Time to take a look at my neglected garden, clean up, try to eliminate the blackberries that are making an incursion… Dangerous business, blackberry removal. Must get thicker gloves. In the meantime, bumblebees are having a party in the rock cress (aubrietia) that is growing over the stone wall.
Last weekend, I joined a dozen Canadians who went to Seattle, to attend the Surface Design Association Symposium, “Surface Matters“. It was a wonderful weekend, very inspiring.
On Sunday, the Symposium planners held an exhibition and studio tour at the Ballard Works studios and area. It was a wonderful chance to explore the Ballard area on foot.
While wandering in the neighbourhood, I came to the Ballard Locks and Dam. Above, a sculpture located above the fish ladder (click here for the video of salmon swimming through) which is built in the dam. Below, a street shot of the nearby café, which serves many treats, including very decent fish and chips. I really like Seattle!
This week’s composition: a trio of mushrooms on a decaying log.
Winter hikes on Saturna have led me to accumulate lots of close-ups of the forest floor. The textures are amazing, when you start to pay attention!
I think this one is Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), but I couldcertainly be wrong… This mushroom is quite common around here. In China and Japan, T versicolor is used as an adjuvant in cancer therapy…
My 2012 resolution consisted in not making resolutions. Most of my past resolutions involved eating better, sleeping more and getting a lot more exercise. Most of those resolutions were abandoned fairly quickly, or followed sporadically. So, in the spirit of keeping things simple, no silly resolutions in 2012.
Seriously, though, I resolved to work on my photo skills. Once a week – on Wednesdays – I’ll post a picture to mark my progress on the path of “eye-training”.
Here is the inaugural pic. This 2 CV was parked in front of a café terrasse on Avenue du Mont-Royal, in Montréal, last summer. I loved that cheeky saturated green! It cheered that whole side of the street.
I especially liked the statement in the back window: “Ceci n’est pas une voiture … c’est un art de vivre”. A little bit like Magritte’s “Ceci n’est pas une pipe“…
Still wandering on Saturna island, staring at the ocean and at the horizon. Mount Baker, in Washington state, iis often visible across the Georgia Strait. It occupies the horizon with great aplomb… Its height (10,781 feet or 3,286 m), makes it the third highest in Washington state. According to its description, this is a young and active stratovolcano… I keep in mind that this volcano is about 60 miles away, as the bird flies… and I know that I live in a very active zone, seismically-speaking. Check out this Government of Canada page on earthquakes in Southwestern British Columbia…
The first picture was taken at Russel Reef on the North side of Saturna, on a clear day. The second shot was taken from the ferry leaving Saturna at sunrise …
