SOTC 358/365*

*omg, you guys, only a "week" left in this project! It's taken years!

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SOTC 348/365

I find that small birds are crazy-quick and hard to photograph. However, they're also great subjects, and so interesting to watch in their own right.

So I bought a bird feeder to see them more often.

Then I bought a good bird feeder to see them longer.

Finally, I bought a fancy-pants zoom lens to see them better.

And I watch. And I practice.

Ages ago I learned that with portrait photography, make sure the eyes are crisp, and try and get the catchlights if you can. Turns out that applies to any species. So I start from there and compose as I go.

Small birds are crazy-quick to photograph. Here's to sometimes being quicker.

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New year, new perspective, right?

SOTC 257/365

Today on Discovery, squirrels with moustaches...

SOTC 254/365

This view never gets old.

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Across the Lake

So many times I have stood at the water's edge and taken in the small cluster of trees on the little island in the middle of the lake. I have always wanted to get there; to see what's on that little patch of earth.

But my stamina for swimming is not strong.

And for whatever reason, I have never been able to access a boat.

Today the lake is frozen, completely covered with mother nature's icing. I finally step beyond the shore and go.

The open air is cold, the wind is harsh.
Tears form at the corners of my eyes; my cheeks sting.
The low sun is already waning; what is it even warming, anyway?
I keep my head focused forward,
the crunch, crunch, crunch of each step
in rhythm with the heartbeat I can start to hear between my ears.

What am I even doing?

A canoe in July would be easier; warmer. Yet it is today I am compelled to go.

Because sometimes we are called to something in an unexpected season.
And we must trust that the conditions are right.

My tracks are not the first out here; they will not be the last.

Sometimes this is what it looks like to walk on water.

Sunrise with New Eyes (AND SOTC 217/365)

I can be kind of grumbly when I have to wake up early on a Saturday against my own volition. I like to take my weekends at a slow, easy pace, and having never been a morning person, I generally don't like to start my weekends with an alarm. However, sometimes those gentle Saturdays are not meant to be, and so it was that I found myself up early this morning to take the cat to the vet for follow-up to some recent surgery. Oh, the things we do for those we love.

Needless to say, it's not what I would choose to do with a Saturday morning, but I placated my grumbles knowing that the day could likely be redeemed by a nap later on, and if not a nap, then at least by an extra hour of sleep when Daylight Savings Time ends tonight.

However, because the clocks haven't changed yet, it meant that I was up before the sun this morning. ...And then the sun started to wake up too. Alberta has a knack for glorious sunrises, especially in the fall and winter, when the increased clouds give something for the light to bounce off of in a million different directions. I stood in the kitchen, pouring milk over my cereal, and glanced out the east-facing window. In the last bit of twilight, I could already tell that the sun was going to give a lovely show this morning. As I ate, I watched the clock, and I watched the sky. I think I can catch this one. A band of bright light hit the horizon; time to get the camera.

One of these days I will organize myself to catch a sunrise from one of Edmonton's beautiful River Valley parks, or from some rolling farm field. However, the limited radius I had within my neighbourhood this morning did not disappoint--the beauty of my surrounding streets is one of the reasons I love living here.

I turned trees into models as the sun surfaced over the horizon--and the sky... the sky. The whole neighbourhood became awash in pink and orange.

It had been a while since I'd taken my camera out for a spin--Thanksgiving, when a soft blanket of snow quieted the city. That was about a month ago. And as I stand beneath the fiery glow of the morning, I realize that it's the first time I'm using my camera with my 'new' eyes.*

My heart sings.

The sky continues to break open into full daylight; it's time to move on--there are places to go and things to be done. I am still hoping for that nap this afternoon.

But for now, my grumbles disappear and I breathe in the fresh new start to my day.









* I corrected my vision with LASIK surgery recently, and am now glasses-free!

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"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." - Unknown