Photo A Week: Through Glass

October 21, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A window seat at the Mill Street Pub in Ottawa allots a new of the river, and the season’s finest. I think I found the place where angels store their wings. (For Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: Through glass.)

Steps (CB&WC)

October 19, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Rows of pumpkins line the upward climb, and flowery sentinels mark a landing – a well lit doorway adds additional charm a happy home from where I’m standing. Not all places are subject to such tender care – through time and neglect, their beauty offends rickety stones, lead to murky waters, overgrowth of bush and […]

CFFC: Places We Visit

October 17, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

We visit nature – as often as we can. The featured image is the Bryce Thompson Arboretum State Park in Arizona. I love the white bark of the eucalyptus tree mingled with the soft greens, set against a clear blue sky. We visit local eateries. This one, bearing the same name as our #1 granddaughter, […]

Plastic

October 14, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Plastic cups are practical for outdoor summer sipping, preferably, of course, with out arachnid dipping. Plastic chairs for lounging are best for surf, sun, and grass except on the hottest of days, they just might burn your a** Plastic skulls lined up along the neighbour’s lawn, cast an eerie light, thrill the trick and treaters, […]

Gathering

October 10, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Squirrels, squirrels everywhere, chirping: “Get ready; be prepared”, hoarding their finds with relish treetop leaping with added zest. The geese are gathering too – like all good Canadians – making plans for the winter weighing the options for flight. Clouds gather to mark day’s end and the influx of autumn weather – and I […]

Lens-Artists Challenge: Windows

October 9, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Stone buildings line the main streets of this quaint little town, their windows a throwback to another era. I walk the trail from the waterfront to the boutiques and cafés downtown. Shops are closed, as it’s Sunday, but the windows beckon. A bird atop a cage peeks out at me from a side window, and further […]

CB&W: In Flight

October 7, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

In L.A. we watched in awe as two golden eagles soared above. I envy birds their ability to fly – to take to wing as the impulse dictates, and soar. This crow, one minute sitting dockside, decided to fly directly at me. Never quite sure which is a crow and which a raven, these birds […]

CFFC: Things People Grow

October 5, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Here in southwest Ontario, we grow corn. By August we’ve also a grown an appetite for the taste of peaches and cream corn, buttered and salted, right off the cob. My mother comes from farming roots, but these days all she grows is older. We are all farmers, in a sense – planting our seeds, […]

Photo a Week: From the Back

September 30, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

As the weather turns here, and our aging bodies start to complain, we find ourselves dreaming of warmer climates. Arizona is the state that calls to me. I decided to revisit my pictures from last year for this challenge. Horseback riders follow the river’s edge in search of the wild horses. Coon’s Bluff, where these […]

CFFC: Pastels

September 25, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Softness of coral, paired with misty green creates tranquility, pleasing garden scene. A sleeping dove captured by surprise, reveals tender blue lidding the eyes. The sweetest of pastels, pink light at day’s end – water and sky, pre-slumber, gracefully blend. (Photos from private collection, submitted here for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: pastel colours.)

Relevance of Story

Stories have power. Parents, teachers, public speakers, and therapists understand that the secret to engaging an audience or connecting with others is through illustration: storytelling. I see it in the eyes of the my grandchildren, who love to hear tales of family history. I’ve seen in the eyes of students, when recognition and understanding light […]

Is This War?

“War is hell. You can’t photograph a flying bullet, but you can capture genuine fear.”– unknown The bomb has droppedcontrol slips from our grasp We pray for a parachutefor someone to pull the cord numbers escalate,lives plummet We offer encouragementisolated voices faltering moment of impact imminentthe implosion inevitable impact reverberatesresponsibility moot. ( Image my own.)