Category: Travel

Photography of birds, animals, landscape and places we have traveled to around the world.

Crushing through ice aboard a Toronto Island Ferry

toronto harbour in the winter

One winter, Bob and I decided to make a trip to Ward’s Island aboard a Toronto Island Ferry in Toronto Harbour.  It is one of 13 in the chain of islands that gives protection to Toronto’s Inner Harbour.  With the winter of 2014 being the longest and coldest in recent memory, the bay separating the mainland from the islands had become totally frozen over.  We thought it would be a neat experience on board the ferry as it negotiated the icy waters on its way to Ward’s Island. Read more

Clark’s Nutcracker At Lake Louise In Banff

Clark's Nutcracker, Lake Louise, Alberta

On our first morning in Banff National Park, in Alberta, Canada, 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. Read more

Ice Skating On Lake Louise

Ice Castle on Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

On our first morning in Banff National Park, in Alberta, Canada, 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

Snowshoeing On Lake Agnes Trail To Big Beehive

Jean snowshoeing on the Lake Agnes Trail at Banff National Park, in Alberta, Canada

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

Our Message In A Bottle Tossed Back To Sea

jean holds message in a bottle over side of BC ferry

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

Black-billed Magpie In Kamloops

black-billed magpie sitting in tree - british columbia 2

After spending a few days on Vancouver Island, we returned back to the mainland for a trip to the BC interior.  During a brief stay in Kamloops, we were lucky enough to see a number of Black-billed Magpies outside of our hotel. Read more

A Cooper’s hawk after a wet night in Comox

coopers hawk - comox - bc - 1

On our morning outing to Comox from Bowser, British Columbia, Bob and I stopped at the edge of the Salish Sea.  Nothing much was stirring in the Sound, so we walked into an adjacent brushy area and came upon a very wet Cooper’s Hawk. Read more

Taking A 1941 Chevy Business Coupe For A Spin

jean beside 1941 Chevrolet special deluxe Business Coupe - 1

After spending a couple of days visiting with Bob’s sister, Claire, and her husband, Martin, in Bowser, British Columbia, Martin suggested it was time to roll out his 1941 Chevy Business Coupe and take it for a spin.  I was thrilled as I have always had a love of vintage automobiles right from the time I was a little girl. Read more

Ice Skating Through The Woods At Arrowhead Provincial Park

Jean and Bob on the ice skating trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park near Huntsville, Ontario, Canada

A lot has been written in the newspapers lately about the ice skating trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park near Huntsville, Ontario, so Bob and I decided, on our last visit to the area, to give the icy surface a whirl. Read more

American Wigeon Ducks Along The Shore At Comox

american wigeon ducks - comox - bc

The objective of our drive to Comox from Bowser, British Columbia, was to find and photograph Bald Eagles.  As we observed a pair of those magnificent birds of prey just offshore, we became aware of a considerable flock of American Wigeon Ducks scooting along the shore of the Salish Sea right in front of Bob and me. Read more