When I saw these crows hanging out at sunrise this morning I thought they were the perfect backdrop for me to say.........

From October 2009

Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Park Scapes

This week the theme for the Friday My Town Shoot Out, Park Scapes, was chosen by JarieLyn of Las Vegas, Nevada.

My favorite park is located a long way from my town but it's my favorite place to vacation. It's Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. Here are some photos from my most recent visit in August.
My cousin, Deborah, and I had a great time exploring new places and old. Will my photos convince you to visit???

For links to other members of the Shoot Out gang, please click on the camera icon in the right hand column of this blog.

Skywatch Friday

For more views of sky from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

My World Tuesday - City Hall, Woodstock, Ontario

City Hall at dusk

To tour more of the world, please visit My World Tuesday.

Creature comforts

Friday My Town Shoot Out - Classics of Childhood

This week's theme "Classics of Childhood" was chosen by Ellisa of Michigan. I figure that one of the classic photos of any child is one where they look evil. I think this one my Dad took of me when I was about 20 months old fits the bill. We were visiting my Aunt Lucy and Uncle Wilf and I just wouldn't go to sleep. Finally, at 2 am, he took me for a drive in the car and I drifted off to la-la land. I was still an only child at this point and apparently I thought I was queen of the universe....

I took this photo of my nieces , Amanda and Sarah, when they were still wee girls (they're now 24 and 21 respectively). My Dad, their Poppy, was giving them a good soaking with the garden hose on a hot day at the cottage. My Dad's been gone 5 years but we can all hold this moment forever.

From 2008_06_22

If you click on the camera icon in the right hand column you'll find links for more participants. Thanks a bunch to everyone who makes this meme a success every week.

Still life

Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake - ready for afternoon tea.

ABC Wednesday - N is for Niagara

I took the photos in this collage yesterday and today in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake and at the White Oaks Resort.

ABC Wednesday

Weekend travels

Drive-by shot of a farm in Brant County

Canada Geese over Buffalo
The Niagara River, shot from the Rainbow Bridge

Mark's October freebie prize draw

If you love beautiful photos, please drop by to see the contest rules for Mark's October freebie prize draw. You'll find Mark's work at Highton-Ridley Fine Art Photography - it's GREAT stuff.

Celebrating the world at my blogstep

While I've been blogging for a little over two years, one year ago today I added Flag Counter to my humble blog. Lo and behold, in 365 days I’ve had (at last count this morning) 25,195 hits from a total of 104 countries!

During that time period I joined the Friday My Town Shoot Out Gang and have met many wonderful bloggers (and, yes, pets too Skipper) from around the world online.

I'd strongly recommend Flag Counter to fellow bloggers as it's a fun way to see where you've been without leaving your chair.

Skywatch Friday - Highway 2 west of Woodstock, Ontario

For more great skyviews, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - sunrise, sunset

Three of my favorites from earlier this year, neither of them very obvious but on the theme never the less. Thanks to Sherri of Florida for this week's theme: Sunrise/Sunsets!

Click on the camera icon in the right hand column and travel the world with our members!

Thanksgiving weekend

Scenes from this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

A Black Capped Chickadee



The clubhouse at Craigowan (Oxford) Gold and Country Club



The totem pole on the far right in this photo is at the entrance to Different Seasons Landscaping. Like the one in my Friday Shoot Out post on the theme "aged and weathered", this totem pole was made by Jason Triemstra.



This is the back of a building in Tavistock that just happened to catch my attention.

And finally, a barn. I'm such a sucker for barns.

Friday My Town Shoot Out - silhouettes

This silhouette is of "Le Progress", an abandoned ship which sits in Lake Ontario at Jordan on the Niagara Peninsula. I took this shot at dusk while we were driving along the QEW highway heading west towards home from a visit to Niagara Falls.

From Silhouettes

The “pirate ship” began life in 1914 as a St. Lawrence River ferry. It was converted into a floating restaurant in 1991 and built to resemble La Grande Hermine (The Big Weasel), the ship French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed along the St. Lawrence River in 1535.

The vessel was parked in the marina of the Beacon Harbourside Inn on Canada Day 1997 - the final stop on an odyssey of unpaid dockages along the St. Lawrence River. Arsonists cooked the floating restaurant in a 2003 blaze, leaving a slowly rusting hulk on the Lake Ontario shoreline.

Skywatch Friday

Please visit Skywatch Friday for more fun.

ABC Wednesday - "L" is for lighthouse

While these are not exactly standard lighthouses, you're not likely to see this many in one spot. I'm guessing that building mini lighthouses is the hobby of someone who lives in the house just behind them. I took this photo on August 16th when I was in Newfoundland on vacation. I believe this was near Loon Bay. Aren't they cute?!


For more fun from the letter "L" please visit ABC Wednesday.

My World Tuesday

Fall colours, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada

To travel around the world visit That's My World Tuesday - it's lots of fun and it's free! Thanks again to the World Team: Klaus,Sandy,Wren,Fishing Guy and Louise.

Mystery solved!

Mike of the 10,000 Birds blog emailed me tonight to say he thinks our mystery bird might be a leucistic house sparrow. Leucism is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals and humans. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. And, after checking out a couple of images on their website against these two that Geoff took of our's this afternoon, I think he's hit the nail on the head.

Here is our's chowing down midafternoon......


and ready to make a quick departure after snack time was over.

Puppy love

Our neighbour, Tori, is the proud owner of this adorable Labradoodle - her name is Josie. Geoff took both of these photos yesterday, just after Tori had picked up her new bundle of joy.

Who could resist this face?

Manky Sparrow....or Finch.....or what????!!

Last spring I posted a photo of a duck that Charlie of 10,000 birds labelled as part of a group he calls "manky Mallards" . Geoff and I are now wondering if we have a "manky" sparrow or finch visiting our feeders. In this blurry photo of mine you can see the shape of the bird and the colour of the beak (orange)but it doesn't do justice to the colours which are a mostly white body with darkish brown sections. I've never seen anything quite like it.
It is on the left in this photo of Geoff's. This photo captures the feather colours really well, the other bird is probably a House Sparrow.

Anyone have any ideas on what our mystery bird might be? Help?

Today at the feeders

Our resident chipmunk

and one of the many neighbourhood male Blue Jays

Top dog

Thursday I was priviledged to meet Beth Baker and one of her Service Dog trainees, Charlotte.
Beth and Charlotte were guests at the Regional Support Associates (my employer) annual conference and charmed lots of participants. How could anyone resist Charlotte's charms?!

Friday My Town Shoot Out - photo study of a building

Patty and Reggie Girl started the Friday My Town Photo Shoot Out asking us to post photos of our local community every Friday. Over time the "gang" has grown substantially and is ably steered these days by Gordon, ChefE, Jen and GingerV.

This week's theme, as chosen by the Town blogger Team, is "A photo study of a building".

For a list of participants and how to join instructions, please click on the camera near the top of my side panel.
*************************************************************************************
For my building study I chose the Oxford County Court House here in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. It is a stunning building and I see it many times in the run of a week, whether I'm on my way to or from the Library which is just down the block or on my way somewhere else. I took my shots on two different days and at different times of the day and, as you can see the colour of the stone really varies as a result of changing light conditions.

I took this wide shot of the building on Tuesday evening this week. Our weather had turned cold and windy and the couple walking their Basset Hounds were dressed for the temperature.


Window detail


The Scales of Justice detail from the front facade.


This section of the roofline looks a little like mother scolding three little children.


This little guy is stuck here, just never seems to get any farther.

This memorial to Colour-Sergeant George W. Leonard of the 22nd Regiment - the Oxford Rifles is on the Court House grounds. He died May 11, 1901 of injuries suffered the previous day at Zand River, South Africa during the Boer War. The memorial was erected by the people of the city of Woodstock and of Oxford County.



I like to imagine that there is a big comfy chair and a reading lamp just inside these windows - and maybe a glass of scotch straight up with a nice tart apple and a piece of very old cheddar..... But I suspect it's probably more like a judge's chambers.
Somehow I always manage to find a bird, or do they find me?
And finally, a collage of various details.

Skywatch Friday

Evening on Dundas Street, Woodstock, Ontario



Please visit other participants at Skywatch Friday, you'll be amazed.