Speechless Sunday

By the By

We have the good fortune of living within a 15-minute drive of a marvel of human engineering and persistence. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Rideau Canal - 2012 marks its 180th year of operation, albeit in a much different role than what its builders intended.

Yesterday didn't look promising to venture out on a photoshoot - it was quite blustery and dark skies threatened rain. However, the western horizon offered a glimmer of hope in the early evening as the sun's rays broke out here and there among the scudding clouds. In fact, the evening turned out to be perfect for capturing some of the charms of this place and I hope to share some over the coming days.

Back to the future

My plan to go out and shoot some more autumn colours has been temporarily shelved. Our weather has taken on a decidedly autumn character - cold, blustery winds, rain, and sullen gray skies. So I decided to peruse my archives and came across this shot to mark Sunset Sunday, taken on the other side of summer.

(10-22mm  f8.0 1/30 sec  ISO200)

For more marvelous sunsets, visit Scott's blog.

Sunday reward

We've had a dearth of sunsets here lately, and as I've noticed from some blogs I was able to visit, we're not alone in this. Seems the April showers baton was handed off to May, and although May did produce the promised flowers, you had to act quickly to grab the opportunity to shoot them. I lingered awhile this past week when I visited the village of Merrickville since it was one of those infrequent days without rain, and I was rewarded with this sunset.

(18-55mm  f9.0  1/50 sec  ISO200)

click on photo for a larger view

If you're also a fan of sunsets, be sure to visit Scott's Sunset Sunday post.

Evening postcard

I slipped over to Merrickville this evening to wander around the Rideau Canal and catch the spring colours. I thought I'd send you a postcard.

(18-55mm  f8.0  1/125 sec  ISO200)

Reflections in fading light

I'm not sure what it is about reflections that captivates some (most ?) photographers. Perhaps it's the symmetry when that's what is captured, at other times it could be what the reflected light does to the colours, and at yet other times it could be the wonderful distortions made to the reflected image. In this case I found a perfectly still, mirror-like reflecting surface in the fading light of evening  - not even the slightest breeze was present. The scene also reflected the perfect peace and calm of the moment - as though the busyness of life, and even time itself, was suspended.

(18-55mm  f11  1.6 sec  ISO200)

(Day 358) A new day

On the day of Christmas Eve we had an opportunity to take a quiet walk. We were surrounded by snow and ice and water, and thirty yards away hundreds and hundreds of Canada geese congregated near areas of open water. There was no one else within sight or within earshot. There was no strife in our little local patch of the creation. It felt like a brand new day. Maybe this is what things looked like when God first looked out on his creation and said that it was good.

And the coming of Jesus, which we celebrate tomorrow, signified the beginning of the restoration of his creation and all that is in it. May you experience a brand new day in your life as you celebrate Christmas.

(10-22mm  f13.0  1/320 sec  ISO320)

(Day 278) In the quiet of the evening

Tuesday Oct. 5, 2010

I will let today's photo speak for itself.

(10-22mm  f22  1/125 sec  ISO200)

(Day 277) River in fall

I drove to Merrickville this afternoon to see what fall along the Rideau River looked like. Of course it wasn't a direct drive there, since there was beautiful fall foliage along the way also, needing to be captured before it lost its richness. Sasha and I looked down on the river from the bridge, and it bore little resemblance to the river I posted back in early spring. We walked along the canal till we found a path through the undergrowth that led to the river.

Where in the spring we would have been swept away, there were now bare rocky ledges with only a small stream cascading over them. Fall seemed to be coming more slowly along the river than further away from it where most trees had already turned a fiery red/orange and had lost a lot of foliage. Here there were still a lot of green leaves, so I shall have to make a return visit soon.

(18-55mm  f22  1/8 sec  ISO200)

(Day 227) Rained out - but not all is lost

It's been a while since we've gone on a picnic so we decided to go after church today. The sky looked overcast and we'd had a brief sprinkle in the morning, but things didn't look too bad. We packed a lunch and the dog and set off. We had picked out a spot along the Rideau system that we had briefly visited a number of years ago. Along the way I noted an interesting bridge in Lyndhurst and made a mental note that I should come back some time to make some photos around the area.

All was going well - we reached our destination, grabbed our things and the dog and found a lovely spot by the water, under some trees. We enjoyed our lunch, but as we were sheltered by the trees we hadn't noticed that a light rain had started. But it stopped again by the time we were finished lunch. Off we went to watch the lockmaster at work guiding a couple of boats into the locks. Once the operation was well under way we decided to walk over a wooden bridge towards some boats moored on the far side of the river. A soft rain started again so we ducked under a large tree to stay dry - poor choice. This time the rain didn't let up but intensified - within minutes it was dripping off the leaves onto us. We ran to the nearby restaurant and got under a broad overhang.

Well, we waited for a break in the downpour and at a quick pace made our way back to the car some half mile away. The sky didn't look like it would relent, so reluctantly we elected to head back home. And wouldn't luck have it that as we neared the stone bridge again the rain slackened off to a light drizzle. Just enough time to dash out and make a few photos of the oldest stone bridge in the province, dating back to 1856-57.

(18-55mm  f6.3  1/80 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f6.3  1/25 sec  ISO200)

Oops, for the second week, I forgot to add my Sunset Sunday contribution. So I've edited this (already-published) post to add one that was shot a few days ago in Merrickville:

(18-55mm  f11  1/100 sec  ISO200)

(Day 225) An evening stroll

It was one of those beautiful summer evenings that you often envision when you're huddled near the wood stove in the deep of winter. There were almost no clouds in the sky, the sun shone warmly, and the air was very calm. We'd had an early dinner in Merrickville, and it was the perfect time for an evening stroll along the Rideau Canal that runs through the middle of the village. The last boaters were just making their way through the locks. Here are a few glimpses along the canal.

(18-55mm  f11  1/5 sec  ISO100)

(18-55mm  f11  1/10 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f11  1/8 sec  ISO200)

(Day 148) A look at the past

We are lucky to live within a 15-minute drive of 'Canada's most beautiful village' - Merrickville (no, I didn't make that up - it's official), situated on the Rideau River. I went there today to make a few photos of some of the relics of yesteryear's industry. The earliest setllement there dates back to 1791 (fairly 'modern' compared to Europe). With abundant power from the river, over 50 industries thrived in Merrickville in the 19th century. Today, the oldest foundry in Eastern Canada, dating back to 1840, still crafts metal products. Hope you don't mind a bit of history.

(18-55mm  f5.6  1/1250 sec  ISO200)

wall of the old mill; inscription reads 'S. H. Mirick  1848'

(18-55mm  f5.6  1/320 sec  ISO200)

'interior' of mill

(18-55mm  f8  1/160 sec  ISO200)

old turbine mfg'd by Northern Electric

(18-55mm  f8  1/100 sec  ISO100)


current resident

(18-55mm  f8  1/60 sec  ISO200)

old abandoned boiler

 (18-55mm  f18  1/6 sec  ISO100)

the Rideau water that drove industry