Nature

[caption id=“attachment_542” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Autumn Leaves”][/caption] As I did the last post and was thinking of this Autumn/Fall season, I remembered a beautiful poem my Dad wrote called “Autumn Leaves.” He was reflecting on when it is that the leaves are really showing their true colours and whether each change is not really part of the whole process in Nature. My Dad did most of his writing in the Winter of his life. When he was alive, I didn’t appreciate his writing as I do now. I will share this beautiful poem with you. ...

 [caption id=“attachment_536” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Fall at Niagara Falls”][/caption] A visit to Niagara Falls is always exciting. No matter what the season, the splendor of this great cascade of water remains. I took all the images for this collage yesterday morning. The leaves have changed colour and some have fallen. This is why this season is called Fall. Niagara is beautiful this time of year. As with the seasons that change year after year, we too have our seasons of life. Being so close to Nature as I was yesterday, brought home to me with poignancy, that I too am in the Autumn of my life. After years of struggle with this stage of the journey, I am beginning to grow into it. It’s beginning to feel more comfortable now. ...

[caption id=“attachment_474” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Lake Louise - Canada[/caption] Travel books, magazines, brochures, and the like, are always depicting the best places one should visit. The latest I saw was called “Ten Places to Visit before you Die.” I haven’t taken a look at it yet. One visit I’m glad that I made was to Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Banff National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a glacial lake.with an altitude of 5052 ft. ...

[caption id=“attachment_500” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=““Summer Garden””][/caption] Today, September 22nd, is the first day of Fall. This Summer has gone by very quickly. Before going completely into Fall mode, I wanted to create a collage to celebrate the season just passed. I took all the photos in this collage. The image in the top left hand corner is a piece that I created myself and called “Summer Garden” over twelve years ago. The materials that were used include ceramic tiles, stained glass, pebbles, stones, jewelry, and paint. I was just beginning to want to express myself “artistically.” It is in my home and I enjoy looking at it very much. I never knew when I created it that I would one day use it in a collage. ...

 You never know what you will see on the sidewalk before garbage day. Sitting on my porch late one evening, I noticed that my neighbour on the opposite side had put out a mirror. There are huge trees around, and as I sat there sipping my tea, it was the reflection of the branches in the mirror that caught my eye. The images you see here came out of that photo-shoot. ...

[caption id=“attachment_448” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Beautiful flowers and eyes!”][/caption] Flower-arranging is one of my hobbies. It gives me great delight to choose flowers at the florist’s and to pick flowers from the garden to create an arrangement. Some arrangements I’ve made are small and some have been larger. I’ve made arrangements to give as Birthday presents, Christmas presents, and lots of “thank you’s.” Working with flowers gives me a wonderful feeling. The images in this collage are of a smaller arrangement I did to take to a Memorial Service three weeks ago. I took the photos at home. The eyes in this collage are those of a baby boy nine months old and the caption in the collage was photographed from the cover of a journal in my local bookstore. These three elements just seemed to come together - beautiful flowers, beautiful eyes, and the caption “Beauty for your eyes to see.” ...

 [caption id=“attachment_429” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Hanging Gardens”][/caption] Niagara-on-the-Lake is the home of the Shaw Festival. The Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw’s works, are performed here in four theatres. The Festival has added some other contemporary productions over the years. Shaw won the Nobel prize for literature in 1925 and was also the winner of an Oscar. Many people come from near and far to visit this lovely lakeside town and also take in one of the shows. I was there for the Peach Festival. All these images of the Shaw Cafe and Wine Bar were taken two weeks ago. ...

“Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.” Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.” Say rather, “I have met the soul walking upon my path.” For the soul walks upon all paths. The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet ...

 [caption id=“attachment_359” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Artsy Peacocks”][/caption] I have a weakness for both artsy paper products and peacocks. I’m fascinated with just how beautiful the covers of journals have become as well as greeting cards and stationary. Peacocks are ostentatious and showy and make a colourful subject to attract the attention of buyers and admirers of peacocks alike. All the images in this collage come from such products. I took them at different times because of their attractiveness and wasn’t sure how I would use them. They just seemed to be begging to be photo-collaged and this is the result. ...

[caption id=“attachment_329” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Snowy Day”][/caption] This collage is to help make all of us who are sweltering in the heat of this summer day feel a little bit cooler. Toronto is hot, hot, hot! We are complainers about weather when it’s cold And we can’t stand much when it’s hot,hot hot!