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Saturday 19 September 2020

Where to Buy my Photography as Prints or Downloads

 View a gallery of some of my best images born from my husband and my hikes and walks. Whether it be a tiny shadow on a leaf, a tranquil beach landscape or an urban city scene, I hope that you will discovering an engaging image in my collection. My photography spans my local area, Toronto, Ontario, as well as rural areas in Ontario, such as Durham Region, Collingwood, the GTA, and Huntsville/Muskoka.

Buy framed prints or canvas wall art, purchase a license to use commercially, or purchase as a digital download for personal printing and display on a medium of your choice. Visit my gallery of fine art photography to browse available images to choose and purchase from.






Every purchase of a framed photo print or canvas means you will be enjoying a unique image on your home or office walls while knowing that you helped to support an independent photographer and their art!

Sunday 18 August 2019

Fun but Grueling May 2019 Hike at The Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands and Black River in Ontario

Ok, this is a belated post, as it's about a hike John and I did in late May 2019, which we soon realized we'd Forgotten was black fly season lol! Yeah, I was bit to heck, in a lot of pain on my hands for over a week, not able to sleep, yadyadayada and the like. However, those little buggers didn't stop me from taking 500+, yes 500, photos lol!

The reason for all the photos was because almost every inch of this amazing natural terrain was spectacular to behold! It was almost like being in some other place other than just old Ontario, Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands has got to be one of the most visually amazing areas in Ontario that I've seen so far. Hiking is only recommended to those who are used to hiking, and proper shoes and clothing should be worn. It is a rough, rugged, easy to lose hiking trail type of experience, and depending on the season, can be extremely buggy and dense too. It's not really for the novice hiker, or anyone that is not up to the kind of physical exersion that will be needed on many parts of the trails.

We did come out of there with ticks on us, especially me, but later learned they were Wood Ticks, not Deer Ticks, hallelujah, because I found them all over my cotton pants (ok, so, best to wear synthetic hiking pants, I'm already not taking my own advice). Do wear bug spray or even better, bug netting. Not all years are as bad as this year was probably, but, better to be safe then sorry. Wood ticks do carry diseases harmful to humans and dogs, but are not known to carry Lyme disease I read when researching after.

We saw things I'd really never sen before. One being lichen, before it dies and dries and makes those pretty spreading stain like patterns on rocks. It was really cool to see yards and yards of it, it's a soft lavender and sage green dusty light colour.

Black River is a beautiful rich inky and wild waterway in many spots. Gorgeous rock formations like you see in Muskoka and the Bruce County, part of the Canadian Shield I guess, are looming and quite magnificent to behold.

We did see some birds, not a lot, but the flower and plant life was so very interesting.

We hope to go back there, as it's just so stunning, maybe in Fall or very early Spring 2020.

Here is a collection of some of the photos to show the varying terrain, foliage and atmosphere.






















Saturday 27 July 2019

Praise Again for the Doris McCarthy Trail in Scarborough

Both my husband and I love the Doris McCarthy Trail and I think we both kind of herald it as our favourite haunt out here, since living in Scarborough as of Oct 2013.

I recall the first time we started down the gravel incline path between a forested valley and an incline that backs onto the properties above. A large black dog came bounding down the hill and I freaked and ran back up to leave. I did give in and brave the path a few months later, though I still sometimes have a hard time handling the dogs off leash there since I have a very hard to control fear of dogs, mainly larger dogs or very aggressive barking to warn type dogs. I do know a friend who was severely bit by her own dog which had a later discovered  brain tumour, and I was accosted by a large dog in a play park as a small kid in the 1970s though not bit, so maybe that is why, I don't know, I'm just terrified of most dogs. But, for the most part, it's ok, most people do walk them there on leash or the dogs off leash are very elderly.

We went in July around the 21st, quite early, the latest trek there. Lots of bird activity. But, what we really noticed is that the thistles appear to be quite abundant this Summer. The smaller Canadian thistle was bloomed in many spots but the larger Scottish thistles were still green, just starting.

There are often shore birds near the area west of where the trail comes down to, as you near the end of the path just before it meets an inlet of Lake Ontario. Sometimes too, we see the Great Blue Heron. Another bird we often see is the Red Tailed Hawk, usually being chased by black birds, flying around at the top of the bluffs. You can sometimes hear her sorrowful sounding call, then I'll look up and over, and there she is, gliding or circling cliff top or from tree to tree.

The Kingfisher was quite active this visit, there were 2, and we were trying to figure out if they had a nest, it kind of seemed they may. But, we weren't sure.

Monarchs were around, as well as Eastern Commas and a brown butterfly kind of like a Pinto horse, with white patches, of which I forget the name (edit: I now know it is the Silver Spotted Skipper), and Painted Lady butterflies.

The Doris McCarthy Trail is sort of like a small mini version of Tommy Thompson in that it does have a lot of clean fill, bricks, metal and cement and marble pieces that have been dumped there and litter the shoreline in a sort of cool industrial scattered way, melding with the natural growth and wildness. It also is very good exercise for the heart on the walk back up the moderate incline of the path when you head back to your car.

I know, I sound boring right? But, trust me, it's not boring down there. You have to just go, and allow yourself to just anticipate that you will not know what amazing gem of something you probably will see each visit, but that you can't ever know what that will be until you see it.

Ok soooo, EDIT! lol! I just found out, that the demolished "house" that we always see, and that I have photographed a few times, even used to make a funny postcard from, is apparently Canadian comedian Billy Van's old abandoned cottage that began falling over the edge of the eroding Bluffs lol! Keep scrolling through to near the end of the pics here, you'll see it.













































































































































Billy Van's demolished cottage