Writer, blocked

I think about what to blog. I even open the blog and look at a blank page.

Not even crickets. So today you get the of the day feature.

Oh, and the peonies are still anticipating.

Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (NB)

Film, a little tiny bridge in Fish Creek. It does not have a number.

Linda

Newfoundland

New Brunswick

Why ever didn't I publish this, and maybe I did

90 days, or so ago from a walk through a swamp in Fish Creek.

Flower

Landscape

Recent reads

What the first 3 books have in common is that I searched for them in the library database, put them on hold, and since I was #1 on the wait list they all arrived the same day. The paperback was found during pickup. It isn't nearly so much fun as finding books on the shelf during a browse, but it is a way of finding the books in the collection that are not in the local branch.

Finding Bones by Grey Crawford. 

What you see on the cover is what you get more of in the book. Lots of walls. Is it art? You decide.

Black and White Photography, Manifest Vision, an International Collection by James Luciana.

The intro says these photo were chosen because they "coalesce into a striking cohesive group." I don't see a group, but maybe that's just me being a Philistine.

Mastering Black & White Photography, a unique case study approach to achieving professional results, by Mitchell Beazley.

An experienced photographer talking about how he handled various photographic challenges, right down to exposure times, developers, and the dodging and burning done during the printing process. He must have been taking good notes along the way.

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

Relax. Chill. You're doing the best you can. I just saved you $23 and a half hour. Thank me later.

Underwhelmed by all of these. I actually think I've read the Beazley book before, but didn't have a photo of the cover, or mentioned in my blog. I often use the blog as a reference to see if I've read something. But if in fact I had got it out before, I was underwhelmed enough to not mention it, so I'll mention it this time so I don't get underwhelmed again some time down the road. I hope all that made sense.

Yesterday was a sunscreen day. During a walk along Fish Creek near bridge 8, I saw a couple of stand up paddleboarders. That was a first on Fish Creek. I don't think they were local, and I don't think they knew what they were getting into. They ended up portaging around some rapids. It didn't look like they were having any fun. I was, though, working on some long exposure photos.

Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (NB)

Film

Linda

Beach artsy, same beach as above

Newfoundland

New Brunswick

Why ever didn't I publish this, and maybe I did

90 days, or so ago

Crossing this log was the only way to continue along this walk. I declined, and headed back the way I came.

Flower

Landscape

Celina

A dozen purple for Susi

I was looking over the garden this morning, and thinking there happened to be lots of purple just now. So of course that brought back memories of Susi. We met because we started at the same time at Skystone. She had the window office and I had the inside office just opposite. She was a young engineer fresh out of school, while I was an old cynical worker bee. (As an aside, 20-some years later, she's still young, and I'm still old and cynical.) She's the one that infected me with the triathlon bug.

As a bonus, there's a bee butt shot for her, though it isn't quite as clear as I'd like it. Wrong lens and it took me by surprise. Again, no of the day suspects, just so you aren't scrolling forever.

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3. The mint is just getting started. It's a bee magnet throughout the summer, but there's just a few bees checking it out now, no doubt making plans for future expeditions.

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9. The surprise bee butt photo. You'll have to look for it.

10. Almost more of bee wing photo than anything else. For the technically curious, this is 1/100 second.

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A walk along the Bow River, carefully

I mentioned the deluge a few days ago. No surprise, all the rivers are way up. I walked along Fish Creek near Shannon Terrace the other day with the film camera. Lots of trees have fallen into the river, and the bank has moved in several places.

Here's what I saw walking along the Bow at Mallard Point yesterday. Some are documentary, some might be interesting. There was at least one point where the walking path along the bank had fallen into the river, so I was really careful. I figure the water level is at least 2 feet above the normal summer water level. With 20 photos, I'll skip the Of the Day feature, but it will return.

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6. You can normally walk directly to that right-most tree, and at worst the ground is a bit swampy.

7. The path to the bridge had several inches of water on it.

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9. There's normally lots of gravel riverbank extending for quite a ways from the bike path.

10. I didn't want to get my feet wet to go over the bridge.

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15. I kept well away from the cobra chicken and their offspring. They were giving me the stink eye.

16. That used to be the footpath.

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