Spring has Sprung!!!

This is next door to my work's back door...actually, across the street...

but I had time to wander around. Hubby was more than 20 min's late picking me up this day.

Playing with my new Lumix DMC-FX500... and its got some pretty cool features on it! including a touch screen to track the subject in focus...love it on a windy day~~~~!!

Anyways, just gusty, not windy per sea...so...

and not sure what kind of tree this is...

but loving the backround as much as the focus point. Just really neat...

Now I wanna go back, get some more with the backround as much a consideration as the foreground...

man, its good to be snapping again! I've been without for 2 weeks....

cheers~!

Lilac's...

345 Sunday aft, out snapping a few pics.

Lilac's showing off in the front yard.

Daffy's and Day Lillies....

Also, as confused as the crocus below...

WTF is all the White stuff??

Used a flash here, caught water droplets on them too. Was raining by the time I got home, but the snow is still laying around 3 days later.

grrrrrr

Spring Crocus....

Not normally surrounded by snow...

but hey...

that's what we got plenty of on Monday this week. Stayed, well...still out there 3 days later.

sigh...

spring...

is coming...

I think?

ya...

crossing my fingers.

lol

Moon Rise Friday the 13th of March 2009

Whoever said the 13th on a Friday was unlucky, needs to have his/her cards read! lol
This, believe it or not, is the moon rising, taken at 10:10PM on that day. The moon is no longer full, but the tiny amount of clouds allowed for a pillar to rise up from the glow of the orb. I've seen sun pillar's, but not often one from the moon.
Caught it in silouette of the tree's too.
30 sec time to take, on a tripod(are you mad? I can't hold that steady for that long!), taken from my upstairs window (which gets me above the power lines along the road)
lol
I just love it! Hope you do too.
and yes...night photography, continues to fascinate me!!!!

Broken Road

We stopped in a small town called Madawaska, on the Eastern side of Algonquin Park. The Madawaska River is drained in late winter to allow room for flood waters from the spring to have a place to flow to. Apparently the water control, lets it out into the next lake. The ice shows the drop quite nicely, from it's original height. We stopped to get some pic's. If I hadn't been out of the vehicle though, I'd not have seen this old section of road, apparently underwater not long ago, but exposed with the spring plans.
It's just...broken.

Nevermore....

Well, it was the Raven that Quoth "Nevermore" but I'm pretty sure this was a crow. He didn't sit still for long, but long enough!! lol

This was in Huntsville, where we'd gone for a ghost hunt. Getting Timmies for the ride home!

Muskrat....March....??!!

Saw this little guy on the way home today...open creek, and little mr. sleek fur, grooming and checking things out.

Now, I don't have the telephoto needed to see his whiskers....but I got the pic. He sat there good as gold for me while I walked along the road to take a few snaps.

He's almost silouette, but can't be helped. Lighting was abt 530 pm...so not the best for distance detail.

Ah well, he's cute!...

Glorious.....

I have seen more spectacular, but this, the sun's rays.... caught my eye tonight on the way home.

Stopped just in time to capture it....

I love the sun!

Two on One

Now how is that fair...??

well, ok...I guess it's game situation practice...

and I'm not a big hockey fan, but after sitting at the curling arena since 1230 pm (and it was like 930 at night while I was taking these)....boredom kicking in...

Thanks Bob for kicking my ass into gear. Outside sucked....inside was better! but the camera battery calved on me, and I didn't have anything else with me...so got off about 40 or so shots of these guys in practice.

Not sure if I was appreciated or not, cause I had at least one puck flung at me. It hit the glass in front of me, suprised me but didn't do any damage....

at least I had thier attention! And no, Bob, I'm not yelling at them! I don't wanna get hurt! LOL

Have been getting slack in picture taking lately. Not enough free time and feeling the limits of my wee 'point and shoot' too. (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07)

But flipped it onto Normal pic mode(I shoot lots in Sport mode to capture the crisp pic), adjusted the aperture(my cam calls it exposure), set the shutter speed on 1 sec (its shortest is 1/8 sec by default) and rested the cam on the rail. (tripod at home too)

and shooting thru the glass...so PLEASE forgive the quality...it sucks, I know!

but still, was fun, got some neat 'speed' pics..which I wasn't sure would work, but did...well, sort of.

hmmmmm

got the shot, now I gotta figure out how to get it better right?

cheers!

and did I say thanks Bob!!

SCORE!!!!

I think...there's a puck in the net there, but it's practice, and I don't remember if that was already there or he has it in his glove...

hehehe

Incoming!!

Well, ok, its only practice apparently....lol

Thanks Bob!

Blur's

OK, was just having fun with the camera...lol

Thanks Bob!

Carleton Heritage, In Her HeyDay

Guessing 1920's? This hotel was the one of the Grandest places to stay between Montreal, Kingston and Toronto in it's time, and up until the fire in April 1959, which gutted the entire top floor. Massive internal damage, mostly from water, occurred that night as well. I won't repeat the history (there's quite the story behind her) of the Mississippi Hotel here, those who know can enlighten you. And yes, I am now one of them.

Did you know, Al Capone use to stay here (so they say)?

Most, if not all, of the furniture etc that was saved from the fire was auctioned off.

She's had various other owners over the years, including a complete fall from grace. She was almost destroyed by demolition in 1989, but thanks to certain community members, including a rather famous one, Stompin Tom, managed to preserve her in 1989. It took 6 more years before anyone was brave enough to try, and then 3 owners to return her to glory. It's a beautiful place now, to eat and stay. Check it out if you like.

We had an amazing time investigating this gem, and would dearly love to return a few more times.

Wow.

Carleton Heritage in Times Past

Then known as the Mississippi Hotel. Date not listed. Guessing early 1900's. Showing all stories.

Carleton Heritage Today

Taken the night of our investigation.

As it stands today.

Peering out at You....and you...

OK, this is a pic of a mirror in the Carleton Heritage, once known as the Mississippi Hotel in Carleton Place.

I took 5 pics of this mirror. Two of them showed something other than my flash reflecting....this one is the better pic.

What do you see on the left side of the mirror?

Ignore all room fixtures etc...

???

I reuploaded the pic, in larger format...its easier to see when its not shrunk down so much. sorry....

Mardi Gras Partaaay!

You do know about Mardi Gras .... right??

and how one gets the beads?? .... um ok no?

Well, google it and find out....

hehehehe

49 strings of beads there, and NO I didn't buy a single one!

Was fun...what a night.

whew!

lol

;)

Fridays....no, not the Day!!

Friday's, across from the Criminal Court on Elgin St in Ottawa. It's haunted...did you know?? I was a guest investigator with OHPG on a recent Sunday night. Wow...I won't tell ya anything here, its just a very cool place! hehehee

No pic today??

I'm waaaaay behind on taking time for myself for pictures.
I've snapped some here, some there, but not really excited about much I've taken lately.

Been asked to shoot a wedding .....um....OMG...like OM friggin G!
What the hell is she thinking?

well, maybe...if she's not looking for traditional poses etc....cause I haven't the first clue about those....but I know I could do a pretty good candid day pics for her....
Its in July too....I don't know. Scary really....

Been out for 2 ghost investigations in the last week, well Tuesday and Sunday. The Sunday one was rough. Home at 4 am, up at 730, work at 9....ouch.
but the Tuesday night one....next town over from me, and a hotel with a history and a half...and :) I got faces in mirrors!....
and no, not mine..I'm talking orblike faces in the mirrors. Ghost stuff...super cool.
Another investigation in Orleans coming up soon too. And I got a handle on a few more right in my own backyard. Will have to work on those.

Kids curl, its the busy season now. 2 nights a week for curling.
My week kinda goes like this:
Monday to Friday 9-5.
Monday 615-845 cadets (while kidlet is at cadets, I go to coffee with a gf at Timmies.... so that's cool)
Tuesday curling 6-8 pm
wed off
thurs sometimes off...lol (depends on the week)
Fridays, catch up to curling 4-530, then home.
Sat and Sunday, anybody's game...never know.
poof, there goes a week

do that 4 times, there goes a month.
wow.

anyways, I'm not dead...yet.
Will hope to get back here soon.
Promise.