Strain,
Tug at the tethers
That hold you down.
Let race your heart
‘Til you’re deafened
By the pounding pulse.
You have a spirit,
A will to soar,
That cannot be quelled
By Earthbound anchors.
Cry freedom;
Deny fear;
Yours is beauty;
Yours is life.
Tag Archives: nature
RC Scanner – Algonquin Park
Okay, so I’m continuing to play with my scanner, which does a decent, if not brilliant job with photos.
Here are a handful of shots taken about 15 years ago in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, several hours north and west of Toronto (Canadians measure distance by how long it takes to get there, not actual units of distance).
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- A young bull checks out the forage at the side of the highway
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- And hears someone taking pictures
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- Beaver damned fine lake in the middle of the park
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- A little washed out unfortunately, a crane surveys the water for signs of food
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- Algonquin always reminds me of those films about geologic eras before dinosaurs
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- He rose so beautifully among the grasses
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- The blooms were so delicate
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- Our national symbol blighted by some form of fungus
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- The park squirrels were a lot less mangy than those in Toronto
Wilds of Mexico
My trip wasn’t just about dead people and lost civilizations, of course.
You can’t visit Central America without taking in some of the natural wonders.
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- Black iguanas rule the roost in Xel Ha, peering from every ruin
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- Considering I was within a foot of him, he remained calm and patient
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- Every plant bore some type of fruit while we there
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- One of the thousands of water-filled sinkholes that dot the landscape
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- A popular place to take a dip, or jump, during the blistering hot days
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- I can only imagine the sound when this finally opened up in the floor of the jungle
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- A moment’s rest in the shade
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- Among the gulls and pelicans, the raptor glides gracefully
Focus
Change your focus;
Blur the lines of what is.
Look deeper for beauty;
Superficially for meaning.
Perception is only relative
To what you seek.
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In case anyone ever tries to tell you Canadians aren’t overtly patriotic, let me set the record straight.
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- Our rockets don’t tend to have a red glare, but they burst just as brightly
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- We remember our history and the honour due to Mother England
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- As welcoming as Canadians are, it can be difficult for foreigners to access the wonders of my country
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- Symbolizing our roots in nature and the breadth of community, my flag fits any setting
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- Resting limply or flapping wildly, my flag has a beautifully elegant simplicity
Unstoppable
Trim all you want,
I will not be held back.
Gird your domain,
I recognize no borders.
Offer me pain,
I respond with laughter.
You cannot limit me
If I will not allow it;
For I will grow,
Despite your best efforts,
To become more than
Either of us foresaw.
I am Life
And I will live.
Waterfront birds
Another sunny day and another errand can mean only one thing: another day traipsing around with the camera.
A few more scenery shots than usual–different lens–but this first batch is dedicated to the most fowl of Lake Ontario.
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- The cormorants were quite active today
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- The geese weren’t sure whether to avoid me or see if I had food
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- Not as clear as I might have liked, but I enjoy the movement
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- The mallard drake preens as the female sits quietly in the distance
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- The female seemed quite content to ignore her partner’s vainglorious efforts
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- The great thing about shooting over water is the opportunity for amazing reflections
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- Coming in for a tete-a-tete, the resting swift waits
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- The tiny swift sits patiently, watching its family swoop across the inlet
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- …and eventually the cormorant manages to take wing
Dual worlds
The mundane browns and greys of late Winter are slowly overwhelmed by the blue-skied hope of Spring yet to come. One of my favourite photos from Algonquin Park in Northern Ontario.
Birth of a reader
Okay. I admit it. I have a book problem.
I, Randall (Randy) C Willis, am a book addict.
In my defense, it is my mother’s fault…she was my first dealer.
From my earliest days, I remember being surrounded by books…books purchased for my enjoyment and edification (I read that word in a book).
Books were my companions. Books were my connection to the greater universe. Books were my babysitter. Books were my escape. Wherever my books are, that place is my home.
As I said, my mom started the process, as seen below in scans of some of my earliest books. Each of these volumes was published within a couple years of my birth, and either my mother or I have schlepped these things around for almost five decades.
I still smile as I flip through the Counting Book, testing my acumen. So far, so good.
And I sit in awe of the Adventures of Beany & Cecil, which was way too hip for kids as a short trip down YouTube indicates.
At the peak of my addiction, I think I owned 3000 books, give or take. I am presently sitting around 500, the rest being donated over the years to Good Will stores in Canada and the United States.
I know libraries exist, but in a twisted way, that would be like going to a strip club or brothel. A bibliographic quickie instead of a committed relationship (told you it was twisted).
No, I’ll stick with my books, thanks. Constant companions in an inconstant world.
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- A favourite cartoon series from my childhood that is way too adult now that I can see it.
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- Probably my first attempt at understanding animalia taxonomy (read that phrase in a book).
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- An amazing flip book that helps kids learn how to do addition.
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- No book collection is complete without a little “Oh, bother”.
Found it!
I was sure that I only had the one framed print left…convinced that I had lost the negative and other prints. The most amazing photo I have taken so far in my life.
I’ve taken better photos since that day 20 years ago, but never have a taken a photo where I was willing to sacrifice all other photos for this ONE to turn out. (For the young ones out there, back in the day of film, you had to wait quite some time to know if a photo turned out.)
But while pouring through a box of old photos this past weekend, I found both another copy of the photo as well as the negative! OMG! Woohoo!
Taken on an orca-watching trip through the Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, near Port Hardy.
I was ready to let the photo gods kill the other 14 rolls of film I took on that trip for this one moment to work…and it did.
If you told me that as of tomorrow, I would never be allowed to take another photo in my life, I would be saddened but satisfied that I had at least taken this one.
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