Kestral

It was windy and wet outside when Gail spotted a hawk on a telephone pole at the bottom of the yard today. It was a sharp-shinned hawk holding his perch until the rain got too much for him and off he flew.

I didn't get a good shot of him so I'm going to post one of an American Kestral that I took last Saturday.  This small beautiful hawk is part of the Wild Ontario outreach program at the University of Guelph.

A Snappy Day in Guelph

I covered seven events yesterday as a photographer for SNAP Guelph, the newspaper that I founded. Though it was pretty rainy, many people were out to support their favourite cause. I also met up with an old friend Mark Zelinski who was doing a book signing at the local Chapters store. Here are a few of the photos I made during the day. Click on the links to see the great work that all these individuals and groups are doing. And consider supporting their causes with your time or money!

MP Frank Valeriote and Dr. Anne Marie Zadjlik (with red bandana) at the start of the Bracelet of Hope run to combat AIDS in Lesotho

      Memebers of Gayatri Pariwar planting trees along the Speed River

Guelph Firefighters supporting the 'Blanket a Child with Love' campaign

Mark Zelinski gives some of his books to Anna Rust as a donation to the Children's Foundation of Guelph Wellington

One of the bowling teams at the Hopewell Homes Bowl-a-thon

H2Awesome

I spent the day with Grade 8 students yesterday at a water awareness event called H2Awesome. The students learned about the importance of clean, fresh water through a series of workshops; I learned how awesome these young adults can be when they are enthused about an issue.

For the Focus on Nature workshop, I prepared a new set of slides (just like old times!) and gave a talk on how to use design concepts when photographing nature. It seemed to go over well. Then we headed over to Guelph Lake for an hour of exploring with our cameras.

Skype Family

Gail & I invited Ellen and my two boys Daniel and Trevor over for Thanksgiving yesterday.  It was a wonderful afternoon with appetizers in the garden, turkey and all the trimmings for dinner, dessert and coffee with a slideshow of the boys when they were little, out on the patio.

Skyping Heather with Trevor, Ellen & Daniel. Photo by Gail.

Jason & Heather were only a click away in Amsterdam

One of the highlights of the day was connecting with my daughter Heather and her boyfriend Jason in Amsterdam through Skype. That little application, that provides a free video link between laptops anywhere in the world, has done more to bring wide-spread families together than anything I can think of. Those few minutes were the icing on the cake of a great day together.

The Turning

from the dining room window at 6 pm tonight

Volunteer Training

Worked with a new group of volunteers for the Focus on Nature program last night. A great bunch of gals, but where are the guys?! We need more Guelph volunteers with some time to give to awaken children's interest in nature photography. If that sounds like you, please contact me.

3D cross-view of group warm up exercise. Don't drop the wand or all the frogs will disappear!

Buffalo

Gail and I visited our friends Paul and Marianne in Buffalo this past weekend. Paul is head of the photography department of the New York Power Authority and a fellow 3D buff. His wife Marianne, a francophone, is a designer, chef extraordinaire, and a volunteer with Alliance Francaise in Buffalo.

Our hosts gave us a tour of Buffalo's neighbourhoods to see some beautiful buildings and gardens that make Buffalo such an interesting city. The highlight for me was Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House, built in 1905.

Grapes of Niagara

It's harvest time in the vineyards of the Niagara Region. So Gail & I took a drive down there for lunch and a bit of wine tasting yesterday. We visited some well known wineries such as Inniskillin  and Hillebrand but they were too crowded. Lesser known ones such as Stonechurch and Pondview were both very welcoming and offered free tastings. We stopped for lunch at Ravine Winery, one of the newer wineries, located on the St. David's Bench. Sitting outdoors with a soft breeze to keep us cool, we were in culinary heaven. Thank you Chef Collin Goodine for a delicious lunch and a bottle of your best Dijon Mustard!

George & Pat

Pat Stevenson & George Hunter, taken with an iPhone

My friends George (90) & Pat (101) have been together a long time, and still have their quarrels now and then. Yesterday Pat smiled at me and said, "We're talking again!"

I laughed and said, "Let me get a picture of you two lovebirds." Don't they look great!

Check out George's wonderful photography at
his web site.

Salmon Run

Bronte Creek is alive with salmon at the moment. Each September local fishermen descend on the streams that feed Lake Ontario, hoping to snag one of these behemoths that thrash their way through the shallow streams to find a suitable place to lay their eggs and die.

Green Darner

When I visited Bronte Creek yesterday, I noticed thousands of dragonflies flying over an open field and sunning themselves on the bushes nearby. It took a little patience to approach the ones at rest, but with a quick swipe of my bug net  I had one as my subject for close-up photography!

These giants of the insect world, with 3 inch wingspans, are called green darners. They catch other flying insects on the wing with their barbed legs. They lay their eggs on water plants and their larvae are ferocious hunters in fresh water.

Check his compound eyes in this stereo cross-view close-up. Amazing!

Guelph's New Legion Hall

I was asked to be the official photographer for the Grand Opening of Guelph's new Royal Canadian Legion Hall on Saturday. I was once a British Army Cadet, and I have great respect for the sacrifice that was made by my father and his generation in WWII. Today's legionnaires do good work supporting the war veterans still living and encouraging us all to 'Never Forget'.

Air Cadets greet arriving veterans and dignitaries

An evening Candlelight Tribute Ceremony led by Rev. Dr. Ron Smeaton

Mont Saint-Hilaire

I hiked to the top of Mont Saint-Hilaire's Pain de Sucre (Sugar Loaf) a few days ago, while staying in Montreal at my son Trevor's new apartment. An easy hike of 3 kms to the top, it afforded a stunning vista from the 414 meter summit of the Richelieu River below and the skyline of Montreal in the far distance.

Coincidentally, the town of Mont Saint-Hilaire is mounting a major outdoor exhibit next month of photographs by my friend George Hunter. The exhibit is part of the region's annual Apple Festival and consists of 54 large-format prints of George's travel photography, taken over his seven decade career. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area in October.

Best Shawarma in Montreal

I drove my son Trevor back to school in Montreal on Monday. Trevor is completing his last year of Environmental Geography at Concordia. It seemed like we ate fast food all the time while I was there. Just part of a student's life in downtown Montreal, I was warned. The best fast food, a Lebanese-style shawarma, was from Boustan on Crescent Street. It seems Mr. Boustan has taken a liking to my son and he told me how much it meant to him that Trevor had brought me to meet him. Trevor swears that Boustan serves the best shawarma in the city, so stop by sometime and say, "Trevor sent me!"

Yellowstone Book

I finished a new book project today. I've titled it Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons. It features all of my best shots - 2D & 3D - from the week I spent there in July, with some interesting facts and personal anecdotes mixed in. I put it together in Apple's Aperture, with Gail's copy editing assistance, and sent it off to Apple. It will be printed in 'who-knows-where' and arrive back here in just a few days. Amazing technology. And good service. But pricey.