Sunday, October 05, 2014

Cottage Photos

I might as well take a few minutes to drop in to Blogland. We have been back from the cottage for almost a week, but what with unpacking, getting ready for company and then hosting said company, my thoughts have not been on posting. This won't change much for a few weeks as we first ready ourselves for Thanksgiving and then for another little trip: this time to visit family.

In the meantime, here are a few photos from our week in the country. I have so many that it's hard to know what to include and what to leave, but here we go.

We took the backroads to the cottage, but that was more than two weeks ago, and the colours were not very advanced. They came on quickly however, and were becoming quite wonderful within a few days.  We're not there any more, but I expect that autumn colour is already past its peak, or nearly so.



The above shot was taken very near the property along Glen Alda Road.

Below: a photo from a few days earlier of rapids on Eel's Creek, near Apsley. I used both an ND filter plus a small aperture to slow the shutter down enough to achieve the silky water effect. The foliage on the other side was quite splendid.



Here are a few photos from around the cottage property, both taken in the morning. Above: we had several foggy mornings and I wandered happily snapping many pictures. This is one that I liked with the logs in the foreground and the path leading our eyes into the frame. Below: near the end of our stay, we had a very fine sunrise. This was a somewhat lazy shot, taken almost from the back door. It's not sharp, but I sometimes prefer less than tack sharp photos.


There is a photogenic old barn on the property, and the way Brian mows the walking paths creates nice lines and colours. On this morning, the sun was just peaking over the trees. I stopped the lens down to create a sunburst effect. It's nice to play with this kind of effect every now and then.



Above: the same structure at night. I wanted to experiment with star photos but I included the barn for foreground interest. The light that you see emanates from the streetlight, just inside the entrance to the property way across the fields from the barn. The reach of this one light surprises me.

Another building on the property is the former planer mill which Brian has converted into a screened in structure, which gets us out of the elements and away from the multitudes of insects. I have taken many daytime photos, but here a nighttime exposures with lots of starry sky. You may or may not be able to see the path of two planes just over the treetops in this downsized version; you can click for a slightly larger view but not that much larger.


We sat inside the mill last Sunday afternoon; this was part of the view.


Leaves were falling in the whispering breezes, so I stepped outside the door to take a short video. I handheld somewhat shakily but you can begin to hear the whispering of the wind in the trees along with crickets and some background human chatter.



Finally, although I could go on and on, here is a photo of Brian toasting a marshmallow around the campfire. I think it was well toasted. Would you believe flame broiled?


So ... I guess that's it for a few more weeks. I hope you are all enjoying autumn in good health. Happy upcoming Thanksgiving to any Canadians who happen to stop by.

30 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

looks like a great getaway and a great season to do it. enjoy yourselves!

Linda Kay said...

Oh, my...such beautiful photos. Hope you are enjoying the camping. Love the sparks coming up from the fire.

ADRIAN said...

Brilliant work.
The first four are just wonderful. I've a long way to go before I create anything half as good.

Hilary said...

Absolutely beautiful.. one and all. And you're right about it having passed its peak around here.. you were up at the perfect time.

Tabor said...

Like a lovely fall calendar!!

Melodee said...

Gorgeous photos (as usual). Thanks for bringing the beautiful north to us!

Dogman said...

Love the wander through some of your shots, John. I think my fave is the foggy morning shot with the logs on the left.

Dogman said...

And the colours have definitely passed their peak at Riverwood, but are just peaking now around Ajax.

Unknown said...

Wow. Your photographs are wonderful. They have such a magical effect to them.
I hope all this preparing will give you an amazing holiday. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to celebrate.

Donna said...

Love all the shots and the video Ac...Wonderful and peaceful place...
hughugs

Gail Dixon said...

These shots are all spectacular! What a gift to journey through this autumnal wonderland.

RVVagabond said...

No wonder you two enjoy visiting the cottage so much--what a lovely place to relax. Excellent photos and thanks for sharing.

EG CameraGirl said...

It's good to be busy! Looks like the cottage is situated in a lovely area!

Linda said...

Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. Thank you so much for the Thanksgiving wishes. Your photos are gorgeous!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

What a wonderful time you had getting away from the hustle of everyday life and into nature, AC. You have presented us with wonderful images of fall colors. I especially liked the starlight photos...never having tried any myself.

troutbirder said...

Absolutely gorgeous fall scenes. Each with a special flavor...:)

Shammickite said...

Autumn doesn't last very long.... and it's so beautiful. But just one stormy rainy and windy night and all the leaves will be gone. Let's appreciate it while we can!

Mage said...

Flat out stunning photographs. Thank you so much.

Ginnie said...

Thanks for the cottage photos, AC, and for not forgetting your "blogging family" !!

Hena Tayeb said...

lovely photographs

Mara said...

Some great photos as usual, especially the starry ones.

Have a great time in the few upcoming weeks and I can't wait to see some more photos.

Kerry said...

Fantastic, magical fall photos! You are way ahead of this on this. Thanks for sharing.

ChrisB said...

You captured some great shots AC. I love the autumn colours.

KGMom said...

I'm late to this party.
You are just killing me with these gorgeous photos. Frankly, I am running out of effusive words to sing your praises as a photographer extraordinaire.

Pearl said...

fog, fire and stars— fantastic.

Regenia said...

Every time I think your photographs couldn't be more beautiful I am proven wrong. These are stunningly beautiful! The second one in particular tugged at me, for whatever reason.

Ginger said...

So gorgeous. Missing your posts, AC.

Hena Tayeb said...

lovely

TexWisGirl said...

you haven't posted in a long while. hoping you're okay.

Chicken said...

gorgeous photos...the one with the huge sky and stars and your camp-that was breath taking. Just checking in-you haven't popped up in my reader for awhile.