Photography – Page 7 – Ripple Effects

Day Trip to Cambridge

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5

Trains leaving for Cambridge run frequently from King’s Cross Station in London. We bought tickets for after peak hour in the morning, more leisurely and cheaper price. We were in no hurry, and it was only an hour’s ride. But first, I was most impressed by the train station. I was there years ago for a trip to Cambridge also. But this time around, King’s Cross looks like a space station. What’s more, the old and the new co-exist comfortably :

More about the train stations tomorrow. But on this day Oct. 5, 2016, I was at Cambridge again.

When we got out of the train station in the university town, high winds greeted us, sending us to look for shelter in the Hop on Hop Off Sightseeing bus. Yup, what a convenient way to reach all the points of interest, and with commentary as well.

The following are some glimpses of Cambridge, this one taken from the open top bus as we passed by the Fitzwilliam Museum:

fitzwilliam-museum

These were taken when we hopped off and took to the streets:

While all these views from the outside were free, they now charged entrance fee to go inside many of the buildings, even just walking into the courtyards and the greens. I remember years ago I could freely walk around. Also there are many more commercial establishments now, which is understandable, and in a way, good for us tourists, and I’m sure the people at the university too. There are many more selections to choose from when it’s time for lunch.

We walked along Bridge Street where there was a myriad of international cuisines, undecided for a while and eventually went into a little restaurant called Galleria.

galleria

They offered a 3-course lunch for £12.95 Not bad at all. The appetizer and main course were both delicious, but I was most happy with the dessert, a chocolate raspberry mouse, that’s the pyramid at the front in the following pic, my cousin had the apple pie. But I can tell you, mine was heavenly:

dessert

As we came out of the restaurant and crossed the street, we saw this beautiful view:

view-from-galleria

p1020794

We spent the afternoon strolling along the streets:

p1020690

tradition

and stayed a while in Waterstones, the four-floor bookshop. It’s been years since I set foot into a multi-storey bookshop with elevator. We used to have one in our city but it’s long gone out of business. Other than the books, I was attracted to these Penguin tote bags and the blackboard:

waterstones

Soon it was time to head back to the train station. Hop on to the sightseeing bus once again and we were soon on the train back to London. The whole evening was still untapped.

***

Saturday Snapshot Oct. 15: Five Days in London

About this time last year I’d just finished a Thelma-and-Louise kind of road trip (exclude the ending, of course) to New England with my cousin to see fall foliage. The series of travel posts begins here. This year, it’s London, England.

Here are the highlights of our short, five-day escape to London on the week of Oct. 3-7. Detailed blog posts to come.

Monday — The Go-Between at the historic Apollo Theatre (since 1901) on Shaftesbury Avenue. Leading star is Michael Crawford, the original Phantom.

Apollo Theatre.jpg

Tuesday — Tate Modern, Georgia O’Keeffe Exhibit. No photos allowed for that exhibit, but I was free to take artworks from other areas in brilliant Tate Modern. Here’s one I love the best. View from its 10th floor observation level:

Wednesday — Day trip to Cambridge:

Thursday — The British Library, King’s Cross and the St. Pancras Stations. Why a train and tube station could be the highlights of the day? Wait and see. Here’s St. Pancras Station:

St. Pancras Station.jpg

Friday — Which zebra crossing (those in N. America, no zebra, just pedestrian) is a point of interest for world visitors?

Abbey Road Studios.jpg

And which movie puts a community and street market on the to-see list of visiting cinephiles and antique hunters?

Portobello Rd (1).jpg

Detailed London posts coming up.

***

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Saturday Snapshot September 24: Cootes Paradise Marsh

So this is what a film buff and birder did at TIFF… she took a day off from films and headed out to Nature.

The Cootes Paradise Marsh Nature Sanctuary in Burlington’s Royal Botanical Gardens is about a 45-minute drive southwest of Toronto. Hiking the trails there was total relief from pounding the pavement between TIFF venues. I immersed in the silence of the Nature Sanctuary, with bird calls and sounds of crickets replacing the hustle and bustle of downtown traffic.

First off, there were many birds, but mostly Chickadees. The Bluejay I see often in Alberta, but not among maple leaves:

bluejay-in-maple-leaves

Indeed, the leaves are so different from what I’m used to seeing. Like these here. Never seen leaves wearing sunglasses before:

Leaves wearing sunglasses.jpg

Seldom see frogs on my path either. Nearly stepped on this little guy:

Frog on my path.jpg

Or a mushroom this fancy:

mushroom-1

I just love how well planned these trails are, so considerate in their design:

See the upper left corner of the above picture… A colony of cormorants:

cormorants

As I came close to the edge of the water, I felt like I’d gone inside a corn maze:

rbg-marshwalk-observation-tower

The observation tower at the end offered a panoramic view of the marsh, but not my camera though. So here they are in different frames:

marsh-2

It’s here that I had my first sighting of the Great Egret:

egret-on-the-move

And a Mute Swan with her young, which were brownish but almost as large as the adult:

mute-swan-juveniles

As I made my way back I walked through fields of goldenrods, that was quite a sight:

goldenrods

***

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Establishing Shot

What is a film buff, avid birder, and nature lover going to do in Toronto during TIFF, torn between so many attractions?

Well, one has to stay grounded first. So here’s the establishing shot. Indeed, it’s Toronto. And a memorable date it was when I took this photo of the early morning cityscape. My computer told me it was Sept. 11, 2016, at 6:38 am:

9-11-638

I was fortunate to be able to shoot these pics from a high-rise building with magnificent views. Here let me call this one Urban Canadian Sunrise. Yes, see the flag in the foreground? Can’t say it’s just another city:

urban-canadian-sunrise

And from the balcony above looking down, my birding instinct was gratified as I made my first sighting of a Mute Swan taking in the early morning air:

mute-swan

A stone-throw away was a park where I made this other first-time encounter. I had no clue what it was until I looked it up in a bird book after I’d come back home:

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

Know what it is? A Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron.

Several other first time sightings awaited me as I went on the ‘Marshwalk’ at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, 57 km (35 mi) southwest of Toronto a few days later. The Great Egret and some juvenile (brownish colour) mute swans:

great-egret

egret-swans

Yes, TIFF16 was a cinephile fantasy. And the people there were overflowing with enthusiasm to make your visit memorable:

tiff

More posts coming up on that main event.

Saturday Snapshot Aug. 27: Synchronized Swimming, Team Pelican

I don’t have to wait four years for another Olympics. A couple of days ago I caught sight of these Nature’s Athletes. From afar I could tell they were members of Team Pelican.

The Pelicans are a gregarious lot, their talents innate, every move graceful. They display their elegant team work in Nature’s open arena, effortless, in sync with each other. Here they are, full of bubbly camaraderie:

Comaraderie (2)

Remember a previous post where I saw them in the air, like squadrons of fighter jets; in the water, they form a tight-knit configuration as well. With that formation, they cooperate to surround fish in the water, scooping them into their pouches:

Inate talents (1)

What a beautiful idea: communal feeding. What you see here are snapshots. What I remember is a long video. I must have been there watching and snapping away for over a half hour:

Let's eat together (1)

Elegant synchronized swimmers in perfect harmony. Kudos to their Coach.

Synchronized Swimming (2)

Look at their sheer size in comparison to the gull behind them.

Sync Swim (1)

Sometimes you can get tangled up with minor mishaps. Wait up, guys, I’m a little stuck here:

Wait up 2

No worries. We’re Team Pelican. All for one and one for all; our bills as swords to pledge.

Bills as swords

***

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Saturday Snapshot July 23: Traffic Jam

I know my Air B&B (note the purposely altered name) is popular, with free meals, a pool, and all the natural amenities, but I’d never expected an aerial traffic jam with everyone arriving at the same time.

At first they looked like confetti in the sky from afar. Without a wide-angle lens I could only capture a section. Just imagine multiples of these:

confetti

confetti2

With no reservations, I wasn’t expecting them or knew who they were. But I could tell they weren’t gulls. As they came closer, they turned into squadrons of fighter planes:

Pelicans 2

By now, I could see clearly – American White Pelicans, interestingly, converging from opposite directions:

Closer still

No reservations? No problem. Welcome you all!

Welcome

Just make sure you leave a good review. And please make reservation next time.

***

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Saturday Snapshot July 16: Solace

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

I’d never imagine myself typing these words other than the title of the 1963 comedy. Tragedy instead, and very real, not in a movie. What’s happening these past days can drive one to despair. I’m not just thinking about the celebratory crowd mowed down by a truck, family with children watching fireworks. Or here, a mother murdered in her own home, her five year-old girl missing and three days late, her body found in a field. O, a national anthem and a peaceful baseball game jeopardized by a lone-wolf tenor. Or, a U.S. presidential candidate vowing to declare war once he’s elected.

That’s why I appreciate the Pond more and more these days. Not just to take me away from screens big and small, get some fresh air, breathe in the sight and sound of another world. No need for words, it’s a living testament of Nature reassuring the Maker’s Grace, antidote of madness. Not so much a place to escape but to think, revive, and just be.

Peace returns soon as I step out of the car. How does that song go? All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. I love them all, well some more than others. Like, I’m partial to the tiny yellow warbler than the muskrat:

Yellow Warbler

I’ve pictures of the muskrat too, but never mind.

The quiet poise of the Eastern Kingbird. Got a juvenile here, I think, from the downy front. Such a tiny creature unknowingly is a carrier of a reaffirming message:

Eastern KB

Yes, even the ‘common’ sparrow (has a name too, Savannah) looks smart and confident. O the comfort of neither having to reap or sow, of being cared for:

The Sparrow

Or no need to worry what to put on. The Cedar Waxwing is often adorned and well groomed, ready for any photo op., yet raising no jealousy:

Cedar Waxwing

It’s a peaceful world out here by the Pond. Another song just come to mind…

And let it begin with us.

***

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Saturday Snapshot July 2: Summer Visitors

Here at the pond, summer visitors arrive to my natural Air B&B in June from near and far. I admit up here above the 49th parallel, I don’t get as many varieties as I’d like to see, nor as colourful as many of you have down in the south. Still it gives me great pleasure to host them.

Here are some of the avian visitors in the past month. Glad they find my Air B&B suitable for their stay, taking advantage of the pool and the amenities, free breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are usually shy to be photographed, so I got them in my Air Guestbook unobtrusively.

Some new guests, for me anyway, like Mr. and Mrs. Ruddy Ducks. Hard to get them to come closer for photos, so here’s a blurry snapshot from afar. How do I identify them? The light blue bill of Mr. Ruddy:

Male & Female Ruddy Ducks

A repeat visitor, although not always easy to find, so I’m delighted to host, the Greater Yellowlegs:

Greater Yellowlegs

Families are most welcome. Here are my regular visitors, the CG Family:

The CG Family

Always glad to see them make themselves at home. I got this pic as they took their morning stroll:

A morning stroll

The quiet Spotted Sandpiper soaking in the sun and the sight:

Spotted Sandpiper

And of course, who can beat the free meals while they’re staying here. That’s why they keep coming back, look at this Great Blue Heron helping himself to the buffet:

Buffet meal

Is that a big fish that Mrs. Pelican just gulped in?

And finally, I’ve waited for them for so long, the Yellow Warblers. I know they like their stay. Just listen to their calls as they share on their social platform:

Yellow Warbler

Well, if you’ve got food in your mouth, you can’t call back. No instant messaging here at the buffet table:

No msg

Saturday Snapshot June 4: Meanwhile at the Pond

The pond has been bursting with life.

The past two weeks were prolific for me, not in writing but in shooting. I’ve been able to capture some new discoveries, first time photographing and identifying them. Here they are.

A pair of Common Terns, not common for me. They dart like speeding bullets onto the water to pick out fish but fly so gracefully in the air:

A flying common tern.jpg

Tern flying

The American Coot, not a duck, but a coot. Whatever is the difference, I need to read more:

American Coot

Here’s a pair of Blue-winged Teals. The white crescent behind the bill is the identifying mark. I’ve learned that they are long distance migrants, flying all the way to South American in the winter:

Blue-winged Teal, Male and Female

There’s also the Green-winged Teal, a beauty. Look at the shiny shades of color at the tail:

Green-winged Teal

And on the shore, perching on cattails from last fall, the Yellow-headed Blackbirds. I see the Red-winged Blackbirds all the time, but this is my first sighting of the brilliant yellow heads:

Yellow-headed Blackbird.jpg

YHB

Some of them have a shade of orange, even more handsome:

Orange yellow

Exciting discoveries for this amateur birder. More coming…

***

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Saturday Snapshot May 28: New Kids on the Block

A month ago I saw two newborns in the Owlington abode. Here’s one of them out and about; the other must be still sleeping:

Owlington baby

A curious fella:

Owlington 1

Scratching and preening:

Owlington baby scratching

Mrs. Owlington is always close by watching:

Mrs. Owlington

I’ve always thought the Owlington is the only owl family by the pond until I came across these new kids in another part of the hood. Three of them snuggled up against one another on that windy afternoon:

New Kid 3.jpg

No mama or papa around. Wait, not just three, there’s one more on another branch. This bro is all cool and aloof:

New Kid 4

The next day I went back there and saw li’l bro again. This time his style really shown through. Why wait for papa to bring back dinner? Fast food right here:

Can't wait

These are some of the pictures I’d taken in the past weeks. As spring slowly arrives and is here to stay, so are myriads of new lives, bursting out in the hood, some are new encounters for me. Stay tuned for more Nature Photography here on Ripple Effects.

***

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.

Spring Time at the Pond

Still no sign of the Blue Heron, and Warblers aren’t here yet. But we have other attractions. I’m happy with just seeing a Robin looking smart and handsome:

Robin

Or this Red-winged Blackbird, calling across the pond to a hopeful prospect:

Redwinged Blackbird

Signs too of someone working hard. Soon we’ll have no more trees:

Beaver's work

Beaver's work 1

The usual suspects? Leave it to the Beavers. It runs in the family. The little one learns the trade early. Here he is. Look at that face, can you blame him?

Beaver babe

Beaver babe 1

Wait… I need to check my eyes.

Is that Paddington Bear swimming in the pond?

The main attraction by the pond is definitely the Owlington Family. There are always nature paparazzi gathering outside their home about 40 ft. up in a hollow tree trunk, huge lens and tripods set up below waiting for the tiniest movement. The babies are showing their faces a bit more now, although still snuggling up in their nest all day:

Owlets

The eyes

Interesting that there’s always one that’s more alert and nosy while the other rather sleeps in:

Owlet 1

Looks like he’s got his Mama’s eyes:

Mama

More photos to come as spring warms up more… and as the owlets fledge.

***

I’m nobody! Who are you?

April is still here I’m glad. Here’s a timely piece to join in the celebration of National Poetry Month.

***

I’m nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there are two of us – don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

Emily Dickinson (1830-86)

Oh the comfort of anonymity, no need to trend, to like or be liked, to climb the social media ladder, to reach new heights with more followers. Dickinson sure enjoyed her reclusive life, felt fine with being an unknown. Most of her poems were published posthumously, including this one.

***