Posted on May 4, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….Nancy Merrill is challenging us to take three separate photos of the same subject

I love these kind of photo challenges but the biggest challenge for me narrowing down my subject matter. I may have to do more than one of these posts.

Slowly But Surely

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….the temperatures go up and then they go down but surely Spring is in the air

On the weekend we attended a soccer (football) game. The tickets were gifted to us by our daughter and daughter-in-law who had other plans and couldn’t use them. The forecast wasn’t very promising but we decided to bundle up and bring along a stadium blanket to keep us warm.

The seats are very high up in the stadium but the view is spectacular.

I wish I could say that the game was exciting and that we were victorious but TFC was off its game and we were quite disappointed in how they played. In the second half my husband wasn’t feeling well and just couldn’t get warm. We left when the game was tied 1-1 and made our way to warm restaurant for a meal. There were TV screens all through the place and by the time we got there the game was over and Toronto lost 2-1.

On Sunday, the temperatures were up slightly but the best part was the sun and no wind. I took a walk through Col. Sam Smith Park and took a lot of wonderful shots of the lake, the beach and the trees and plants that are getting ready to erupt with colours of green, pink and yellow. You know when the weather is good because everybody and their dogs are out walking.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….from isolation to a crowd

Last week I posted a story about people who live in a ‘bubble’ in their boats all winter long here in Toronto. This week when I walked by the bubbles were gone and the docks were overflowing with activity.

Last Week

Yesterday

Silent Sunday – April 28, 2019

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New Flower (April 26, 2019) – Pinkish Hellebores

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Wordless Wednesday – April 24, 2019

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Living in a Bubble

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…..it’s Good Friday and most places of business are closed today

As I sit here I wonder how many people are going to church today. It’s miserable outside, grey and raining. I suppose that’s fitting for Good Friday. It’s suppose to be the most important holiday on the Christian calendar but most people confuse it with Easter bunnies and eggs and forget why they have the day off. Perhaps people are living in a bubble today; happy to have the day off but not really knowing the significance of the day.

My writing this post, however, has nothing to do with Good Friday. Recently on one of my walks I was reminded how a few brave souls literally choose to live inside a ‘bubble’ all winter long. These people are called liveaboards and they actually live on their boats, moored in a marina, all year long. I call it living in a bubble because the boats are literally surrounded with a big bubble of plastic to keep the wind, cold and snow at bay. It requires having a special aerator going 24/7 to keep the ice from forming around the boat and of course they need generators to keep the lights on and heat the place.

I was surprised at the cost of doing this. It isn’t cheap. In fact it costs more in the winter to moor your boat than in the summer. To learn more about living on your boat year round you might find this article by the CBC of interest.

This is what the marina looks like during the winter after all the boats have been put ashore for the season…..

….and here are the brave souls who winter here

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Vanishing Point

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Cee for hosting the Black and White Photo Challenge

Birds and a Beaver

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…more photos from my daily walks

Now that the weather is warming up I’m seeing more and more birds. Living next to the lake has always given me lots of opportunities to photograph the waterfowl, even in the winter but now that the weather is finally warming up (for a day or so and then it gets cold again) the number of birds is definitely increasing and their activity level is on the rise as they get ready to mate and build nests. Here are a few more birds that I’ve witnessed on my walks.

Another critter that I discovered this evening was a beaver that resides in the pond over at Col. Sam Smith Park. I knew that there were beavers there but I’d never seen one before today. At first is just looked like a rock sticking out of the water but I knew it had to be more than that based on the excitement of two other onlookers.