Early...

It's official that our mornings are much lighter and the evenings longer.

The lamps come on long before dinner time now, time to curl up by the fire.

I love the first light of morning.

A new day.

A new beginning...

Another kick at the can!

There have been days where I just don't want to begin again.

Days during times of strife and tragedy...

But for the most part I am enticed by the prospect of another day in this beautiful world...

With an open heart I start new...

open to the possibilities before me...

blessed to be one who creates...

and so fortunate to be where I am now in this place...

Here's to another day!

throwback thursday...

I have been a housebound nurse to my aging, ailing dog Griffin and my adventures these

days are few and far between...
so I thought I would post some photos 

of my adventures in Paris and Southern France from last summer.

As you can imagine there are MANY more photos that I haven't published yet

and I will try to do so in categories.

Last time was windows and doorways, this week will be rooftops and balconies...hope you enjoy!

When I arrived at my daughters and son in laws flat in Paris, this was my first look at the Eiffel Tower. They live on the eighth floor of a lovely old Parisian apartment building...

 ...and in the evening to the west...the light here is truly amazing!

Everywhere you look there are pretty little widow boxes on the balconies...

...I don't think I ever tired of the red caps on the rooftops...

If you love Art Nouveau then Paris is the place for you...

...down in Dijon we were treated to real cats on the roof...

...as well as sculptures of cats on the beautifully tiled roofs...

How pretty is that?!

...Railings, railings, everywhere....

...the farther south you get, the more Mediterranean looking roof tops you get...

So adieu for now...from the eighth floor of the city of light.

Brave new world...

 It seemed that our summer had only just begun.
After a long wet spring, we dove into a long wet and cold summer. 

Plants were slow to start, bare legs, barely came out into the light of day.

And then in August the sun and the heat really came on.

Our faces turned a bit browner as they turned toward the sun.

Lakes and rivers became places to swim, not just a place to walk along.

The veggies began to plump and the bees buzzed a little louder.

All was right and beautiful in the world.

 But life is ever changing.

Now the school bus rumbles down our road  again.

Twice a day like clockwork.

Autumn is wrapping her arms about us.

Blackberry pickers pop up on the sides of the road.

Trying to contain the last of summers flavour.

She is cool and foggy in the mornings.

Like me, her moods can change.

Clear and warm and then shrouded and hiding.

When I go out to the garden, I take my cue from the sunflowers.

 Standing ever so tall and brave, turning their heads to follow the final countdown of warm days.

They are proud of their stance and show it.

 Knowing that soon their heads will droop and later feed the winter birds.

But BRAVE!
I am gathering creative 'nuts', so to speak.
Anticipating new projects that will take me into the studio.

 It sits vacant more than not during the summer months.

 Waiting for that first cool day when I come in with mug of tea in hand,
turning on the CBC, firing up the stove, watching the birds get ready for winter
through rain streaked windows.
On another note, I am feeling so grateful for all who have been thinking
of my family and I right now.
Social Networking can have some negative feedback but
I feel that through posting and reading others blogs, we have found
kindred spirits amongst us.
Sharing bits of our daily lives is a personal thing and I thank you all
for allowing me into your world.
I feel that's what life's all about.
Connecting with humankind.
Finding those common threads and discovering new and different ones as well,
giving strength and faith in these crazy times.
Hope your autumn is bringing you promise as each season should.

A good way to start the day...

While looking after my folks place, I spent every morning at Island View beach with the dogs.

You see, it's on the east side of the Island and sunrises are it's specialty.

Now, as a photographer, this is something hard to pass up.

I could have posted 50 photos but will try to reign myself in a bit...

The peak in the left of the photo is Mount Baker, an active volcano in Washington State.

The high cliffs on the beach are spectacular layers of time...

Some people have found mammoth teeth in these sandy banks...

At some times, with the sunrise colours, I'm reminded of the shades of Arizona...

Sadly, time and water are eroding these cliffs and now a project has been going on to create a structure to try and hold back some of the banks and make it somewhat safe.

Large trees, roots and all can come crashing down without warning.

The seaweed has been tumbling up onto shore in lovely shades of umber's, reds and browns...

twisted by the waves...

And then the sun is up and lighting up the trees, slowly going to sleep for the winter, crows wake up...

 Looking across from the beach is James Island...

 This was once home to about 50 families who were employees of the CIL dynamite factory.

Read more history here 

My great grandfather, the one who survived The Great War, worked here.

Although they didn't live on the island.

I've kayaked over there several times, finding old bottles and pieces of crockery.

All traces of it's past are gone now and it's privately owned with NO TRESPASSER signs all over.

Lucky for us in Canada, no one is allowed to own any land below the high tide line so

beaches are public property. YEY!

On my way back to the van, as I turned around from the sea, I saw these posts which summed it all up...