Public Transit/ CDP Theme Day

Reflection in window of York Regional Transit bus

Although I live in the country, I also live in York Region - the county just north of Toronto. There are many bus stops across the region, including several in my village. However, this photo was taken in a much larger town, Newmarket.

This month's City Daily Photo theme is Public Transportation.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Front Garden/ Today's Flowers

Front garden display

As freezing weather approaches my neck of the woods, garden flowers are becoming more and more scarce. As you can see, gourds (including pumpkins) are filling in for a while.

If you love flowers -- and who doesn't - check out Today's Flowers at http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

Just Ducky/ SOOC

South shore of Lake Simcoe

It was one of those dark days but this duck looked pretty content enjoying an end-of-October swim.

  To see more photos Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC) visit Jan at http://www.murrieta365.com

Skeletal Remains/ Camera Critters

Look who may be be greeting trick-or-treaters tomorrow night!

A little spooky in daylight, I think this critter may be major scary at night.

Happy Halloween!

  To join in the Camera Critter fun, visit Misty Dawn's site at http://camera-critters.blogspot.com

Spooky/ Weekend Reflections

Reflection in window of abandoned factory, Elora, Ontario

For sure, ghosts and goblins will be active tomorrow night here in this old stone building. Don't get too close to that slightly open window!


To enjoy reflections from around the world, click HERE.

Belwood/ Sky Watch

Belwood Lake Conservation Area last night

My husband and I took a road trip to Fergus and Elora, Ontario yesterday and on the way back stopped at the Belwood Lake Conservation Area just before sunset.  When I took this shot, I was on the path over the dam that creates the lake on the Grand River.


  To see tons of gorgeous skies from around the world, visit the Sky Watch Website and click on the thumbnail photos: http://skyley.blogspot.com

F/ Alphabe-Thursday

Blue heron FLYING out of my photo

Truth be told, I had originally stopped to take a photo of the bridge but wish I had seen the heron before it heard me. It almost FLEW away before my lens caught it!

FLYING swans at sunset over the harbour at Hamilton, Ontario

The swans were FLYING and our car was too! We were driving along the highway at about 90 k.p.h. (55 m.p.h.)  and these swans were FLYING FASTER than that, so to capture a photo of them, I rolled down the window and quickly took this shot.

FLYING goose

This shot was easier to get because I was standing in a FIELD and the goose FLEW over.


I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE

Ontario Farms/ Nature Notes

Plant life is closing down for the season - end of October 2010

Largest square: horses staring at me. I guess I was more interesting than the browning pasture grass! Notice the shrubs behind have lost their leaves.

Moving clockwise: water is high in the river, sheep and horse eating mostly dried grass, sparrow sitting in a barren shrub, milkweed seeds escaping to grow away from the mother plant, and a newly cut field with the last remaining leaves on trees as a backdrop.

For more Nature Notes,  please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods by clicking  HERE.

Boat Launch/ Watery Wednesday

Boat launch, Keswick, Ontario

Most boats have now been put away until next spring, but the day I took this photo the weather would have been great to be out on the lake.

You can find more photos celebrating Watery Wednesday at http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com

 

Abducted, Maybe/ My World

An Alien?

This was NOT a Halloween costume. This was for real!  He landed here a short while before I shot this photo and was about to take off again. And he was taking earthlings with him.

Up, up, and away

Where were they going? They were climbing to 13,500 feet above the earth so they could...

Coming back down

float back down. My husband and I were in Baldwin, Ontario on Saturday at the Toronto Parachute School.

The photographer in the first photo was taking videos and stills of jumpers as they fell to the ground. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Ah, well, actually...my feet stayed firmly planted on the ground. My husband, my camera and I were spectators. I interviewed two newbie sky divers who had just sky dived for the first time, tandem as in the third photo, each with an experienced sky diver.  The male was exhilarated and could hardly wait to learn to sky dive solo. The female? She wasn't sure she ever wanted to sky dive again.

Visit My World Tuesday  HERE to see tons of photos from around the world.

Crab apple/ Macro Monday

Little Crab apple the squirrels haven't noticed yet

That's melted snow on the crab apple!

  To see more macro shots visit Lisa's Chaos at http://lisaschaos.com

Dipladenia / Today's Flowers

Blossoms in a hanging basket I saw last summer in Port Perry, Ontario

This was a hanging basket I would have liked to have hanging from my porch.  It was a beauty.

Thank you for the correction, Xavi! It's a Dipladenia  or mandevilla!

If you love flowers -- and who doesn't - check out Today's Flowers at http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

Lake Simcoe Autumn/ SOOC

The southern shore of Lake Simcoe in Georgina in mid October

A cloudless morning (at least looking norteasterly), which is fairly rare around here this time of year!


  To see more photos Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC) visit Jan at http://www.murrieta365.com

Mergansers/ Camera Critters

Common mergansers on a Lake Simcoe beach about a week ago

So what do you think these two mergansers are talking about?


  To join in the Camera Critter fun, visit Misty Dawn's site at http://camera-critters.blogspot.com

Autumn Swamp/ Weekend Reflections

Reflections in slow-moving water

This photo was taken up north somewhere east of Huntsville, Ontario a couple of weeks ago. It was a calm, mostly overcast day, perfect for capturing reflections.

To enjoy reflections from around the world, click HERE.

Cattle Farm/ Sky Watch

Sunset last Sunday in Durham Region just east of East Gwillimbury

The western sky turned many shades of yellows, oranges, reds and even purples on our ride home from Fenelon Falls last weekend.


  To see tons of gorgeous skies from around the world, visit the Sky Watch Website and click on the thumbnail photos: http://skyley.blogspot.com

Wooded Area/ Nature Notes

Central Ontario last weekend

Wooden bridge over a small creek leading to: orange maple leaves, holes made by a hungry woodpecker looking for tasty bugs, calico aster (Aster lateriflorus), bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) and climbing nightshade (Solanum dulcamara).

FYI: As strange as it may seem, both the yellow and red berries are sometimes known as bittersweet, which is the reason I like to include the botanical names.

For more Nature Notes,  please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods by clicking  HERE.

E/ Alphabe-Thursday

Eagle atop a carved sculpture. Port Perry, Ontario

The EAGLE proudly sits on its nest. Originally a white ash tree on a main street, this sculpture was carved by wildlife sculptor Adam Connolly who said "I hope it [the sculpture] allows people to have a better understanding of nature, the arts, and the preservation of our heritage."

And to see what is carved below the EAGLE scroll down...

Bits and pieces of the sculpture in mosaic form

and see the rest of the sculpture as a mosaic. And then scroll down a bit more...

 to see the the entire piece.

I am linking to Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday HERE

Reflection/ Watery Wednesday

Autumn reflection in unknown pond up north

The leaves look a tad past peak but still colourful, don't you agree?

You can find more photos celebrating Watery Wednesday at http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com

 

Cranberry Harvest/ My World

Harvesting cranberries, Johnston's Marsh, Ontario

October is the month for harvesting cranberries in Ontario. Last year my husband and I visited this marsh to see the harvesting firsthand. (I cannot remember why these photos did not make it to this blog last year. I'm SURE there must have been a good reason.)

As you can see, even the young were involved in this operation. The older lad got to run the machinery and the younger "got to" hop in and out of the water (which isn't very deep) to change the rectangular pans that were collecting the cranberries. (In the upper left-hand corner of the mosaic below, you can see the lad in the water.)

Reflections in Johnston's Marsh

The trees were absolutely gorgeous last year, I think perhaps a tad lovelier than this year.

Ripe for harvest

Visit My World Tuesday  HERE to see tons of photos from around the world.

October Frost/ Macro Monday

Frost on rose leaves

I took this photo just as the sun shone on the leaves and just before the frost melted.

  To see more macro shots visit Lisa's Chaos at http://lisaschaos.com

Virginia Creeper/Today's Flowers

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Not a flower, true, but this time of year the leaves on Virginia creeper vines sure are colourful.

Virginia creeper is a native vine here, growing over everything in its path: rocks, bushes, fences and even up telephone poles. It's fast growing and can "creep" up to 20 feet in a year.

A young plant, which next year will likely have covered this fence

Most of the growing season  the leaves are green, but in autumn they turn a brilliant red or maroon. Older vines also have dark blue berries that are popular with some birds which disperse the seeds.

This is a plant I enjoy seeing in the wild but prefer to NOT have in my gardens...so I rip it out.

If you love flowers -- and who doesn't - check out Today's Flowers at http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

Red Boat/ SOOC

Unknown lake north of Rosseau, Ontario

Am I seeing double? Maybe you are too!

  To see more photos Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC) visit Jan at http://www.murrieta365.com