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)

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.

Tips

I always appreciate a good tip, especially one that pans out. Well, I received one a couple of days ago from my daughter-in-law, Nadine, who said she'd found a very scenic hike through quiet woods, along a serene - in places - river, and overlooking a beautiful waterfalls (actually she only told me about the waterfalls, but that was enough ...).

The first (dry) opportunity to check it out came this afternoon, and I was not disappointed. Sasha and I spent the better part of 2 hours there, taking it in and making some shots. I'll share them over the next few days and you can let me know if this was a good tip.

(10-22mm  f11  1/30 sec  ISO200)

No, these aren't the falls - they're rapids just above the falls.

(70-200mm  f18  1/25 sec  ISO100)

A bee's world

When I was out among the lilac bushes a few days ago, the air was filled with a constant buzzing. Not only are we blessed with many beautiful lilacs, but we also have a healthy crop of dandelions. I don't think bees have a preference - I had to be a little careful before sticking my camera into a lilac bush and I also had to tread carefully. I didn't want to be mistaken for and treated as an invader. We all got along famously. I did use my long lens for this shot, however - I'm not THAT brave (or foolhardy).

Today was another of those "ya win some, ya lose some" days. In the win column, I discovered why my photos display at a smaller size when you click on them than what I uploaded - I've used all my free blogger storage (1 Gb) and blogger automatically reduces the size of further uploaded photos. I've deleted some old photos so tonight's post will be a test to see if the original size is maintained. Thanks to those who tried to help me with this one.

In the lose column I'm again having internet connection issues - I couldn't even display my own blog tonight, let alone visit anyone. While I write this (late, because I spent over an hour with the ISP - again !), I have no idea how long it will take, or even if I can post this - if you're reading this, at least it uploaded. Since I've had so many issues (yes, I log all my calls to them) I'm finally getting a 3rd level engineer assigned to do a complete assessment. So - I hope they can find the root cause and fix it. soon. I will again try to come visit you when my connection allows. Thank you for your visits and comments.

(70-200mm  f5.6  1/320 sec  ISO100)

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)