Autumnal Sunshine

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I have another mishmash of images for you - some which date back a few weeks - some which are more current.


One early October morning, the day broke in cloudy hues.





A moment later, a band of colour lit the underside of the clouds and danced in colours that only nature can imagine.






A couple of months back, I was having lunch at an outdoor table in the colourful town of Warkworth. I was watching this little bird considering its takeoff.






And then it did. I like how it appears as if the bird is in position to embark on a small roller coaster ride on the string of eight lights in the window.






Also in flight, was this little sweetheart. She and I chatted for a long time while we each sat swinging. She educated me about the complete storyline of some TV show or movie and she even stopped swinging every now and then to draw the characters in the dirt. She insisted that it's all a true story because her MUCH older brother (he's 6) said it was and he always knows. It was a lovely chat.






A different little girl dropped her umbrella one windy, rainy day and left it to collect a puddle on the inside. This was photographed from my apartment window.






On another rainy day, these clouds seemed to be almost undulating in the sky. It reminded me a little of Van Gogh's kind of sky.






Rainbows - that ever hopeful transition between rain and sunshine.






Autumn along the sunlit woodsy trails of Jackson Park.






The vibrant colour of algae when the sunlight hits it just right.






Aging cedar fronds enjoying the sun's soothing ministrations.






A small boardwalk over a stream and between the trees.






Also sun-kissed are some end of season colourful carrots from the Farmers' Market.





And another colourful display expressing our support of diversity. Sidewalks all over Peterborough were expressing inclusion and support during the Love Lives Here movement late in September.






Gotta love the positive spirit of Peterborough. Note the "Love Wins Over Hate" sign partway up the alley wall.






This photo goes way back to mid July. The boats are all gone from the harbour now.

Summer stayed late but now she is done. Autumn is breezing through town in a hurry. It won't be long until the season changes once again. Hopefully, it will continue to offer something new to photograph.

Thanks for indulging me, once again.

Staring at the Sun

Since I don't own the appropriate filter for my camera, I didn't plan to take any photos of the eclipse today - just of the admiring crowd. I didn't even own a pair of protective glasses that everyone else was smart enough to snap up weeks ago.


I did hear though that there would be "viewing equipment" available up on Armour Hill, here in Peterborough. Alex happened to be here for a short visit, so I dragged him along with me.






A moderate-sized crowd had already gathered when we arrived to view the eclipse and quite a few more kept coming, the closer we got to complete eclipse - which here, was only 68%.






The equipment was in the form of numerous telescopes set up by The Peterborough Astronomical Association (PAA) for public viewing. They had also been handing out a few hundred pairs of glasses but had run out before we got there.






We each took peeks through the telescopes and through glasses which so many people kindly offered to share.






At least one of the telescopes had a camera mounted on it which was showing images in real time. You can see the camera right near the man with his arms folded.






I decided to snap a photo of what that camera was seeing.






One of the PAA's devices was a handheld circular protective lens which we could not only peer through but also snap photos through it.






Kids took their turns at the telescopes. It wasn't always easy to focus on it right away - you needed to move around a bit to find it which made it a bit tough for the kidlets whose natural tendency was to grab the viewfinder and move it.






By the time we were much of the way through it, we could see the changes in the colour of the surrounding landscape. Everything was a little more saturated like it gets a couple of hours before sunset - but in the early afternoon. In that lovely light, scenes like this were everywhere. Parents and grandparents helping little ones to see the eclipse safely.






Here again, is that homemade, handheld lens which allows you to look and take photos through it. Had I known that, I'd have brought a more suitable camera lens.






I gave it a try anyway and had less-than-stellar but good-enough results. Here are a few shots Photoshopped into one image. Pictures were taken at the half-hour mark, one hour (with clouds passing by), about ten minutes from totality, a couple of minutes from and right at totality (68% here).

It was great fun to witness it and to record it. Thanks, Peterborough Astronomical Association!

How was it in your part of the continent?

Where Roads and Rivers Meet

If you like the title of my blog post, you're not exactly in the same boat as most of Peterborough. "Where roads and rivers meet" was the proposed new tagline for the city but it was widely rejected recently. Despite it being a rather accurate description, I think its irony comes too soon after the great flooding we experienced this and previous springs. Social media spots and other various online publications have suggested a contest for a new slogan. Some of those suggestions as well as previous slogans, and those for the Trent and Kawartha area in particular will appear with my images below.



Slogan: Electric City
These are the churning waters of the London Street Generating Station.






Slogan: The place at the foot of the rapids
This woman was fishing closer to the shoreline at the base of the generating station.






Slogan: City of bridges
A small show of defiance on the nearby walking bridge.






Slogan: It's just around the way
Regardless of water levels, many locals have kayaks and canoes, and enjoy getting around town via the waterways.






Slogan: Heart of the Trent-Severn Waterway
A twenty minute walk or a three minute drive from the above scene, we found ourselves at Lock 19 where some of the same boats were now in action. This group really got around on that day.






Slogan: Gateway to the Kawarthas
The watery gates were soon opened and they continued on their way.






Slogan: Bright waters and happy lands
A few boats having a bit of a rest near the lift lock.






Slogan: Marine highway
And here is the lift lock in action. A couple of boats (including the Lift Lock Tours boat) in the left chamber are about to make their ascent.






Slogan: The land of shining waters
Almost at the top, they'll continue their journey north along the Trent-Severn Waterway. The caisson on the right was full of smaller boats including some of the kayakers we saw in previous photos. I told you they really get around.






Slogan: Popular Peterborough for progressive people
Peterborough has dozens (it would seem) of these Little Libraries around town.






Slogan: The participaction city
A little more graffiti on the way into Jackson Park expresses sentiments like "the whole earth is our hospital" and "resolute kindness."






Slogan: Nestled in nature
It was a beautiful early summer day with puffy clouds scudding across the sky. This Jackson Park meadow was very inviting with its long grass undulating in the wind.






Slogan: Where land and nature nurture us
A male Downy woodpecker was working hard at this one tree. His rat-a-tat easily caught my attention.






Slogan: Is there anyplace you would rather be?
This pole pretty much disappears behind the vines.






Slogan: Your life right here
Step back in time with this beauty parked near my place. Something tells me that it's from 1956.






Slogan: It's a natural
One of the many pretty spots seen while out walking one day in May.






Slogan: The wide awake city
A litte more graffiti because who doesn't love bees? And cake!






Slogan: Come share the magic
And finally, let's close this tour with a rainbow - a double one, in fact. This one illuminated our view on my birthday while my younger son was visiting and we were both on speaker phone with my older boy. Life is good!

Go Where You Shouldn't

A small town is a place where there's no place to go where you shouldn't. ~ Burt Bacharach

Come join me for a few sites from around town, taken on a sunny day or two in late April. Spring had just begun to emerge and so had the people. I hope you enjoy.


One April morning, it appeared as if there was fire glowing outside of my window. This stunning sunrise had the sky all ablaze.






A bit of a worn down home, in close walking distance from my place caught my eye for the textures and collection of items in the upstairs window. There appeared to be some Christmas ornaments along with a boarded up glass pane and a knotted curtain. The photo was taken at the end of March. On May 8, I immediately recognized the home in a news report of a kitchen fire which caused extensive damage to the home's interior. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.






Oblivious to troubles in the world, this little guy was having the time of his life swinging from a tree branch while his Dad watched over him and helped him along with a hefty push.






A Peterborough landmark, Quaker Oats first began operating here in 1902 but suffered a major fire just fourteen years later. In 1920, it was fully rebuilt into the structure you see in this photo. If the wind is blowing the right (or wrong) way, you can smell the sickly sweetness of flavoured oatmeal wafting over the east end of the city.






The catkins were just emerging on the weeping willow at the large lakeside patio of The Silver Bean in town. The café offers meals, snacks and drinks to enjoy out on their patio or dock. They're closed all winter but have just opened up for the season. In the distance, you can see the foot and train bridge which connects the west and east shores of Little Lake.






Here's a closeup of one of the beams on that bridge as it sports some of its ever-changing graffiti.






This sculpture which is situated in Millennium Park is called Esker. Depending on whose article you might read, it depicts 1) a mama wolf and her cub, 2) a sled guide dog staring down a wolf or 3) a regular canine puppy and its mother. The artists are Maryann Barkhouse and Michael Belmore and I'd assume they know the truth. Back in 2013, vandals did damage to the smaller figure when they removed it and threw it into the lake. The artists restored their work, and the pair of pooches were soon happily reunited.






This boulder is located near the Butterfly Garden - a children's memorial put in place by The Bereaved Parents of Ontario. Easter had arrived and these colourful offering were left by grieving parents.






Sitting on the rocks, by the swift waters of Little Lake, this lone guitarist was enjoying his music.






Have a quick listen to the guitar and the water.






I chatted with a young woman while we watched her brother head off along the walkway at the nearby lock. With the excessive rain which followed for days afterward, the walkway has now become completely submerged by the swift river current.






Only the very top of the rail is now visible.






Thousands of little minnows were dancing and darting in the water below.






This is the last we'll see of those tree roots for a while. The bottom three feet (at least) of its trunk are now under several feet of water.






On my way back home, I found myself amused by the collection of toys in this young man's hands. Perhaps they were inadvertently left behind by a younger boy's hands.