Labour Day

     It's a grey cloudy September 1st as I write this post. Traditionally, I hand write an entry in my journal some time on the Labour Day weekend. This year I decided to share my thoughts  on the blog.

   

      Labour Day is, for me, a bittersweet time. It marks the end of the summer season. An end to the long languid days  and a return to the business of preparing for the shorter days and colder nights that lie ahead. Perhaps Summer exists as a kind of sweet dream in our consciousness and Labour Day marks an awakening to the reality that is. If the spirit of Summer is carefree, then the spirit of Autumn could possibly best be described as industrious. Tomorrow we return to the daily grind of school and work and give up days of seemingly limitless length and warmth.

     For children and students, it is the beginning of another school year. Tomorrow they will return to class wearing new clothes that are almost as stiff and crisp as the paper in their newly acquired note books. There will be the excitement of starting fresh while simultaneously renewing the acquaintance of their classmates For the adults in the working world, the dream of a long Summer holiday, if not already enjoyed, has been snatched from us for another year.

    
 If Labour Day signals an awakening from the sweet Summer dream, we should not mourn its passing. For a dream,  once dreamt, always exists, forever archived at the edge of our consciousness.
   
     So ends the Summer of 2014. 

                                        ...more later

      

    

The Lily

     So I went out to photograph a flower this morning. It was a tiger lily. Tiger lilies are not uncommon at this time of year in Southern Ontario. You can often see scads of them by the roadsides as you travel about. But this one was different simply because it was by itself. It stood alone amidst the tangle of underbrush along the riverbank, it's brilliant blossom a flame of bright orange against the sea of dark green that surrounded it.

     Last night I heard the news of the death of Robin Williams. It is considered to be a suicide.  His publicist said that he had been battling a deep depression and his struggles with addiction and substance abuse where common knowledge. Even still, the  news of his passing caught me, like the rest of the planet, off guard. Like the rest of my generation, I grew up watching his characters on television and film and experiencing his rapid fire  stand up comedy on late night shows.While on my way to photograph the lily, it occurred to me that, like the flower, there was a certain quality that made Williams stand out. If I had to distill it down to one thing, it would be his artistic integrity.

     His role as Mork from Ork outlandish though it was, was based on a simple concept. What if an alien came to earth and reacted to, and reflected back to us the absurdities of our modern existence? Only an entertainer with the comedic genius of Robin Williams could have pulled off that role. Even a role as zany and unbelievable as Mrs. Doubtfire was made almost plausible by yet another simple concept, the love and devotion a father has for his children. A concept with which Williams was very familiar.

     He brought the same integrity to his dramatic roles, eventually winning an Oscar for his role as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. There was one thing you could always count on when you saw Williams in a movie, comedic or dramatic, it was going to be powerful! 

     Maybe it was that power which led to his demise. Maybe he felt things too deeply. Perhaps his true gift to us as an artist was that he portrayed the highs and lows of existence so we wouldn't have to experience them ourselves. 

      I went out this morning to photograph a lily. But the lily wasn't there.

      R.I.P. Mr. Williams.


                                                ...more later

          

Canada Day

     It's Canada Day. I'm enjoying my second cup of coffee as I write this post. I'm in the backyard of the little tumbledown duplex that I call home. I want to write about what it means to be a Canadian without this piece devolving into jingoism. The great attributes of this country have been written about at great length by scribes far more erudite and eloquent than I. 


     I guess that what I'm trying to get at is the essence of this nation. It is a beautiful place made all the more beautiful by the people who inhabit it. In this past year, I've had the pleasure of heading north on several camping trips to places like Manitoulin Island, Killarney and  Algonquin Park. I had the experience of hiking some trails that, while challenging to a 54 year old, out of shape curmudgeon,  led me to vistas that were
 breathtaking (both literally and figuratively) in their beauty.

                                                           Sunrise On Manitoulin



                                            View from Booth's Rock, Algonquin Park, Ont.



Sunset On George Lake, Killarney Provincial Park, Ont.



Georgian Bay, from George Island Trail, near Killarney, Ont.

 

     Ok, So much for the physical beauty of this place that we call our home and native land. It's almost too easy to post some pretty landscape pictures and call it a day. I think what really makes this place rock is the people. 
                                                                                                                                                                    In the past few weeks, I made some interesting observations regarding the political landscape of the nation. In Ontario, Kathleen Wynne won the election to become the first female and first openly gay Premier of the province. At no time during the election was her gender or sexual orientation an issue. She won despite the fact that the government she inherited from her predecessor was scandal plagued to the tune of billions of dollars. Her opponent, Tim Hudak, ran on a platform of reducing the government payroll by 100,000 jobs and shelling out more tax relief to big corporations in the vain hope that one million new jobs in the private sector will be created. That Mr. Hudak was soundly defeated speaks volumes about the nature of the people of Ontario and, I believe, the people of Canada as a whole.

     It's not all about the money. It's about being a kind, compassionate, open minded people. It's about caring for this land we all share. As Canadians, we don't sell out some of our fellow citizens in the slight hope that there will be more on the table for a few of us.
  
     Perhaps the true essence of this country is the spirit of inclusion and cooperation as opposed to the politics of divisiveness and greed. 

     I guess that what I really want to say is, while we have a beautiful country it's the people that make it great.
    

          Happy Canada Day everyone.


                                             ...more later

The Fox Den

     If you are a regular reader of this blog and read my last post. ( Hmm... last post. Sounds so final. How about previous post?  After all, my tag line at the end of these little blurbs is always ...more later.) you will know of my passion for outdoor photography. Of late I have been trying to photograph foxes at a den near my home. 

     In my previous post, ( Previous post... much better) I outlined how I had seen a fox at this den some time ago. ( May 6 to be exact. I just checked.) Since that time, despite several visits to the den site. I had seen nothing in the way of live foxes. I was beginning to think that the den had been abandoned.

     Last night, I went out for an evening walk and decided to check out the den site. I wasn't expecting to see anything in the way of a pointy snout and red bushy fur. Imagine my surprise when I found this fellow lounging at the entrance to the den.

     I managed to get a few shots before he retreated into the den. I decided to sit down and wait. After all, with all my visits to the den site, this time, I at least knew he was there. I didn't have to wait long for his reappearance.

     And, I was even more delighted when a second one appeared!

          They seemed to accept my presence quite calmly. By the end of my time with them, I felt less like I was shooting wildlife and more like a portrait photographer.



Family Portrait

      I was going to end this post with a sage homily like "Persistence pays off."  Or perhaps a discourse on the virtue of patience. But the reality is that I just want to share some pictures that I was lucky enough to take and an experience I enjoyed. I think that my friends, both human and vulpine understand.


                                            ...more later

    

Stop And Smell The Lilacs

     Spring has truly sprung here in Paris. ( Cue Ella Fitzgerald singing  " I Love Paris In The Springtime" ) As I write this post, I'm sitting at my ageing picnic table In my my woefully small backyard enjoying the birds singing and the morning sunshine. Thank the Is (a concept and expression I freely admit to stealing from my dear friend Otherkin) for the wonders of WiFi and the portability of a laptop.



My office this morning.



     I was up early this morning and, after the requisite two cups of coffee, went off on a little expedition in an effort to photograph foxes. There is a den dug into  a small gravel ridge a short hike from my home. About two weeks ago I managed to photograph a fox pup sitting at the entrance to the den. I was, at that time, on a jaunt to the local grocery store to acquire the necessities of life and the only camera that I had with me was my compact Canon G12 which has a zoom range woefully inadequate for wildlife photography. The resulting image, taken on a small sensor camera, has been heavily cropped in post, resulting in a shot where the sharpness and resolution is far from ideal.

      I've gone back to the den a few times since with a better camera fitted with a longer zoom lens. But, As luck would have it, I came home empty handed in the fox photo department. 

                                                                                                                                                            However that isn't to say that this morning wasn't enjoyable. Along the trail to the den site the lilacs are in full bloom. For about a one hundred yard stretch of the trail, the scent is almost intoxicating and the colours in the morning light were beautiful. I occurs to me that, as we bustle about in our daily lives, we should take a bit more time to enjoy the gifts that each season has to offer. In this case, a lilac scented morning.

                                                      

And, for the record, I did manage to get a picture of a fox!

                                                                                                                  

 ...more later

Those That Can, Should

    
     
     I want to address a comment which appeared on a Facebook post very recently. To wit "Photographic eye falls to peer pressure" Frankly I don't understand the comment. I asked for clarification of it in the comment list  which accompanied the post but, it seems none was forthcoming. Therefore I am left to respond to the comment with what I can only offer as conjecture as to it's meaning.

    To begin with. I don't profess to have a "photographic eye". I do have an eye. Two of them in fact, and perhaps some modest skill with a camera. I take pleasure in presenting what I believe to be the beauty and unique appeal of whatever aspect of life on this planet confronts me. I tend to not photograph the ugly or negative aspects of life. There is enough negativity and ugliness available on the newsfeeds of almost any media source in this "age of communication". I feel no compulsion to add to it.
  
     Furthermore, in regards to "peer pressure", In all honesty, I don't really feel any. I associate with many practitioners of the creative arts. In regards to photography, many of them posses vision, skills and equipment which are far superior to mine. There are also those who are only beginning their creative journey with whatever skills and wherewithal they command. I choose to exist in happy celebration of almost any and  all creative effort. If I can learn from those whose vision and capabilities are superior to mine, I will endeavour to do so in an effort to improve my own offerings. If anyone asks me for help or advice, I will happily share what knowledge and skills I have in as constructive a manner as  possible. I admire the imagery of many. I do admit to being a bit envious of those who present really brilliant work, but I try to channel those feelings into a positive effort to improve my own stuff. No peer pressure.They do what they do and I do what I do and maybe somewhere along the line we can learn something from one another. I have found that with some innate curiosity, and a willingness to share, I can exist in the midst of a  great big  creative family of humans who delight in presenting their perceptions of the beautiful world  we all share. 

     Maybe all of this is a bit too much of an overly optimistic view  of the creative experience in  the 21st century. Perhaps. But the alternative is a bleak one. There are the cynics who say that no one's life is as idyllic or great as they portray it on Facebook or other social media platforms and that is probably true in most cases. However if the best we can do is question the motives of anyone sharing anything in public media, then we might as well shut down the whole system. If individuals cannot share that which they find beautiful, interesting or meaningful then the whole concept of social media is a moot point. We might as well return to an existence of self centred survivalism  where only a select few are trusted to view the etchings scratched on the cave wall.

     It is far too easy to retreat and not participate or contribute to the life which exists around us. It is too easy to be critical or cynical without making any positive contribution to the Great All That Is. I don't profess to being a brilliant photographer, but people seem to like the images I share. I don't profess to being a great writer but people seem to enjoy my musings in this blog. If I can even marginally alter someone's perception of the world in a positive way, my limited  offerings are not wasted. If I feel any peer pressure at all it is to contribute something positive in the meanderings of my existence. To that end, what little peer pressure I may feel does not diminish my photographer's eye, (if I have such a thing). It enhances it.

                                                              ...more later