I recently took a walk on a perfect October afternoon, sunny and not too cold. I saw the fence first and then looked up to see this fine old house set back from the main street. The colour version reflected the kind of day it was and I prefer it but it was a shot that I thought would work in b/w as well.
The nights are cold, and despite some warmer daytime temperatures, the gardens are showing the strain.
A grey rainy start to the day but with some fall colour remaining the scene is moody but not bleak. The rain did finally stop and as evening approached the moon came out. I took this hand held through a window, a first attempt at the moon. I was rather pleased with the detail.
(This is my first try at using Block Editor, it seems Classic is gone for good 😒).
This figure of a small boy with his ball tucked under his knees has been a subject of my photography before. I’ll be back again when the snow is on the ground to check in on him.
On a grey, dull morning the light is diffused giving the changing leaves a more muted tone.
The pose as well as the pattern of the cat’s coat brought the old teen magazine to mind. Tiger Beat was launched in 1965 and the print edition ended in 2018. It had a pretty good run.
While running some errands, I walked by this building that acted as a perfect canvas for the lamp post and flowers baskets that cast their shadows on it. The sun was very bright and the shadows crisp.
We thought we’d go to a nearby farmer’s market on a recent Saturday. Others had the same idea so instead of facing the crowds we explored the streets around the market. The building I photographed must have been an old warehouse that had been converted into individual businesses including craftmen and artists. Someone painted the fascade with flourish.
There are a lot of cardinals in my neighbourhood. This one picked a nice spot to land.
A little kid was playing in the park and left his bike close by for the return trip. At first I thought the helmut in the photo was a large ball. I don’t know how little children keep their balance wearing such huge things on their heads 😏.
September has been a beautiful month. Summer isn’t leaving quietly.
When squirrels (and other animals) lie spread out like this it’s called splooting. It helps them cool off or relax. I’ve often seen squirrels do this on a hot day and this one was no exception.
This small section of a landing caught my eye, I love old brick.
The flower had faded but the sun still made it glow.
The temperature is getting a bit cooler, so city walks are becoming more comfortable. It’s beginning to look more like fall, the trees are berry laden and their leaves are no longer a vibrant green. I enjoy watching and photographing these changes.
I believe this is a tendril of a wild grapevine that was hanging over the path I was walking. I liked its twirls and swirls.
The dominant garden colour now is a golden yellow, sunflowers and goldenrod taking centre stage.
I particularly like this colour and the flower wears it well.
The light was tricky here. The squirrel was in such deep shadow I was surprised I saw it. Spot metering and post-processing got these results.
Both knapweed and daisy fleabane are members of the aster family. I saw these flowers growing in an empty lot. They’re invasive and crowd out native plants but in their defensive, pollinators like them and they’re very attractive.
The robin assumed a miliary stance and looked ready to give orders rather than take them 😏. We’ve seen a lot of robins throughout the spring and summer. Their expressions can be very funny and they aren’t timid birds which allows for mamy photo opportunities.
I caught a glimpse of the garden through the Porcupine Grass. An interesting plant tthat I’ve never noticed before. Too bad I didn’t see its namesake too😏
Walking along the path, I came across this squirrel starring in my direction. Maybe he was about to hide some food and I interrupted hm.
I didn’t crop the photo because I wanted to keep all of the background. No rule of thirds here although the flower isn’t quite centred. I only noticed the aphids on the flower’s stem when I imported the photo. A lot of aphids but no ladybugs 😏
This classic wagon looks like its been repurposed as a garden planter. In 1930, the owner of Radio Steel & Manufacturing named the wagon Radio Flyer to honour the era’s advances in communication and aviation. Over the years, a lot of kids have played with or been pulled along in these little wagons.
A part of town has gardens full of sunflowers. I wanted to get there before the season was over. Many had begun to fade but this flower really stood out. I have never captured the disc of a sunflower at quite this angle before, it appeared almost three dimensional.
I love buttercups but they can be tricky to photograph with their glossy petals. I imagine a lot of you will remember the “chin game” we played as kids with buttercups!
I really like Queen Annes’s Lace and feature it here throughout the summer. We’re entering the final leg of summer though when goldenroad begins to appear (the yellow flower in the background).
Another coneflower, I think I might have found my new favourite, the Sombrero Adobe Orange. Until this summer I wasn’t aware of this variety 😊.
I stopped to chat with a neighbour the other day and asked her if she had seen many bees in her garden. Not too many, she said but plenty of rabbits. On our walk today we came across this young cottontail who seemed to be enjoying the flowers. I wished it had turned in my direction but it still gave me some good photo opportunities.
It’s the time for coneflowers now, they really do dazzle.
The front porch was still in deep shade but the sun caught a bit of the plant as it made its way across the sky. (My title was borrowed from the mailbox 😏 .)
In the past you rarely saw ravens in the city but they’re here now, an hospitable environment for these birds. You often hear their deep “gronk” call as you walk along, both summer and winter. Although considered aggressive they are often mobbed by smaller birds protecting their nests.
A little fun with spot metering.
Queen Anne’s Lace is one of my favourite wildflowers. We were walking beside a vacant lot that had hundreds of these flowers in different stages of development. Here are two examples.
I featured this chick and an adult chipping sparrow on a post a few days ago. Here are a few more photos.
The fiery orange of the day lilies mirrors the current temperatures.
On the otherhand, cosmos are the lily’s cooler cousin.
When the robin landed on the car mirror I expected it to turn around and catch its own reflection. It didn’t, at least not while I was watching. I’m glad it wasn’t my car as birds can make quite a mess perched like this.
I wasn’t the only one to take an interest in these plants. They were growing on the side of the road and not getting munched on in someone’s garden 😏.
This is the first of several photos I took of a chipping sparrow. The star of the show is this very young bird who appears to be taking his first walk with Dad; actually he hopped 😊. You never know what you’ll see on a walk in the neighbourhood!
