911? We need groceries - it's an emergency!
365-160. June 9, 2009. I didn't expect to hear sirens and see flashing lights when I went to Loblaws after work today to pick up groceries. Fortunately, there was no emergency! This cruiser was leading the Torch Run for Special Olympics into the parking lot.
911needgroceriesit'semergency361191476536520092009365365365 photospolice carLoblawsCollingwood
Bundle Up!
365-159. June 8, 2009. It's been an unseasonably cold and wet spring. Everything's taking longer to bloom, which means I'm spending a fair bit of time looking at buds. This clematis bud is covered in tiny, fine hairs which I enhanced subtly with Photoshop's Fractalius plugin. It looks like it's trying to keep warm.
Bundle36080286343652009 2009365 365 photos 365 flowerbudclematisfractaliusspring
It Must Be the Weekend!
365-158. June 7, 2009. It's raining again - as it seems to every weekend. Add cold and windy to the mix and it feels far more like fall than spring. Compare this shot to the one I took on Thursday ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/dibytes/3594458867/ ) . There's no sunshine now.
MusttheWeekend360478254836520092009365365365 photosCollingwoodgardenflowergazaniarainraindropsmacro
White Fence
365-157. June 6, 2009. The fence on Collingwood's main street, bordering Loblaws parking lot is a gorgeous white this week. The spirea are in full bloom.
whitefence360085976536520092009365365365 photosCollingwoodflowersbloomsshrubsspireaLoblaws
Hostas
365-156. June 5, 2009. It's difficult to photograph my hostas. They are in the shadiest part of the garden, receiving little sunlight. I managed to capture these mid-afternoon.
Sunrise
365-155. June 4, 2009. I find myself walking around my garden before I even have my first cup of tea. I was struck this morning by the way the rising sun backlit this gazania.
Sunrise359445886736520092009365365365 photossunflowerbacklightgazania
Watching Over the Nesting Plovers
365-153. June 2, 2009. Once common along the shores of the Great Lakes, Piping Plovers are now listed as endangered in Canada. For the second summer in a row, Plovers have nested on very busy Beach Area 1 in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. Park staff have cordoned off a large section of the beach and have set up nest enclosures to protect the birds from both predators and humans. Area residents are volunteering their time, in all kinds of weather conditions, to act as stewards - monitoring the birds, keeping the public away from the nests, and answering questions.
WatchingOvertheNestingplovers359022425636520092009365365365 photosWasaga Beachpiping plovers
Garden Treasure
365-151. May 31, 2009. I love to tuck away little surprises in my garden. This ornamental deer looks so real it always causes guests to do a double-take. As for me, it makes me smile!
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Just a Peek
365-150. May 30, 2009. Back to see the swans again this morning! The bay was quite choppy, so the parents were keeping the cygnets pretty close to shore. This presented viewing difficulties as I didn't want to be within easy reach of the male. I did manage to find a hiding spot that afforded a view.
JustPeek357980456836520092009365365365 photosspringswanscygnetsCollingwood HarbourCollingwood
Leaving Collingwood Harbour
365-149. May 29, 2009. The sun finally broke through the clouds we've been living with this week. This boater decided to take a spin around the harbour.
LeavingCollingwoodharbour357597558736520092009365365365 photosboaterboat
A Bit Shy
365-148. May 28, 2009. I spent an hour this morning with the same swan family I shot yesterday. The cygnets were very busy - watching Mom, swimming, diving and foraging. This little guy swam over toward me but wouldn't look up at me. I really had to watch out for the adults today. I was a little too close to the babies for their liking. See my Cygnets @ School Gallery for more pics ( http://dibytes.ca/?p=1959 ) .
BitShy357442856736520092009365365365 photosswansCollingwood harbourspring
Stop Right There!
365-147. May 27, 2009. The swans in the Collingwood Harbour are pretty used to people. When I approached this pair to get a better shot, the male came over to threaten me. I hadn't seen the babies until his aggressive behaviour tipped me off. As long as I stood still, the parents were content to let me take as many pictures as I wanted. I got lots - see my gallery ( http://dibytes.ca/?p=1948 ) !
StopRightThere357156162736520092009365365365 photosCollingwood harbourswansspring
Evening Sail
365-146. May 26, 2009. There were several sailboats out in the Collingwood harbour this evening. I enjoyed the fading light gleaming on their sails from the relative calm and warmth of the shore. The waters of Georgian Bay are still far too cold for my liking!
EveningSail356816498736520092009365365365 photosGeorgian BayCollingwoodharboursailboats
Gardening Angel @ Work
365-145. May 25, 2009. I use a service called Gardening Angels to do the heavy yard work. These wonderful women are angels indeed! I love to wander around the yard after they've finished and admire their handiwork!
gardeningAngelWork356384438636520092009365365365 photosspringyardgardening angels
Stop...and smell the lilacs!
365-144. May 24, 2009. The Georgian Trail is beautiful any time of year, with its views of the bay and Blue Mountain. However it's a real treat in spring to ride through the stands of lilacs at Craigleith. The smell is incredible!
Stopandsmellthelilacs3561134703Georgian TrailCraigleithOntario36520092009365365365 photos
Sweet!
365-143. May 23, 2009. I'm as happy as this bee! The lilacs at Craigleith, just outside of Collingwood, are in full bloom. The smell is heavenly!
Sweet355790252236520092009365365365 photosCraigleithlilacsbee
Dew Catcher
365-142. May 22, 2009. My hostas sported diamond-like dew drops this morning.
dewCatcher355397862136520092009365365365 photosdropshostasspringfractalius
Beware - Poison Ivy!
365-141. May 21, 2009. On my way to the office today, I noticed there's lots of poison ivy along the trail. Take note of the three shiny leaves and then stay away - your skin will thank you ( http://www.healthyontario.com/ConditionDetails.aspx?disease_id=193 ) !
BewarePoisonIvy355137575336520092009365365365 photosspringpoison ivy
On Gossamer Wings
365-140. May 20, 2009. Although I've eradicated most of the dandelions from my lawn, this one manged to grow, bloom and go to seed in a crack in the pavement alongside my garage. Incredibly delicate and almost magical, it reminded me of William Allingham's poem:
When you feel a little breeze,
or notice a tickle, or need to sneeze
or find your things are rearranged
or something seems a little strange
Look very closely and you might see
sparkly dust, or a buzzing bee:
Behold! a fairy with gossamer wings
has come to show you wondrous things!
~William Allingham~GossamerWings354963744936520092009365365365 photosdandelionseedsfractalius
Ants at Work
365-139. May 19, 2009. I have heard over the years that ants are needed for peonies to bloom. A little research dispels this myth. Peonies produce nectar not only in their blossoms but also in extrafloral nectaries at the base of the leaf stems. This sticky, sugary nectar attracts the ants. Apparently many species of ants are predators and may feed upon insect pests that might harm the peony. Opening the blossoms? Fending off attackers? In either event, my peonies appear to be well looked after!
Zip-em Up - First Motorcycle Ride of the Year!
365-138. May 18, 2009. We usually go by the "50" rule for motorcycle rides - no more than 50% chance of rain and at least 50 degrees F. Well we had the first part covered. There was brilliant sunshine all day. As for the second part of the rule, I guess it might have reached 50 degrees in a sheltered spot in the sun, but not where I was sitting! Fortunately, several layers of clothing, plus all the leather I could zip on kept me quite comfortable!
ZipFirstMotorcycleRidetheYear354365799936520092009365365365 photosleather chaps
Ready to Hit the Road!
I posted this pic last May. Since I'm not counting it as a daily pic, I think I can just use it here as a 'placeholder'. I'm flying out tomorrow with some friends to meet our husbands in the United States where they have trailered the motorcycles. While I had no problems posting my 365 and Daily Shoot pics while we were in Mexico, it will be more difficult to do so on a motorcycle trip (no room for the laptop on the bike). I'll still take my photos with my little Canon G9, but I won't upload them until I return. Have a great week everyone - I'm off on an adventure!
(Please accept my apologies for not commenting in the coming week; I'll catch up with your photos when I get back).
Morning Light
365-137. May 17, 2009. Cold and windy - peonies reaching for some warmth from the morning sun.
morninglight353910966836520092009365365365 photossunpeoniesFractalius
Local Goodness
365-136. May 16, 2009. The first, fresh produce of the season - local asparagus from Meesters Farms near Collingwood!
LocalGoodness353640356336520092009365365365 photosspringasparagus
Ready to Bloom!
365-135. May 15, 2009. I look forward to this time every year - the blossoming of the locally renowned Craigleith lilacs. Once covering an area of almost nine acres, the stands of lilacs are thought to have originated with some cuttings brought to the area by the wife of one of the early Depot Stationmasters. The lilacs have became famous, and it is common to see visitors to the area stopping to take photos of the display when the lilacs are in full bloom. That should happen within the next week. You know I'll be there every day with my camera. Now if only Photoshop had a scent plugin!
ReadyBloom353688913636520092009365365365 photosspringlilacsbudsblossoms
Wind in the Willows (with Apologies to Kenneth Grahame)
365-134. May 14, 2009. A dark, wet, windy start to the morning. My eye was attracted to the soft, green blur of my Arctic willows blowing in the wind. I opened my shutter as much as I thought I could hand-hold and tried to capture the movement. A little "light-painting" in Photoshop brought out some of the details.
windthewillowswithApologiesKennethGrahame353120123036520092009365365365 photosmotionblur
Are You Following Me?
365-133. May 13, 2009. This ground hog darted up and down through the crevices among the rocks that line the banks of Black Ash creek. He was always a few steps ahead of me, but did stop a few times to check me out.
AreYouFollowing352808695136520092009365365365 photosCollingwoodtrailsBlack Ash Creekrocksground hog
Tête-à-tête
365-132. May 12, 2009. My ferns all appeared to be huddled together as the early morning sun burned off last night's frost.
Carbon Cycle
365-130. May 10, 2009. The magnolia blossoms now blanket the lawn, ready to move on to the next stage in the carbon cycle. This photo was spherized in Photoshop using the polar coordinate filter.
CarbonCycle352065587836520092009365365365 photosmagnoliasblossomsglobespherepolar coordinate filter
Calm
365-128. May 8, 2009. Collingwood harbour was so beautifully calm this morning. No wind, no waves, only the sound of the water fowl that live there - very head-clearing!
Calm351436523836520092009365365365 photosCollingwoodOntarioharbourreflectiongrain elevatorswaterNottawasaga BayGeorgian Bay
Jewel-like
365-127. May 7, 2009. The rain drops glistened in the early morning light - jewel-like and just as precious.
Jewellike351205177436520092009365365365 photosspringrain dropsleaves
Ferns Unfolding
365-126. May 6, 2009. I almost hate to leave the house these days because I miss so much activity in my gardens. The ferns are now unfolding - so delicate and perfect!
Here today...
365-125. May 5, 2009. Here today...these dandelions will be gone from my lawn tomorrow. My digger is set to go!
Heretoday350624569636520092009365365365 photosflowersspringdandelionslawn
Catch the Light
365-124. May 4, 2009. The sun was fading, but the last rays illuminated the magnolia blossoms. Hopefully they will hang on for a few more days before they too start to fade!
CatchtheLight350221291336520092009365365365 photosspringmagnolias
Here today...
365-123. May 3, 2009. I came home today to the magnolias in full bloom.
Heretoday349928933436520092009365365365 photosspringmagnolias
Dwarf Blue Arctic Willow
365-122. May 2, 2009. This hardy shrub lives in the border garden in my yard. Its fine branches with delicate leaves provide a protective canopy for my ferns. The ferns have not yet appeared this spring, but when they do, the willows will be ready to welcome them. This is another of my "light-painting" processes with the fractalius plugin. As with yesterday's photo ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/dibytes/3493397688/ ) , I applied the technique to its own layer and then reduced the opacity to selectively draw attention to parts of the photo.
DwarfBlueArcticWillow349439148936520092009365365365 photosspringarctic willowfractalius
Forget-Me-Not
365-121. May 1, 2009. These delicate little flowers graced my garden today!
ForgetNot349339768836520092009365365365 photosflowersspringforgetmeknot
Step Lightly
blog-365-120. April 30, 2009. The groundcover has not only greened, it's now blooming!
StepLightly348946217536520092009365365365 photosflowersspringgroundcover
Today?
365-119. April 29, 2009. Is this the day the magnolias will bloom?
Today3487768196flowersspringmagnolias36520092009365365365 photos
Magic
365-118. April 28, 2009. Came home this evening to find my daffodils had bloomed! Another "light painting" with my Fractalius plugin.
Magic348511198636520092009365365365 photosflowersspringdaffodils
Uncovered in the Purge
365-117. April 27, 2009. My husband, an optometrist, is moving his office to a new location this coming weekend. The office staff are busy purging in preparation for the move. In the process, they've been uncovering abandoned analogue instruments from dusty shelves. This one was used to measure patients for bifocal lenses. In an age where everything is digital, it's neat to come across a mechanical instrument.
UncoveredthePurge348174798836520092009365365365 photosoptometristoptometric instrumentsbifocalsanalogue
New Addition to the Neighbourhood?
365-114. April 24, 2009. I found this robin eggshell in my garden this morning. I hope the chick hatched and that this egg wasn't plucked from the nest by a grackle!
NewAdditiontheNeighbourhood347152633636520092009365365365 photosspringrobineggshell
A Pair?
365-113. April 23, 2009. I love these shoes - very comfortable, great colour, but...are they a pair? The salesclerk convinced me they were.
Buds are Bursting!
365-111. April 21, 2009. Yesterday's showers did a world of good. Everything looks fresher, cleaner and greener. These leaf buds starting bursting yesterday. They start out pinkish and then turn green. You'll probably recognize this as another of my "light-painting" attempts with Fractalius.
budsareBursting346406753636520092009365365365 photosspringleavesFractaliuslightpainting
