Happy Halloween

Today, I present you with a Halloween Selfie. It's true; the helmet says so, but I sure felt like a dummy in that outfit.

This is a composite of 4 images. Both AC Rider and the house were my photos taken in Maynooth in early October. The building was a purple pub/restaurant that I thought should be orange for the occasion, although purple wouldn't be a bad choice either. I then distorted a little in Photoshop. The cat and ghost were found through searching.

The next photo is a collage from the Maskeraid parade about which I posted previously. Just go back one post if you missed it and want to see more.

So ... I wish you all a ghostly and ghastly Halloween, in keeping with the spirits of the times.

Maskeraid

Our town featured its [recently] annual Maskeraid on the weekend.

Maskeraid: as in mask, as in masquerade, as in parade, as in aid for the foodbank.

A zombie wandered off and banged his head on the tree next to me.

A worried looking pirate. Had the Royal Navy been sighted?

Boody guy on a float.

Goulish gal next to bloody guy.

There were some happy maskeraiders.

And some pretty and sweet ones too.

Some inanimate scaries below.

Benches and Leaves

Our local, Riverside, park is kind of photogenic at any time but particularly so in autumn. The title of this post is pretty well all that needs to be said.

The first four photos were taken 2 weeks before the next three. I am fairly certain that the tree and bench in the photo directly above and the one directly below are one and the same. There is quite a difference as the orange leaves (above) are all gone (below), and the leaves that were green are now orange.

*A Note in Passing: I have begun to make my source photos a little bit bigger in case anyone ever wants to click on one ... ar all. If anyone (presumably local) ever wishes a higher resolution copy for personal use, I will be glad to comply freely.

Apartment Viewing

Last Sunday, two adjacent apartments were made available for viewing. They were both located downtown, above The Granary. They were both primarily empty, and I think it was nice to see them uncluttered although I am sure that period piece furnishings would have also been a treat: just a different sort of treat.

The stairs were not to be trifled with, but others were steeper than this staircase: not an attractive proposition for old knees. Once up there, however, one could envision living comfortably.

Of much interest was the skylight, which created a terrarium of sorts. A close view followed by two further views. I like the third pic through the doorway, especially with the blue paint and white trim framing the photo.

The two apartments were accessible to one another through the balcony at the front. I do like the light and shadow effect in both of these photos featuring Sue.

In theory, the two apartments could also be accessed via the back. The doors were locked, however: probably a good thing.

The kitchens and bathrooms were modern and appealing, but the tin ceiling was kept in one of the kitchens (last photo).

It was a pleasant tour. Thanks go to the Beckwith and Carleton Place Museum which sponsored the Open House and provided the tasty snacks glimpsed in the first kitchen photo, above,

*A Note in Passing: I have made and will likely continue to make my source photos a little bit bigger in case anyone every wants to click on one ... ar all. If anyone (presumably local) ever wishes a higher resolution copy for personal use, I will be glad to comply freely.

Baird Trail on Thanksgiving

I had forgotten about these photos for awhile.

On Thanksgiving Day, Sue and I went for a little rural ramble. We drove along Wolf Grove Road which is always a bit of a treat in autumn. As we neared Middleville, Sue opined that perhaps we should take some backroads down toward Balderson.

It was then that I remembered the Baird Trail, which we at stopped at in spring. The small parking lot was almost full with parked cars as quite a few people were out enjoying the splendid day. We found a space and began our stroll.

But we had planned to drive and hadn't thought of walking, so Sue hadn't brought proper footware. And she fell once, so we kept the walk short.

Our spring walk had also been short because the ground was still waterlogged. So we much return someday to walk the whole thing.

But what we did see was pretty doggone nice.

Aw Frig!

We gasped when we looked out the window an hour or so ago. Although we had a few very light flurries yesterday, this was a bit startling. It is mostly gone already, but it was very sobering.

These shots were taken from windows and doorways as I wasn't dressed to go out and play.

From Upstairs Front

From Upstairs Back

Downstairs Back

Downstairs Front

The Old Hastings Gallery

I made mention of The Old Hastings Gallery in my previous post: The Trip Home. But, since I took any number of photos, I thought I would do another post, without re-sharing the photos that I have already posted.

Above is the whole frontage, including The Old Milk Shed off to the left.

Below is the sign on the front lawn. Yes, it is located in Ormsby, and whether the population is 20 or 40, you get the idea.

From the side

There are all sorts of rooms, nooks, and crannies inside, and I wasn't taking photos for a complete tour, but here are a few.

There are many lakes in the area, which are celebrated in a few ways: among them hats and miniature paddles. Here are the paddles. 'Our' cottage is not on a lake but is closest to Chandos.

There is a quaint Christmas room.

While Sue completed her purchases (gifts for others) ...

... I wandered back outside. I stuck my nose in The Old Milk Shed, which seems to have once been a garage.

And that was pretty well it. They do have an ancillary Tea House and Art Gallery (below), but we didn't make it over there. In fact, since the proprietor was sitting in her car while we pulled up and had to hurry to open the store for us, I'm pretty sure that there was ne tea being served.

Since you can get to Ormsby (pop. 20) from anywhere in the world, you might consider dropping in sometime. Meanwhile, you can check out the website if you are so inclined.