lady in the wind

Evergreen gone grey.

Bayfield Inlet.

cardinal flower

Favourite of hummingbirds.

Bayfield Inlet.

cone returning to the soil

I Died as a Mineral

I died as a mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was Man.
Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar
With angels blest; but even from angelhood
I must pass on: all except God doth perish.
When I have sacrificed my angel-soul,
I shall become what no mind e'er conceived.
Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence
Proclaims in organ tones, 'To Him we shall return.'


Written by
Maulana Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273)
Translated by
A. J. Arberry

Bayfield Inlet.

lily peace

Bayfield Inlet.

moon and star

After the 3rd century B.C. the vast majority of educated persons knew the earth was a sphere. Eratosthenes measured the size of the earth quite accurately.
The fiction that people used to believe the earth was flat comes from the popular books by novelist Washington Irving.

Bayfield Inlet.

quartz of berries

Blue food is rare in nature. Blue is an appetite suppressant. Well, unless you're a bear.
Diet tip: dye your food blue and serve it on blue plates.
Survival tip: Don't paint yourself blue and wander the woods.

Bayfield Inlet.

British Soldiers

A lichen - which is a fungus and an algae cohabiting.

Bayfield Inlet.

the orange and green kiss

This photo reminds me of a scene from Genesis - a short documentary on the origins and variety of life on earth. Stunning imagery. All ages. Manages to skirt both evolution and creationism.

Bayfield Inlet.

sunset on the rocks

Bayfield Inlet.

the boys love jumping

Bayfield Inlet.

aurora and the green door

Faux po'.

Bayfield Inlet.

handful of tree

This trail follows the right of way of the defunct Electric Railway from Guelph over to the Bruce Trail near Limehouse. The Guelph Hiking Trail Club.

Guelph Radial Trail.

Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival

The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival.

Quebec Street, Guelph.

looking at prints

Zavitz Hall.

University of Guelph.

egg collecting

We share 60% of our genes with these descendants of dinosaurs. And 20% of our meals.

Liverpool Street, Guelph.

going to market

Liverpool Street, Guelph.

Sarah's garden in the spring

Guelph.

Webster's Falls

jackadach.com has a nice series of waterfall photos, mostly from south western Ontario.

Dundas.

church of our lady in red

The higher parts of the church are more recent but appear more ancient. Some history here.

Church of Our Lady, Guelph.

Hilton Falls

Great area for hiking, biking, cross country skiing, or taking your grand daughter to see a waterfall.

Hilton Falls Conservation Area.

indian pipes

Living in the dark woods these flowers without chlorophyll are sometimes mistaken for fungi.

In shining groups, each stem a pearly ray
Weird flecks of light within the shadowed wood,
They dwell aloof, a spotless sisterhood.
No Angelus, except the wild bird’s lay,
Awakes these forest nuns; yet night and day,
Their heads are bent, as if in prayerful mood.
A touch will mar their snow, and tempests rude
Defile; but in the mist fresh blossoms stray
From spirit-gardens, just beyond our ken.
Each year we seek their virgin haunts, to look
Upon new loveliness, and watch again
Their shy devotions near the singing brook;
Then, mingling in the dizzy stir of men,
Forget the vows made in that clustered nook.

- Mary Potter Thacher Higginson (1844-1941)

Duncan Crevice Caves Conservation Area.

food grinders

Here's part of my uncle's collection of food grinders. Most people collect something. I try to collect my wits.

Collector Collection
Archtophilist Teddy Bears
Bestiarist Medieval Books on Animals
Bibliophilist Books
Brandophilist Cigar Bands
Conchologist Shells
Copoclephilist Key Rings
Deltiologist Postcards
Dologist Bird's Eggs
Lepidopterist Butterflies
Numismatist Coins
Philatelist Stamps
Philographist Autographs
Phonophile Phonograph Records
Plangonologist Dolls
Receptarist Recipes
Vecturist Subway Tokens
Vexillologist Banners or Flags

Grey County.

gull on the Grand

A gull scours the placid waters of the millpond above the falls in Elora for ... well, probably for popcorn & chips. If you can get past the quaint shops into the gorge itself there are some impressive scenes of high limestone walls and white water.

Grand River, Elora.

Sarah making Morris music on May Day

Morris Dancing has been around longer than The Rolling Stones and although not quite so lucrative does manage to draw a number of foolish souls out at dawn on May Day to watch and join in with bell ringing and stick whacking.
Each year after the leaping and ducking is complete the local side, The Black Sheep Morris, sing and share breakfast. You can hear Sarah sing here. More info on Morris dancing is here.

Goldie Mill, Guelph.

hand made fence & blue tarp

A small section of a larger gate or fence assembled from local branches located in an off trail grove. Who would construct this natural koan?

Eden Mills.

snow sheep

Here resting on their barrels are the famous Jesuit Snow Sheep. There are some beautiful short trails to traverse, organic farming, and more info here.

Ignatius College, Guelph.

tea time

Guelph.

old black water, keep on rolling

Sarah braving the cool fall water.

Eramosa River near Eden Mills.

below Smoky Hollow Falls

There is a very accessible waterfall in Waterdown called Smoky Hollow Falls. The Bruce Trail comes up the river valley with numerous small water drops like this one.

Below Smoky Hollow Falls, Waterdown.

gears on red

There is an online gallery of some of the artifacts in this museum here.

Museum at Kelso Conservation Area.

tic tac toe

These bracket fungi were found at The Petun Conservation Area along the Bruce Trail.
The name of this area comes from the name of the original peoples living here. The main part of their diaspora currently live in Kansas and Oklahoma.
You can find info on the Petun people here.
You can find lots of info on Ontario fungi here and here.

Petun Conservation Area, September 4, 2004.

fern & stone

The Bruce Trail is home to dozens of varieties of ferns. The Sydenham Bruce Trail Club has a page devoted to fern resources.

Belfountain Conservation Area.

green tendrils

"...some plants are actually much more sensitive to touch than human beings! For example, human skin can minimally detect a thread weighing 0.002mg being drawn across it. However, a feeding tentacle of the insectivorous sundew plant responds to a thread of 0.0008mg, and a climbing tendril of Sicyos actually repsonds to a thread weighing just 0.00025mg! Therefore, some plants have a sense of touch which is nearly 10 times as sensitive as human skin!" more at:


http://biology.kenyon.edu/edwards/project/steffan/b45sv.htm

Guelph.

blue parking lot in the rain

"And rain is more than wind's tears. It is the blood of the earth - its downward flow moves through arteries out of the thunderhead of the sky...."
from Song of the Sky by Guy Murchie

West End Rec Centre, Guelph.

long cool woman in a black dress

Speaking of dresses, I just finished an interesting book: Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz which contains many fascinating facts - including the revelation that in the 1890's a woman wore, on average, 37 pounds of clothing.

Eden Mills, Eramosa River, December 2003.

Goderich

The beach at the harbour. A beautiful and interesting town - photo buffs might want to check out the library's exhibit of Reuben Sallows' vintage photographs.
Parents might want to take the kids to see the two headed calf (if it's still there) at the Museum.

Goderich.

modern park - Mississauga

These buildings seem to possess the same attraction as polished weapons.

Mississauga.

credit union - Mississauga

This was either Mississauga or some alien planet. The warm and fuzzy 'family' logo makes me think we should have King Crimson's 21rst Century Schizoid Man playing as background music here.

Mississauga.

dancing cedar

At the right time of year you can find various waterfowl and many deer in this small park along the Speed River in Guelph.

Kortright Park, Guelph.

Niagara Falls

I hate to break the spell of this photo but the fact is Niagara Falls is always crowded; turning 180 degrees after taking the shot I faced a throng of cameras dangling like plucked third eyes from the necks of curious people like myself. The backdrop was a large sign advertising the CASINO. That's one small turn for man...

Niagara Falls.

great grandfogger & granddogger

My granddaughter giving a seed to my father.

Walkerton.

red trillium

Most trilliums in Ontario are white but this spring we found several groups of pink ones - and this one small patch of red trilliums - AKA 'wake-robin' or trillium erectum.
Good Ontario wildflower websites can be found here and here and here.

Limehouse Conservation Area.

white trillium

At the Limehouse Conservation Area we came across the widest carpet of trilliums we'd ever seen - thousands, as far as the eye could see.

Limehouse C.A.

bark near Starkey's Hill & Guelph Radial Trail

We went looking for trail which runs from Starkey's Hill (near Arkell) down to the Eramosa River. This particular stretch wasn't blazed very well but seemed fairly well travelled.
If you're looking for info on hiking around Guelph try the Guelph Hiking Trail Club.

Guelph Radial Trial.

Dufferin Quarry - Niagara Escarpment - near Hilton Falls

This may be the largest quarry in Ontario. Check out the map - hundreds of acres - the Bruce Trail runs along the escarpment here between Hilton Falls Conservation Area and Speyside. The machinery is enormous - this sieve or whatever it is must be six or eight stories high. Hiking info available here.

Hilton.

Calico Pennant dragonfly near Esquesing Conservation Area

We came across a swarm of these - maybe 20 or 30 - Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) dragon flies. More info on dragon flies is available here or here.

Bruce Trail, Hilton.

maple leaf on Bruce Trail in Esquesing Conservation Area

Early June and this stressed looking leaf was already on the ground.

Bruce Trail, Hilton.

vintage car show in downtown Guelph

There's something sensual about the chrome, colours and curves of vintage cars - a feeling you don't get from Hummers or Smart Cars. Not something you'd want to drive on the Kabul to Khandahar highway though. Or pay to fill up.

Guelph.

nonsensible footwear

nonsensible shoes for those nonsensible moments. As kids we called these "toad stabbers". Voluntary foot binding.

Downtown Guelph.

port albert - piping hot

A Scot en regalia stands ankle deep in Lake Huron and squeezes his inflated goat, the sound of which scares the sun below the horizon.

Port Albert.