Evening Walk

I went out to take some photos today but it was so cold I just turned around and came home. So, here's another from the archives, almost exactly 5 years ago this week. It's one of my favorites and was a part of a calendar a few years ago.

Thanks for your help with the Calendar - Here It Is!

Here is the final version of my 2017 Victoria Calendar. I read all your comments carefully and solicited advice from friends and family as well, but for the final mix I always decide what best exemplifies my photography and the kinds of image processing I am interested in. Some of the final choices made here were not even on offer when I was asking visitors to choose. This happened because sometimes when I looked at the calendar as a whole it seemed too focused on a particular subject (like flowers or birds or the Inner Harbour). As well as this there is the need to keep it seasonally appropriate. Well, without further excuses, here is the final result. Hope you like it. If you click on any of the pages below you will see a full size version. You can download these one by one if you like simply by right-clicking them and saving them to your desktop. To make it easier I have also uploaded the whole calendar as a ZIP file. You can download it by clicking THIS LINK. When I print these pages I do it one by one on 13" by 19" sheets. However this size also prints well on US Letter size pages. If you use photo quality Matte paper you will get the best results but glossy or semi-glossy will be OK. On ordinary paper the photos will be quite dull. Once again, thanks for all your input.

A Sore Neck

There is so much building going on in this town and I'm just fascinated by the look of these skeletons rising up out of nothing seemingly overnight. This one takes up an entire block of Douglas Street across City Hall. - Fern

Wood Duck

It's hard to believe such a gorgeously exotic bird actually lives here naturally, but they do. This photo of a Wood Duck was taken here in Victoria in 2012.

Shoal Point

Here's another archival shot from January 2010. This was my early exploration of long time exposures - this one was a 30 second exposure in the pre-dawn darkness. At the time I was quite pleased with the result and now, from a distance of 7 years, I still like this photo.

Reflections 2

I know it's just a seagull but the reflections in that Merganser photo I posted a few days ago inspired me to seek out this photo from the archives. Love those reflections!

Matson Lands 2

When I go to the Matson Lands early in the year I always check out this spot first. The Snowdrops blooming here in this crack in the rocks are always the first to show - I think they've got their own little micro-climate going there.

The Matson Lands

As soon as we are on the downhill slope towards spring I begin to check out the Matson Lands, pictured above. It's a very small chunk of Garry Oak Wood ecosystem, no more than an acre, that overlooks the West Bay Walkway. What makes it special is that it faces south and climbs upwards at about a 30 degree angle so that it gets the most sun possible, even in the dead of winter. In addition, it is basically a large rock with a sprinkling of soil here and there so all that heat that it soaks up stays in the rock and provides a little warmth to the plant life and brings it life a little earlier in the year than in less favored locations. I took the above photo yesterday on a walk - you can see the Snowdrops (those small white flowers) in little clusters here and there. I did post a Snowdrop photo in December but they were in a garden setting and very much protected from the elements. The Snowdrops pictured above are wild.

Reflections

I'm very fond of these ducks (Hooded Mergansers) but for me the best part of this photo is the reflections on the water. This is from January 4 years ago.

Sasquatch Hunting

We headed out of town and into the Sooke Hills to take a hike along the old Sooke Flowline, a winding 44 km aqueduct that used to carry water from the Sooke reservoir to Victoria but we didn't spot any of the elusive Sasquatches unfortunately. - Fern

Savannah Sparrow

I'm still enjoying digging around in the archives - this one is from January seven years ago when I first started to notice the many different kinds of birds this city is blessed with.

Mckenzie Creek

Here's another photo from the archives - this one's from January 2011. It's Mckenzie Creek in Thetis Lake Park. When I took this photo I was very pleased with myself because I finally was able to get all the variables right in order to capture that silky water effect. I confess that I still like this photo and hope you do too.

Clover Point

Here's the view from Clover Point. It looks wild and lonely but it's right in the city of Victoria only a few minutes away from Beacon Hill Park. Though the water has that lovely aquamarine tint to it that makes it look warm, it was very cold. The Pacific here is always very cold - it's probably the main reason our ocean beaches are never crowded even in mid-summer.

5 years ago....

Putting finishing touches on the calendar today so here is a photo from 5 years ago today - my nutty neighbour.

Teeter-totter

When Fern and I were at Cattle point last week we noticed this crow. Fern said, "Look, he's got a teeter-totter" and as we watched he walked from the low side of that board to the center and then when it began to dip he continued down until it rested in the puddle and then he took a drink. I don't know what kind of advantage he gained by this but for whatever reason it seemed like he knew perfectly well what he was doing.

Waiting for Spring

Like me, these gulls at Cattle Point are waiting for spring.

So Bright

But so cold! - Fern

Rail Fence

I've posted photos of these rail fences in other parts of Victoria before. This one protects an environmentally sensitive area that is being restored to its natural vegetation on Cattle Point. I quite like these fences when you consider the options often used by institutions - I'm thinking of that ghastly orange plastic netting used sometimes to block public access. Chain link fencing is equally ugly and these rail fences are actually quite attractive as well as being functional.

Cold Snap

While we've been looking at last year's photos Victoria has been having a cold snap - witness the fountain on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly Buildings. Fern and I drove around in the nicely heated vehicle last week to look at this and some of the other places we frequent in the summer.

November AND December Choices!

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish three or four photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite November AND December photos, some from 2016 and some from 2015. The printing deadline is closer than I thought so I am speeding up the pace. There are four to choose from today. Which TWO of these do you prefer?

Bear Hill

Songhees Point

Snow

The Inner Harbour Causeway and Legislative Assembly

September AND October Choices!

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish three or four photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite September AND October photos, some from 2016 and some from 2015. The printing deadline is closer than I thought so I am speeding up the pace. There are four to choose from today. Two of these photos are of local wildlife. The other two are unorthodox. Which TWO of these do you prefer?

Mushrooms

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Saxe Point Park

Autumn Leaves

August Choices

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish three or four photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite August 2016 photos. There are four to choose from today. Like July, August is a good time to get out and enjoy the outdoors and these photos reflect the fact that Victoria is like a giant theme park in the summer. Two of these photos are of the Inner Harbour - after all, it's the heart of the city and is where most people hang out in the summer. The other two are both of Hatley Park. Which of these do you prefer?

Sunset on the Inner Harbour

Italian Garden - Hatley Park

Hatley Castle

The Inner Harbour after Dark

July Choices!

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish two or three photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite July 2016 photos. There are three to choose from today. July is a good time to get out and enjoy the outdoors and these photos reflect the fact that Victoria is surrounded by lots of parks and forest land. The top two photos were taken in July 2016. The bottom photo was taken in July 2010. Which one do you prefer?

Backyard Boss (This bird was at the top of the pecking order in out backyard flock this year.)

Summertime in Saanich (Fern took this lovely photo)

Sooke Potholes (The Sooke Potholes are a favorite spot Victorians go to on hot summer days.)

Construction Zone

In my neighbourhood and in fact, all over the city there is always new buildings going up so there are cranes, and fences and these work sites that are everywhere. I walked all around such a site yesterday looking to see if there were any photo possibilities and actually found it quite an interesting project. It was a dreary day and suited the feel of this pictures. - Fern

June Choices!

As I wrote yesterday, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish two or three photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite June 2016 photos. There are four to choose from today. From now on there is a steady stream of events every weekend through til autumn. June starts off with the Oak Bay Tea Party and the Vic West Skateboard Competition - two of my favorite events. Anyway, here's four photos of Victoria in June. Which one do you prefer?

Oak Bay Tea Party Midway (I like this photo because carnival midways usually look sort of trashy but this one looks so green and rural.)

Pierre St. Pierre - Street Performer (In Summer the Inner Harbour Causeway is a never-ending program of excellent street performers. Pierre is one of the best.)

National Aboriginal Cultural Festival (another great event in June)

Vic West Skateboard Competition (These four photos are a set, no need to choose between them.)