Take a closer look...

Things are not always what they seem!

Italian photographer Angelo Musco gathered thousands of people to create the feather photos. 

[Link to article and video - in Spanish]

Luxury for frequent flyers

These palaces in Turkey were built during the Ottoman Empire, between the 15th and 19th centuries, to house... birds!

[All photos by Caner Cangül]

Road Trip!

We all got along so well on our trip to Paris I thought you might like to join Mike and me for a Canadian road trip into Northern Ontario.

Grab your bags and hop in. Sweet Pea is making room for all of you.

Anyone for a 'double double' from Tim Horton's? No road trip is complete without a stop at Timmy's.

 I have some Canadian road trip music downloaded. Open the windows we are going to sing!

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Let's hear you now! Don't be shy!

We head west on the Trans Canada Highway and then turn north, away from the traffic and the big cities toward Muskoka. Bracebridge is a town in the Muskoka region. The name comes from a First Nations chief of the 1850's. Apparently the area was the hunting grounds of a band led by Chief Yellowhead or Mesqua Ukie. As you can see, this is not farm land!

Finally we are here! There is still some snow on the ground but it is a lovely day for a walk around the town of Bracebridge. Muskoka was named one of National Geographic Traveler's 20 "Must See" destinations.

Can you see the deer on the lawn across the street from my sister's house? He greeted us when we arrived. Then four of them pranced down the lawn and across the street.

 This is the view from down the street.

Heading downtown... In a couple of months you wont be able to move on the main street. There will be so many summer people.

At the bottom of the street we can stop off and take a look at the power plant. My sister took this little video clip for Pallottine.

The water powered generating plant was bought by the town in 1894 making Bracebridge the pioneer in municipal hydro electric generation in Ontario.

Last spot on the tour is to Huckleberry Rock Lookout Trail. Best to wear your hiking boots. You will be standing on the oldest surface rocks on the planet. They are well over a billion years old. A sign carved into the rock tells us that "(a)s part of the Precambrian Shield these rocks have been encased in glaciers, buried under mountains, submerged beneath oceans, and scraped and eroded clean again."

It is a incredible feeling to stand atop these rocks. Mike managed to get to the top last summer.

Anyone want to head back into town? I know where we can get some  yummy homemade carrot cake. We can kick back and leave the rest of the world behind for a little while.

How do they do that?

Producers in France, Switzerland, and Germany sell their signature Poire Williams eau de vie (Williams pear-flavored clear brandy) with full-sized fruit accompanying the alcohol inside each bottle. (They call it Poire William Prisonnière)

Farmers simply surround a blossom in glass and tie the container to the tree. As the fruit continues to develop and mature, attendants pump in fresh air and nip other pears from the branch in order to ensure maximal nutrients reach the enclosed targets.

The old-fashioned drink is expectedly sweet and fruity, which makes it an ideal palate cleanser or pairing for cheese. Europeans craft this iconic beverage from the fruit North Americans know as the Bartlett pear, which often stars in cans of fruit cocktail.

Interesting, eh? It seems less complicated than building a ship inside a bottle... 

In the news..

This is a tough one. I am still processing this, but I will give it a go.  As many of you know, PGfan and I attended a local book discussion on Tuesday evening concerning "The Golden State Killer".  Some background information is required. Michelle McNamara, a true crime writer, wrote a book about these atrocities. Twelve killings and at least fifty rapes that happened across California in the 1970's and 1980's. She was meticulous in her research, often returning to the scene of the crime to try to reenact it. She pursued it relentlessly. It took a toll on her life, consuming her thoughts. Unfortunately, she passed away in her sleep in 2016 at age forty six, due to a combination of sleep aids and an undiagnosed heart condition.  The sleep aids were prescribed to help her deal with the stress of researching this subject. After her death, her husband, actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, was determined to get her book published. Along with her contributors, Paul Haynes and Billy Jensen, it was accomplished.

PGfan and I were fortunate not only to see the three of them, but also best selling author Gillian Flynn, who moderated the conversation. It was compelling, and haunting , they were so passionate about the subject.

I think it is safe to say that PGfan and I were intrigued by what we heard. Then I woke up wednesday morning, checked my phone, and wow, this guy was captured as we were attending the event!  I am not going to go into detail about his name, etc. ,  because I don't want to give him more notoriety. It is all over the news. What a night, and we were a part of it.

Midweek smiles

Funny and cute at the same time:

Amazing wildlife pictures

Wildlife with a twist...

Photography

When I turned 60, I decided I wanted to learn more about how to take really interesting photographs. I bought a very expensive Nikon and enrolled in a night class at the college near us. Unfortunately the teacher was not very good. And I don't think I ever really learned how to operate this very complicated camera...and it got heavier and heavier as I got older. So eventually one Christmas I gave it to my son-in-law.  Today it seems like the cameras and smart phones do all the work for you. I really don't need a fancy camera. I just need to get at it.

So what makes a great photograph?

“I think what makes a great photograph is if that photograph tells a story. And it can be a very simple story, but it has to evoke. It will speak to you and it will speak to everybody in a different way.”

There are photos that have been shared by our friends on WTIOC that draw me in. I love to see the photos we share. I remember seeing photos by Irish Girl that were very powerful. And another of a young What Timer on a fence looking out over a ball field that really moved me. Shapeshifterbelly has shared beautiful photos that are rich in texture and composition. 

We have gotten to know each other so much better through the photographs that we have shared. Amy's garden, Duncan's antics, Regina and Peter's walks, Q's Cape Cod, all come to mind. They all speak to me. 

I guess there is no one way to make a great photo. Photography is like art. It is subjective. And we don't have to try to make it great. It just needs to speak to us in some way.

With this in mind, here are some of my favourite photos. 

Northern Quebec

Prince Edward Island

An old barn on my friend's property.

The St. Lawrence River

I would love to see some of your favourite photos. 

Little shop of delights

I saw these and thought of TW... The macarons made me think of P, of course!

The morning after ..

The last couple of days have been very eventful here on the blog. Three birthdays celebrated, and a trip to Paris as well! We have enjoyed champagne and eaten to our hearts content, not to mention all the socializing and diverse conversations. I think a relaxing Saturday is what we need today.  Recharge and get ready for the week ahead.

Yes, this is my Duncan. He has mastered the art of relaxation !! 

Have a great day everyone !