Danica, Lacey, and the New Zoom

I just had to snap this on Monday of Danica feeding Lacey by holding her dish for her. Talk about Lacey living the life.

My new lens came just as I was about to go shopping, so I detoured from the store and took a few shots. It's a 100-400mm lens, so it can get twice as close as my much liked 70-200mm, which is a staple for most photographers. I don't know how often I will use this longer lens, but at least I have it in my arsenal.

The first two shots could have been taken with the 70-200 since they were within its range. But I hadn't done that yet, and they are two mini scenes that have interested me for a while. They are both little but interesting subjects to me.

The peonies are out, so I shot from quite a distance just to test out the lens. One advantage of a long telephoto is that it tends to blur the background even though the aperture is not as wide open as in shorter focal lengths. It was a contrasty morning, but I managed to control the light in a few of the photos.

Upon arriving back home, I took a shot of these irises by a neighbour's fence. These are not the more popular Beared Irises. I believe they may be Siberian Irises. They are also shot at a zoom beyond what my 70-200 would allow, which is not to say that I couldn't have gotten a similar or even better photo with that lens, but the zoom was what I had at the time, and it worked.

It certainly won't be a everyday lens, but it will be nice to have the option.

Danica Graduates

On Wednesday, we attended Danica's graduation, which I think is what I have to call it.

She is leaving grade 6, which isn't the traditional graduation. Historically in Ontario, elementary school continues through grade 8, and then they go onto high school. But locally, they move kids into high school after grade 6, except it isn't exactly high school. For the next 2 years, they will be in the high school building but have a different sort of schedule from the actual high school kids in their own section of the school.

So, it is a graduation but an unusual one in a sense.

Nevertheless, lets get onto the photos, shall we? Photos are tough in a gym with a crowd and so on and so forth, but we still want the memories, even if the photos are not of the highest quality.

I have posted 37 photos here on fb but will try to remain more constrained on this site. And I've added another FB album with even more of Outtakes and Friends. Different people asked me to take photos of their kids, so I put them and outtakes in a separate album. I wasn't sure how else to go about it.

Entering and waiting for the events to unfold.

She receives an award for achievement in second language — French.

Receiving her graduation certificate. No, she didn't pause for a photo.

After the ceremony comes the mad scramble for photos starting with flowers and friends.

Family photos.

Family dinner for 10 with family and a friend at the restaurant.

Wheels on the Mississippi

Wheels on the Mississippi takes place annually in Riverside Park by the Mississippi River (of Eastern Ontario). For a few hours, our quiet and serene park is transformed into a showplace for old cars. It's a very big show which overruns the whole park. The next day, the park is back to its natural state showing no signs of stress. It's quite remarkable, really.

It was a sunny and contrasty day, so there are many reflections in the cars, which can be distracting. A polarizer filter may have helped, but I chose to shoot with my wide angles lens that day, and I don't have a filter of that size. It doesn't matter; these are shots of a town event for the record.

Of the huge number of vehicles, I selected a few to photograph in passing, but I am not a car guy, so I have little to add to the photos, except for the first few.

Sue insisted that we photograph this unique gentleman who, aside from his look, really must like dogs.

The owner identified this vehicle as a rat rod. If I recall correctly, it was handmade back in the 30s. A discerning viewer will see a rat on the hood, which I show closer in the second photo, below. Inside there is a normal tungsten lightbulb to go along with the wood finish. The stereo speakers are mounted on the wall and may be home speakers. I like his sense of whimsy.

The rest. (Sorry for including so many photos in this and recent posts. It has just worked out that way. Normally, I try to keep posts to 4 or 5 photos.)

The Last of Fathers Day

I have already bemoaned the back attack that cancelled our visit to the museum on Friday, but the attack turned out not to be one of the really bad ones, so we went on Monday.

It seemed appropriate to wear my FDay shirt and to start the day with a picture with the one whose birth made me a father. You may notice a slight family resemblance.

In a little less than an hour we were there and ready to view the exhibit.

Part of the exhibit was showing the ways that Neanderthals have been depicted in the past and not always scientifically for they were much more than caveman brutes stalking around with clubs. Here Sue is looking at a painting while Shauna is looking at the recreation of a skull. Actually, it probably wasn't a proper recreation but more of a past guess at what they might have looked like.

We moved on from the historical section into a presentation of bones and artefacts. According to the description that accompanied it (below) this skullcap was a turning point in beginning to understand the prehistory of hominids.

Another damaged skull that led to the conclusion that Neanderthals showed community caring and helpfulness as they believe that this person was cared for into old age, which was in the 35-49 range (for our species too early on).

A compete skeleton. Fascinating. There is evidence that they practiced burial rites.

Another skull of what believe to have been a twelve year old girl, whose head was bashed in, poor thing.

Sue standing beside a poster representation of a Neanderthal, which may not be quite like our earliest impressions of this hominid group.

I could go on, but let's wrap up with a few after-photos.

The view from museum a window across the Rideau River with the parliament buildings on the right and the Chateau Laurier Hotel on the left.

The Great Hall with the ceiling shaped like a canoe. It leads to other permanent exhibits which we have seen before, so we were content to see just the Neanderthals on this day.

Just a passing curiosity that we saw as we were about to leave: a lady in costume, leading a tour group.

We drove back home, picked up a coffee and a sandwich, and took it to the park for a quick lunch. It had to be quick because the mosquitoes were a little crazy.

So endeth Fathers Day celebrations for 2019. They usually don't quite go on like this, but I am certainly not complaining.


Addendum: As an afterthought I am including this composite which I put together for my Flickr stream. You will recognize the three parts from above.

Solstice Labyrinth Walk

This walk has become a yearly tradition, which I missed last year for some reason or other. There is a a somewhat contemplative introduction. This year, a choir sang, In the past there have been native drummers, and a dancer. They also have a Light Up the Night Walk later in the year, and they have been known to have a full moon walk as well.

Those who walk the walk become quite meditative, which I have tried to capture in some of the photos. I try to remain unobtrusive on a bench to the side while I take a few photos.

Giving introductory thoughts

A pano stitch from the bench where I sit

I took a few photos of this gentleman as I found him to be interesting

He was very contemplative

Sue and my photographer friend, Bob, who is talking to his friend