and nightfall is just ahead. What do you think of stopping for a bit to enjoy the view, and I'll pick up where we left off on the next blog post? Let's get an ice cream cone from the nearby kiosk and grab seat on the bench behind us for a while. What flavour would you like?

Evening photos coming up soon.

Among Trees

I am at home among trees.

~J.R.R. Tolkien

Spring is such an enchanting season. The sun is warm. The grass is green. Flowers are blooming. And the trees have both blossoms and leaves. Let's visit some of those trees, shall we?

In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,

Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

~ Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

This wonderful view of the Otonabee River is just a few minutes on foot from my place. At the time of this photo, its trees were just beginning to fill out with that lovely early verdant hue which I often refer to as "virgin green." It's a short-lived period of time, but when that early or late-day sunshine hits the leaves, the colourful sight is magical.

A tree is beautiful, but what's more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees.

~ Anton Chekhov

See what I mean? We were getting close to sundown one evening, last week. There were a large number of photographers out by Little Lake and I soon learned that a camera club had selected this location for their outing. They chose a good place and time as lots was happening in and around the waters but that will appear in another post.

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.

~ Alice Walker

Back in April, I headed back to my old haunts in Mississauga for a few days. While visiting with my past neighbours Caroline and Lloyd, we took a walk around the lake which yielded so many of my photo subjects back in the day. This tree has always been a favourite of mine. Over the years it has changed considerably as it has lost its branches but it still provides shelter for small creatures. Many a bird have dined on insects from its bark.

And see the peaceful trees extend

their myriad leaves in leisured dance-

they bear the weight of sky and cloud

upon the fountain of their veins.

~ Kathleen Raine

Another favourite is the weeping willow which towers over the dock. It lost a lot of its branches in an ice storm a couple of winters back but it persists as a beautiful landmark on Lake Wabukayne. It was a hazy day and the sun was having difficulty breaking through.

If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree.

~ W. B. Yeats

The newly-emerging leaves framed the hazy sun quite nicely.

On pavements and the bark of trees I have found whole worlds.

~ Mark Tobey

One last tree from that walk. This squirrels had begun shredding the bark when I lived here. They have clearly made good work of it since I've been gone. I imagine that the bark makes for good nesting material.

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.

~ Willa Cather

Back in Peterborough, a few weeks ago, this flash of red caught my eye from a distance. I can't say that I've ever noticed the Christmas bow up in the tree before, and now that the tree is in full leaf, it's unlikely that I will again.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

~ Albert Einstein

Although the bright bow caught my eye, the soft colours of new life caught my breath.

Trees are as close to immortality as the rest of us ever come.

~ Karen Joy Fowler

A couple of weeks back, I saw this guy inching his way along a less-than-sturdy branch which reaches out over the water and directly above some large, jagged rocks. I could hear the branch creaking with his every movement and my heart mimicked his progression by edging its way toward my throat.

All our wisdom is stored in the trees.

~ Santosh Kalwar

Thankfully, he decided to abandon his mission.

To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.

~ Richard Mabey

But then his buddy took up the cause. He didn't get quite as far as the other guy before he realized it was too risky. What was their quest?

The story of the tree is written on every leaf.

~ Marty Rubin

All I could see was this but they said that there was also a forty dollar fishing lure toward the end of the branch which would have never held their weight. I'm glad they determined that their safety was worth more than the lure.

Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.

~ Kahlil Gibran

So many blossoms in bloom. The colours are both soft and vibrant. What season could possibly beat spring for beauty? Well, maybe summer. Perhaps autumn. Nah.. let's just enjoy the spring.

"Listen to the trees talking in their sleep," she whispered, as he lifted her to the ground. "What nice dreams they must have!"

~ L.M. Montgomery

The brief blushing blossoms of the striking magnolia tree.

A tree against the sky possesses the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human.

~ Georges Rouault

No matter how early or late our spring season begins, the lilacs always manage to be in full bloom on May 21st. I have noted this every year since 1988 on the approaching occasion of my late in-laws, June and Ken's golden anniversary. June fondly recalled how there were freshly cut lilacs on the tables at her wedding on that date, fifty years earlier. They thought we were just going out to dinner to celebrate that night but we threw a surprise party in their honour at our home. I made sure there were plenty of lilacs from our tree on the table. To this day, I think of them when those lilacs are in bloom.

When the time has come, every leaf turns to face the sun!

~ Akilnathan Logeswaran

These are the russet leaves of the red maple trees as they make their first appearance in spring. The foliage will show off its true scarlet brilliance in autumn. These backlit beauties were wind-dancing for me in the early evening.

More photos coming up before too long.

Hands-free Mobile Device

There are a series of interconnecting parks about 20 minutes away on foot. I was sitting by the water in one of the parks, just watching people come and go along the pathway.

I hope to be a 90 year old guy who rides his unicycle to the store for whiskey and condoms. ~ J.D. Miller

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the somewhat awkward movement of this girl trying to say atop of her unicycle.

Unicyclists can ride longer than bicyclists because bicyclists are always two tired. ~ Unknown

I decided to walk ahead of her and snap some photos. Her name is Rachel.

On a unicycle, my tire will tire before I do. I ride for charity. I'm trying to raise enough money to buy a bicycle. ~ Jarod Kintz

By the time I got there, she had covered a bit of ground but had since lost her balance and was having a hard time finding her groove again. Still, it looked like she was about to get it back.

Unicyclists aren't crazy, just slightly unbalanced. - Unknown

Hang on, Rachel!

Q: Whats the difference between a hobo on a unicycle and a man in a suit on a bike?    A: Attire.

Can she regain her balance and momentum?

I live on the edge. Sometimes I fall off. - Steve Winterburn

Not this time. But she never lost her sense of humour.

Instead of a motorcycle gang, I'm thinking of starting up a unicycle gang. We'll be hell on wheel. ~ Jarod Kintz

Atta girl!

Where There's a Wheel, There's a Way ~ Unknown

This time, I think she's got it.

I can. I will. End of story. ~ Unknown

A sweet smile of success!

It's impossible to ride a unicycle, some of us have just figured out how to take a long time before we fall off. ~ Charlie Dancey

She soon left me in her wake.