August 19/11

I received this guy as a wedding gift 14 years ago from a dear friend.  She has since moved to Vancouver, but he sits on top of my cupboards and every time I look at him he reminds me of Diane.  It was such a unique gift from a very unique person.  She is one of the most personable and kind persons I have met.  When I first moved to this small town many years ago with my 2 small children, she was the first person (other than family) to call me and invite me out.  It's nice to have a daily reminder of her as I don't see her that often anymore...

Little Lamb

August 18/11

I went outside today and found Gizzmo sunbathing.  He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.  Just relaxing....

Basking in the Sun

August 17/11

I have no idea what kind of flower/weed this is.  But what I like about it is, it reminds me of crazy hair.  Or a little alien or something.  Crazy hair has made me laugh my entire life.  Anytime I see anyone, whether it is a baby, a grown man or woman, and they have messed up hair I just have to laugh.  I could just picture this flower with a pair of sunglasses on.  Which is in fact what I am going to do....what do you think?

August 16/11

While taking a walk today I came across these wild grapes.  I love the mixture of the green and ripe grapes in the bunch.  What does it say about me when all I can think of is a nice glass of red wine when I see grapes? Hmmmm...

Wild Grapes

August 15/11

When I drive by a field like this I just have to stop and take a picture.  It was the  height and lines in this picture that I liked.  The sky wasn't too bad either :)  Just looking at that sky makes me think how small we humans really are...

Height & Lines

August 14/11

I've said before, that taking pictures is great but it's also fun to change some of them up a bit with post processing.  This picture is the middle of a chandelier we have in our house that I have applied a "heat map" process to.  You can make something look completely different than it really is.  I love the way it turned out!!

Playing with Pictures

August 13/11

I took this picture this morning while we were sitting having our coffee.  The sun was hitting this spiders web in just that right way that it gave the web an iridescent  look.  This also reminds me of the phrase by Sir Walter Scott “Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”.

A Tangled Web

August 12/11

This old birdhouse is at my mom's.  When I saw it, it reminded me of the old stone houses that used to be built.  Or I even thought (and this gives you a glimpse into my thought process), that this is probably what Hansel & Gretel's cottage looked like. Nonetheless, I loved the texture and look of the old birdhouse...

Old Cottage Birdhouse

August 11/11

Well I took some pictures today but none that I really liked.  So I'm posting one I took during our few days at Long Point.  This is Long Point Beach and it is one of the nicest beaches around.  When you sit at it, (we sit with our chairs in the water), you honestly feel like you are looking out over an ocean.  It's just so relaxing and calming to be by water...

Long Point Beach

August 10/11

Every day I drive by this TeePee.  It is at the Kanata Native Cultural Society.  "Kanata is a Mohawk word meaning "Village" or "Community" and it stands for keeping American Native Arts and Traditions Alive. This society is a non-Profit organization and its mandate is sovereignty through the arts".  
I'm sure a lot of you remember making teepees as a kid...this is an original one!!

TeePee

August 9/11

I've only in the past few years bought ferns for my outside gardens.  A good friend of mine has them in her gardens which are absolutely beautiful.  I always thought they had to be in the shade and were hard to take care of.  But honestly, they are so easy!!  As long as you water them everyday, they can be in full sun and are such a great addition to your plantings.  I love the way they look whether they are hanging or in pots.  So easy and they last right into fall.  I buy them every year now...

Boston Ferns

August 8/11

Meet "Princess"...such a cute little dog.  She belongs to our friends Aleesha & Jeremy.  Princess is a mix of a Jack Russell and Pug.  She is so small but fits her name perfectly.

Also today is a special day...24 years ago today I had my beautiful daughter Ashley.  Love you Ash!! I would have posted a picture of her, but she hates any picture of herself and I was pretty sure she wouldn't let me. The card I posted yesterday was for her :))

Princess

August 7/11

Today is my last day of holidays...and it has been a great week!  It has also given me some time to make some of my homemade cards, another hobby that I enjoy so much.  Here is a card I made today... There are so many kinds of love you will feel in your life, love for family, love for your significant other, love for others.  All so different, yet all so imperative in our lives.  I'm fortunate to be able to have and reciprocate all these kinds of love...

Let me count the ways...

August 6/11

I have to post one more picture from our cottage trip.  I went for a walk in the morning and saw this tree covered in plastic shovels.  The tree was in front of a cute little cottage.  What a cool idea.  It just looked so original and I'm sure their guests would never miss this cottage!

Plastic Shovels

August 5/11

I love old cottages...they have so much character.  I just had to take this picture of old tins in the cottage window.  We had a great time and can't wait to go back...

Character

August 4/11

We were at the beach all day yesterday and I have the sunburn to prove it...ouch.  I used sunscreen but just spent too much time in the sun.  I love this picture of a little girl with a wide brimmed hat on.  Children are just the best subjects for pictures!!

August 3/11

Just a quick picture today...off to a cottage for a couple of days where there is no internet.  I won't have a post tomorrow but on Friday I will post my Thursday's picture.  Today's picture again shows how you can get great depth of field.  I love how you can put the focus on the flowers and have the background blurred.
See you on Friday!!

Outside...

August 2/11

This is a Cana Lily that a friend from work gave to me.  I planted the bulbs in a pot instead of the ground, and they look so tropical by the pool!!  I've never had one flower before, so when I saw it today I just had to take a picture..I love them!!

So tropical....

August 1/11

I took this picture today because the colours caught my attention.  Just an old red tractor sitting in the greens of bushes.  The way the sun was hitting the leaves was cool too...

Red Tractor

July 31/11

As you probably already know, I like to recycle items.  We bought this birdhouse years ago, used it as a light fixture for probably 7 years (hung it upside down with lights in it), and now I'm using it in my garden with candles in it.  I think it makes a great candleholder...Recycling is great!!

Candleholder

July 30/11

This was taken with my 18-55 mm lens...I actually haven't used it in quite a while.  I love my silver starfish, it reminds me of vacations.  Which, I'm on vacation this week...yaayyyy...

Little Things

July 29/11

So I really love this picture of an old weathered tree.  Then I got to thinking...when I am old and wrinkled, I hope people still find beauty in me.  Beauty in the person I am, not the way I look. Beauty in my stories of the life I have led and that to come... I hope that others find in themselves the ability to love someone for who they are...wrinkles and all...

Weathered Beauty

July 28/11

This is what I love doing....not much more to be said.  But what is funny is that I took almost the exact same picture about 20 years ago. I tried to find that picture to put beside this one but couldn't locate it.
Déjà vu...

Déjà vu

July 27/11

They are harvesting straw in our area and I love the way the bales line the fields.  When I look at them, it brings back a memory that really has nothing to do with playing in the straw or anything.  How many of you remember the original shredded wheat cereal?  They were like little bales of wheat.  You had to scrunch them up into your bowl and add LOTS of milk and sugar.  But I loved it as a kid.  I'll have to see if they still make them...

Shredded Wheat

July 26/11

Anything with texture captures my attention.  This is a wicker ball that I put outside and started growing a vine on it.  It sits on top of a pedestal kind of thing which is cool.  I took a picture of the entire plant, ball etc, but found it much more interesting cropped up close.  Cropping can make a picture much more appealing and draws your attention to a specific area instead of getting lost in a lot of background.  It shouldn't be done on every picture, but can make certain photos stand out.

Cropped

July 25/11

I've said before that I think weeds are really pretty. I know you out there with allergies may disagree, but the colours like this one are wonderful.

Love the Yellow

July 24/11

Just like I enjoy decorating my home, I love fixing up our outdoor area.  These are just a few things I got today for our outdoor fireplace.  We spend more time outside in the summer time than we do inside so it's nice to feel comfortable out there too!

July 23/11

Today my brother and sister in law stopped by with their 8 month old baby boy, Owen.  He was so happy the whole time he was here.  I think it's a toss up between him and Austin as to who smiles the most.  Wow, how fortunate are the moms (and dads) to have such happy little boys!!

All Smiles...

July 22/11

We went to visit friends tonight who were camping down at Long Point, a beautiful beach here in Ontario.  I took pictures of the beach, campfires and vegetation.  But I also took a picture of their little girl Kylie, and honestly nothing compares to a smiling face of a little child.  She had been swimming all day and just looked so happy to be camping!!

Kylie

July 21/11

An adirondack chair immediately makes me think of relaxing.  Reminds me of cottages, lakes and summertime.  Nice...

Relaxation

July 20/11

Something as simple as stacked wood can look cool, especially with the sun filtering through the trees in the background.  I would love to be able to have a firepit for campfires in my backyard, but living in town it's against the bylaws.  Guess I better not... :(

Campfires

July 19/11

This is a special sunset for my husband Mark.  When he was a kid he used to waterski on this pond, and spent lots of time there.  He says it is one of his favourite spots.  His mom owns the property on the right of the pond.  Wouldn't a house be great on the ridge?  Unfortunately, there is no land severance allowed as it is zoned agricultural. I know Mark and his brothers would love to build a house up there!  Oh well...

Marks Sunset

July 18/11

I've named this guy Alvin...he was just waiting to go to our birdfeeder and didn't want to leave which is why I could get so close to him.  We have a bag of seed in our garage and forgot to close our back door the other night.  Bird seed was all over the place....pretty sure it was Alvin and his friends.  He reminds me of a time when we were little and camping.  We wanted so bad to feed the chipmunks, until one bit my sister and made her bleed.  We were scared after that.  But they are cute!

The Chipmunks

July 17/11

It is a stifling hot day today so I decided to take a picture in my backyard.  I'm not going anywhere today except in the pool!  Anyway, these are old pillars that came from Marks grandmother's house.  We have 3 of them in our garden just set up as a focal piece.  No function really, they just look very cool.

Old used again...

July 16/11

I found this field of flowers to be so colourful, and against the background of trees the yellow just stood out!!  I'm not exactly sure what it is, because it was a full field of them, possibly an herb?  Very pretty whatever they are...

Field of Flowers

July 15/11

So I said a couple of months ago, I was going to try and post a picture of me every month.  Well, that hasn't happened but I did get one today!!

Me in July

July 14/11

It has been unusually dry here with no rain for the past couple weeks.  And so hot!!  We were watering tonight just trying to keep our flowers alive.  This is an ornamental grass we have out front.  I just like the water dripping and the mass look of the grass.  Now I wish it would rain...oh, wait not until Ash & Braden are done camping this weekend!!

Wet grass

July 13/11

On July 8th I posted a picture of Queen Anne's Lace.  My sister facebooked me and told me there was a recipe for QAL Jelly.  I couldn't wait to try it.  It's very pale in colour with just a slight pinkish tone to it when it's finished.  I think it would go well with scones or crackers and a bottle of white wine... nice sweet, lemony taste. mmmm....I can't wait for my sister in California to taste it!

July 12/11

I took this picture tonight of the moon around 9pm.  For some reason after looking at this picture it brought back memories of when I was 8 years old.  Our whole family sitting in our living room on College St watching the first time man walked on the moon.  (I know I'm really aging myself).  To quote National Geographic News,  "July 16, 1969: The world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon. The successful Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, ushered in an era of moon exploration that has so far gone unrivaled." So many things have changed over the years and yet the moon remains unchanged...

July 11/11

I love babies and I love black & white.  Today's picture is both. Love it!!

Sunlight

July 10/11

Ok, I had no idea you could grow a bed of cacti in Southern Ontario.  My brother and sister-in-law have these in their garden and they bloom every year.  They don't take them in so they survive over our winters...who knew?  I looked it up and the "Opuntia Polyacantha" variety can grow here.  The common name is "Prickly Pear" cactus.  Apparently there are many Opunitias which should grow as long as you provide excellent drainage & full sun.  I'm going to try and grow my own.  Patti, I'll be over for some clippings :)  I love the flowers...

Cactus in Ontario

July 9/11

We had a family get together today...and I think today's picture exemplifies what family is about.  This is our son Adam with his 3 year old cousin.  She was so thrilled with the balloons and he was happy to spend a few moments with her to play with them.  Very cool...

Family

July 8/11

I love queen anne's lace.  I know, it's a weed but I've always used it in flower arrangements this time of year.  I really like it when it's in full bloom but when I was walking today, I was thinking it also looks amazing before it is fully developed.  There really are some pretty weeds out there.

***My sister just posted on facebook a site that tells how to make Queen Annes Lace Jelly...how cool is that*** Here is the link http://murmuringtrees.blogspot.com/2008/08/queen-annes-lace-jelly.html

Beautiful Weeds

July 7/11

This plant is growing out of a rock.  The rock came out of our foundation when were building our house and it is huge.  We have it in our gardens.  When I saw this small plant I thought of the words resistant and unaffected.  Even though it is not in the best of conditions it persists and grows anyway.  We should all be like that.  Conditions are not always ideal, but we can continue to grow personally in ways that will make us better people.  Life is a journey...

Against the odds

July 6/11

It's almost the end of strawberry season here, so a big thank you to Ruth (Mark's mom) for picking these for us.  There is nothing better than strawberry shortcake with handpicked strawberries. Mmmmm....

+ Ice Cream & Shortcake = Delicious

July 5/11

I drive across this bridge every morning and every morning I think to myself that I should stop and take a picture.  Well today I actually had a few minutes to spare, which is rare for me as I time my arrival at work to the minute.  ANYWAY...it was just after 7:30 am and the lighting was perfect.  I love the combination of the different colours and reflections.  So peaceful...I'm glad I took the time to stop.

Take the Time

July 4/11

I thought this was a cool shot from the weekend. I took a picture today, but not one that I liked as much as this.  Our friends son Cory was over with a friend and they were having cannonball competitions.  This is Cory just as he is going under...

Cannonball

July 3/11

Here in Canada we couldn't have asked for a better long weekend.  Perfect weather all weekend long. Great for barbeques, day trips and just sitting out by the pool.  I loved the way the sun was hitting our red umbrella. Also I got a new star filter this weekend and it's so cool the way it makes the sun look.

Sunny Day

July 2/11

We are heading out today for an overnight trip somewhere...not sure where just getting in the car and going since its our anniversary this weekend.  Love the daytrips and just going...  Our friends Amanda & Dave were over yesterday and they have the coolest 1967 VW bus.  That epitomizes the perfect "getaway".
Love it...so vintage!!

VW Vintage

July 1/11

We went to a barbeque last night and little Oliver wanted in the pool so bad.  He couldn't wait to go swimming.  This is before he finally got in the pool...just dipping his feet in.

Waiting to swim...