BEDROOM, HÔTEL DE GLACE

This is what a bedroom at the hotel looks like. Each room has a different layout and design but all of course are made of snow and ice. For the price of $474 you can have this unique experience but I bet it will be cold when you step out of bed.

HÔTEL DE GLACE

Not far from Quebec City I visited an unusual tourist attraction.Its the ice hotel. Every year this hotel is recreated entirely from snow and ice. You can actually stay there if you like sleeping in bed made from ice. Of course you get special sleeping bags but I think it would be chilly. This picture shows the bar with very ornately carved ice pillars and bar. I will post a few other images from this hotel. It definitely was worth the visit.

YELLOW HOUSE, QUEBEC CITY

The streets are icy and gray but the brightly coloured homes in the old part of town adds cheer to a dull Winter's day.

WINTER TREES, QUEBEC CITY

The light, the trees and the colour all reminded me of paintings by Maurice Utrillo. or it simply might have been the Winter atmosphere, which attracted me.

WINTER CARNIVAL, QUEBEC CITY

During the carnival you will meet quite a few traditional figures like these two characters.

WINTER FUN, QUEBEC CITY

The Winter carnival in Quebec City is a great family event. Here a picture of the toboggan run on the Boulevard Champlain.

WINTER, QUEBEC CITY

Just returned from the Winter carnival in Quebec city. We had a great time enjoying various events and just simply sightseeing. I had some time to take pictures but mostly spend time with the family. The old seminary , now the architecture faculty of Laval university. The subject of the austere architecture of the building in the snow works well in this simple almost minimalist picture.

SUBWAY, NEW YORK

Time for another picture. Again it has been some time since I posted a new image. Its a busy time for me so I have not given as much attention to my blog as I should have. Hopefully it will change. This weekend I will be in Quebec City for to enjoy their Winter canival. I am looking forward to it and am planning to take many pictures. In the mean time here is another image from my New York trip. I made quite a few images of the NY subway.

PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, NYC

I always enjoy taking images of very abstract subjects like this pedestrian crossing. Maybe its part of my nature as the son of a painter, who loves painting.

THE LITTLE CHURCH, NYC

The Church of the Transfiguration is one of the most famous parishes of the Episcopal Church in the United States. It has had a rich history since its founding in 1848. I was attracted to the architecture which is more reminiscent of European architectural styles.

APPLELLATE COURT OF NEW YORK

Again, it has been some time since my last posting. Its been a busy time for me so I could not spend more time on my photography or my blog. So here is another of my New York pictures. In this case I noticed this building which is the appellate division ogf the supreme court of the state of New York.

HUNGRY

The Winter is a time of hardship for all animals and birds. The deer come into our yards to raid the bird feeders. This young deer had a hard time reaching a bird feeder but he was hungry enough to figure out how to empty the feeder.

VERY COLD

It has been quite a few days since my last posting. I had to spend some time preparing for my Winter course on Photoshop Elements. This week the weather turned bitter cold and to top it off The contractor came in to replace our windows, six of them including two big picture windows. I have to say, they worked very efficiently and by mid afternoon all the windows were in place. Of course the house cooled down quite a bit. Actually the temperature yesterday morning and also this morning was -36C. But we survived.

BACKLIGHTING

Crossing the street lat in the afternoon I noticed the building backlit by strong sunlight. The lines and shapes created the right subject for a good abstract image.

REFLECTION

Back to colour. I simply photographed the street reflected in the back of a parked car. What I like in this image is the illusion of the logo flying towards the viewer.

IN VIOLENCE WE FORGET WHO WE ARE

Walking by a gallery in downtown New York, I photographed this sign. Reading the papers, listening to the news or watching TV, I thought that this image reflects how I feel about the all the violence occurring in the world today.

MADISON SQUARE PARK, NY

Another black and white image. I took this picture in a small park near the flatiron building. I liked the unusual but beautiful shape of the tree, which contrasts nicely with the stark lines of the office buildings in the background.

THE FLATIRON BUILDING, NY

The holidays are over. It was a great time for my family and me but extremely busy. Now its time to get back to my photography. I did not get a chance to to take many pictures, except family shots, so I will continue with some more images from our New York trip in November. The flatiron building has always been a favourite site for many photographers. Just look at the great image made by Edward Steichen in 1905.So of course I could not resist photographing this unusual building.

SLEIGH RIDE

well, after a very nice visit to our families in Ottawa, we just returned to North Bay. Yesterday we went on a traditional sleigh ride, which was was great fun. So here is a picture of that event.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It has been a very busy two weeks but now everything is ready for the Christmas holidays. First of course I wish all my blogging friends a very happy holiday or if you prefer a very merry Christmas. I will be away till the 28th of December so I will not be posting pictures until after I return. A toast to all of you.