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Friday, October 29, 2010

Skywatch Friday

In October, solid grey overcast is pretty common. That doesn't make for a very exciting photo. I did manage to catch this oak leaf on its way down. Although I think this one is a pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) I can't help but think of the Monty Python Lumberjack skit.

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Misaligned

A walk in the rain, and the strangest things catch one's eye. The city spent lots of money to beautify the downtown area, and one of the things they did was to paint a brick pattern into the cross walks. It's not really paint; it's almost impregnated into the macadam. I never saw the machines that did it, but it was definitely applied after the street was paved. Anyway, after the new crosswalk engravings were done, bright new paint was applied to show where the crosswalks are. Apparently, someone needed to go down the manhole, and when the cover was replaced, it was rotated almost exactly 180 degrees. It caught my eye...

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Foggy day

The temperature this morning is quite warm for the end of October - 60F! It rained pretty hard all night, so there's lots of moisture in the air and the result is fog. I always liked fog; no idea why. Probably because of the quiet.

These trees have already shed their leaves, but there are still trees with lots of green on them. October is a wonderful time.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Great and small

Animals are amazing. The dog (whose paw you see here) is a hundred pounds. She's quite sensitive about her front feet; she won't let me touch them without pulling them away. Well, the kitten decided he wanted to sleep on her feet, and the dog didn't move.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Late afternoon sun

The late afternoon sun slips through the trees to illuminate this maple near the pool in Central Park.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Street, reflected

The lighting was just right to capture the street in my son's car window. I really like playing with reflections but I'm not very good at it yet.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Where's Waldo?

Down in Vale, there's a turtle sunning himself on the log. His sunbathing companion slipped into the water so smoothly there's no ripple to show it!

I'm very fortunate to live is a big city and still be so close to nature.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dead End

'Dead End' signs here are very gradually being replaced with 'No Outlet'. I don't know why; it's probably a reason to keep sign makers in work. Anyway, this particular dead end used to have a fence across the road until someone drove through it. Rumours abound as to the sobriety of the driver, but he ended up on top of several stones here in Potter's Field. The city came and cleaned up the mess, and the (temporary) result is this clear view into Vale Cemetery from the street. We're looking at the people who mostly died during the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918-1919.

I couldn't resist the play on words.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Seasonal rain

It's October, and that means rain. There is never a guarantee about the weather, but rain and autumn go hand in hand. During the summer, when the temperatures are in the 80s (F), I take the motorcycle even if it looks like rain. Now, with the temperatures in the 50s, I think twice about it.

I'm riding today.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Moccasin Kill

The camera built into the phone does OK when the subject is fully sunlit, as these trees are. We took a ride up to the Moccasin Kill preserve, where there are walking trails among the hills and streams. A very relaxing place to spend a few hours.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

All in a row

Sparrows line up on the fence, waiting their turn. For what, I'm not entirely sure. There's an impromptu watering station behind them, and a tiny strip of sand in front. Drinks, then a sand bath?

This one was taken with the 1960s vintage Minolta SRT-SCII 35mm film camera. I can really control the depth of field with a long lens; something I can't do with the 1999 Nikon digital. It makes me want to spend the money for a real digital camera. Maybe for Christmas...

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Terraforming

Humans are builders, but there's something magnetic about a stream and a bank full of stones that just cries out for a dam to be built. OK, so it's probably not terraforming as we think of it, but these two brothers are changing the earth together just the same.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ewwwwww

Sometimes trees grow into fantastic shapes. This one was so reminiscent of a nose... well, the photo says it all.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Change is coming

No, not politics, the colours!

Some trees have well into their transformation from their summer's green to the colours of autumn. Some trees go all at once and others go a bit at a time. It's interesting to see how quickly the leaves change. In a week's time this tree will have probably lost all its leaves, ready to slumber for the winter.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Cider doughnuts

We went apple picking and decided to stop at Focastle Farms to get some apple cider doughnuts. They are locally famous for their doughnuts, and this time of year they are churning them out by the thousands. They have a machine that forms the rings, drops the raw dough into the hot oil and cooks them. It even flips them over so they cook evenly. A dusting of cinnamon sugar and they are ready to eat, warm and delicious!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Skywatch Friday

It's October, so rain is the norm. We've had a week of almost constant rain. Yesterday afternoon, blue sky poked through late in the day. The rain clouds were very dramatic to the eye. This is the best of the series of photos I took. Clouds are enough of a learning experience; late afternoon lighting is a university degree!

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Autumn roses

These are some of the roses still blooming in Central Park's Rose Garden. Amazing, aren't they? I think of roses as a spring and summer flower, but if one knows what one is doing, they have a very long season. Hooray!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Apple picking

We went apple picking Sunday. The weather was gorgeous and we thought it would be a great day to spend outdoors. Unfortunately, most of the orchards were already done with 'U-Pick' apples. Apparently the odd frost and thaw cycles in the spring made the trees finish early.

This particular apple is very tiny, as you can see by my fingers. Tiny, yet still perfectly formed and ripened.

I apologise for not posting. I haven't been motivated lately and I can't really say why. I shall try to keep up with the rest of the community and post every day.
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