Sunday Snap: Colour

With all the snowstorms, cold snaps and bleak weather many are experiencing lately in North America, I changed my mind about the January scene I was going to share.

Instead, I thought a hit of warm and vibrant colour was in order. These tiger lilies in my daughter’s summer-house garden may be the perfect antidote to give you hope for gentler days ahead.

I can almost smell the clover and green grass, feel the summer’s heat on my shoulders, and hear the bumblebees buzzin’ around. A-h-h-h!

“What good is the warmth of summer,
without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”
John Steinbeck

WPC: Growth

Sunset

Sunset at Newtown Branch*

“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.” – John Ruskin

* Photo Challenges (taken with iPhone 6):
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Transformation

Daily Prompt: Impression

This small photo collection, all taken here in Newtown,
was inspired by today’s Daily Prompt.

Impression: (definition #3) a mark impressed on a surface by something.

Bird tracks in snow:

Cat paws in snow:

POLAR BEAR TRACKS! YIKES!

Sandy Beach fun:

Not so fun: sandy sinkhole in our driveway when we first moved here:


Oh “Deere.”

Spring and a Special Remembrance

Spring takes its own sweet time
to show its face here
on the northeast shore of North America.

Life lies dormant, still deep in hibernation
beneath a fresh blanket of snow and a glittering sheen of ice.

We wait for the arrival of warmer, softer days later in the season,
when the sun shines bright
and full of promise,
giving a welcome glimpse of what is to come.

As we do every year around this time,
we look forward to our coastal world’s transformation and rebirth.

***

A special remembrance today:

Here is our neighbour, Ben
(in the boat above)
from a popular commercial for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism.
It has played all over the world many times.
This scene in the video is from Barbour’s Tickle here in Newtown.

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved neighbour, cousin and friend, Benjamin Perry.
(August 4, 1936 – March 24, 2016)

Arrival of Winter & New Horizons

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? 

Winter came early to our corner of the world, and so far it has packed a heavy punch in most areas. These photos were taken a week ago, after our first significant snowfall. We’ve had more since then.

Inspiration can come to the artist in us in many ways. I hope to expand my own horizons in the coming new year, and I wish the same for you.

Here are a few new horizons from Perry’s Point to inspire creativity through the frosty months ahead.

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We live on Snowy Beach Avenue now!  🙂

004-1280x841 006-1280x1061 010-1280x813 019-1280x852 025-1280x807 035-1280x850 I must give credit where credit is due: Paul “helped” with these next three. They were taken in the last couple of hours before sunset. 

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“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ~ Christopher McCandless

WPC: New Horizon

What do you see on your horizon for 2017?

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada

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*Travel theme: Enlightened

Fun, Sun, Sand and Smiles

After nine days, the children have gone home.

Our house yawns astonishingly quiet and empty. The beaches here on Sandy-Feet Avenue and Perry’s Point look abandoned, lonely and forlorn; bereft of the three little beach bums that ran across them countless times a day.

A myriad of reminders surround me: empty sand pails, tiny mementos in the form of sea glass and shells from the beach, our grandson’s toy army tank left behind, a day pass from Windmill Bight Park, a box of our granddaughter’s favourite crackers in the cupboard, a candy wrapper under the bed. There is even a folder of GoPro videos they made saved on my PC desktop.

And I’m amazed at how much longer it takes for the dishwasher and the washing machine to fill up in their absence.

We miss our two grandchildren – plus one little friend – but we had an incredible time together filled with sweet summer memories and photos to look back on.

And there is always next year, God willing!

Here are a few captures from last week.

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Searching for starfish, hermit crabs and other treasures
“Wanna go clam-digging again?”

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The weather was beautiful nearly every day!

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Our girl having fun at the nearby playground
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Zip-lining!

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Waiting to dine on ‘Surf ‘n Turf’ at the local restaurant*

During one of these lazy afternoons, our girl decided she wanted to write a story. So while her friend and our boy continued playing on the beach, she sat down nearby with a pad of lined paper and a pencil. When I asked her what her story was about, she said with a shy grin, “Cats.”

I guess the (grand)apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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*All photos taken with iPhone 6

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fun

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: “Calm”

Spring is a long, drawn-out affair here on the island of Newfoundland.

No matter what the calendar says, we still have to endure the odd snowstorm and it seems to take forever to warm up.

Sleet storms are common. But the next day I take in the results with my camera…

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…because when the sun comes out, everything shimmers and glows with a crust of rime.

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Tufts of grass lay frozen and still.

harp seal on ice
harp seal on ice

Silence reigns today because the spring ice is in and the air is calm.
Our “flippery” friend lolls about, basking in the peace and quiet.
(And I do believe I made up a word. 😉 )

harp seal
Turn that frown upside down!

You are free, little seal. Nothing to hurt you here.

buoys
My neighbour’s lobster buoys

Just another quiet day on Perry’s Point.

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 17 – Calm

Abstracts in Seasonal Photography

Designing abstract images from nature photography can be creative fun. When you play around with your photos to highlight shape, colour, texture, etc., you can come up with some interesting captures.

In this post, I share images from the four seasons.
All but one were taken here in Newfoundland.

Winter in Newtown

Cold Atlantic off Perrys Point, Newtown, NL
Cold Atlantic Ocean off Perry’s Point
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Sleet on Grass with Ice Fog 
Funnel Cloud 

Spring

Iceberg, Greenspond, NL
Iceberg in Greenspond, NL
Tuscan Vineyard and Olive Grove, Italy
Tuscan Vineyard and Olive Grove, Italy
Spring Thaw, Newtown, NL
Spring Thaw in Newtown

Summer

Groundcover in Woods, Kilmory, NL
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Lead Cove Bank, NL
Thunderclouds, Newtown, NL
Thunderclouds over Newtown
Evergreens, Garden Cove, NL
Evergreen Branches in Garden Cove, NL

Autumn in Newtown

Granite on Perry's Point, Newtown, NL
Granite and Lichen on Perry’s Point
Partridgeberries on the Point
Partridgeberries 
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Wet Sand
Mackerel Sky, Newtown, NL
Mackerel Sky in Newtown

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
~ Albert Einstein

Trios of Fun

One of the first composition principles a student of photography learns is the rule of thirds.

Storytelling, too, can rely on the rule of three, using repetition of a part of the story to build and then resolve tension.

But what about the number three applied to life and people?

When it comes to a trio of children, the general rule is usually FUN!

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Born into a family of three children, I already know this.
Of course, I also know the mischief three little people can get up to.

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I was looking after my grandchildren one day, when they and their friend asked me if they could paint their faces. Thinking that the girls, being older, had the good judgement not to use markers, I said “Sure, go ahead.”

Off they went to their playroom. To make a long story short, it took quite a bit of soap and elbow grease that night to erase most of the wonderful face art by marker (so my daughter informed me). Our little boy ended up sporting green eyebrows for a couple of weeks!

Oh dear. My bad.

The moral of the story? Grandmas can make boo-boos sometimes too.

Fun is not limited to children, of course. Get the right three adults together and laughter will surely ensue.

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When that trio includes my husband and his sister Julie,
who both love hamming it up for the camera, fun is guaranteed.

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Three’s a crowd? Not around here. We just needed more wine.*

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“There is something magical about three, you know – a trio is tight and nicely economical.” ~ Ian Williams

“If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three.” ~ Laurence J. Peter 

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wish bone, a back bone and a funny bone.” ~ Reba McEntire

What trio comes to your mind when you think of fun and camaraderie?

WPC: Trio

WTT: Camaraderie

Three-Day Quote Challenge

* “Photos of us” taken by Paul Sautter