Bicycle/CDP Theme Day

What's he looking at?

August 1st is City Daily Photo Theme Day. This month the theme is BICYCLE.

The top  photo was taken at the harbour in Whitby, which has earned the distinction of being a bicycle friendly town because it is currently building bicycle lanes alongside busy roads. 

Father and son

Father and son are walking their bicycles along a boardwalk in Aurora as the signs on both ends ask riders to do. Kudos to this dad for obeying the signs! (Not everyone does.)

Pink bikes/pink jackets

Two girls have abandoned their bikes for a few minutes to hunt for pretty pebbles on the shore.

I am linking to City Daily Photo Theme Days  HERE

Shiny MG

Reflection over fender on driver's side

We saw this reflection at a festival celebrating the Beatles in Orillia last weekend.

A 50s-something MG TF 1500 Roadster

My brother-in-law wanted to see the British car show, which turned out to one car. Hmmm. Well, this is it!

Reflection on the passenger side fender

At least it was clean and shiny and had reflections.

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

Obsevation Deck

 On the viewing platform and looking easterly over the Cranberry Marsh, Whitby

The marsh is still fairly quiet - the July DULLdrums. A few Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets have arrived for summer fishing but many birds are still at their breeding grounds way far north.

 Looking southeasterly

The water is high this year. We've had quite a lot of rain, although nowhere near as much as we had in June.

Looking southerly on a beautiful July afternoon

The boats are on Lake Ontario just beyond the marsh.

I am linking to Good Fences HERE

Model A Ford

 1930 Model A Ford

Yep, this is a breakdown on an East Gwillimbury street. Luckily the owner lived only a block away. And he was kind enough to let me take a photo.

Sepia version

Bonfire

 Bonfire after dark

ALERT!: More experiments with PhotoShop Elements!

 Cropped and colour enhanced in PhotoShop Elements

 Cropped and poster edges in Photoshop Elements

Cropped and glowing edges in PhotoShop Elements

I am linking to NF Digital Art Meme  HERE.

Northern Oriole

 Immature male or female Northern Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Young males look like females until the fall of their second year, so this could be an immature male. Even more confusing when deciding gender (at least for me), females become darker after every moult so that older females are nearly as bright orange as the males.

Nest hidden among poplar leaves

Each female builds a new nests every year, anchoring her woven "basket" in a tree fork.

Dangling nest in an apple tree

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

If You Are a Dreamer

 Streets Alive! Doors of Downtown Orillia

Celebrating outdoor art and creativity, Orillia area artists have repurposed old doors that are now on display (until October 12, 2015) on the city's main downtown street (Mississauga Street).

 "If You Are A Dreamer" by David Giannunzio and Erin Demery

This is one of the doors. I will post a few others later.

The door is open

Written on the door:

If you are a dreamer come in

If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar

A hoper a prayer a magic bean buyer

If you're a pretender come sit by my fire

For we have some flax golden tales to spin

Come in!

Come in!

~Shel Silverstein

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

Garden Flowers in Bloom

 Hollyhocks

An old-fashioned flower that reseeds itself in some of the most delightful places...and sometimes not. This plant is in a great spot.

 Balloon Flower

The bud below the three blossoms shows you how this flower got it's name.

Purple coneflowers

I don't think it's possible to plant too many of these! They bloom for a long period and insects LOVE them for their nectar, especially butterflies.

 Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more NATURE NOTES.  

Bridge Over Marsh

 Shadows under bridge

Mid morning looking easterly - shadows within a shadow

 Shadows and reflection under bridge 

Looking westerly - shadows within a reflection

I am linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2 HERE.

Least Skipper

Least Skipper, common here in Ontario

I love the Least Skipper's BIG eyes. True, the eyes are not really very big, as this guys wingspan is a little less than an inch.

These skippers like tall grasses in moist areas. And since they don't stay still for long,  I was lucky to capture this one with my lens.

I am linking to Saturday Critters HERE.

Administrative Reflections

 Reflections (backside of building)

This is the York Region Administrative Centre I wrote about on Monday HERE.  I love the rounded organic shapes designed by architect Douglas Cardinal. AND I especially like the reflections of the shapes and lines in the windows.

 Reflection on east side of building #1

Reflections on east side of building #2

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

Fence on Retaining Wall

 Curved fence on retaining wall

This hill is not very big but it is fairly steep. This is on the south side of the York Region Administrative Centre I posted on Monday.

From a different angle

I am linking to Good Fences HERE

Black-eyed Susan

 Black-eyed Susan, original

ALERT!: More experiments with PhotoShop Elements!

 Black-eyed Susan watercolor in PhotoShop Elements

 Black-eyed Susan cropped

Black-eyed Susan, cropped & poster edges on PhotoShop Elements

I am linking to NF Digital Art Meme  HERE.

Wilson's Snipe

 Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

Wilson's Snipes are secretive by nature and usually appear only at dawn or dusk. But in late June on the Carden Alvar (north of Kirkland, Ontario), snipes are commonly seen on fence posts during the day. A well-known birder in the area told me that the snipes are monitoring their young down below. Once the babies fledge, the father takes the two oldest and the mother the two youngest. So this snipe could be either a male or female. (I don't know how to distinguish one from the other.)

Delivering orders to his/her young

The young were probably foraging for insects and earthworms in the grass below the fence post.

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

York Region Administrative Centre

 Looking northerly at the York Regional Administrative Centre, Newmarket

My town, East Gwillimbury, is situated just north of Newmarket, the centre of York Region (formerly York County), which is just north of Toronto. (Did you get that?)

 Moving counter-clockwise

Geographically, Newmarket is situated in the centre of York Region so the logical choice for the region's headquarters. Local politicians wanted a knockout building so chose a design by superstar Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, known for designing buildings with flowing lines, a reflection of his heritage as a descendent of the Blackfoot First Nation in southern Alberta. It truly is a stunning building showing Cardinal's respect for nature and love for natural rhythms.

 Clock towers on the south side of the main entrance

Truth be told, I had originally taken photos of this building to capture the incredibly neat reflections in the windows (more about that next Friday), but a day after I took these photos I saw a TV documentary on the building's architect. (Serendipity) Yep, I need to go back and take a longer view of the entire building.

Main entrance

Although this is the main entrance, the parking lot is on the north side of the building so it looked to me like the north entrance was actually the "main" entrance.

Clock towers and flags on the north side of the entrance

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

Mid July Wildflowers

 Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)

Here are three wildflowers blooming in central Ontario now.

Spotted knapweed may be pretty but it is also a villain. It tend to spread quickly and outcompete indigenous wildflowers.

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)

The name says it's blue but I say it's purple. What do you think?

 Elecampane (Inula helenium)

Elecampane usually grows in shady places. FYI: According to legend, elecampane grew where Helen of Troy's  tears fell when Paris abducted her.

Evidence that local ducks are moulting

Not a flower, you are correct. But it is nature!
 Please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods for more NATURE NOTES. 

I am also linking to Catching the Light HERE

Shadows on Retaining Wall

Shadows of yellow leaves and rusty fence

The fence is atop a retaining wall,  so the shrubs are rooted a few feet below.

A closer look at the shadows

I am linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2 HERE.

Cr-r-r-roak!

 Who's making all that noise?

 Cr-r-r-roak!

OOPs! It's me!

I am linking to Saturday Critters HERE.