Tag Archives: nature

Photography, Poetry

Martha Lake,Algoma

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Spinweb_3378

 

There is a chill

In the early morning air

Mosquitoes and black flies

Scourges of the north country

Lying dormant for now

A mist is rolling

Off the greening forest

Covering the placid waters

Of a small lake

The forest deep in shadow

With a hint of mystery

The cover of darkness

Casting its mirror image

Over the lake surface

 

It is early June

A time of renewal

Through out the north

The birch and poplar

Luminous in new coats

Of green leave cover

Flowering shrubs are scattered

Among the refreshing forest

Spring wildflowers dot the landscape

 

 

The dawning of the day

Is now approaching

The sky becoming enlightened

The sun is peeking

Over the emerging woods

To shed golden light

Among the surrounding trees

Enticed by a mayfly hatch

A rising brook trout

Dimples the lake surface

Leaving a telltale ring

 

As the morning wears on

The sun cresting the horizon

The air is warming

The mist is retreating

Revealing emerald green waters

Of a pristine lake

The mosquitoes are emerging

To bite exposed skin

Of its unprotected victim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

A Forest No More

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Forest1

 

There is a chill

In the pre-dawn air

The forest shrouded in mist

A silence is prevalent

The hills rolling in the distance

Like waves on a lake

Red pine grace the hills

As far as one’s eye can see

A golden light from the rising sun

Penetrates the mist

Nestled among the hills

The glimmering waters sparkle

In the morning glow

Of a beaver pond

Fed by a stream

From the surrounding hill

 

The earth shattering noise

Of diesel engines starting

Springing to life

Disrupts the peaceful forest

The smell of diesel fumes

Assaults one’s nostrils

Black smoke curling upwards

Through the misty trees

 

As the days go by

The land lays bare

Once tree covered hills

Lie naked to the sky

A lone pine here and there

Stands forlorn and bent

 

The once sheltered beaver pond

Vibrant with life, lying vulnerable

To the forces of nature

The stream chocked with debris

No shelter of protective trees

 

A frost covers the bared land

Sparkling with the morning light

Wisps of smoke rise

In the chilled air

From scattered piles

Of wood debris

An ancient forest once stood

Where the land lays bare

A forest no more

 

 

Photography

Evening Lighting

7 Comments

Untitled_HDR3-Edit

 

A late afternoon of just past Wednesday. Sun and cloud prevailing. I drove North of Capreol on gravel roads. It was good to feel the freshness of spring. The new growth leaves are vibrant in color at this time of year. The traffic was light with people heading back to their seasonal campsites. The gravel roads are quite dry. This causes a fair amount of dust from passing vehicles. I carry my laptop, mixer and microphone with me in my travels. I will turn off the main roads to less traveled roads. Here I find peace and solitude to record my poems live. There is one problem. Blackflies. As the wind dies down the blackflies will torment you. They all want your blood.

As the evening wore on, the sun settling lower I headed back the way I came. It is at this time of day that you can work with some unique lighting on the landscape. I came across this scene of a swampy area. A quiet little nook surrounded by evergreens. The sunlight penetrating from the right. This gave me a mixture of light and shadows. There is a boggy patch with a lone little tree to add my depth. The wind was bouncing around in here. It became a waiting game at times before shooting. This is as typical a scene you will find in the woods of Northern Ontario.

I always look at these scenes as not spectacular, but makes me feel at peace and one with my environment. A scene becomes much more dramatic with the proper lighting. Watch for it. Take time in your life to just sit and observe. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you will see. It is momentary.

Well that is it for another week. So happy trails once again.

Photography, Poetry

In Dreams

8 Comments

_MG_9904

 

I lay my head

Upon my pillow

I close my eyes

In dreams

 

I am walking in a meadow

The grass tall and waving

In the warm summer wind

Oxeye daisies grow among

The field of  green grass

Swaying to the beat

Of the passing wind

Butterflies flutter in the breeze

In dreams

 

In dreams

In dreams

 

A woodland path beckons

To travel endlessly

Traversing through stately maples

The murmur of the wind

Up in the leafy canopy

The rustle of leaves

On the forest floor

In dreams

 

In Dreams

In dreams

 

A gently flowing river

Dressed with cascading willows

Falling rain drops splash

The river’s surface

As I traverse along the river

A never ending river

With no end in sight

In dreams

 

In dreams

In dreams

 

Sitting by a lake

Quartz mountains enshrine

The sapphire waters

Sparkling in the morning light

A gentle breeze ripples

The clear lake waters

In dreams

 

In dreams

In dreams

 

Standing high on a mountain

Ruffled by strong winds

The land covered in mist

Dark clouds tumbling over

The distant mountains

I feel like the eagle

Soaring on the wind

In dreams

 

In dreams

In Dreams

Photography

Sheltered Nook

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69S_3028

 

A rainy day. Out for a drive. A beaver pond beside the highway. The location is just south of Sudbury, Ontario. I have seen this site many times, but it just needed the right ingredients to work This all added up to a late fall composition. It does not come much easier than stepping out of your vehicle and setting up your equipment by the highway.

The leaves here are predominantly yellow and thinning out. This is a quiet peaceful scene that is a common scene in Northern Ontario. Yellowish brown grass to the green of the evergreens. You can view the beaver house to the right. The winter storage of food is on the left at the edge of the shoreline. As it turned out it was a cold hard winter just past.

Thank you for stopping by. I would like especially to thank those who have become subscribers. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Bathtub Island, Lake Superior

6 Comments

Bathtub_Island_Superior

 

Bathtub island is a typical little island found on Lake Superior. Time worn with sparse growth of stunted trees. It is located at Lake Superior Provincial Park a good walk north of the Sand River mouth. There is a fairly large sandy beach here, along with sand dunes. Just north of this cove is Katherine Cove. I have walked from either direction. There is a trail off the highway that you can walk straight in to Bathtub Island. It traverses through sand dunes that are protected. So do not walk in the sand dunes. Very fragile.

This area is popular with tourists to swim in the clear waters of Lake Superior. Access to the little island is to walk along a sandbar just below the water’s surface. Very short walk. The reason this island is named Bathtub Island is that when you look on left of photo you will see the low rocky part of island. This creates an enclosed pool that is kept filled with lake water. As the waves surge in, the enclosure fills with water. I have made a number of trips in hopes of capturing this scene with the right lighting.

As I hiked into the beach one August evening, the sky was very dark and threatening. There was a bit of wave action to disturb the lake’s surface. The sun was settling to the west. This would be on the right side of photo. This gave a lovely warm glow to the rock face on the island. There were white clouds passing overhead at considerable speed. This created a problem due to low lighting creating slow shutter speeds. Thus I upped my iso to 400. Waited until there was fewer clouds sailing by, But at the same time mindful of the evening getting late. The result was as shown above. Take note of the lighting on the small shrub. A nice touch.

Well that is it for this week. Until next week happy trails

 

Photography, Poetry

Magic Of Light

5 Comments

A Touch Of Light

 

A cafe in hand

A chair beckons

A mountainous view

Off to the east

Darkening in the coming

Of the night

A refreshing cool breeze

Dispersing the day’s heat

The parrots have returned

To where ever they roost

The white plumed garza

Long since gone

The sky dark and threatening

Clouds a somber grey

A beam of light

Emerging from the clouds

To cast a golden ray

In a moment of glory

Over a rounded hill

As the clouds roll on

The light slowly fades

Darkness descends once again

While I sip my cafe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

I Am A Student

5 Comments

 

 

Mountain Clouds

 

I am a student

Of Mother Earth

Of Mother Nature

I have opened my soul

I listen with my ears

I view with my eyes

I smell with my nostrils

To all that is offered

By the wilderness

That we live in

From the grandeur scenes

In the far distance

To The beauty at hand

The singing of birds

The mating sound of frogs

The call of the predator

The smell of the woods

The sound of running water

The murmuring of the wind

In the leafy canopies

Mother Nature has much to offer

If only we notice

Photography, Poetry

A Wee Tree

3 Comments

Sunlit Grass

 

A long uphill slope

The sky in turmoil

Darken clouds rolling on

A touch of color

From the evening sun

The north wind blowing

Over the parched land

A wee tree swaying

Before the surging wind

Standing desolate and forlorn

 

A clump of grass

Knee high in height

Parched and dry

Moving to and fro

Before the billowing wind

A golden evening hue

From a beam of sunlight

Intensifies the glowing grass

The sky continues to darken

The clouds streaming on

As the sun lowers

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

A Vastness

8 Comments

 

A Vast Land

Standing on a hill

The vastness of the land

Spreads before me

My lodging but a dot

On the large scale of things

A beam of light

From the setting sun

Caresses the sun burnt hills

I stand in awe

With the hills unfolding

Before my squinting eyes

The feel of the breeze

Freshening on my face

A cool welcome from

The heat of the day

A common experience

In the mountainous country

 

Far in the distance

On an open hillside

Movement can be spotted

It is the ganado cresting

A brown splotched rise

Herded home by trailing young boys

Mere dots in the fading light

 

 

It is also a sign

That I too must leave

To follow the winding trail

Down the sloping hill

Before darkness engulfs me

The trail takes a diagonal

Through a field of maize

The stalks standing forlorn

In the evening half light

A fence line appears ahead

The trail running parallel

The descent is quick

An adobe home appears

Soon lost in the dimness

 

The Rio Trentino materializes

Hopping from rock to rock

The shallow river is crossed

The road beckons ahead

A patch of red roof

Appears in the near distance

Nestled on a sloping hill

A place to rest

Ones weary legs