trails, tails and flakes

It's been a wacky winter so far ... in Southern Ontario we have not had much snow to speak of and I keep waiting for the inevitable. Or is it inevitable .... ?

I've been reconfiguring my PC to install an SSD for the OS and frequently used programs. An inconvenient corrupting of the system files on my old system HD scuttled plans to have that drive as an alternate boot drive while I got everything set up with the SSD. Going through this I am reminded of all the different programs, configurations and setting that I had become to rely on with the old system. I could rhyme of a list but ... suffice to say, I am 75% back up and running with most of the basics installed and beginning to replace some of those comfortable old setting and tweaks.

In celebration of the accomplishment so far, here's another image from last weekend.

tails and flakes


DJE

Photo of the Week 2012-01-30

Two weeks ago, Lynn and I took Murphy for a hike on the east section of the Cambridge Mill Run Trail. This Sunday we returned to complete another section of the trail from Beaverdale Rd west to ... where ever about an hour round trip would take us.

We left Guelph mid-afternoon and as we drove over to Cambridge it started to snow.

... and it snowed


... and it snowed, and snowed, and snowed.

It was snowing heavy when we parked and geared up. As we headed west along the trail I was surprised by the amount of snow and that it seemed to be coming almost straight down. It lasted just long enough for our walk.

I love winter walks in the snow ... and winter photography.

DJE

lace 'em up

lace 'em up


OK boys ! It's time for the Wobbly Katz to take to the ice for 2012. The annual event (my 3rd) is this weekend, Ajax ON.

Our Rag-Tag bunch (hard to call us a team) of "good ole" and some younger boys has a blast getting our butts whipped by teams with average ages that could be son's to some of us. You know it has to be a "stellar" performance when I rank near the top for team scoring.

Let's try to win "one" this year ... LOL

DJE

Photo of the Week 2012-01-23

reflective conversation


One of the members of my photo club suggested a mid morning outing in Downtown Guelph this past Saturday. Normally I head out early in the morning to take advantage of the wonderful light available before the sun is higher in the sky and blasting away on it's MAX setting. Oh there are times when the cloud cover is just right, diffusing the sunlight to soften shadows and tone things down a bit. Saturday was not one of those days. The sky was clear, blue and allowing the full strength of the sun to pass.

This was an outing to explore opportunities that would use or manage the harsh light. Shadows and textures are always more dramatic in full sunlight and care must be taken to make an image that works. Glare and reflection too can be difficult to manage, but ...
... sometimes it can be the reflection that makes, not breaks, the image.

As I walked up Douglas St. approaching the Red Brick Cafe near the end of our outing, I saw 2 people sitting inside having a conversation. The window was fogged on the inside and I moved to get a composition I liked but the reflection of the Gummer Bldg reconstruction across the street was quite distracting. I snapped the image anyway and once I saw the result on my monitor at home, I found it appealing.

others from the outing

Stairs to Knox


brick 'n blue


DJE

headin' south

headin' south


I took Murphy for a walk on some trails in the south end this morning hoping to catch a glimpse of maybe a Coyote or a Deer. I went armed with my 1DMk2N with 300 f/4 and my G12 for some scenics. No luck on the Coyote or Deer, but I'll keep trying. I did see a Coyote walk 20 meters in front of my vehicle a few weeks back when I was driving out of one of our work properties ... maybe I'll head back there and set up one morning.

What I did see over and over were various sized formations of Canada Geese flying overhead, honking and making quite a racket as they start "headin' south". Winter seems to be arriving, late for sure, but there's snow on the ground and the ponds are freezing over. The weather forecast is for rising temperatures and some rain in the next few days. "What gives?" It's supposed to be winter and well ... the Farmer's Almanac is calling for a "Very Wet Stormy Cold" Winter.

DJE