The Sun, the Moon and the Truth

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

~ Buddha

THE SUN

I don't see the point of photographing trees or rocks because they're there and anyone can photograph them if they're prepared to hang around and wait for the light. ~ David Bailey

This is the view from my living room window back in October. I'm looking toward the east and the sun is setting behind me, casting this lovely light on the still foliage-laden trees.






THE MOON

Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly. ~ Khaled Hosseini

The same window, but the view changes pretty dramatically at night.






THE TRUTH

The cardinal is at his wit's end - it is true that he had not far to go. ~ Lord Byron

This image was taken back in March when I was visiting my previous Mississauga neighbours and good friends, Caroline and Lloyd. The cardinal had been making a daily appearance at their back door to fight the identical male cardinal reflected in the window.






THE SUN

The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Two days before the sunset in the first image, I glanced out and saw this vibrant view.






THE MOON

The moon rode in the sky - a hunted thing dodging behind wisps of tattered cloud, and the air was heavy and wet and redolent of dying leaves. ~ Jane Dixon Rice

I can't complain about the show the sky puts on some days – and nights.






THE TRUTH

The past is a window to look through; not a room to stay in. ~ Kevin Keenoo

I believe this fan belonged to my maternal grandmother. It had been sitting amongt a number of items which I inherited after my mother passed away. Most of the rest of those treasures are being displayed in a china cabinet but this one sits on my window ledge, collecting sun rays (and probably dust).






THE SUN

I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and I felt like I was in heaven. ~ Harriet Tubman

The sky had been stormy through much of the day. Heavy clouds were still threatening to disguise the sunset. But at the last moment, they reconsidered and allowed this brilliant lighting of the treetops. You can also see my desk lamp reflecting in the window from across the room.






THE MOON

The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to. ~ Carl Sandburg

The trees appeared to be passing the moon back and forth between them like a tentative game of toss and catch. Or I might have just been wavering back and forth, instead of holding still for the night shot.

THE TRUTH 

I hear like you see - like that hummingbird outside that window for instance. ~ Ray Charles

This was taken through the kitchen window at my past home on the lake. I was getting such a kick out of watching this little guy delight in the refreshing June shower. There's a short video of it below.

There is no easy way to bathe a hummingbird. ~ Kehlog Albran

Oh, I beg to differ. Just give him a rainy day.






THE SUN

People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

My windows get pretty frosty on those colder days and rather misty on the less-than-icy days. On this November day, there was a bit of both which made for an eye-catching presentation of the sunrise.






THE MOON

The moon in her chariot of pearl. ~ Oscar Wilde

This haze was more of a product of the night atmosphere than the condition of my window.






THE TRUTH

A cat's eyes are windows enabling us to see into another world. ~ Irish Legend

This was my beautiful Skitty boy playing on the window ledge. It was his voice you might have noticed at the very beginning of the hummingbird video. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him. Zephyr still looks and calls for him every day. He was the sweetest little love, with a personality as big as the sun, the moon and the truth.

Sweeter, Richer, Louder

Close friends contribute to our personal growth. They also contribute to our personal pleasure, making the music sound sweeter, the wine taste richer, the laughter ring louder because they are there. 
~ Judith Viorst

So now that the chilly month of November is here, I figure it's a good time to reintroduce the balmier days of summer. Mostly, I happen to have a lot more photos from the period of time when I suspended my blog and so I'm going to inflict some of them upon you from time to time. This is one of those times.


A familiar site from the past. A foggy morning in May with the sun just beginning to peek over the hill and a graceful bird on the wing.






And here's the same spot at the end of a different day.






Later in the summer, this is the view from one of the bridges in Peterborough. On this August evening, friends and I were about to head over to a free Kruger Brothers concert in the park. Their amazing banjo and guitar strings weave classical music with bluegrass and folk. I had seen them perform with Steve Martin on Letterman a while back and was looking forward to this evening's performance - minus the wild and crazy guy. The forecast called for a likely rain shower and we were equipped with raincoats and umbrellas. You can see that although it was still dry, the clouds were beginning to form.






It was difficult to take the imminent rain seriously when sun and clouds painted the sky such a friendly shade of pink. The music hadn't begun yet, and neither had the rain. Oh, but both of them did - at around the same time.






I didn't take any photos of the rain because I was trying to keep my camera and myself tucked under the umbrella because it didn't just rain - it POURED! The downpour started early on during the music and only let up a bit before the Kruger Brothers were done. Most of the people who sat around so casually during the pink sunset were long gone. A diminished number of us sat it out and enjoyed the show immensely, in spite of the wet weather. These guys managed to stay dry on stage and neither their spirits nor ours were dampened. The show was fantastic.






A couple of weeks later, I joined the same friends at a different park for a different show - the folk festival. I was tired and didn't stay for very long but enjoyed the music and the people-watching while it lasted. It wasn't any more crowded than this but I still had a hard time finding Carol Anne and Michael. They were somewhere on that hill. And I still can't find them in this picture. It's not them - it's me!






I did find them eventually - seated not too far from this cutie.






This pooch was hyper-focused on his person - waiting to get the signal which would allow him to grab the frisbee.






The view toward the stage was lively. Music was good. Kids were happy. The weather was dry!






The sun bathed the hill with gold as it began its descent.






In between performances, folks chatted, daydreamed or read. Some went off in search of food. Many just enjoyed the last rays of sunlight.






A quick photo on my way out.

More (perhaps even more current) photos coming up soonish.

Queen Anne Has Washed Her Lace

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has washed her lace
(She chose a summer's day)
And hung it in a grassy place
To whiten, if it may.
~ Mary Leslie Newton

Until the past few years, I had never taken much notice of Queen Anne's Lace.



It grows rather profusely around the fields and parks and what's to notice about a plain white flower whose roots smell like carrots, anyway?



Plenty.




It would seem that they're not such a plain white flower after all. My blogging buddy, Linda once wrote that each Queen Anne's Lace head has a tiny wine-coloured flower near the middle of its face. That was news to me. And it was also a reminder to look more closely next time. I learned that not all of them have that little dark flower but many of them did. Thank you for the eye-opener, Linda. This one is for you, my friend.






They don't only have that deep red flower in the center, either. As the Queen Anne's Lace head begins to open up, the tiny flowers on the fringe are this lovely, delicate shade of pink. That's another thing I'd never noticed before this June.







This one has only just begun its stretch to greet summer.






Others are in the pink of the season.






As the sun lowers in the sky, the lacy aspect of the flower is more evident than ever.







Suddenly there's a fair bit of activity on the head of most of these flowers. I'm not sure what this bug is but he was quite fascinated with Queen Anne.






I think we should call this one "Love in Bloom."






The setting sun as seen through the underside of the flower.






After getting up close and personal to Queen Anne's Lace with my camera, I've come to realize that it's not such a plain white flower after all. Wouldn't you agree?

More photos coming up soon.

Mental Snapshots

The other morning as my son Alex was getting ready for work, and the cats were loudly demanding their breakfast, I stumbled downstairs to feed the felines and make a lunch for my boy. The first order of business was to give the critters fresh water. I stepped into the kitchen, barefoot as usual, and found that their water bowl was in the middle of the floor rather than against the usual corner of the room. There was also a small tidal pool of water surrounding the bowl, which has two little arches on opposite sides to ease lifting it from the floor. The cats watched me expectantly as I scolded them for making such a mess of their water bowl. I had to wonder what made them so rambunctious as to move it so far from the corner in the first place. Seconds later, I had my answer.

I lifted the bowl to empty it, and refill it with fresh water when I saw a small, wet figure in its place - standing stock still. I remembered the fluffy, grey toy mouse that we've had for years. My cats show occasional interest in it but tend to lose it behind a sofa or desk. It shows up again when I do a decent house-cleaning. My house must be quite overdue as I've not seen the fake rodent for many months. I figured that Alex had found it, and knowing that I'd be the one to tend to the cats in the morning, he'd hid it under the water bowl to jump-start my morning. I was about to curse him under my breath, when the tail moved. This mouse was real.

I'm an animal lover and have always felt uncomfortable with the notion of mouse traps. The one time I was aware of a wee rodent in my attic, I engaged a live trap and left cheese and peanut butter treats for the unwanted guest. He quickly obliged by feasting on his high-protein meal and I was able to release that mouse safely into the park. This was different. I had no trap. I didn't have anything close at hand with which to scoop him up. The poor, little thing was frightened and wet. It looked quite pathetic. I put my hand down on the floor in front of him, hoping he might decide to hop on for a ride. No such luck. He turned around and hesitantly scampered in the opposite direction, toward my floor-length venetian blinds, which he then tried to climb. While he was semi-vertical, I scooped my fingers around his mid-section and placed him into the palm of my hand, cupping my other hand over it to secure him. Alex opened the front door for me, and I walked across my deck and set him down on the front lawn. He stood there motionless. I gave him a small nudge from behind and he burrowed into the fallen leaves, and hopefully to safety. My cats, so preoccupied with anticipation of their morning meal, never even noticed what was happening, though they must have been aware of the mouse during the night - hence the relocation of the water bowl.

It was only after the mouse was gone and my hands were scrubbed, that I began to realize that I'd missed a decent photo opportunity. I suppose that there was no guarantee that he would have stayed still for a macro shot, or that he wouldn't have panicked as my camera zoomed in for a closer look. In retrospect, I would have been reluctant to risk losing sight of the mouse in my house, while I would have to find and set my camera up. I concluded that I would just have to place this non-photo alongside some of the other mental snapshots that I've taken over the last year or two - because of a forgotten camera, dead batteries or this slow-moving photographer. I'd set this mental photograph aside with the one of the little, bright yellow bird which landed on a perfect magenta flower, the majestic Great Blue Heron lifting off in flight, the squirrel which had Velcroed itself to a tree because its body and tail were so covered in burrs, and the leaves which glistened from a steady rainfall, and exploded in colour when a small burst of golden sunlight escaped the heavy band of gray clouds. That little mouse should be quite at home in that environment.

With each incident of unpreparedness, I've become more resolved to have my camera with me, no matter where I'm headed. I'll never get the missed shots back, but keeping them in my private, metal album is not so bad either. At least there, along with all good memories, they're always in sharp focus and perfectly framed.

Below are a few shots that I didn't miss. Most of the autumn colours have diminished now, but the last couple of weeks still offered up some vivid hues. As I'm usually a few weeks behind in posting what I capture, the photos below have retained some of the season's gold. Please remember to click on each image to see it enlarged.




Golden sunlight filters though a semi-bare branch to reflect in the water below.




Red oak leaves are not ready to fall just yet. They seem to desperately cling to their youth. I can relate!




Brilliant yellow, orange and red maple leaves begin to blanket the ground beneath them.




These colourful berries belong to the Spindle Tree. The tree is quite ordinary throughout the summer but in autumn the bright pink pods burst open to reveal orange seeds. When more of the surrounding trees have lost their bright leaves, the Spindle fruit stands out like a summer flower.



Walking around my neighbourhood park one day, I paused on these stone steps to capture this image of disheveled oak leaves and stem. The textures appealed to me.




Taken from a bridge, this creek which carries salmon and trout upstream during their respective spawning seasons, flows out to Lake Ontario.



This lovely pond sits out behind the house on the farm that Frank's in-laws have owned for many years. The late afternoon sun appeared though the otherwise-overcast day to cast a golden hue upon the water.




The sun's reflection peeks out from behind this beautiful, weathered old tree.



On our way home, we stopped a couple of times to have a look around. As the sun continued to set, it created interesting shadows, colour and angles on this simple wood fence.



The amber lamps which light up our park paths at night lend their warm hues to the autumn leaves. There's magic to be seen at night.