Necklaces

In case you were wondering about my surprise, this is it. I finally put necklaces in the shop! While it’s a lovely idea, I had put it off because I wasn’t ready to invest in a bunch of supplies for YET ANOTHER project (I am notorious for those…but I swear I still work on them!) But then I came across a beautiful little (local) Etsy Shop, LaPetiteBohème, and asked her to make some for me. After all, I do have a couple of shows coming up, so I was able to justify it to myself :) So far I’ve posted only these two, because the perfect-for-photos natural sunlight was pretty dim this weekend.

So please stop on by and check them out, and visit LaPetiteBohème while you’re at it. She has the sweetest collection of pendants~ something to fit everyone’s style.

A New Butterfly

The other night I put together this image, using one of my favourite pictures from our visit to the Butterfly Exhibit. I just love forget-me-nots and I had been waiting for a photo that they might fit into nicely.

I haven’t been taking my camera to work with me lately~ my shifts end later now, so the sunlight is fading fast by the time I leave work. I have enjoyed watching the sunsets from my window on the bus, and I have noticed that the birds flock together in large numbers at this time of day. During the day the crows split up to forage and explore, and then at sundown they return in an endless flock to the home they keep in the woods.

I like to think it’s their daily commute.

A Spring Comeback?

Pink is not at all the colour I would expect to find on a crisp October day in Ontario. But there it was, putting on a show that could rival any springtime apple blossom, and just as spectacular as the surrounding autumn foliage. Taken at the Experimental Farm Arboretum this afternoon:

Another local photographer/blogger, candissabean captured some gorgeous images here last week, of this same shrub species. Do yourself a favour and check hers out: HERE and HERE

Also, if you happen to be in the area (and interested!) there are some unusual vistors at Dows’ Lake right now. Today we spotted some ducks I had never seen before~ Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers. They are spectacular ducks and I would have loved to see them much closer, but unfortunately, they were too far away for any decent photographs. I took some anyway so that I could at least identify them later. If you’re into that sort of thing, grab your binoculars and head out to see if you can spot them!

Shop Update….

Just a little note to say that I have added a couple of new things to the shop. In addition to the small desk-style calendars already available, I have added full-sized calendars (8.5x11) as well. Below is a mosaic of the images included:

I have also been playing around on Photoshop to create bookmarks. I am listing sets of three printed together on one sheet.

   

I also have a surprise for you… Please stay tuned~ I hope to be announcing it soon :)

Fiery Glow

What these photos lack in composition, I hope they make up for in colour. I left the house on Saturday to return some library books, and I quickly turned back to get my camera. Although it has gotten colder, and the days have gotten shorter, we have had many beautiful, sunny days with clear blue skies. The changing leaves glow like fire with that kind of light.

Savour it while it lasts~ soon the trees will be bare!

 

Sumac

One of the most spectacular autumn foliage is displayed by the Sumac tree. Its leaves are decorated with all of the fall colours~ fiery red, burnt orange, golden yellow, and remnants of green. The unmistakable shape of their branches hang like buntings celebrating the season.

 

  * This last photo is from our walk around Pink Lake last fall.

Room of Butterflies

One of the highlights of my Thanksgiving weekend was visiting the butterfly display at Carleton University. Once a year they bring a collection of tropical species into one of the campus greenhouses. Walking through a room filled with butterflies is a pretty mesmerizing experience.

Crossing the River

The weather was beautiful last weekend, so we decided to cross the bridge over to Québec for the afternoon. We walked through the woods, and along the river by Deschenes Rapids. Much of the scenery and wildlife are similar, but it was really odd to see our city from the other side of the river.

I also spotted two woodpeckers. One was a camera-shy Pileated Woodpecker, and the other was a Hairy Woodpecker (above) who was undeterred by how closely I watched him drill his way up the side of a tree.

Hoping for another beautiful autumn weekend~ Happy Thanksgiving!