Cool Beens

Last post was a long time ago.
Sitting on the train listening to Gordon Lightfoot Pat Matheny and others.
Good news, the days are getting longer.

Fall is knocking

I love this time of year when it cools off and the air seems cleaner. Even though it is only the first weekend of Sept., you can still feel the change. Just got in from walking my dog and it's dropped down to 12 Celsius.

We've had a smoking hot summer pushing 35+ Celsius too many times. Although a successful summer for my wife's tomato plant taking over the yard, it is too hot for me.

This summer we installed all new windows and last weekend we installed a new furnace. There goes the savings acct. Thanks going out to my brother-in-law for working so hard putting in the furnace on a wicked hot day. He earned the BBQ lunch. He was also smart enough to keep our AC unit hooked-up. Last week of temp was pushing 30+ again. He'll be back in August to install a new AC for next season.

Another good thing about this time of year, school starts again. Summer is great for our son who will be going into Grade 12. Home by 1 a.m., awake by 11 a.m. or so. Even though he has a job, it'll be nice to have him get better a structured day again.

So, the months tick by and the years keep rolling. It always amazes me how fast time can pass.
We've been in our home for almost 7 years now and we're hoping to get a few more upgrades done before we can put the sign on the lawn and find a bigger piece of land.

I sure my wife's tomato plant will be making the trip too.

Yard Sale of Memories

When you see an item like this in a yard sale, you think, hmm.... $15 bucks, how's my butt feel in it, is it worth the price!

When I see this chair on my mother-in-law's driveway sadly wearing its price tag, I see where it sat in their original home. In the corner, tea cup on its right, word-find book on one arm, and the TV remote on the other, in close reach to my father-in-law.

This chair was loved by the family dog too. When not curled up in it, she would dart from it to my father-in-law's lap as if she was protecting him, bark at you nervously and dart back.

The chair made its way 100km north to their new home. Carefully packed and transported, I'm sure the movers just saw it as another chair, to me, it was THE chair.

It ended its day at the yard sale, tested many times, but never purchased. We finally put it with the rest of the unwanted items with the last-gasp-for-life-sign on it, FREE!

The next day it was gone, the driveway empty. I wonder if the people who took it will put any thought into the memories it holds. Although it ended up without an offer, someone saw that it still has some more years. Who knows, with an updated upholstery, it may find its way through to another sale. Funny if I bought it.

Sunday Stills: Powerlines and Landscapes

The need for power lines cutting through our landscapes is obvious by the fact that we are on-line creating these blogs. This weeks Sunday Stills Challenge found me driving just south of where I live to a series of power lines that feed most or all of the Greater Toronto (Canada) Area. My take on this was that I was to combine power lines and landscapes as one. These power lines become the landscape.

f/9.0 | 1/320s | ISO 400 | Focal Length 300mm
WB Sunny | Manual Exposure

Technical Jargon: I had to adjust the exposure a bit when I brought this onto the computer. I forgot to change the WB set from sunny, and there was a storm on the horizon so it was underexposed. I slid the Highlight from 255 up to 240 and brought the midtones up to 110 to bring up the neutrals.

When I got out of the car to take this, I first pulled back to 70mm to see what I got, but when I pulled in to the 300mm, I thought the web of power towers felt overwhelming.

Don't hold back, let me know what you think!

Sunday Stills: Yellow

Yellow. That's what this week's Sunday Stills Challenge is about.
I thought I would try posting something a bit different this week, a city shot.
On Fridays I take my camera to work in downtown Toronto, and came across this row of bikes that comes across as mostly yellow.

f/5.0 | 1/800s | ISO 800

I didn't want to just fill the lens with the yellowest one, but tried to use it as a starting point to draw you back.

Full Zoooooom

I was fortunate enough to go north this weekend to my parents cottage. My dad places this suet outside the kitchen window. With my new lens, I am now able to pull this baby right in.


This shot of the Old City Hall in Toronto was taken from across the street. I'm pretty impressed with how I can bring in my subjects.

I'm sure as I find more interesting items to shoot and express my vision, my thoughts will grow with my pictures.

Sunday Stills: Eyes

This (last) weeks Sunday Stills Challenge was eyes. I know it's cliché, but in these eyes you see into a soul that loves Frisbees, water, Frisbees, food, Frisbees and Frisbees.


All he is thinking is, throw the 'darn' Frisbee will you.