Cafe Chair/CDP Theme Day

Chair made of parts from an old flour mill

Okay, I admit it's not really a cafe chair but part of a sculpture. But wouldn't it make an artsy cafe chair?

Table and two chairs

This is the rest of the sculpture.

I am linking to CDP  HERE

Fat-bottomed Icicles/Cool Clicks

Black duck standing in front of strange icicles

Originally this was going to be a photo all about the strange icicles in the background until this black duck walked into the frame and just stood there making it a much better photo. Thank you, little duck!

 A longer view

I am linking to Cool Clicks HERE.

O/Alphabe-Thurrsday

 

OLD-FASHIONED printing press

O is for: OLD-FASHIONED

Attending country fairs can be a fun adventure in comparing the old and new.  Old-fashioned ways are charming but modern ones are much easier.

Butter churn

I bet the butter tasted wonderful fresh but the maker was probably to tired to eat any right away.

Heavy-duty fire extinguishers

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE
I am also linking to Rurality Blog Hop HERE.

Snow Bunting/Wild Bird

Snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) in winter colours

I wanted the snow buntings to come closer, but I missed my chance for a  good shot! This photo is severely cropped so you can see what a snow bunting looks like this time of year.

Camouflaged in a field of weeds

Snow buntings breed in the Arctic and these are vacationing here in balmy Ontario for the winter. As you can see, they can hide easily in a field of weeds but when startled they rise together...

 Flock of snow buntings

to quickly fly away. Fortunately for me, this flock flew in front of a barn and my lens captured a few as they passed by.

I am joining Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

Nature Notes

Late February

Largest square: white horse  out enjoying some fresh air even though it was cold and windy.

Moving clockwise: snow on  Phragmites (sadly, an invasive species); rose hip. female cardinal. snow on pine branch, and snow on cedar fence.

Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more

NATURE NOTES.

Horses and Sleigh/Our World

Uxbridge farm

As we drove along a rural road last week, I was taken back in time. I haven't seen a  sleigh on wooden runners for years and years.

The kind farmer stopped to let me take another photo

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Scavenger Hunt

1. Time to eat

Welcome to Sunday Scavenger Hunt.

Sweet nectar was a butterfly magnet this monarch could not resist.

2. Getting ready 

This hawk may look like it was calm, cool and collected but it was actually getting ready to fly.

3. Playtime

After a snowstorm, this dog and its man were out playing with a Frisbee.

4. Sweet dreams

I think quite a few of us are ready for spring, right?  For me, seeds are part of the dream.

5. Scrub-a-dub

No yellow rubber duckies at my house so I am stretching this prompt a bit. How about an orange snow plow? This one is "scrubbing" snow and ice off a local road.

I am linking to Ashley Sisk's Scavenger Hunt HERE

Hoar Frost/Top Shot

Hoar frost on fence and weeds

Some days winter can be incredibly beautiful! Hoar frost occurs on cold, clear nights when the air is warmer than whatever it touches.

I am linking to Madge's Weekly Top Shot.

Old Town Hall/Weekend Reflections

Old Town Hall, Newmarket

These reflections are from my archives and I have no idea why I haven't used them before. I think the glass in the windows make spooktacular wonky reflections.

Side window #1

This side widow reflects a brick building and...

Side window #2

so does this one. But...

Side window #3

this window reflects a bit of clear blue sky as well as the brick building. Spooky, don't you agree?

To enjoy reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections HERE

Uplifting/Cool Clicks

Gulls in a sudden snow squall

I enjoyed watching the gulls float - almost like dancing -  in the wind.

I am linking to Cool Clicks HERE.

N/Alphabe-Thursday

Smile: you are on Candid Camera!

N is for NIKON

We had to back up to take this photo...even though I shoot with a Canon. (A little joking rivalry here: Canon vs. Nikon...and I'm really not sure which brand is better.)  The Nikon is at the side of the road because...

Rural delivery!

it's a mailbox. Hmmmm. I wonder if the owner is a blogger.

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE 

 
I am also linking to Rurality Blog Hop HERE.

American Kestrel/Wild Birds

Male American kestrel (Falco sparverius) 

Perching on a utility wire, this colourful and fierce American kestrel is North America's smallest falcon. 

Slate-blue head and wings, rusty-red back

Kestrels hunt in open areas with few trees and short vegetation.
I am joining Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

Nature Notes

Mid February

This week was a combination of freeze and thaws, rain and snow. In the largest square you can see water in the bay, icicles on the rocks and snow on the ground.

Moving clockwise: bark peeling naturally on a birch tree, birch bark on snow below the tree, snow on spruce, snow on Echinacea seed heads, and fern parts (I don't know what they are called).


Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more

NATURE NOTES.

Mural/Our World

Left side of mural on side of pharmacy, Jackson's Point

This mural is on the outside of a pharmacy that carries a huge variety of items very much the same way as a general store might.  The building it's painted on is quite old so may have been a general store at one time.

Right side of mural

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Scavenger Hunt

 1. Candy (EYE candy)

Welcome to Sunday Scavenger hunt.

This is not a tropical island but Lake Simcoe in summer, a reminder of how lovely the lake is at sunset on sultry summer evenings.

 2. Pink or red

This winter sunset is softer but still very pretty, one that I will probably think of as "eye candy" next August when the days are super hot.

 3. Love

Tundra loves to roll in snow, especially at the end of winter when he seems to  fear he won't get see any more for months and months.

4. Kiss

A rock at Lock 7 on the Welland Canal. Couples wishing for good fortune and happiness kiss here before leaving.

5. Smile

This snowperson's Mona Lisa smile makes me smile.

I am linking to Ashley Sisk's Scavenger Hunt HERE

Icicles/Top Shot

 Icicles on spruce tree at sunset

The day after a major snowstorm last week, the spruces in our yard were covered in icicles that glistened in the sun. As the sun went down, it cast a pinkish light on the snow and icicles.

Melting snow

Many icicles

I am linking to Madge's Weekly Top Shot.

Whitby/Weekend Reflections

Whitby, Ontario

A female red-breasted merganser is swimming as snow falls.

Five females, one male

To enjoy reflections from around the world, visit James at Weekend Reflections HERE

Garden Watching/Cool Clicks

Geranium spying on the garden

This geranium is living the good life inside a sun room - and knows it, as it can see what's happening outdoors.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am linking to Cool Clicks HERE.

M/Alphabe-Thursday

Mosaic #1

M is for MOSAICS

Ontario is not a mountainous province but we do have ski hills.

Mosaic #2

Sometimes snow makes lovely patterns that are fun to photograph.

Mosaic #3

At times snowflakes are so big that I challenge myself to take macro shots of them.  I'm glad I still have a few more weeks of possible photo ops before spring to perfect this.

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE 

 
I am also linking to Rurality Blog Hop HERE.

Pine Grosbeak/Wild Bird

 Male pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)

Isn't the male stunning?

Pine grosbeaks are large finches that eat mostly buds, fruits and seeds  of trees such as ash apple, spruce, pine and mountain ash. However they supplement their  young's diet with spiders and insects.

Female pine grosbeak

The females is less colourful but still very attractive, don't you think?

I am joining Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

Nature Notes

Birds, first week in February

Largest square: hairy woodpecker about to eat some suet.

Moving clockwise: tree sparrow (could be a year-round resident or visiting from the Arctic), red-breasted nuthatch (here year round), Canada geese (here year round), common redpoll (here from the Arctic) and juvenile mute swan (here year round).

Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more

NATURE NOTES.

Ice Fishing/Our World

 Getting ready

In January I wondered if the weather would be cold enough for ice fishing but as you can see in the first photo, the ice is thick enough for cars to park on it.

Lake Simcoe is a large lake known around the world  for ice fishing - jumbo perch and pike in the shallow areas, and lake trout and whitefish in deeper waters.

 Walking out onto the ice

More people fish on Lake Simcoe in winter than during the summer months.

 Riding out onto the ice

Many fishers walk out to the ice, but many prefer to ride out in vehicles such as 4-wheelers, snowmobiles and even bicycles. 

 Driving an ice hut onto the ice

Many local fishers own their own ice bungalows (huts), but small businesses in the area rent them out to tourists.

 A busy place

Approximately 2000 to 4000 huts are on the ice from late January to early March.

 Making a hole in the ice

Some anglers prefer to fish out in the open without a hut. This one is using an auger to drill a fishing hole. 

Success!

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.