Dog Days of Summer

Australian Blue Heeler

We are going through yet another heat wave in the city. Lori had dried laundry in the backyard. She must have brought in a Cicada in the laundry basket. We are seeing them everywhere right now. I took this opportunity to take a set of stacked images to increase depth of field. The image below is a composite of 11 images, each with a different focus point. This method works well as long as your subject doesn’t move.

Dog-day Cicada or Heatbug

It has been a turbulent summer for us and for Toronto.

Toronto Nathan Phillips Square

There are times when I feel like I need to just keep my head down and weather the storm. Music is often what I turn to when I need to escape. We went to see Brandi Carlile in June. She was one of the last few performers at Massy Hall before it closed for renovations. I have witnessed many great concerts in my life but this was the best yet and in the best venue in the country. This grand old hall has been a part of my life since I was in grade school. My first visit was to see a quintet made up of members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I can’t remember what grade I was in but it was around grade 6. With many visits since, I have watched my heroes play their hearts out on this stage: Bruce Cockburn, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King and Emmylou Harris. So many great shows. I have really enjoyed Massey Hall.

Massey Hall Toronto ON

Massey Hall Toronto ON

We spent a bit of time in Eastern Ontario and Quebec this summer and visited Gatineau Park for a few days. It is an interesting place. There are many lakes and trails to discover. We hiked into the Carbide Willson Ruins, near Meech Lake. I hope to go back again this fall and photograph this scene in fall colour.

Carbide Willson Ruins, QC

To end off the summer, we spent a bit of time with family in Brockville.

Brockville City Hall, ON

We then headed north to Manitoulin Island via highway 17. It was quite smoky in some areas from all of the forest fires.

Manitoulin Morning

Summer is never complete without a trip to the north shore of Lake Superior. We spent time in Lake Superior Provincial Park and in Pukaskwa National Park.

Bathtub Island, Lake Superior Park ON

Bathtub Island, Lake Superior Park ON

Canoe in Pukaskwa National Park, ON

North Beach Pukaskwa National Park, ON

I hope things settle down for awhile. For us and for Toronto…

Reflections

Parliament Hill & Ottawa River

It’s been a good year. We stayed close to home for 2014 and mostly worked in Ontario. Our province is plenty big enough to keep us busy. Lori and I recently visited Ottawa. We stayed in Gatineau across from the Museum of History.

Canadian Museum of History

This allowed us to walk across the road from our hotel and access the Ottawa River with its view of Parliament Hill. There was a thin film of ice close to shore that produced a good reflection.

Parliament Hill & Ottawa River

We wandered Parliament Hill on a cold December afternoon.

Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario

I wanted to walk here. I needed to walk up to the doors under the Peace Tower. The shooting in Ottawa on October 22 was disturbing but I hope it will not limit our access to our public spaces.

The National War Memorial

I also wanted to visit Wakefield, Quebec. It is a short drive from Gatineau. There is a covered bridge that spans the Gatineau River. It was a little difficult to access a good view with snow and ice along the edge. We parked and walked along the river. A short slide down a hill provided access.

Wakefield Covered Bridge, Quebec

I’m not sure where 2015 will take us. We may head east, maybe west. Regardless, we will continue to crisscross our country in all seasons in search of images.

Here are a few other highlights of 2014:

Georgian Bay Shores

Snowy Owl

Northern Leopard Frog

Whitewater Region Ontario

All the best for 2015!