…observed during our hike through Mono Cliffs Provincial Park on Saturday
Wildflowers and Grasses
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Category Archives: walking
A Photo a Week Challenge – Anything
…thanks to Nancy Merrill for this very open ended challenge
Sometimes these open ended challenges are more ‘challenging’ than ones with a specific theme. I have, however, created a theme of my own…..Fallen Trees. All these trees were photographed today on my morning walk through Mono Cliffs Provincial Park.
The Hazards of Trash Collecting – Part 4
….on our 30 Day Challenge Trish and I had a few mishaps
Collecting trash in the parks, along the beaches and in the rocks has its misfortunes. Luckily for us none of them were too serious.
Trash collecting can wreak havoc with your clothes:
Burrs were a constant problem.
Climbing over wire fences can cause tears in your tights.
The insects can also be problem. The midges were particularly bad. Thanks goodness for face masks.
Wearing proper shoes and gloves is very important. I learned both the hard way. On the rocks I pulled out a broken beer bottle and promptly cut my finger. Luckily I brought water with me and Trish had hand sanitizer. I put pressure on the cut and cleaned it out as best
I could. Once the bleeding stopped I put on my gardening gloves and continued to work.
On another trip I was wearing my sandals. It was towards the end of the challenge and a lot of vegetation had grown in on the pathways. Everything seemed fine until I felt a burning sting under my foot. I quickly looked down and saw a wasp fly out from under my toes. Upon closer inspection we didn’t see a stinger but I did notice red ants in the area and I suspect it was an ant that bit me and not the wasp.
Towards the middle of May as the weather warmed up it was important to wear sunglasses, hats and sunscreen. There were days when I felt I had been in the sun a little too long.
The final hazard of course is falling. There were days that I wasn’t comfortable on the rocks and I soon figured out it was due to my low blood pressure. If I didn’t have my morning coffee before we left I felt dizzy on the rocks and I would stay on the pathways while Trish did her thing diving between the rocks to retrieve treasures deep in the crevices. Even on the beaches the rocks were slippery and on the paths rocks jutted up and were tripping hazards. There were a few times that I slipped or tripped but luckily I always caught myself before going down.
Trish was more adventurous and one day she tried to jump to a large rock for a photo op but she slipped and ended up in the water (only her shoes got wet).
In the next segment I will talk about the fun and beauty of trash collecting.
Outdoor Art During COVID-19
….isolation brings out the creativity in people
Walking through the neighbourhood these last seven weeks I’ve come across some pretty amazing art. Some are very simple messages hung on trees, others are temporary works of art on the sidewalks and others clearly took some time and thought. Here are a few of the works I’ve come across.
I finally found Waldo……
RDP Friday – Overtime
….thanks to Rag Tag Community for hosting RDP Friday
The rain has certainly been working overtime these past few days. First time out for a walk for my husband since all this self isolation started and it poured.
Wordless Wednesday – April 8, 2020
Art on the Beach
….art installations on the rocky shores of Lake Ontario
Much of the beaches in Col. Sam Smith Park in Toronto are man made and made with landfill. Large of chunks of concrete and rebar and lovely old bricks line the shores of the park and the lake. Over the years people have lined up the bricks and laced them onto the rebar to create interesting sculptures. A couple of weeks ago during one of my walks along the beaches I noticed this interesting sculpture made with rebar and bricks.
Yesterday I took a similar path when I went for my daily walk and specifically looked for this same sculpture. As with most pieces of installation art in nature it was no longer there. I did see another piece that I think was mostly created by nature but it did seem to have some human involvement.
I was inspired to try my own hand at making a piece of sculpture with found objects. The rocks and bricks had such interesting colours and had been worn smooth from the crashing waves. In the second photo you can see that I used bits of wood, seashells, speckled stones and a piece of scrap metal. Can you see the face?
Walking and More Baking During Covid-19
….at times the streets are empty and it’s an eerie feeling
Today, however, was a beautiful sunny day. The dog walkers were all out and mostly they were alone with their pet. A few people that were walking together were clearly couples who were probably cooped up all day together anyway.
Everyone was very respectful of the acceptable distance between people and when someone came down the street in my direction, either I or the other person stepped off the sidewalk and continued walking on the road. Funny how a few months ago this would have seemed anti-social and weird.
Even in the grocery store people go about their business quickly. People seem to know what they need and they spend as little time as possible in the store. In my local grocery store there are no empty shelves and there was a lot of toilet paper today. The cashiers are all separated from the customers by plexiglass shields at the cash and they all wore gloves. There was tape fixed to the floor with six feet between strips and people observed the social distancing rules.
As soon as I got home I washed my hands, something that I’ve always done but now I’m super diligent about it.
The other thing that both my husband and I have started doing again is bake. Today we started the dough for bread that we will bake tomorrow and while I was in the mood I made an almond cake. We had the cake for dessert tonight with some strawberries and cream. Being aware of the Corona 15 (the 15 pounds that many people will gain during this pandemic) we ate only one slice and then I froze the rest for another day.
Silent Sunday – March 22, 2020
Pull Up a Seat…but keep your distance – Week 12
…. outdoor seating is well underused
In this day and age of social distancing sitting down in public places is getting almost taboo. On my walk yesterday I did come across some unused garden furniture (still too cold to enjoy) and park benches.
The first three shots were taken a few weeks ago before people were asked to social distance themselves.
Taking a break from my walk but as you can see no one is out and about.
Waiting for warmer days.
Thanks to Xingfu Mama for hosting this challenge.
Mama Cormier 