Photography – Page 31 – Jennifer's Journal

Entranced

Published on February 2, 2015February 2, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry55 Comments

Have you ever been impressed by the beauty of a door? The world is filled with doorways* and entrances, but here are several that left me either pleased by their quaintness, awed by their workmanship, or entranced by their immensity and grandeur. All before ever setting one foot inside.

For starters, a charming little one from the Barbour Heritage Village in my town:

This entrance in Bonavista with its crisp contrasting colours and symmetry:

In Montreal, the beauty and craftsmanship of this splendid doorway:

…and how about the opulence of this entrance in Cannes? No, we didn’t stay there… 😉

We stayed here, our inviting little home away from home:

The view through our balcony doors was also appealing, beckoning us outside.

Hard to top the view of Lake Maggiore from our patio doors in Stresa:

Here’s a closer look of the northern Italian lake:

In Paris, the entrance to the Notre Dame Cathedral is imposing…

…and so elaborately adorned.

How about this golden carved door in Florence?
Gotta love the Renaissance.

I saved my personal favourite, also in Florence, for last.

*Ailsa’s Weekly Travel Theme: Doorways @ wheresmybackpack.com

Friday Bouquet #14

Published on January 30, 2015February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

I’ve followed Sue on Travel Tales of Life for some time now and love her beautiful blog. From her About Page:

“Living in Calgary, Alberta, married to my best friend Dave for over thirty years and Mom to adult children; my decades as a nurse have shown that in a moment life can change completely. Passionate about social justice, volunteerism and not letting the phrase “What would people think?” or my own fear get in the way of trying something new; the possibilities are endless.

Travel Tales of Life has been featured in-depth by More Time To Travel in speaking to cycling tourism for those over 50. My posts have been featured in The Caribbean Daily, What’s Up Tasmania and About Basque Country online magazines and the HIS Vancouver travel website.

Enjoy the tales and I hope you will be inspired to try something you have been thinking about doing.”

Check out her latest post below for some captivating photos from around the world:

Where Would You Like To Travel?

Comments are closed here in the hope you will visit Sue’s blog.
If you do, please tell her Jennifer sent you. 🙂

Dad in The Big Land

Published on January 27, 2015January 28, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry31 Comments

These days, few of us experience the old-fashioned pleasure of receiving a letter by standard mail. So imagine my joy to find, tucked inside a Christmas card from my aunt in the U.S., a handwritten note, along with a handful of photos sent to her from my father.

She writes:

“Dear Jennifer – A note to enclose with these snapshots sent to me many years ago. They are precious to me, but belong in your heart and your home. It was a great adventure that Ralph shared with me over the phone lines. – Lovingly, Irene.”

Discussing this with my aunt recently, she was unable to nail down the year they were taken, but she believes Dad made the trip to Labrador in the mid to late fifties. That would make him, at the youngest, twenty-one, and still single.

An added bonus: his familiar handwriting scrawled on the back of each snapshot. ♥

I have captioned each one with his words.

A closer look:
I love his outfit. Lots of layers, warm boots, yet he is wearing a jacket, shirt and tie, and his hair is perfect.

01-03-~2 (4) (1) — **Our plane at Gander before takeoff 4:30 pm**

This begs more questions: why did he fly out of Gander and not St. John’s? Who was he with and who took the pictures? Why did he make this trip to Labrador? Unfortunately, we are fuzzy on all the details.

01-03-~2 (2) (1) — **Crossing the bays to Hopedale**

01-03-~2 (3) (1) — **Deserted shack and our dog-sled at Big Bay between Hopedale and Davis Inlet.**

01-03-~2 (5) — **At Makkovik with “husky” pups.**

No surprise to me at all that Dad would love the little animals!

If only he and I could sit down and have a chat together about his adventure in “The Big Land.” In any case, I cannot put into words how good it feels to see my father’s young face again. ♥

Have you ever gotten mail that made your day?

Is there someone you love and miss with all your heart?

Further Reading: Labrador, the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador

January Blue

Published on January 15, 2015January 28, 2021 by J. Kelland Perry55 Comments

It’s a blue winter day on Perry’s Point.

It isn’t a sad and lonely day, but one painted with the hues of a brilliant blue sky and a blanket of sunshine, the kind of day where the sun and snow merge to design graceful shadows in the hollows of the landscape.

Sun on the newly fallen and drifted snow creates a tapestry of shadowy forms,
from the palest baby blue to the deepest of indigo.

The slanting afternoon rays of sunlight hold little heat,
but warm the heart of this nature-lover nonetheless.

The surface of the snow waves and crests,
while most of the bay lies still under a layer of slush and ice.

Dunes of scalloped white surround me…

…and the only hint of sound is the faint exhale of a frigid breeze.

Certain feathered creatures have already been here.

At the end of the Point I reach the icy blue coastline…

…where the water is still full of movement in spite of the sub-zero air.

Cold, but fluid…

…clear and beautiful.

Other shadows dapple a weather-worn barn…

…and sun-bleached fences.

Hidden in shade, a bird house waits for spring, and a new tenant…

…while our neighbour’s fishing boat awaits a new summer.

Ben Perry’s shed is called a “store” around these parts.

Still more shadows hide in furrows of snow and last summer’s grasses. I wade in.

My toes are like ice cubes inside my boots at this point. I hop over the fence to home.

Time to put the kettle on…

…and thaw myself out with a cup of tea.

And my world changes from blue to green.

How is your January going? What is the colour of your winter?

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Shadowed

A Newer Perspective by Vivian K. Perry

Published on January 5, 2015November 11, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry41 Comments

Happy 2015, lovely readers, bloggers, and my feline friends and fans. ♥

Vivian’s the name, for you newbies who haven’t had the pleasure of my sparkling company as of yet. I’ve returned to brighten things up in the blogosphere with another guest-host spot on Jennifer’s Journal. So take a break from struggling with your (ugh) resolutions for a few moments, and join me, won’t you?

My sister Maisie and I agreed to help show what is new and different in our world, specifically a nifty new camera to pose for since St. Nick dropped by last month. Jennifer hasn’t had time to learn all its functions yet, so she took these photos with the autofocus feature, just for a little test run.

Maisie hogged the limelight most of the time…

…but she did pose admirably and didn’t shy away, as she is wont to do.

Okay already! Now, what about moi??

Scenery? Is that necessary? Granted, the new camera does take nice shots – even through the kitchen window…

And naturally, Jennifer wants to show off her granddaughter’s new artwork, another of her treasured Christmas gifts.
(Yes, it’s her grandgirl’s birthday today too, so Happy Birthday, young lady! xox)

But what about me, and my joie de “Viv”?

Oh, come on, woman!
In what universe are a couple of ol’ ducks more photogenic than two purry Perrys?

Finally! { sigh} That’s a bit of an improvement.
But I know we can do better…

There! That’s it. Pixel Perfection.

Toodles, my darlings. Until we meet again…meow!

~This has been Vivian’s entry for The Daily Post Photo Challenge: “New”~

What’s “new” in your little corner of the world? Maisie and Viv are all ears!

Free Spirit

Published on December 16, 2014December 16, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry18 Comments

“Freedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose.
Anything else is a form of slavery.” ~ Wayne Dyer

How do you picture freedom?

To Sea by Virtue

Published on November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry25 Comments

One sunny afternoon last month, we accompanied friends aboard the Virtue, their Beneteau 400 sailing vessel.
We were only too happy to share in the enjoyment of the October sea and sky.

024 — *Rowing in the little boat to the big boat*

“Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“I never get tired of the blue sky.” – Vincent Van Gogh

“Roll on, deep and dark blue ocean, roll… Man marks the earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore.” – Lord Byron

“Long may your big jib draw.” – legendary Newfoundland saying meaning good wishes for the future

“I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.” – Alaine Gerbault

“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.”
– Arthur C. Clarke

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
– William Arthur Ward

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” – Buddha

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky; and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” – John Masefield

Have you ever gone sailing on a beautiful day such as this?

Historic Grand Bank

Published on October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry22 Comments

It seems the older I get, the more I treasure the chance to travel around this province. Even when I visit a Newfoundland community I’ve been in before, it’s as if I see it with new and more appreciative eyes.

Earlier this week, I accompanied Paul on one of his little road trips for work, this time on the Burin Peninsula Heritage Run. Our destination was the vibrant town of Grand Bank. I hadn’t been there in over a decade.

It was a rainy trip. But Good Fortune smiled down, the sun came out as soon as we got there, and so did my trusty camera.

The authentic old buildings and heritage architecture I found especially charming. I’ll let the pictures tell the story of what I loved about historic Grand Bank.

155 — **The Inn by the Sea Bed and Breakfast**

162 — **The Thorndyke – Registered Heritage B & B**

169 — **…and another Widow’s Walk, a popular feature of long ago fishing communities.**

And Old meets New:

186 — **The Provincial Seamen’s Museum**

192 — **Thank you for the lovely visit, Grand Bank.**

Where do you like to go for a road trip?

Cat Dreams

Published on October 16, 2014October 16, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry43 Comments

Good day, my friends and fellow felines. Vivian K. Perry here, returning as guest host on Jennifer’s Journal.

Jennifer caught me unawares one morning last week, indulging in a wonderfully delicious cat nap. These pics she took make me wonder: do humans dream the same as I do?

Jennifer says I get twitchy at times when I sleep, where my paws seem to act out the dream-movie playing in my head. In the dream-movie, I might be chasing a shrew or a mouse, or I could be trying to catch up to Paul on a walk.

I wonder, is it the cat version of REM sleep? Except it’s RPM sleep – short for “Rapid Paw Movement”?

I think the camera captured me here resting up for another night of fun and frolic. While the weather is still mild, Maisie and I enjoy napping for most of the day, so we can return to our wild, nocturnal adventures as the moon rises and darkness descends…

…then we pad back home at the break of dawn to stir the house with urgent meows and vibrating purrs.
Time to get up and fill our bowls, humans!

“How nice it is to think that feline dreams, like our own, are painted with creative brush strokes from time to time. Perhaps my cats and I even share the same dream…where every cat has a safe, warm place to sleep.” ~ Barbara L. Diamond

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can play together all night.” ~ Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes)

Before I sign off of course, Jennifer insists I include a sleeping Maisie in my post:

Wishing you all – and my dear sister – the sweetest of dreams! ♥

Further Reading:

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

I Dream – a poem by Jennifer

Do Cats Dream When They Sleep?

Friday Bouquet #9

Published on October 3, 2014February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

Michael Lai from RetireeDiary is a travel photographer in Hong Kong, whose blog I’ve been following for years.

His skill with the camera and his captures of people and places is always a treat.

Now he shares with us The Dog Who Lives On A Fishing Raft*, a collection of engaging shots featuring Dor Dor, a gorgeous Labrador Retriever who belongs to a friend.

Click on the link below to see how photogenic Dor Dor is. If you scroll down on his page to the Related Posts under the Likes you will find more from the series of my new “favourite internet dog”. 🙂

(Yes, I’m a cat person, but who can resist that smile?)

The Dog That Lives On A Fishing Raft – Reflection

*images copyright protected by Michael Lai, retireediary

Comments are closed here in the hope you will visit Michael’s blog. If you do, please tell him Jennifer sent you.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone ❤

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