The World Through Our Lens
Photography of nature we have observed during our travels.
On our first morning in Banff National Park, Alberta, Bob and I made a beeline for Lake Louise to take advantage of the morning sunshine for photographing that iconic location. When we returned to the parking lot at Chateau Lake Louise, Bob quickly pointed out an interesting bird loitering near the vehicles and seemingly unafraid of the humans coming and going about their business. The bird turned out to be a Clark’s Nutcracker.
On our first morning in Banff National Park, Bob and I had planned to go cross-country skiing, but with the sun shining brightly, we headed up instead to checkout the skating surface on Lake Louise. We were pleasantly surprised to find not one but two ice rinks, with one reserved for ice hockey, and the other set off by a glistening castle fashioned out of blocks of ice for ice skating. Read more
During our stay at Banff National Park, not a day passed without a dump of fresh snow. Either we awoke in the morning to an additional 6 inches weighing down the trees, or snow fell so thickly when skiing that we could barely see which way to go. One afternoon, owing to the lack of freshly trackset cross-country ski trails, Bob and I opted to go snowshoeing up into the mountains following the Lake Agnes Trail from Lake Louise. Read more
I was filled with anticipation when Bob and I boarded the B.C. ferry returning to Horseshoe Bay from Vancouver Island because it was from the ferry that I planned to cast adrift our Message in a Bottle. It had been over a year since we found the bottle that contained an inspiring message from its authors. Read more
On a winter trip to the Huntsville area, Bob and I decided to check out the ski trails at Arrowhead Provincial Park. Despite having grown up in the vicinity, I had never visited that Park before, always opting instead to go to Algonquin Provincial Park since it was closer to home. What a delight to find a beaver just off to the side of the groomed ski trail. Read more
In 2014, the province of Ontario had one of the longest and coldest bouts of winter weather to be experienced in recent years, decades even, and along with the pristine beauty of fresh powdered snow that had fallen into every crack and crevice came the magical frost on my Toronto windowpane. Read more
Bob and I were well on our way back up to the South Rim from Plateau Point at Grand Canyon National Park after a grueling 12-hours of hiking, so with our noses to the grindstone, we just focused on putting one foot in front of the other to make headway. That is why neither one of us saw the Bighorn Sheep surveying its surroundings from a ledge above the trail, just below Mile-and-a Half Resthouse. If not for other hikers mentioning sight of the animal, we would have completed our hike in total ignorance of its presence. Read more
It was very late in the afternoon when Bob and I landed at Cape Royal, one of the lookout points on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Despite our rush to see the spectacular views before sunset, we took time to observe this little Northern Sagebrush Lizard seen scampering amongst the rocks right at the lip of the Canyon. Read more
When people talk about Ice Storm Toronto 2013, I’m sure there will be much chatter about the devastation and suffering in the city, but many of those same people will readily acknowledge the transient beauty of an ice-encrusted world. In the hours subsequent to the brunt of the storm, Bob and I set out on foot to uncover some of that hidden splendour. Read more