….thanks Cee, as always for hosting the The Fun Foto Challenge
Noodle dumplings
Napping
Newspapers
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – the Letter N – needs to start with N
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Category Archives: Family
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs…..
….what’s more entertaining than a dozen super energetic Super Dogs?
In the summer I saw, for the first time, the Super Dog Show at the CNE. I was sitting pretty far back from the arena and I didn’t have my zoom lens with me so most of my shots were distant and often not very focused. It was also very dark in the arena and the dogs were highlighted with special lights and spot lights.
A couple of weeks ago when I went to the Royal Winter Fair with my father, he really wanted to see the Super Dog Show, so I went again. It was very different this time. It wasn’t dark, we sat much closer and I had my zoom lens with me. It was, however, still difficult to get clear shots of the dogs because they moved so quickly through the race course.
Here are a few shots that I managed to get that I’m somewhat happy with:
These last two shots are probably my favourites.
Travel Theme: Frozen
…..thanks to Where’s My Backpack for this week’s travel theme
Share Your World – November 6, 2017
….thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World
Would you rather take a 2 week vacation with an organized tour or take a cruise of your choice?
Sometimes I think I would like a two week vacation with an organized tour, especially in an exotic place where I don’t know the language. China and India come to mind. On the other hand, I’m far too spontaneous and I’m somewhat adventurous and I think I’d like to organize some of my itinerary. I see benefits to both ways of travelling.
Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing?
I did like swings but I was wary of going too high. I still get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see children soar to the max.
What is the most important thing that you ever learned ? (I bet it’s not something you learned in school)
In my 20s I learned that not everyone will like you and often the reasons are not clear. The hardest part is to except it and get on with your life. Focus on those who love you and don’t try to change for people who don’t.
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
Last week I went to a wedding and met up with old friends of the family. When we first came to Canada my parents knew few people but my father’s good friend and his wife, along with their 4 year old son arrived before us. As their family and ours grew we were almost like cousins. Carlo was my godfather and my father was godfather to their third boy. In my family there were three girls and they had four boys. On the weekend the second son’s youngest boy married and we were invited. Everyone still calls my Dad, Onkel Heinz and they were thrilled to be able to finally introduce their children to us. It was so nice to put faces to all the names we’ve heard over the years.
The next day we celebrated my oldest daughter’s birthday. It was actually the day before but because of the wedding we delayed the celebration by a day. We met at Barque’s for brunch and then went back to Andrea’s and Josie’s place for cake.
On Monday my 91 year old father wanted relive some memories of his past by visiting the Royal Winter Fair. As a boy he grew up next to a farm and helped tend to some of the animals. Last year I went there with my youngest daughter, Gaelan and her daughter Winnie who was only one at the time.
It was wonderful seeing the joy my father got out of such a simple excursion. We started off watching the horse jumping competition and then walked through the barns where we saw cattle, sheep and pigs. We strolled amongst the prize winning vegetables and fruits and then we went to the food court and had some lunch.
After a meal of fish and chips we headed towards the President’s Choice Theatre to watch the Super Dogs show. We arrived a bit early so we also took in the Medieval Times presentation. My dad loved both shows and was so impressed that he felt that it should have been televised. I explained to him that the Royal wants you to go there. If it was on TV people wouldn’t need to attend.
Wordless Wednesday
…..the last beautiful mild day before the Arctic cold front blows across the GTA
New Flower (November 4, 2017) – Pink Rose
…..happy birthday Andrea
This is close to the colour of the rose that opened on my rosebush 38 years ago when my daughter was born.
November Words – Fun-Loving
Thursday’s Special – Words in November
…thanks to Lost in Translation for Words in November
This week’s words for November are: fun-loving, dormant, influential, salubrious, ear-marked
Dormant
dor·mant
[ˈdôrmənt]
ADJECTIVE
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(of an animal) having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep:
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(of a plant or bud) alive but not actively growing.
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(of a volcano) temporarily inactive.
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(of a disease) causing no symptoms but not cured and liable to recur.
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heraldry(of an animal) depicted lying with its head on its paws.
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Halloween at the Zoo
….it started out chilly but when the sun came out the layers came off
Going to the zoo during the week on Halloween had its perks. There was lots of parking, the line-up to get into the zoo was very short and we didn’t have to push through crowds of people to see the pandas. The downside is that a lot of the refreshment stands and rest areas were closed. The mono-rail wasn’t operating and some of the animal enclosures were closed.
We arrived late morning and we needed to bundle up to stay warm. Out came the hats, gloves and scarves. As soon as we entered the grounds we could see that staff had made an effort to decorate for Halloween.
Our first destination was the panda pavilion. The pandas are on loan here from China and the original two successfully mated to produce two cubs. The young cubs are already two years old and are almost the same size as their parents. In March, Toronto will have to say good-bye to the pandas when they move to Calgary. I was thrilled that I was able to get so close to get some great shots.
As we walked from the Giant Panda Experience towards the Polar Bears and then to the African Savanna, the sun came out and we shed our hats, gloves and scarves. The pathways are beautifully laid out as they wind through forests of orange, gold and red. There were many interesting animals along the way but this post would be far too long if I mentioned them all. I’ll save that for another day.
Share Your World – October 9, 2017
…..thanks Cee for hosting Share Your World
What do you consider is the most perfect food for you? (It can be your favorite food to something extremely healthy.)
My most perfect food would have to be grilled salmon and oven roasted vegetables. Not only is it healthy but it is also one of my favourite meals. For comfort food I would go with homemade macaroni and cheese but I tend to eat too much of it and any health benefits go right out the window.
Are you focused on today or tomorrow?
Since tomorrow never comes I’d have to say I tend to focus on today. That’s not to say that I don’t think about tomorrow but if I focused on it all the time I’d never get anything done.
If you could interview one of your great-great-great grandparents, who would it be (if you know their name) and what would you ask?
My great-great grandparents were born between 1828 and 1838 and died between 1908 and 1917. After more research I discovered the names of 8 great-great-great-grandparents. These were only the ancestors on my grandmother’s side. I know very little about my grandfather. These ancestors lived from 1789 to 1895.
I’m very fortunate to have photographs of my great-great-grandparents and I found one photo of my great-great-great-grandmother Karoline (nee Witte) Mewes. Karoline was born in 1814 and died 1895. The photo I have of her is with her adult son Walter Mewes (born 1840 and died 1917). It appears to have been taken when Walter was in his 30s or 40s. I’m assuming the family had money by how well they were dressed and the number of professional photos they had taken of the family. Walter was a very distinguished looking man, always with a cigar in hand. His mother, Karoline appears quite stern and dressed in somber dark clothes. She bore 6 children.
If I could interview Karoline I would ask her about her past and if she had help raising her six children. I would also ask her if she ever had any desire to have a career.
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
This past week I appreciate being able to get six family members together to celebrate their birthdays which all take place from Oct. 2nd to Oct. 17th. The birthdays span 89 years; the oldest being my father who turned 91 and my granddaughter who is two later this week. The other birthdays include my husband, my cousin, my son-in-law and his brother. 
Mama Cormier 