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…
…because when the sun comes out, everything shimmers and glows with a crust of rime.
Tufts of grass lay frozen and still.
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. 😉 )
Turn that frown upside down!
You are free, little seal. Nothing to hurt you here.
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 Ocean off Perry’s PointSleet on Grass with Ice Fog Funnel Cloud
Spring
Iceberg in Greenspond, NLTuscan Vineyard and Olive Grove, ItalySpring Thaw in Newtown
Summer
Groundcover in Woods, Kilmory, NLLead Cove Bank, NLThunderclouds over NewtownEvergreen Branches in Garden Cove, NL
Autumn in Newtown
Granite and Lichen on Perry’s PointPartridgeberries Wet SandMackerel Sky in Newtown
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein
Iceberg Alley is what we call the area stretching from the coast of Labrador to the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland, and the best time for viewing bergs is late May and early June.
Saturday was beautiful and sunny, so Paul and I decided to drive to Greenspond to see if there were any icebergs close enough for good snaps. Before we entered the town, we were delighted to meet a few of them next to Greenspond’s causeway.
I can’t remember ever getting this close to a berg so huge!
This group climbed down on the rocks to get a closer look.Close-up of a tiny waterfall on the iceberg.Loving Nature’s sculptures
We drove on into Greenspond to discover even more of the frozen beauties from the North.
Well, hello there, giant hunk of glacier!
Such a pretty backdropThis one makes me think of a flying saucer. Notice the deep blue middle.A splendid view from this property.
One last look from the causeway on our way back
Have you ever gotten up close and personal with an iceberg?
Once again, iceberg season has arrived in Newfoundland.
Icebergs are beautiful to photograph and are a huge Force of Nature ( we only have to think of the Titanic disaster ) but the pack ice that often accompanies them can wreak their own special havoc. In our part of the world, these masses of moving ice interfere with fishing and sometimes even trap whales and dolphins.
In the area of Bonavista Bay North where I live, the water is too shallow to allow the big icebergs to get very close, but we do see plenty of pack ice and bergy bits.
Enter the seagulls. These hardy scavenger birds are so well-adapted to this rugged environment, I am in awe. Their ability to not only survive, but to thrive here, may well be called another force of nature.
Like all of our feathered friends in the northern hemisphere, seagulls mate in spring. This is the time of year in Newfoundland we see them answer to their instinct and pair off to procreate. They are monogamous, usually with one mate for life.
On the evening I took these photos, the setting sun cast interesting shadows and hues upon the ice and the water.
Of course, speaking of a force of nature, our Vivian needed to be a part of it all.
What Forces of Nature do you have in your backyard?
When I took part in last month’s Daily Post Photo Challenge: Reward,I discovered blogger Karen Anderson, a photographer from Surrey, England.
Expressing My Vision – a Journey into Creativity and Beyond is the name of Karen’s blog. In her own words from her About page:
I am an amateur photography enthusiast who enjoys experimenting with different genres in my quest to find my style. I will turn my hand to anything. I do have a few images under licence with Getty Images, I also do photoshoots and wedding photography for family and friends, as well as any other photographs I am asked for. BUT I am not trying to make a living out of photography…I am in it for the love of the art and part of the fun for me is in sharing and learning more.”
Check out the link below to see Karen’s Reward post that caught my eye. In it, she shares photographs of a chance visit by two adorable robins, as well as a fitting poem by Thomas Hardy: The Robin– perfect for our neck of the woods, as we saw our first robin hopping around in the garden just yesterday.
To trace the remote in the immediate; the eternal in the ephemeral; the past in the present; the infinite in the finite; these are to me the springs of delight and beauty. ~ H. P. Lovecraft
When the fog rolled in over our lounging chairs this afternoon (with us still in them), we counted ourselves lucky we at least had enjoyed an hour of hot, precious sunshine.
You may see some of the fog in the pic below. We put our chairs back in the shed and went inside. But Vivian had other ideas.
She stayed behind in her outdoor room…
Greetings, humans! Maisie here, covering for Jennifer this week while she is away. My sister Vivian was eager to take over again, but Shy Little Me thought I would venture a few steps out of my comfort zone and host the blog for a change.
My sister and I had grown oh-so-bored with staying inside.
After the long, cold and snowy winter we endured in Canada this year, we are welcoming any signs of Spring with gratitude and huge sighs, or in our case,
purrs of relief.
When Vivian and I lived in the city four years ago, we had to content ourselves with the sighting of a robin or two in our backyard to let us know Spring had finally arrived.
Where we live now, there are many, many more signs to watch for and welcome. Not only fat robins with their red breasts, but birds of all kinds grace us with their presence, usually in pairs as they get ready for mating season. And we eagerly await the arrival of the gannets in May, and arctic terns in June. There is something deeply comforting in seeing wildlife return, especially when you spy them huddled in twos, preening or foraging for food together here on Perry’s Point. The seagulls are here as always, dropping and breaking crabs and sea urchins open on the rocks. But now they are joined by a few saddleback gulls. Vivian even spotted a saucy mink the other day!
During the last few days, my sister and I have enthusiastically returned to the great outdoors.
So much to see, to smell, to hear and to taste.
Vivian and I will stay outside almost all day when the summer gets here…
…just like last summer, and the summer before.
Life is good. 🙂
“I coulda hosted. It was my gig. Pfft!”
Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring! What does Spring mean to you?
With few signs of spring here in Newfoundland, and our vacation more than two weeks away, I’m getting a little restless for a change of climate and scenery. This morning found me looking back on photos from a different spring, of our May trip to Montreal five years ago. Won’t you come along and take in some sightseeing with me, in one of my favourite cities?
view from our hotel room
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inside the Centre for ArchitectureMontreal Museum of Fine ArtsLet’s go inside.Exhibition by Yoko Ono
John Lennon’s Piano
Mount Royal Park
playing in the park 😉
Ah…Spring in full bloom
view from hotel # 2Loving Old Montreal!
pretty windowsadmiring the architecture
Shopping!View from the top of Olympic Stadium
I wanted to bring these home.Sunday Fun Downtown
Enjoying sangria on Crescent Street
Hoping to visit again someday.
Have you ever been to Montreal? Lived there? What is your favourite city to visit?
Here are some scenes I captured a couple of weeks ago when our backyard bay was full of ice and “bergy bits”. Maisie and Vivian, being the naturally curious creatures they are, simply had to take a closer look. On tentative paws and their noses in the air, smelling the invigorating ocean breeze, they took me along…
Jennifer's Journal 
