I took that picture in downtown Toronto. When I looked out the window – from a fairly high floor – the contrast between building styles seemed too juicy to ignore.
Tag Archives: road trip
Caught my Eye… Photo Wednesday
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“…
Island View Park and Mitchell Farms, Saanich
On my trips to “town” (Victoria), I often take an hour or more to explore. This time, I went to Island View Beach Park, in the Saanich peninsula North of Victoria, on Vancouver Island.
Not only is this a beautiful shoreline park, but to get there, you travel through a productive rural area – where I often shop for vegetables in the summer and fall. The picture below was taken in the fall, and shows fields of cabbage.
The land gently rises to a vantage point, then back down to the shore. Once you get to the park, there is a beautiful long view over the water… There are usually quite a few people walking their dogs at the water’s edge. That Friday morning, the light and clouds were especially beautiful.
And then, I am always surprised by the treasures that show up unexpectedly through my lens. The textures of a ripened seed head of Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) in the shrubbery leading to the beach….
and decaying bull kelp (Nereocystis lutkeana) rolled up on the pebble beach by the wind…
Winter Wanderings – Goldstream
I regularly go to Vancouver Island for provisions, and on some of those day trips, I set a little time aside for aimless wandering. Camera in hand, usually. Here is a mini-report, in pictures, of one of those winter days, around Victoria, BC.
Last November, I went to see the salmon run in Goldstream Provincial Park, a few minutes outside Victoria. This is one of the locations – really close to the city – where you can watch salmon answer the call of nature. On the day of my visit, last November, the fish were there in large numbers, like an unending line up, going upstream. Waiting for them, lots of gulls, herons, and a bear – if you believe the sign posted at the gate…
Fossil Hunting in BC
One of the highlights of an early summer road trip in BC: the MacAbee Fossil Beds near Cache Creek. On that hillside, with the help of a friendly guide, I rediscovered my inner child, hammering at rocks. Unfortunately, I only had an hour to spare – I had a ferry to catch. Still, I went home with a whole bag of fossils. I will definitely go back.
This is one of my finds! I have a whole assortment, sitting on a shelf near the dining room table. They remind me that time is passing by…
