Up for air

Before the month of June slips quietly around the corner and into the pages of history, I had to come back here to let anyone who still comes by for a visit know that I haven't abandoned blogging.

My shutter finger has still been getting a workout although primarily for commercial photography. I finished processing the last of a series of shoots today. I went back into my archives looking for a shot to post. The one I posted was made on our trip to Calgary last summer, and it reminded me of how quickly time has flown, which in turn reminded me of this:

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

I hope all of you still active in blogland are doing well, and I shall make my visitation rounds as time permits.

Slowing it down

I'm a visual person, I've discovered. What that means for me is that if I don't see it, it doesn't exist. Hence my desk tends to get somewhat 'cluttered' (my term, not my wife's) as I strive to leave things visible that I need to read or do. It also explains why I need lists.

So I recently (re-)discovered some lens filters and a stepping ring that had disappeared into the bowels of my camera bag. A couple of these were ND (neutral density) filters that allow slower shutter speeds in (relatively) bright light. Now that the filters 'existed' again, I had to put them to use, so off to another favourite spot not too far away.

I had been here before in the winter. It's a very peaceful, hidden place unknown to most people. I hope a sense of that peace and quiet comes through in these 2 photos.

Quelle surprise !

I had always thought of Hamilton, Ontario as being a bit of a dirty industrial town, owing to the steel mills on the waterfront, smoke belching from their stacks, leaving a layer of soot everywhere.

Yesterday I had occasion to visit Hamilton to help my brother and his wife celebrate 40 years of God's faithfulness to them in their marriage. Before I made the 4-hour return drive home, I decided a quick side trip to a nearby conservation area (on a tip from a restaurant waiter) would allow me to stretch my legs first.

It had rained earlier in the day which must have discouraged other visitors and I had the muddy trail to myself:

After crossing a couple of bridges, the short hike brought me to this:

This wasn't what I had expected to find in the city. When I got home, I googled this place (named Tiffany Falls) and was surprised to discover that Hamilton lays claim to the title 'The Waterfall Capital of the World'. Check it out for yourself here.

The Hogs Back

If you're up for a little interesting history on this name, check out this story. Otherwise just sit back as I take you on a quick pictorial tour of this place:

this is part of the lake formed by the dam which is under the bridge in the distance

a lilac-lined lane lies above the east side of the gorge

a view along the bridge seen in the top photo (that's Ottawa in the background)

a view of the rapids from the bridge - this was one of the obstacles that had to be overcome in the 1820s to make the Rideau River navigable

a closer view

a small sidestream below the gorge

a view downstream from atop the west side of the gorge

Winter Wonderland III

I've seen from news reports that winter has arrived across much of the North American continent. I mean really arrived, which those of you driving in it daily don't need to be reminded of. While we were back home in the north over the Christmas season we were fortunate not to have to drive in any adverse weather. In addition, I was able to go out several times to capture the beauty of the creation enhanced by a dusting of snow, before real winter had arrived.

Join me as I traipse through a secluded wonderland not far from home.

This is the creek that flows below the waterfalls I posted recently and which you might have visited with me last spring

A small creek which tumbles from the hill on the other side yields these ice formations

A few hundred yards downstream we come across another waterfall - don't get too near the edge - it's a bit slippery

The snow-covered ice that's formed across the rocks reminds me of cauliflower

At this point it hasn't been cold enough long enough for the ice to completely conceal the stream

The stream disappears around a bend below this waterfall. We have to scramble through the forest, away from the waterfall, and find our way down a side gully to find the stream again. The sides of the gully are coated with ice built up by dripping water - winter must have surprised these plants

Another few yards through the underbrush and we see the stream as it tumbles around the corner. From here it disappears to our left but the steep gully side means we'll have to bid it adieu, and we'll make our way back

 And throughout our trek Sasha has been patiently accompanying us - whenever the camera bag is unzipped she knows it's time for a rest in the snow. But she doesn't mind - she's in her element

WWW II

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I would share a bit of my experience of walking in a winter wonderland while we were 'back home', over the next few weeks. Now that we're ensconced in the warmth of a southern winter once again (and I have an internet connection speed that most people take for granted), I thought it time to follow up on that promise.

A few days before Christmas I revisited a place not far from home to see it in a winter setting. At that time it looked like we were in for a green Christmas. Jack Frost had certainly left his mark on the area, but then on Christmas eve, possibly as a result of all the "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" jingles that had been raised heavenward in the weeks before, the landscape received a nice white blanket of the stuff. Talk about dreams fulfilled just in time.

So I re-revisited this place the day after Christmas and marvelled at the transformation that had taken place. And I marvelled at the Creator of this beauty “for in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17

(10-22mm  f8.0  1/15 sec  ISO200)

before

(10-22mm  f11  1/50 sec  ISO200)

after

Dry enough for you ?

On my way to Ottawa today, I made a mental note of this creek which I'd passed before but hadn't had time to make some shots of. Later this afternoon I found myself standing on the mostly dry bed of this creek. A small trickle still meandered along the solid rock bed, and here and there stood small pools of water in which I saw a few minnows. It's hard to believe that in the spring time this creek becomes a fast-flowing river - I've never seen it like this before.

[no, my internet issues are not resolved; last evening it was virtually unusable. I'm told that technicians ARE investigating. In the meantime I've stayed up rather late to post a few shots. We'll see if they load. tonight.]

(these shots were made with a 10-22mm lens at f22, ISO200, and a shutter speed of 1/4 or 1/3 sec. HDR processing was done using Photomatix).

click on photos for a better view

The hike ... continued

You might want to freshen up your mosquito repellent - seems they really appreciate visitors to their neck of the woods.

After walking down the trail to get nearer the river, we'll scramble over a few moss-covered rocks to get down by the water.

(18-55mm  f11  1/5 sec  ISO200)

Now we can see the waterfalls from below.

(18-55mm  f11  1/125 sec  ISO200)

Scrambling back up over the rocks we rejoin Sasha by the trail, and start following it again as it meanders along the river. A few people had come along but now we have the place to ourselves again. The river seems to disappear around a corner up ahead. After avoiding some very muddy areas we come to solid rock. Bushes block our view but we can hear rushing water. We work our way around the bushes and then come upon this sight.

(18-55mm  f14  1/40 sec  ISO200)

This explains why the river 'disappeared' from our earlier vantage point. After tumbling over these falls, the river enters a narrow 'canyon' with steep walls that make access difficult. So we'll content ourselves by lingering awhile and looking at some of the wild flowering bushes that are in their spring glory. No need to hurry back to civilization.

(both of the following shots: 70-200mm  f5.6  1/60 sec  ISO200)

Come join the hike

Watch your step and I'll continue the tour I started Saturday. After following the path from the road for a short distance, we come upon a cliff and we see the first waterfalls through the trees. We don't get too near the edge - the rocks are slippery and it's a 6m/20' drop to the rocks below.

(18-55mm  f8.0  1/320 sec  ISO200)

After watching the water cascade over the falls for a while, we'll pick our way to the left down a wet path to the river side, stepping over fallen logs as we go. At the far end, another surprise awaits us, but we'll save it for another day.

(10-22mm  f11.0  1/20 sec  ISO200)

On the other side of the river, a small tributary has found a channel through the rocks and is hurrying to be part of the mainstream.

(70-200mm  f11.0  1/20 sec  ISO200)

(Day 289) Fall extravaganza

Sat. Oct. 16, 2010

I was on a high today, well, at least all afternoon and I'm still coming down. Ok, don't worry - it was a legal high and it didn't involve drugs of any sort. I had the afternoon all to myself and decided to revisit a place where we got rained out earlier this year - Jones Falls on the Rideau Waterway.

Now I thought that the fall colours were coming to an end because the trees around here have been shedding their leaves and are almost barren. However, I was in for a wonderful surprise. You might see some sunbeams in a few photos - they were beaming down on me all afternoon. As I meandered through the woods and along the locks and little lakes, I said a little thank you to the Creator for putting on such a show for us. Perhaps if more people could/would take the time to get out and enjoy what's been made especially for us, we'd have less time and inclination to go fight each other.

I won't tell you how many photos I made but it's the reason I'm late posting tonight - I've been going through them and having to make choices. I whittled and whittled some more and I narrowed it down to the ones I posted below. In the interest of time I'm not going to post my camera settings for each photo - I used 3 lenses: 10-22mm, 18-55mm and 70-200mm and used a fairly small aperture for a larger depth of field in most cases, and I stuck to my usual 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 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)