Morning at Outerbridge Park

Outerbridge Park is a hidden gem here, a huge rambling garden with ponds that was built over many years by a woman in her sixties and seventies and then donated to the municipality.

I was there the other morning with my camera buddy Jackie and we spent several hours wandering around.

You never know what is going to attract your eye in a spot like that.

You start with the flowers and trees...

... and then suddenly you're lost in what's floating in the pond...

which segues into reflections and refractions....

.... and on it goes.

The next time I head over there it could be something else.  Photography is a kind of walking meditation.

The back garden a year later

Here's what our water feature is looking like now. It's almost as if it's been there forever. We are really pleased with it. The trees and plants are getting established and we have the whole summer to look forward to. 

This is one of the places we can sit. It gets very hot in July and August so then we'll be moving to the upper deck.

Just recently I added a chandelier to the outdoor porch ceiling. My plan is to find a lovely table that seats six so we can dine beneath it. This part is still in progress as there's some rot in the floorboards that Harry is fixing. 

I'll post more photos as the season progresses.

Meanwhile, here's a little teaser from a photo walk today at Outerbridge Park. We became fascinated with the water lilies and the reflections. More to come.

My lovely neice Calla

Here's a photo of my niece Calla with some of her friends. Calla is the one on the right with the glasses. These girls are 11 and 12 and they were spending time together at a figure skating competition. Aren't they lovely?  It's such a special age for these girls as they are still children but are coming into a time of discovering who they might be becoming. 

Calla lives in Vancouver so I don't get to see as much as I'd like to. But I love seeing her growing into a confident teen with her own interests and opinions.

Hosta beauty

A couple of years ago I was obsessed by photographing hostas and my interest has been revived through my friend Jackie's discovery of these treasures. Now I'm out in my garden with my camera on its macro setting again.

Here' my favourite from the other day.

A jaunt up-island

We took a couple of days to drive up to Comox to visit some old friends who live beside a marsh. What a joy to see birds everywhere and to hear a chorus of frogs at night! The weather cooperated and I managed to get some photographs to share.

Evening at the marsh

Peaks seen from Mount Washington (where there was hardly any snow this winter).

Red Wing Blackbird on the deck railing. There were dozens of these beautiful birds with their amazing trilling songs.

A woodpecker tree

The marsh at midday

Aspens just beginning to leaf out

Beavers built this but it had to be dismantled so the water could flow.

Watery abstract

It was so wonderful to be in nature for two solid days.  I realize how much I miss this living in the city.


NOTE:

For Earth Day on April 25th, the new documentary by Rob Stewart, maker of Sharkwater, will be released. You must watch the movie. It's called Revolution and every single person in the developed world must watch it--before it's too late.  To see the trailer, click here

Ice flowers

My friend Jackie and I had such a fabulous time today photographing flowers frozen in ice.  

Something amazing happens when the flower is partly frozen in ice--it becomes very other-worldly.

To give you an idea how it's done, here's Jackie focusing on the upturned ice bowl.  She collected them  from her garden and froze them in water the night before.

You can find her photos and more at her blog:
fromtheothersideofseventy.blogspot.ca

To me these images have a kind of Victorian quality to them, perhaps because of the colours of the flowers she used. Plus the idea of pressed flowers. But there's the added dimension of the bubbles and lines of the ice that give them a magical quality.

And of course there's the bonus of the ice reflecting the ambient light in quite a lovely way.