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!

Where should we go?

Self-portrait at the 60th parallel - Click for larger

After a very long process, I have been granted a Professional Delevelopment Leave. This will free me from my regular teaching duties at Seneca College for the next academic year. I do have a large list of things I need to accomplish over this time but it will allow me to create my own schedule for the next little while.

Seneca@York - Click for larger

It is difficult to plan anything for a leave until you get confirmation. This was my 3rd year in a row to apply so I was not counting on it until I got it in writing. With that milestone behind us we can now make some plans.

Canoe on Georgian Bay - Click for larger

I’m still a bit overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Lori and I have spent the better part of the last 20 years concentrating on Canada. We could easily spend the next 20 years on the same subject and not even come close to covering it all. We will continue to explore and expand our knowledge of our great country but I’m wondering, where else should we go?

Lori at Alexandra Falls, NWT - Click for larger

So I’m asking you, where is your favourite place in the world? Why? What is the best time of year to visit? More to come...

It’s a Big Small World!

Finally we had everything packed into the van and headed out the driveway around 2 p.m.

The Loaded Van

We drove north on Hwy 400/69 stopping at Nobel where Lori took over driving. A little north of Pointe Aux Baril traffic stopped. A woman parked at the side of the road said there was a bad accident and the road would be closed for another 6 hours. If we wanted to continue, we would have to go back to Parry Sound, go east to Sundridge, north to North Bay and then head west on Hwy 17. At that point, I thought it best to just camp for the night and try again in the morning. We drove back south to Killbear and got a campsite at the edge of the beach. Very nice. We had a bite to eat and then I wandered over to the rocks to take a few snaps. I was shooting a landscape when a man and woman with a little girl came by. The woman and the girl sat right in the middle of my scene so I asked them if they minded if I take their photo. She looked unsure and asked her husband if it was ok. He said, "Sure", and Lori asked them to sign a release. I shot quickly as the light was changing. My 24-105mm lens is acting up. It gives an error. Seems the contacts between the lens and camera have a problem. In spite of all that, I think I got a good shot.

Killbear Provincial Park - Click for larger

When I handed the man my release he looked at it and said, “Scarborough eh? Do you know Marc Crabtree?”
"Yes I do!" It's a small world. After chatting with them for a while Lori and I headed back to camp. We played a little cribbage and then went to bed. Sleeping in the van worked really well. There is lots of room and it is surprisingly comfortable. We just need to make sure it’s level next time!

The next 2 days we spent on Manitoulin Island. We had a nice visit with Lori’s Mom.

Canola Field on Manitoulin - Click for larger

The Farm

On Thursday we drove to Pukaskawa National Park. After setting up camp we lazed on the beach. What a great way to spend Canada Day. I love this place. It’s so rugged and beautiful. After dinner at our campsite we walked back out to North Beach. It had clouded over but I shot anyway. It was very dramatic.

Pukaskwa National Park - Click for larger

Pukaskwa National Park - Click for larger

The back of the van makes a good platform for doing backups!

Doing Backups

The next day we moved on to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay. Our campsite was so tiny there was barely space to squeeze the van in beside the picnic table. Good thing we didn't need to pitch a tent! After dinner we shot the cliffs at the edge of Lake Superior.

Cliffs in Sleeping Giant - Click for larger

From Sleeping Giant, we headed to Lake of the Woods. It was stormy so we got a motel with WiFi. Nice to be inside when it’s stormy outside!

Tomorrow we will head further west. Our next major stop will be the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in southern Manitoba.