CANADIAN FALL IMAGES ABOUND AROUND US

Fall brings the foods and smells and events that are fun. Cranberries at the markets. Apple picking is one at the local farms.

Some farms will have fun events for children too.

Old barn wood fences.

Maple Leaf picture potential. Try a drive in the country for the changing of the colours. Even in downtown Toronto there are Fall images.

Gather some pine cones for a decorative basket by the door or for a festive fall table. Fall brings many fun opportunities. And the driving is easy!

CANADIAN BARNS-A SYMBOL OF THE LAND!

Our Canadian farms bring food to the table. A jaunt in the country always reminds us of the hard work of the farmers and their staff that work every day.I like barns with the variety of shapes they can have. The architecture can be a cultural design or modern. It makes me want to go hunting for barns in the country.

Some can seen off the highway so with your shutter on high speed there are a few opportunities to capture some photos.
Do you like barns? Their shape? Their use? The importance of the work held in them!

A COUNTRY DRIVE ON A SUNDAY MORNING

Taking a little country drive today watching the scenery go by revealed some thoughts. The Spring is optimistic with the fields ready for planting. Yes there will be crops. Will many of the evergreen or coniferous trees seen with lower branches of dead needles survive? And here we thought the Ice Storm did not affect them. Thousands of trilliums - the Ontario floral emblem-growing under deciduous trees! Why don't they grow under coniferous? The needles are too acidic? Not enough sun? Will have to look up the reason as it was wonderful to see so many growing wildly. Roadside stands closed but knowing in a few weeks the pick your own farms will be blossoming and ready for business- strawberries and asparagus are the first off the mark. There were some places with fresh baked pies. Cows and horses grazing in their respective pastures were a welcome sight. Wondered if there were any new babies! Just nice to do a simple drive that Adolph and I have done many times. It starts off the summer season of little road trips/ A quick stop to use the washroom facilities at the Blue Heron Casino on Scugog Island and 5 minutes at the penny slots was eventful. Broke even so had some fun without any loss! Going through the little town of Goodwood where family roots are found always pleases me. John Shaver and his wife Emeline raised 12 daughters there in the 1800s. Ward Ellis married one of them thus the Ellis line in our family is found in another little town Claremont not far from the highway we were using. There is something about connecting with the country for me. Perhaps like so many other families, there are country roots in our blood before the big move to urban life. Food, sport, recreation and just pleasure can be found in country settings. People who live there have a good life. Oh yes I will take some treks into the city too but today was the feel and smell of country. Especially going by some farms with heaps of manure! Are you planning any country trips? To favourite towns or spots?

COUNTRY VIEWS IN URBAN SPAWL

My favourtie building in the Fall. Luckily I have lived in an area where large fields are near me despite the fact it is more of an urban area. The Richmond Hill Central library with its pink hue is a nice contrast to the Fall trees. The hill leading to it makes a good power walk as it uses  a different set of muscles than walking on a flat surface. The scene looks a little country but it is beside Yonge Street where large condos are being built. Pictures can often give us an illusion of what we want! For me, I want my area to have a country feel to it. Living in Richmond Hill, it has always been a small town on the edge of the big city-Toronto! With all the development, the urban sprawl is making it more of one big suburb! But if I aim my camera in the right direction, little pockets of country can be captured!

WEEKEND- A TIME TO HANG OUT!

The nice weather attracts us to country settings and lakes and boats! Hanging out together is a favourite Canadian past time. Once the garden is planted, there is time to enjoy and maintain it! Backyard barbecues give a relaxed atmosphere. We can join the herd or spend time by ourselves contemplating life. How do you like to hang out?

THE HARVEST HOME

Everywhere across the country the final crops are being harvested. Corn in my area always reminds me of the previous generations who depended on harvesting and storing the crops for winter. Our area, hundreds of years ago was home to the Huron Nation whose staple was corn. Although they were already gone from the area when Champlain arrived in the 1600s, the historian in me smiles and wonders if their spirits prevail!

THE CANADIAN BARN

Country drives along rural roads or major highways in Ontario reveal the farms that bring us our food. Of course, similar drives in any province would bring us to many farms and the people who work and live in the farming industry. For some reason I have always loved the architecture of barns. They are featured in movies, stories and some of us may have visited a farm or two in our lives and have the experience of being in a barn. In my childhood, my siblings and I used to spend some time on a family farm in Coldwater, Ontario.

Of course, modern barns are fully automated with electricity and other necessary equipment to be operational, productive and fiscally solvent for the farmer or company that owns them.

Perhaps on my country jaunts I will try to find some other barns to photograph. What do you see when you look at the picture above? Does it tell a story with the barn, country farm house and the Canadian flag in the background? Do you wonder who lives there? Why did they chose this life? Would it be a life you would want? Do you have your own story about a barn?

DEDICATION

Is a good word. The dictionary tells us to dedicate- to devote to a special task or purpose. So dedication is the act or an instance of dedicating. A book or award can be dedicated to a person or cause too. We often say that someone is very dedicated- to their job, family, team, country. If it is for a good cause dedication is seen as virtuous. However, history has taught us some acts of dedication have been bad. Really bad! So we will focus on good dedication. I have been thinking about the activities where I dedicate my time. Do they have purpose? Are they meaningful? Are they necessary? Dedication takes time and discipline. It is an easy word so the talk is also easy. It is the walk- the ability to keep going that weeds out the truly dedicated from the rest. In our modern society it is often credited to those who lose weight, exercise regularly and try to look pretty! What about the rest of the activities that make a fine life? Writing a book, painting a picture, sculpting, taking photos, honing parenting skills, baking for your church or family gatherings, volunteering for a community cause, keeping a well run home for family and self and the list could go on. Some acts of dedication are done quietly by the people involved. There is no hoopla, just daily attention to the details of life. So if you think about dedication- to what do you dedicate your life? What brings meaning? If you wrote a speech or a book or won an award- would you dedicate it to someone?  Has anyone ever dedicated something to you? Today I was dedicated to write a blog before going to work an hour and a half earlier than normal. What are you dedicated to do today?

COUNTRY ROADS TAKE ME HOME

Was a popular line in a song. Today after charging the battery for my camera I set out to drive some local country roads looking for photo opportunities. There were many but safety was paramount to make sure I had a safe spot to stop! Even lonely country roads have drivers thinking they are at a racetrack and need to ride up one's butt.
More than just photography it was a chance to do some driving therapy. Cyclists and runners were out in full force enjoying the pleasure of a warm Thanksgiving day. Seeing farms, beautiful country estates and of course the changing colours of the trees were rewarding two hours for me. Cooking, cleaning clutter and waiting for the phone to ring was becoming unbearable!

Although I did not stop at every opportunity, I have some ideas where I can head out next weekend for more photos if weather permitting. Driving for pleasure beats driving in rush hour traffic. Being alone with my thoughts and a cell phone for emergencies if needed, I felt at peace. I like to challenge myself sometimes by doing something alone. As a couple, there can be important togetherness but Adolph and I are individual people. The drive today was much needed space. Do you like to drive for pleasure seeing where the road takes you? Can you be alone, enjoying your own company?

A TRIP TO THE FARM

Brings out the nostaglia in all of us. Fresh produce, fields, old farm equipment.
We are reminded of the work that goes into bringing food to the table. Many places now
have agritours- agricultural adventures- to spend time on a farm learning and working along side the owners.. In Adolph's hometown- Cassino, Italy- they have such vacations. However, if I go there again, I would spend time in a hotel.

Old equipment make interesting garden ornaments. Not everything makes its way to a museum! In my youth I wanted to live in the country. The closest thing I have now is an overgrown suburbian garden. So visits to the country keeps the feeling alive in me.

Do you like the old wagon? Should be hitched to a horse to go for a ride!

Many movies from the depression era always show people trying to find work for food. Ride the rails and get off at a farm to eat and sleep in the barn. Now we can go and pick our own fruit. There are several strawberry and raspberry farms for picking. The tomatoes are almost ready for the Southern Europeans to pick many bushels to make their own passata. In the Fall the apple orchards have such fun outings. Do you like to pick your own fruit? Does going to the farm bring out the country in you? Or do you prefer a city market without the work?