Thursday, October 24, 2013

Happiness


"There is no path to hapiness: happiness is the path."
— Unknown

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Forward Looking to Spring and Summer

"O snail
Climb Mount Fuji
But slowly, slowly!"
Kobayashi Issa

Friday, December 25, 2009

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Breakfast

“There is no use trying, said Alice; one can't believe impossible things. I dare say you haven't had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” - Lewis Carroll

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

Refreshed

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Ablaze

Friday, January 30, 2009

Chandelier

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Homegrown

Take the time to read this excellent piece written by Michael Pollan.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Icing

Monday, August 25, 2008

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Rooftop Garden Project

"The Rooftop Gardening Project is an innovative partnership between Alternatives, an international cooperation network, and Santropol Roulant, a community organisation in Montreal. Together we are making widespread rooftop gardening a reality in Montreal and around the world. Our novel soil-less gardens empower urban residents to produce their own food, green their neighbourhoods and build healthy communities.

From seed to the table, The Rooftop Garden Project has a unique perspective on what a community garden can yield. The food that we grow and harvest in the Montreal demonstration garden is cultivated entirely by volunteers and members of our community, and goes directly to nourishing seniors and others living with a loss of autonomy."

Monday, July 28, 2008

Santropol Roulant

Photos taken in the Santropol Roulant kitchen - Montreal
"Santropol Roulant is a Montreal-based not-for-profit organization founded and run by young people in the community. We bring people together across generations and cultures through our innovative meals-on-wheels service, our intergenerational activities and our volunteer programs.

Santropol Roulant uses food as a vehicle to break social and economic isolation between generations and to strengthen and nourish our local community. We engage a diversity of people to take an active role in their communities through initiatives that address the health and food security needs of seniors and Montrealers living with a loss of autonomy."

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Monday, July 14, 2008

Pay No Attention to the Tourists

If Ottawa could just sprout a few mountains and lakes like this....perfect...

Monday, June 23, 2008

Downstream

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Tip Toe

Could I honestly call myself an Ottawa native if I didn't post some tulip pictures at this time of year?

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Monday, April 07, 2008

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

I wish it was fall

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower" -Albert Camus

Monday, March 31, 2008

Happy Birthday K+K

Happy Birthday KarenP and KellyA!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Poppies

"And now, my beauties, something with poison in it, I think. Something with poison in it, but attractive to the eye, and soothing to the smell. Poppies... Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep." - Wicked Witch of the West

Thursday, March 27, 2008

..

Monday, March 24, 2008

.

I took this photo at an open air market in southern France. I remember asking the vendor if they minded me taking pictures (which they didn't) and then proceeding to try to frame the shot while the vendor and others watched intently. I panicked. I rushed to take the shot so that I could thank them and promptly move along. Pretty silly, in hindsight. I was so preoccupied with feeling self-conscious that I even forgot that I wanted to buy one!

In the end, I'm still not sure how I would have framed it differently - there are a lot of different lines going on in there. I'll have to keep at it anyway...not worrying about the people watching, learning to see and compose faster. Wish I wasn't so slowtrepid.

"What we have to learn, we learn by doing." -Aristotle

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Joyeuses Pâques

"Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing." -Albert Laighton

Friday, March 21, 2008

Nowhere to go but

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Not actually a photo of woods nor of a snowy evening or even of a horse with bells, but I like this photo very much.

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
~Robert Frost

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

In the Making

I love my little 50mm lens, but as you might notice, i'm learning that focusing with such shallow depth of field is going to take some practice.

Right this minute, there's nothing I'd like more than to be visiting with growing tomatoes in my garden, hence my photo for today. Last year, in my first garden, I planted everything so close together, trying to squeeze in as much as I could. This year, I plan to let go a bit and space the plants out, giving them more room to breathe and take in sun. I'm hoping that they'll respond in kind.
...
I've decided to try to add a quote (famous or otherwise) with each posting going forward. Not in order to try to sound deep or learned, just simply because: I love quotes. Sometimes they'll be relevant, sometimes not, sometimes not to anyone but myself that day. Sometimes it might just be an excuse not to write anything else.
...
"The beginning is the most important part of the work." - Plato

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Staring at the Light

I wish that the snow was gone here in Ottawa and that I could go for a walk without being knee-deep in it.

I also wish that I had shot this photo in RAW and that I knew a thing or two about Photoshop in order to fix this one up a bit. Better yet, I wish I had properly metered or compensated the exposure to begin with. The light was really beautiful, but unfortunately it caused much of the scene to be underexposed. Hm, composition is a bit weak too, I think. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that...I'm working on it...

Monday, March 17, 2008

Trusty old

Nothing too special about this photo, but I like it all the same. Taking it made me feel like I was taking someone's portrait - layers and layers of previous lives displayed without apology.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Just Past the Trees


I know that this photo looks a bit dreary and dark, but for me, I see it a bit differently...

Saturday, March 15, 2008

An Apple a Day


Until I get the hang of this one-photo-a-day thing, I'll be posting pics from my archives, but eventually, I'm hoping that this exercise will get me out and about with my camera to see new things.

This is a photo of crabapples that I picked last year - the most pristine crabapples I think I've ever seen...hardly worthy of the crabby name really. The awesome bowl was made by the lovely and talented potter from Picton, Ontario, Peta Hall.

Feel free to leave me a comment or just a hello!