Last day – spring again. The buds are even pushing through the ground. I hope winter doesn’t return for their sake. A lot of these pictures are taken of leaves in puddles.
Ms. GAuthor Archives
Ball’s Mill Conservation Area
Here are some photos from a little trip to Ball’s Mill Conservation Area near Cobourg. The mill itself, built in the 1840s, is in pretty bad shape just down the road.
- At first it was the usual type of trip where I photographed small things.
- More tiny flowers.
- Then, upon descending down the path, we reached the mill pond where this perfectly placed, seemingly deserted canoe was waiting to be photographed.
- My husband found this interesting tree. Unfortunately these pretty patterns are probably the tracks of the insects that killed it. It has been completely stripped of bark making visible the internal damage.
- Starfish?
- The holes are curious.
- X marks the spot. Notice the tiny white sphere.
- Back to regular small objects.
- Crossing the path over the mill pond on the way out we stopped to capture this antique-looking set of gears which were probably used to control the water level.
- At the golden hour the pond had a shimmering, peaceful quality.
Ice Macro
The lake ice heaved quite a bit, creating many interesting ice photo opportunities.
- A snippet of an ice window stuck between large clumps of mud and earth (the shore, in other words).
- The same ice window backlit by a lantern.
- Icy, watery pattern.
- A crack in the ice.
- Ice on a rock.
- Bubbly pattern in ice.
- Abstract pattern.
Outdoor Macro Photos (Dec. to Feb.)
Here are some of my most recent macro photos with my new lens. They were taken at Todmorden Mills, in my backyard, and at Cottonwood Flats in the Don Valley. This new lens requires me to get much closer to objects, so I am still working on getting the focus just right!
Winter Macro III (Found Colour)
Here are the hidden coloured gems of winter, found mostly on ground level.
Winter Macro (or the Opposite of Colour)
Here are some photos from my first attempt at winter macro. It was minus 11 outside! These pictures were taken on December 29 when there was at least a bit of sunshine.
- At first the sun was shining so I could capture this series of ice globes.
- Upon enlargement this ball of ice became a glass paperweight.
- Ever so slightly melting ice is like a worm.
- Curving as it meets gravity.
- Winter macro is my new "cross to bear", so to speak for an atheist.
- Twirly in ice.
- The remnants of a daylily with delicate ice crystals.
- Literally a pile of detritus on the side of the road.
- The feathered ice makes it so interesting.
- The ice on the lake was also feathered. See my husband's blog post for incredible ice pictures (valdodge.com).
- Feathered ice crystals peppered the lake.
- These crystals were flatter and the ice beneath them was clear.
- Getting grayer down by the shore.
- My favourite macro subject in the winter is far less exciting but there's still something intriguing about it.
- Icy chandelier.
Winter Macro II (Even Less Colour)
On December 30 the light was flat most of the time, making it extremely difficult to capture anything other than the inherent grayness and brownness of winter.
- Yesterday's subjects now with fresher snow.
- I wasn't happy with yesterday's "twirlies" so I tried again.
- I tried to keep the background clearer.
- Interesting shape.
- Today's twirlies are coated with a layer of ice.
- Revisiting yesterday's ice worms, now minus the sunshine.
- A lot more snow on the downed seedhead.
- A seemingly innocuous dead leaf revealed incredible textures.
- My favourite photo of the two days. Who knew there was any colour anywhere.
- This tree bark reveals an elephant's face if you look at it the right way.
- A simple sage plant provides woven texture. I will definitely go back for more pictures of sage.
- Ending on a literal note.
Shadow in December
Here are some recent photos of a day-in-the-life of Shadow and her brother, Fletch.
- This is me playing in the morning at my cottage.
- I am tempting my human to play with me. This toy is not for independent play.
- I am reaching for a spoon. Why should only humans use cutlery.
- I like to hide under the dining room table.
- No one can possibly see me here. It's just like the tree I used to live under.
- I also enjoy sitting under this cabinet. Again, hidden from view.
- Nap time.
- Play time again.
- If I see something of interest I can get really curious really fast.
- Me in sepia tones. I think this effect brings out the kitten in me.
- My portrait.
- My human Val likes to cuddle me.
- This is my brother Fletch. While I do all this stuff all day he sits in his basket.
- As I mentioned, he sits in his basket.
Miss Rodrigues’s Last Day
- HSB4M
- HSB silly kids
- CHW3M
- Miss R and Ms. G

































































































