Category Archives: Poetry

Photography, Poetry

I Had A Dream

4 Comments

IonaBay

The sound of waves

Rolling upon the beach

Receding before the next

Oncoming wave

The pebbles on the beach

A rainbow of colors

As they glistening in the sun

 

I had a dream

That I was walking

On a lonely beach

 

The sky was blue

The clouds moving on

The hills far in the distance

Covered in a dark mist

The beach stretching to infinity

 

I had a dream

That I was walking

On a lonely beach

 

The sun is settling

Over the vast waters

Of an ever moving

Lake Superior

The lowering sun is

Casting its Golding light

Upon the beach

 

I had a dream

That I was walking

On a lonely beach

 

The waves wash upon

The wet sand

Before receding

Leaving a golden pool

In its wake

The next wave appearing

And slowly receding

A pool of golden light

Remains in its path

 

I had a dream

That I was walking

On a lonely beach

 

The sun ever sinking

In the far horizon

Clouds a pink glow

With the sun’s demise

The darken sky

Turning a rich red

To be reflected

As a mirrored image

On the gently rolling

Surface of Lake Superior

 

I had a dream

That I was walking

On a lonely beach

 

Night has come

The stars beckon

In the night sky

The moon casting

A slivery Path

Upon the moving waters

The trees mere shadows

The hills dark on the horizon

The moonlit beach beckons

 

I had a dream

That I was walking

On a lonely beach

 

Photography, Poetry

Keeper of The Lake

6 Comments

Coldwater_Bay

 

The Keeper

 

I am the Keeper

Lying on the rocks

One of the many

Faces of the Grandfather

Keepers of the lake

I lie on the rocks

Facing the great sea

Known as Ojibwe Gichigami

Waterfowl skim the waves

Dipping their wings in passing

Eagles soar high above me

In the vast blue skies

Hikers trod my back

Along the coastal trail

The Coldwater River ends

It’s journey a short hike

Along ever changing beaches

The sand warm under the feet.

The migratory Salmon and Steelhead

Enter the river Spring and Fall

To start new life

For the coming generations

The great sea is

Through the passing seasons

Of a variety of moods

The annual storms pound

The ever changing shoreline

The great sea is never still

As I keep watch

I have been here

From times gone past

If you look carefully

You will spot me

The keeper of the lake

Photography, Poetry

Sitting on a Moss Covered Rock

4 Comments

Superior_2064

 

 

 

 

Sitting on a moss covered rock

Surrounded by Black Spruce

Squashing a skeet now and then

The pesky critters would dive-bomb

To sting the back of my neck

 

A well beaten moose trail

Traverses the swamp edge

A scene of stillness

The open water quiet and benign

The ghostly dance of mist

Transforms the summer morning

 

The sun not yet risen

A channel leads one’s eye

To the far hills

The Black Spruce dark and ominous

At the shore’s edge

Protruding rocks break the shoreline

A cliff rises in the channel

 

The sun’s rays slowly creep

Over the shadowed land

Light filters through the mist

The far hills unfold

In the morning light

Fingers of light creep

Through the dark shadows

 

The mist is still swirling

A pair of Loons appear

Dark shapes in the mist

The warmth of the morning sunlight

Chasing the night shadows before it

The mist now dissipating

Exposing the Boreal Forest

 

Rising from my moss covered  rock

I quietly trudged  up the hill

With one last look

As I crested the hill

Another memory to preserve

Photography, Poetry

Early Summer

2 Comments

_MG_6861_1180

 

It is early summer

In the Northern wilderness

Of the Boreal forest

A clear blue sky

Not a cloud in sight

The sun is descending

On a quiet evening

 

A small swampy lake

Surrounded by Black Spruce

That are stunted and dense

The lake shoreline abounds

With white clustered flowers

Of the Labrador Tea

 

Cup shaped yellow lilies

Perched on long stems

Above the lake surface

Are found in clusters

In the shadow lake

Two quaint  islands dot

The lake’s South end

A beaver house hugs

The smaller island

 

Dragonflies skim the surface

Feeding on the mosquitoes

That are abundant here

Small birds hurry everywhere

Feeding just hatched young

A small sparrow alights

On a grey branch

A momentary perch

Before arisen to flight

 

A Wood Duck hen

Glides along the shoreline

Then rises in flight

Landing near the far shore

 

A Ringed-Billed hen

A rich brown coloration

Appears from a cove

Soon joined by its mate

Gleaming black, grey, white

In the evening light

She dives from sight

While the alert male

Keeps a constant watch

As the hen feeds

They have soon passed from sight

 

A bull moose emerges

From the forest shadows

Its antlers flattened and tined

Are covered in velvet

To stand knee deep

In the calm waters

Eating submerged aquatic plants

The shadows are becoming long

The sun behind the western horizon

The lake is reflectively calm

Darkness descends upon the land

 

I spent a wonderful evening along the shores of a lake in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Just sitting there observing life happening around me.

 

Until next time happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

Art by Nature

4 Comments

Killarney_0553

 

The forest in shadow

Beside a small lake

On a Spring morning

Dawn is now breaking

The sky is brighter

A trickling of sunlight

Coming unexpectedly

Through the dark  Pines

Edging the boughs gold

The rippled lake surface

Creates a colorful abstract

Of gold, green and black

Of the forest reflection

A dazzling array of color

Radiant before your eyes

Mother Nature’s own art

For those who see

Soon lost in time

 

We can be totally overwhelmed by the grand scene before us.But if you were to look within that scene, you will find small things happening around you. The lighting is ever changing. Look for the small details of what that lighting is doing. Many times I have gone out to photograph a scene and as I am capturing that composition  my eyes pick up on another possibility. Train your eyes to be constantly on the move. Lighting is fickle. So be prepared to work quickly. Make light and shadow work for you.

That is all for now. Until next time happy trails

 

Photography, Poetry

The River Runs

4 Comments

BirchCreek_1997

 

The Fall rains have come

The Fall colored leaves

Hanging low over the river

They are laden with moisture

The rivers are swollen

With tea – stained water

The turbulent waters crash violently

Over the submerged rocks

Lichen covered rocks withstand

The swift currents rage

A restless river galloping

To its final destiny

At the river’s mouth

The  Sun emerges to dry

The water logged land

In time the surging river

Recedes in depth

No longer violent and swollen

The clean fast water

Scouring the gravel bottom

Fast water trickles  through

The shadow gravel beds

Alive with returning Salmon

To begin a new life cycle

It was a great weekend for me as I won the following awards

The Exhibition Without Walls Award – Manhattan Arts International Celebrate The Healing Power of Art 2014 

http://www.manhattanarts.com/Gallery/Healing-Power-of-ART/Winners.htm

An award of Excellence from the Exhibition Without Walls Impressions 2014

http://www.exhibitionswithoutwalls.com/impressions-finalist/

 

That is all for now, so until next time happy trails.

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

Entrance To Killarney Lake

3 Comments

KillarneyLake

It is late June.

The evening sun low

In the western sky

Sunlight filters through

The shoreline Pines

Pine pollen drifts on the quiet waters.

The La Cloche Mountains

Visible through the narrows

Clouds are scudding overhead

Moose tracks are visible

Along the muddy shoreline

Only hours old

A scene that greets

Many a portaging canoeist

As they journey into

The heart of the

White quartz La Cloche Range

Threading their laden canoes

Through narrow channels

Paddling gently to observe

The quiet evening beauty

Before emerging into the

A clear, sapphire lake

That is Killarney Lake

Set among Jack Pine hills

White quartz ridges rise

High on either side

Pink granite scattered haphazard

Along the rugged shorelines

A tranquil scene

Of turquoise blue waters

In the even stillness

Before the last rays

Of the setting sun

Spring is here now in the North Country. It is getting warmer. But the snow is deep.

Until next time happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

An Ole Shed

18 Comments

SanPoche_Tone_vig

A beautiful Fall day

The air is warm

A mist upon the air

No hint of the cold temps

That will soon come

It is a late afternoon

The sun hangs low

Over the colourful hills

A lone shed nestles

Among the white birch

Having fallen into neglect

The door stands ajar

The metal roof aging

Into a rusty red

The weather beaten walls

Becoming a sombre grey

The encroaching forest slowly

Enclosing the old building

The vibrant forest behind

Of green, orange and yellow

Has taken on a soft glow

From the late afternoon sunlight

Filtering through the trees

The surface of the lake

Has a  a soft ripple

From a caressing wind

Creating an artist’s palette

Of reflective Fall colors

Photography, Poetry

The French

5 Comments

TheElbowFrenchRiver_1459

The mist is rising

From dark moving waters

Of a river from

Times gone by

Sculptured rocks materialize

Through the fine mist

Tall stately pines

That guard the rugged shorelines

Of the dark moving waters

They were mere saplings

In the time of the voyageurs

Who paddled the dark

Moving waters of the French

Onwards in their yearly journeys

To and from their destinations

The dip of the paddles

The sound of canoes

Slicing through the dark waters

The shear rock walls

Like the halls of time

Echo with voyageur’s songs

A young bull moose

Emerges from the darkness

Of the receding night

Its horns glistening with morning dew

In search of a drink

From the dark moving water

A river otter quietly surfaces

From the dark moving waters

To feed on clams from

The dark river bottom

Cracking open its prize

To feed on the flesh

To be found within

The day is slowly emerging

From the shadows and mist

The eerie lonesome call

Of the Common Loon

Is heard in the distance

A Bald Eagle drifts

The warming air currents

Looking for a meal

To feed its hungry siblings

A warm South wind

Whispers through the trees

The mist has risen

From the dark moving waters

Scattered islands and rocky points

Appear in the morning light

The land is now awaken

To the coming new day

Photography, Poetry

Heart In The North

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BassfinLake_2287

Riding on a Greyhound bus

On a North bound highway

I watch the landscape flashing by

I think back to the day

I had left my Northern home

To seek a job down South

I left a girl behind

With tears in her eyes

The bus rolled along

Bringing me closer to home

Next stop Sudbury

As I stepped down

From the Greyhound bus

There was my girl

Waiting for me

With tearful eyes and a warm smile

She ran towards me

I dropped my suitcase

Taking her in my arms

The years melted away

I was back home

In the North

Were my heart belonged

She said wait here

Returning with a little girl

This is your daughter

Tears came easily

I said come to Daddy

With a moments hesitation

She was in my arms

This is were my heart belongs

In the North Country

With the lady I love

A beautiful little girl

Blond and blue eyes

We can now share our love

The above photo was an evening capture up the Matagamasi Road. The lake is Bushy Lake. I had been photographing at Bassfin Lake and decided to take a quick run up to Bushy Lake. There I was greeted by the above scene. Beautiful sky and reflections. I used the left shoreline to lead out to to background. The reflections were great with some amazing cloud detail. This is again being in the right pace at the right time.

Thank you everyone for stopping by. Enjoy the comments very much. Keep them coming. I have reach a milestone of shorts as I have surpassed the 500 subscriber mark. Love that. So until next time happy trails