WINTER, MAIN STREET, NORTH BAY

Today was a big cleanup day after yesterday's massive snow fall, but last night I looked at another of my images from yesterday morning and of course could not resist posting another picture of main Street in the Winter storm. This picture is a different interpretation, which I think shows the Winter condition even better than yesterdays.

FIRST WINTER STORM

Well, we certainly  will have a snowy Christmas. Today we got our first major snow storm of the season. I had to go downtown, which was quite a trip. Of course I had to mtake afew pictures and I mean just a few. This was the view of Main Street at about ten o'clock this morning. Of course not much traffic and certainly very few pedestrians. I was glad to be home and now time for some clean up.

WINTER DANCE

I titled this picture Winter dance because it looked so much like a joyous celebration of the arrival of the Winter. Of course I could have named it "admiring my work" because the sculptor is sitting on the bench resting after several hours of work, creating his snow sculpture. Actually the art work depicts a crown, but there is definitely a feeling of dancers enjoying the event.

KING STREET, NORTH BAY

What a difference in weather between today, snowing, and yesterday, sunny, when I took this picture walking downtown. The two house and the two cars look, at first glance, similar. The almost similarities was what attracted me to this simple cityscape.

EARLY SIGNS OF WINTER

Last week Gerry and I went on a little photo excursion around the different North bay parks and beaches, photographing thew first signs of the coming Winter season. It was a good time to concentrate on some  black and white images. Here is a picture showing the ice starting to form along the lake shore.

EARLY WINTER SNOW

Yesterday we had our first snow of the Winter. Of course I had to go and take my first pictures of these early winter landscapes. Every year it is a photographic ritual making our first Winter images of the new season. So this time I tried to bring a visually more interesting pictures and use a variety of techniques to re-create this autochrome view of Sunset Park here in North Bay.

NOVEMBER TRAIL

Across from our house I photographed this decaying tree. It took me some experimentation to get the result i was looking for, which is a style reminiscent of some of the Art Nouveau illustrators. I especially like Arthur Rackham. I think I this image comes quite close to his illustration style.

THE LAST OF THE FALL COLOURS

Most of the leaves are gone. A few days ago I made this picture at the Kinsmen Beach here in North Bay.. Most of the trees are bars with just a few remnants of colour left. Nature is getting ready for the snow and ice season. 

GORD DOWNIE AND LEONARD COHEN MURAL, NORTH BAY

On Saturday I heard about a mural, which was painted to commemorate two of our most beloved and famous Canadian musicians and poets, Gord Downie and Leonard Cohen, in downtown North bay. So of course I was eager to see it and photograph the painting. It is quite a good contribution. However it is painted on a wall in a small walkway, which is a pity I would have liked to see it in a more visual space in the downtown area.

STREET ART, NORTH BAY

Sunday mornings are always my favourite time to walk around the city. There are very few cars to obstruct the scenes I am interested in. I had seen this little alley earlier in week but it was of course packed with cars. yesterday morning only this truck was left. Actually it makes the image more interesting because it adds visual impact to this image.

GREEN AND BLUE DOORS

On one of our latest photo wanderings we revisited a favourite place of ours, which is one of the marinas on the South shore of Lake Nipissing. The old boathouses offer a wealth of interesting subject matter, like these colourful and richly textured details of a few boat sheds.

FALL, THE SOUTH RIVER, ONTARIO

Another great photo trip on a glorious fall day. Dan, Gerry and I decided to retrace our last trip to Restoule Provincial Park. On the way we first stopped off at the South river in Nipissing. Walking down a little trail I came upon this interesting scene. The boat and the dock were in the shade which was quite blue in stark contrast with the sunlight trees across the river. It was still early enough to have a slight fog rising above the water. 

STORMY LAKE, RESTOULE PROVINCIAL PARK

Another picture from last Thursday's photo trip. This time a view from the dock in Restoule park. I decided to post a black and white image, which I like because , even though colour is missing, it still depicts the season.

RESTOULE PROVINCIAL PARK

Last Thursday, Dan, John and I made another photo tour in the area. It was a perfect picture taking day, although the colours were definitely not at their peak. However we visited a variety of our favourite places including of course the beautiful Restoule Provincial Park. All in all we had a great day.

END OF THE SEASON

It was a grey, rainy day yesterday, when I walked along the empty government dock. . The Chief Commanda will be finishing the Summer season this Thanksgiving weekend before moving to Callander, where it will go in dry dock for the Winter. 

REMEMBERING KODACHROME

Last weekend I made another visit to one of my favourite photography spots, the Treasure Mill in Powassan. When I was working on the pictures I started to think how I missed the beautiful quality of the now historic Kodachromes. I just loved the rich colours and strong blacks of these photographic jewels. So lately I have started to experiment trying to recreate that special quality of the Kodachrome slides.

EARLY FALL GARDEN

Fall arrived early this year. I took this picture yesterday and the colours were quite vivid, also the leaves are already falling. Of course we can't resist getting our cameras and record this yearly colour feast. Our garden is again a magnificent display of texture colour. Pity it last only a short time. 

SUNRISE

Walking to my mailbox, early this morning, I made this picture of the early morning sunrise. it was just a beautiful beginning of this late Summer day.

WALL BRACES, QUEBEC CITY, PQ

I made this picture in Quebec City on our return home. Of course it is always interesting wandering through the old city. Its fun taking pictures of the old buildings and picturesque streets but that does not interest me as much as looking for subjects you would normally not notice. Walking by this vacant lot I was intrigued by the two wall braces. It reminded me of the sculptures made by modern abstract sculptors like Anthony Caro for instance. It turned into a very interesting image.

HIGHWAY 630, EAU CLAIR, ON

Yesterday another photo trip with some of my friends. The weather was not great, actually at times it was quite wet with lots of rain. But of course we had a great day with good conversation, some good photography and a nice lunch in Mattawa. I chose this image of the highway to Kiosk
because the light and sky  made for a dramatic picture.  

LATE SUMMER MORNING, LAKE NIPISSING

What a splendid morning to go sailing on the lake. I simply had to take some pictures while on my daily walk. I hope we have many more days like this before the first signs of Winter appear.

MARTINIQUE BEACH PROVINCIAL PARK, NS

On our Nova Scotia trip, we visited Martinique Beach Provincial Park, which has the longest white sandy beach in the province. Of course everyone enjoyed this relaxing day on the beach. I like exploring the park where I found these interesting rock outcrops. So I had a wonderful time taking pictures. Here is one image I particularly liked. Beautiful light and textures reminding me of images by Edward Weston.

LOOKING FOR LOWER GAS IN PINTO - BRADFORD NAUGLER

I could not resist posting a picture of the marvelously whimsical wood sculpture by the well known Nova Scotia folk artist Bradford Naugler When we visited the Shelton House gallery in Mahone Bay and saw this sculpture, I knew that's what I would bring home with me. Oh there was another simply fantastic piece by the same artist but it was far too big. So regretfully I had to leave it at the gallery. Maybe something to bring back  next year, who knows. 

MAUD LEWIS HOUSE, HALIFAX, NS

If you are visiting Halifax in the next few weeks and you are interested in folk art, I would recommend you go and see the marvelous Maud Lewis exhibition at the Nova Scotia Gallery of Art.  If you are not familiar with Maud Lewis and her art, this is definitely the show to get acquainted with her life and work.

THE BERLIN BRIDGE ENTERING HALIFAX HARBOUR

On a grey misty morning, I am watching the ships entering large tankers and container ship entering the port of Halifax. When this large ship passed me I noticed the little pilot boat behind this huge ship. It was funny actually because it appeared as if the tiny boat was pushing  this Goliath into port.

ALEXANDER KEITH, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA

We just returned from a wonderful holiday in Nova Scotia. We always enjoy visiting that great province. So here a picture of the famous brewer Alexander Keith. 

DOOR,TORONTO,ONTARIO

After posting yesterday's picture of the door in Field, Linda commented and asked "What is it about a picture of a door?! I always like them so much". She is right of course. Doors are very intriguing. Doors are used in religion, art and literature. For instance doors are prominent in literature, think Alice in Wonderland, the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, The lord of the rings and harry Potter just to name a few titles. This door was located in a dark little passage in downtown Toronto. Thinking about Harry Potter I could imagine that if you stepped through this door you might find yourself back in mid nineteen century Toronto. Pity I never found out because it was locked of course and I did not know where to get a key.

DOOR, FIELD, ONTARIO

Lately I have not been happy with the pictures I made. So I started looking through my files and found some very good images, which I took on a little field trip with my friend Dan earlier in the Spring. we had been to the village of Field on an earlier trip. Both of us made some fine pictures and I liked this one of a door of a abandoned service station. What attracted me of course was the very painterly quality of this subject, in particular the subtle pastel tones and textures.

SOUTH RIVER RAILWAY STATION

Another place I visited last week was South river. It has been quite some time since I took pictures in the town. The railway station is one of my favourite buildings because so many of our station have disappeared or are in dire need of Restoration. They are a relic of the past when the railway, especially in the North was the main means of transportation. But what is also important is the various styles of architecture. So I am glad that communities preserve these historic buildings.

LOOKING EAST, DOWN RIVER

Looking East from the position I took yesterday's picture, I saw a very different view. It is quite a tranquil scene, which made me think of landscape pictures made in the early twentieth century.

SOUTH RIVER, NIPISSING VILLAGE, ONTARIO

Yesterday was a great day for going on a picnic and of course taking pictures. We stopped at many of our favourite spots like this one along the South River near Nipissing Village. The water was like a mirror. The tree in the water made a nice focal point in the composition. I made a black and white version, which looked great but in the end I preferred the coloured image.

OLD SAWMILL NEAR MUNSTER, ONTARIO

Last week, when taking pictures during our little photo trip , we stopped to take some pictures of this interesting old building. A man stopped his truck and asked me if I knew what I was photographing. Well, I told him, I thought it was an old barn but he said, no, its a remnant of an old local sawmill. he explained that the farmers in the area would bring their trees there to be cut. over time of course these sawmills disappeared and all that is left are the last remains like this old building. 

MOSAICANADA150, GATINEAU, P.Q

On the 2nd of July, which was a wonderful sunny day for a change, we visited the Parc Jacques-Cartier in Gatineau. A spectacular exhibiting 33 horticultural sculptures.depicting  Canada's ten provinces, three territories and  as Quebec's and Labrador's first nations. All I can say is if you are planning to visit the Ottawa area this Summer, you have to put this exhibition Mosaicanada 150 on your itinerary.

THE JOCK RIVER, ONTARIO

Last Monday our granddaughter and I went on a little photo trip near Ottawa. It was a dark, rainy day, which has been almost the norm this Spring and now early Summer.. It was actually good weather if you were interested in some fine dramatic black and white images. We stopped to take some pictures at this river, which our granddaughter told me was part of the Jock river also known as the Mighty Jock. 

RAIN_CLOUDS, LAKE NIPISSING

Well, I guess we have had more than enough rain in the last few weeks. Only the grass is of course quite happy but I hope that we will see some sunshine before our Summer ends.The skies have been magnificent. A few days ago walking along the waterfront I had to take some pictures of the dramatic cloudy sky. Some one had made some rather unimaginative inuksuk on the rocks, which made an interesting focal point in the image. 

ANGEL, NORTH BAY

On one of my walks a few days ago I saw this angel sitting between the junk at one of my regular places I go just to see what is new. This poor angel was obviously a new arrival, wondering why she deserved being stuck in this place. 

NORTH BAY MUSEUM

Yesterday I posted a picture of a section of Oak Street. But right across from the store i photographed is the North bay museum. Originally  this building was the old CPR railway station here in North Bay. But with the disappearing of the passenger trains this building was renovated and became our museum. The building is very significant in the history of this city. However the surroundings show a lack of imagination. Creative landscaping could turn this barren area into a great people place.

A QUIET SUNDAY AFTERNOON

The Spring has been and still is very wet, But the weather did not stop me from going on a little walk downtown to make a few pictures. I have been remiss in posting lately. So time to show some new images. Just before the rain started aI managed to shoot this view of Oak Street on a very wet quiet afternoon.

ALONG THE KINSMAN TRAIL, NORTH BAY

Again it has been a long time since my last posting. Well, the weather has not been very good but the main problem was the trouble I had with my computer. Its all fixed now so back to making images. Yesterday Dan, Kirk and myself went out to take a few pictures. Again of course it rained. But walking along the Kinsman Trail, it felt good to be out and about looking for some fine images. I am still interested in black and white and I liked the result of this final print. Its rich in textures and reflected the mood of the dark rainy day.

LANDSCAPE WITH LARGE ROCK, COLOUR VERSION

When I posted the black and white image of this landscape, I think nostalgia won and I posted the monochrome version. However I liked the colour picture because the big rock had, in addition to the rich textures, quite a lot of colour. 

LANDSCAPE WITH LARGE ROCK

It has been and still is, a very grey, wet week. So not at time to wander around, but I returned to the Callander waterfront to photograph this large rock. I had photographed it earlier but I was not happy with the results. It definitely needed the flat grey light rather than the bright sun. I like the dark mood of this disturbed  landscape,  

VARIATIONS ON A BENCH

Boy I have really neglected my blog, so here an image I created of a few pictures I took of a bench on the Callander dock. I liked the movements of the bench and shadows. 

EARLY SPRING MORNING LIGHT

What a glorious Spring day it was yesterday. So, of course, John, Dan and I had to go on a little photo trip. Walking onto the beach I was struck by the intense blue colour of the shadow on this little part of the beach. It had just a hint of the warm colour from the early morning sunlight. An excellent beginning of the day.

OLD DOCK, STURGEON FALLS, ON

Yesterday my friend  Dan and I went to  Sturgeon Falls and the village of Field to take some pictures. The weather in the morning was very nice with quite a bit of sunshine but just when we stopped off to have our lunch, it clouded over and then the rain started. We managed to get a few interesting pictures along the lake before returning home. All in all we had another satisfying little photo excursion. 

ANOTHER LANDMARK GONE

On this beautiful early Spring day another North bay landmark was torn down. The old Thorn's farm on our street was demolished. it was actually not unexpected butt it was still sad to see the building quickly disappear. It has been there for a very long time and I made some wonderful photographs of the old place. 

SPRING HAS FINALLY ARRIVED

Spring has finally arrived, well I hope so because you never know. But this weekend was simply glorious. I took this picture yesterday morning on the waterfront in Callander. The colour of the scene and the chair simply symbolized the Spring and the promise of Summer.

CAN THIS BUILDING STILL BE SAVED ?

Many people, who saw my posting yesterday, wondered if this old station could be restored. Well of course it is possible but at what cost. I know there are people in Mattawa who are trying to save this historic building. This morning I tried to find images of the station in its glory days and found an interesting picture on the Saskatchewan Archival Information Network. In its hey'day it was quite a busy place.So lets see what happens.

MATTAWA RAILWAY STATION, ALMOST GONE

This morning Dan and I drove to Mattawa to take some pictures. The light was pretty flat on this early Spring day. Actually the correct light for photographing the remnant of the Mattawa railway station. 

The condition of the building could be expressed in one word, sad. I don't think this station could be saved because the cost would be prohibitive. It definitely looks like a symbol of the end of the railway era in Northern Ontario.

LOOKING FOR SPRING

Last week I thought I found Spring but then I lost it somewhere in the streets of Montreal. On my search to find it again, I found this tree, which at least could always remember Summer when looking at the wall.

WALL, MONTREAL, PQ

Walking past an old building being demolished in the old part I had to photograph this texture rich wall. It was the right time. A streak of sunlight added drama to this image, which reminded me of the beautiful pictures you see of the universe. The image fits nicely in my ongoing project of photographic abstractions.