I had several errands to run today, and one of them took me up to the town of Mono. I decided to go for a short hike at Splitrock Loop Trail since it was just up the road from one of my stops. If you’ve read my other post, How Things Can Change in 4 Days, you know all about my fascination with the birch trees on this trail.
Birches
I love this grove of trees, but I can’t seem to get the photo I picture in my head. One day I will find the shot, until then, expect to see more attempts.
Grandmother Tree in Winter
And then, there is the grandmother tree. She’s even beautiful in winter. It’s fun to be able to revisit the same places in different seasons.
Whites of Winter
On the way home, I spotted this barn that stood out with this amazing blue sky behind it. The white barn would have blended in with the snow on a more typical overcast winter day. Today, however, it screamed at me to take its photo. And with that cloud, how could I not take the photo?
Barn
A little further down I spotted this barn. Both barn photos were taken at the same time, and the skies are very different. The only thing I changed was the direction I took the photo. By turning 180º the bright blue sky has disappeared, and instead, I got this golden cloudy sky.
Amazing how just turning around can give you a completely different look and feel in your photos. Don’t forget to turn around to look behind you next time you’re out photographing.
The weather forecast said we would get snow on Christmas Day but that there wouldn’t be much. When I woke up this morning and saw the amount of snow, I was surprised. We got about 10 cm of snow for Christmas morning. That hasn’t happened for a long time.
A White Christmas
I had to walk over to the pharmacy, so I didn’t take my camera along with me, but once I saw how picturesque everything looked, I knew I had to make time to go out for another walk today. Around 2:30 pm, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.
Afternoon Sun
The great thing is the sun goes down early this time of year, and you get beautiful light that happens mid-afternoon. I was out for about an hour, and you can see this golden light was starting to deepen by the time I took the second photo. It was a beautiful day to celebrate Christmas.
This is my last post for 2020, and I wish you all the very best for 2021!
I dropped my dad off for his appointment, and since I had time to kill until I was to pick him up, I decided to wander the path around Professor’s Lake. I have never taken the trail here, even though I used to run a photo group from their facility. Go figure.
Professors Lake
I tried my best at finding shots that didn’t include all the homes that seem to be everywhere along this lake. I was able to take two shots that were only of the natural environment.
Autumn at the Lake
It was a lovely walk along the trail but a little too urban for my tastes.
At the beginning of my walk today I noticed a couple of birds flying in and out of this very tall birdhouse. The macro lens is not the tool for this job but I thought it was an interesting viewpoint from way down below. With a little cropping and adding some clouds to the cloudless sky, I created the photo below.
Bird House
From here I focused on finding macro shots, that is what my challenge to myself is after all. I have been taking lots of macro photos but they haven’t been that great so that’s why you are seeing such a mix of shots photographed with the105mm macro lens.
Seed pods
I keep coming across interesting seed pods and I wonder what the heck they look like in full bloom. The seeds in the photo above reminded me of these creatures from an original Star Trek episode (Operation–Annihilate). I wonder what kind of plant it is and what it looks like in summer. Hopefully, I’ll be able to recognize it to take a photo.
Leaf in BW
I found this dried leaf that has somehow wrapped itself around its stem and still kept curling in on itself. It really popped when I decided to change it to a black and white image. Sometimes taking the colour out of an image can make an image you thought was too busy or just not that great into something that you love.
The day started on the gloomy side as I drove with my friend Nigel to Hockley Valley Provincial Park. On the way up we stopped on the side of the road to photograph this barn.
Barn
There are times when I try to stop for photos, if its safe to do so, while I’m driving to and from my destinations. Occasionally, I’ll get something I really like or and sometimes not. If you don’t stop to take these photos (as I sometimes don’t) there’s a chance you might regret it. So, if you can, stop and take that roadside photo when it catches your eye,
Nigel and I decided to hike the Glen Cross Side Trail, a 4 kilometre hike inside Hockley Valley Provincial Park. Our hike was mostly though forest but we did find a large opening overlooking the valley below. It was here that we came across some purple flowers just about to bloom. I guess it’s not too late in the season to find little pops of colour.
Late Bloomers
This late bloomer is the New England Aster.
I also found some mushrooms. ‘Tis the season as they say…lol One of my favourite mushrooms is the crown-tipped coral mushroom. It is one of the more uniquely shaped mushrooms since it looks like something that came from the ocean.
Crown-Tipped Coral
And then there is the yellow-orange fly agaric mushroom. Or as I like to call it the fairy mushroom,
Yellow-Orange Fly Agaric
This reddish-orange mushroom reminds me of the mushrooms you see in stories about fairies or even something from Alice in Wonderland. It was the perfect mushroom to end our hike with. From here it was back to the car to head home.
