Seed Heads

 Coneflower Seed head WITH seeds #1

There's strong evidence that finches have been in my gardens lately, and I admit I am fascinated by the different designs they create when eating the seed heads of purple coneflowers

 Coneflower Seed head WITH seeds #3

 I don't cut the coneflower stems down until all the seeds are gone.

 Coneflower seed head WITHOUT seeds

I think the finches have been very hungry!

Ornamental grass seeds

I leave these up for winter interest in my gardens. To tell you the truth, I don't know if the birds eat these seeds or not.

I am  linking to  NATURE NOTES.  

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

Green Thumb's Scavenger Hunt

 a. Stranger

The woman climbing the passenger car steps is a stranger. Actually, she is also a photo bomb who entered the picture when I was trying to get a candid shot of the conductor (also a stranger) about to board the Tottenham excursion train.

 b. Looking Down

I was standing on a bridge.

c. Pop Culture

Maybe not today's pop culture, true, but it certainly was five to 15 years ago!

d. Weather

It was a windy day, the reason she was holding onto her hat. (Yep, I could have used this for letter i below.)

e. Big

Left over from Halloween, I think, these giant mushrooms reached to the top of the downstairs windows of an art gallery.

f. Sign

Do you believe this sign?

g. Bottle

Three bottles beneath these partying gods. (I think they are gods, but I could be totally wrong about that.)  It's part of a store display.

h. Out and About

Two girls out for a walk in a public park.

i. Hat

Bright, fluffy hat and mitts that on a cold day would be much appreciated.

j. Hole

I don't know who made this hole - and I did NOT put my hand in to find out.

k. One

Just one fuzzy caterpillar out for a walk. It didn't stop to tell me where it was going.

l. Whatever

Is it too early to post something Christmas-y?

I am linking to Greenthumb's Scavenger Hunt  HERE,

Canadian Guiding

By Fred Lenz 1996, restored by Ruth Hurdle 2007

On the right, you see two Girl Guides (similar to American Girl Scouts) - depicted as they looked in the 1920s - caring for an injured puppy. On the left you see the cover of the organization's magazine. Girl Guides of Canada sponsored the painting of this mural painted on the side of business on the main street in the centre of the Town of Midland.  Sadly there's a chip in the mural under the puppy's chin.

Some of you may remember this mural from 2011 when my then camera photographed the mural in two parts. My now camera has a wide-angle lens.

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

Red Barn/Green Roof

 Two silos

I guess one silo may still be in use.

Seen from the road

I am joining the Barn Collective HERE

Sun on Shutters

 Cropped and angled

 Cropped and turned the other way

 Turned 90°

Right-side up

I am linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2 HERE.

Stainless Steel Swan

On the dock in the harbour, Midland, Ontario

This sculpture celebrates the volunteers and donors who supported the reintroduction of Trumpeter Swans into the nearby Wye Marsh and Georgian Bay.  

Another view of the same sculpture

By the mid-1930s there were no Trumpeters in Ontario due to overhunting for their meat and feathers. In fact, there were only 77 pairs in all of Canada.  Today Trumpeter swans are a protected species in Ontario - so it's illegal to hunt or harass them.

I am linking to  Saturday Critters HERE.

Flashback to October

 Yellow-orange leaves in old train station windows 

Here's a reminder of how beautiful the leaves were last October

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

November Fog

 Fences in morning fog

I hope all my American readers are  enjoying a very happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday morning was extremely foggy!  This farm is one of my most favourite places to photograph...even in low visibility.

Stables beyond the fence and over the little hill

I am linking to Good Fences HERE

Waves on Lake Ontario

 A windy day at the lake

I know the waves on the Great Lakes are small compared to the enormous ones in California but some days the waves on Lake Ontario come big, fast and furious!

A VERY windy (and cold) day at the lake

I am joining Wednesday Waters HERE.

T/Twisted

 Grapevine

Grapevines twist themselves as they grow to anchor themselves...and wild ones can be a real pain to cut out of trees and shrubs. Yep, I can tell you all about that!

 'The Knot" by Fly Freeman

This is one of several sculptures donated by local sculptors to the Town of Uxbridge, Ontario.

Christmas lights

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I am joining ABC Wednesday  HERE

Last Week in November

A little green, a few crabapples and lots of fallen leaves

I think the owner may be cleaning out the eaves troughs.

Cattle out enjoying fresh green grass

Sunday's snow flurries

True, I have had to wear gloves a few mornings in the past couple of weeks. Otherwise the weather remains unseasonably warm.

I am  linking to  NATURE NOTES.  

Midland Harbour Mural

 Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons

This mural is said to be the largest outdoor historical mural in North America. Well, you do have to admit that 250-feet by 80-feet is BIG! The settlement depicted here is what the French Jesuit settlement would have looked like in the 1640s, the first European settlement in Ontario.

In Midland Harbour on Georgian Bay

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

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

Scavenger Hunt

 a. When I grow up...

When I grow up I hope I have as great a sense of humour as Audrey who will be 85 in a few more days.  Here she is wearing a HUGE medallion, which honours her many years as an active member of her garden club. A few years ago she received a service pin for her 40-year-contributions to the group!

 b. Pattern

 c. Festive

 d. Triangle (four of them, actually)

This is part of the tower on the old firehouse in Orangeville.

e. Fancy

Yep, fancy but needing some repair!

I am linking to Ashley Sisk's Scavenger Hunt HERE

East Gwillimbury Farm

A rather typical East Gwillimbury farm in early November

Note the old Ontario farmhouse and the green barns. I never noticed until I started blogging that there are many GREEN barns in my area. Still, I'm surprised when readers tell me how unusual they are where they live.

I am joining the Barn Collective HERE

Dilapidated Cottage

 Shadows on deserted cottage

They're rare but DO exist: dilapidated cottages  a block or two south of Lake Simcoe. Soon it will be bought up, hauled away and replaced by a mega home, and the new home fondly called a "cottage" by the owners (a castle by the rest of us).

 More shadows on cottage

More of the cottage

I am linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2 HERE.

Equus caballus

 East Gwillimbury horse out on a beautiful autumn day

We have truly had a lovely November. Just ask this Equus caballus (horse)!

Two horses out enjoying the lovely weather

I am linking to  Saturday Critters HERE.

Silvery

 A Bright sunny day at Parry Sound Harbour

These reflections danced on the water. I hope I have captured that quality in these still photos.

A second silvery reflection

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