Puzzle Lake, ON

I never got a chance to share a few pictures of our vacation in Ontario

There was some canoeing

Fishing

Rowing

And... 

more fishing :)

All that happening with this fabulous background

Pristine water

Endless skies

Incredibly beautiful

 

Surrounded by marvels

And serenity

Oh and Bug fell off the dock in the lake ... Ooops

Market day

I'm slowly but surely sorting through the hundreds of pictures I took while on vacation. Here are a few highlights of our visit to the local market.

Shhhhh

A piece of perfection

Saturday, a terrible storm swept through the region, the rain and wind where impressive and we had several severe weather warnings throughout the afternoon and evening. Then Sunday came. And it was like spring had exploded everywhere, the sky bluer than blue all scrubbed clean from the storm. Bug and I played in the backyard after lunch. The sun felt so wonderfully warm, a little breeze swayed the branches and was bringing all the smells of spring. 

So I just grabbed my camera and Bug and off we went to chase pretty flowers together.

The prettiest of all the flowers was holding my hand and enjoying the sun just as much as I was. We had to stop every 3 steps to take pictures of all flowers, including dandelions.

Spring never ceases to amaze me. The transition between the bald branches and this fireworks of blooms is magical. Bug took it all in, the flowers, the butterflies, the birds, the peacefulness.

 

Life is not perfect, nor should it be. To appreciate the best moments, you have to experience the other sides of life, the bad and the ugly. This winter has been a succession of. those trying moments. But this Sunday, everything just came together.  Like after a  life storm, Bug is no longer sick, I am feeling better, stronger.My father in law is doing as well as we could possibly  hope for.

Spring is turning the world into a symphony of delicate greens, pinks and yellows. The brushstrokes of the Grandmaster touched the Earth and the sky.

 

As soon as my laptop is back from getting repaired, I am getting some prints of all those precious captured moment. Just to not forget when things are not so good.

I did have a little piece of perfection.

Hibernation

hi·ber·nate 

intr.v. hi·ber·nat·ed, hi·ber·nat·ing, hi·ber·nates

1. To pass the winter in a dormant or torpid state.

2. To be in an inactive or dormant state or period.
3. To be stricken by crafter's block. (just kidding)

The beauty of it

It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of winter. I grew up in the south of France in an area where snow is something that happens every 5 or 6 years. The cold is not my friend. I need sunshine and warmth. But still I can appreciate the beauty of it all. 

Last night, this is the view that greeted me as I switched of the lights of the living room. My neighbor's back porch light was on and turned the trees of the back yard into a fairy tale landscape, a stunning, incredibly gracious tangle of branches in their white fluffy coat. A magical moment to remember. 

 So I grabbed my coat, my camera and my tripod and ventured on the back deck for a few pictures

I {heart} faces - Smile

Little bug and Gram Betty - 80 years of age difference

New toys!! And giveaway extended

I don't know about you but Santa must have decided I was a good girl this year because I found a lot of toys under the tree: new telephoto lens and other gadgets for my DSLR camera, a tripod that doubles as a monopod, fabrics and more craft goodies.

I've started playing with the new photo gear and loving it.

I took this picture with only the tree lights on, using the timer and my tripod

So cool

 All I need now is to finish my light box and I'll be all set. Yipee!!



On a side note, I realized a lot of my dear readers must have been either out of town or like me way too busy spending time with the family to think about blogworld so I decided to extend the CSN gift card giveaway until December 30th. You can still enter here

A day at the spa

Well not at the spa .. but I decided to slow down a little before I drop out of exhaustion.

No blogging today.  

See you all back tomorrow

Canvas success

It has arrived ... and sure enough I'm in love

The minute it got there I knew I had to put it in this shadowbox frame. I got a second copy for a Christmas present. I think the recipient will be thrilled. But shhh I'm not saying who it is.

Shhhhh

Shoot N' Tell challenge -Carving

This is the first year my little bug is actually excited about everything Halloween. The pumpkins, the costumes, the cooking.. not just the candy. This pas Sunday, she teamed up with dad to dissect 2 of the pumpkins we got from a local farm. 

From gutting

To carving

Meet our new friends Chuck and Happy

On the front porch "OOOoo They are scary!"

And my little bug is not so little anymore