An Autumn Walk

[Bill Markwick]

A stroll through Toronto's vast High Park with my FZ20. In the first photo, there's a large pond formed by Spring Creek (not a creative name, but then Toronto has an Avenue Road too). It's only a five-minute walk from a busy city intersection, but few seem to know it's there.

http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/6515/lrgpond22ra.jpg

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/2541/duck2r5ty.jpg

A mallard ripples the reflections as she paddles over in hopes of a handout.

http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/8067/duck31ng.jpg

While I shell some peanuts, she floats patiently under that incredible fall sky.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/6564/monetr2cp.jpg

At the other end of the pond is a arched footbridge reminiscent of the one in Monet's later paintings.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/5033/weir1r5io.jpg

A series of weirs slows the creek's descent to Lake Ontario and creates small ponds here and there.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/7708/orange2r4tb.jpg

A tree that favours orange lets loose.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/3120/orange4r3es.jpg

Some interesting patterns in brown and orange.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/9949/yel1r22rz.jpg

And an explosion of yellow.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/2372/bluejayr2di.jpg

A bluejay eyes the free peanuts. Despite all their raucous noise, bluejays are fairly timid - this one wouldn't come closer than three metres or so. I threw him unshelled peanuts and he'd dash off to the nearest branch to open them (and even faster than I can).

And finally, as I head back again, I pass the large pond once more and can't resist this shot, sort of a visual haiku.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/6876/haiku2r1qt.jpg

Regards,
Bill
Panasonic FZ20

[Vich]

Beautiful place and beautiful captures Bill.

That FZ20 sure is a nice tool!

[Jeff Keller]

I wish we had fall colors like that around these parts!

[eaglssong]

Magnificent!!!

Thanks Bill.

[Glenn Kennedy]

comes around.

Nice set, Bill. Your autumn (fall) seems a lot serene than ours. The BBC (and they nearly always tell the truth) suggested that we were going to experience the end of Hurrican Wilma over the weekend.

The weather was pretty horrible, even by our standards (not as bad as in FL, though). This is Tyrella beach Co. Down, N. Ireland, looking across to Newcastle where in the words of a famous (over here) song "The Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea". Sunday 30th about 3 pm.

Mountains ??

[Tyger]

nice series there Bill.

I haven't been down to high park in awhile, i used to live not too far, queen and lansdowne area.

[Bill Markwick]

comes around.

Nice set, Bill. Your autumn (fall) seems a lot serene than ours. The BBC (and they nearly always tell the truth) suggested that we were going to experience the end of Hurrican Wilma over the weekend.

The weather was pretty horrible, even by our standards (not as bad as in FL, though). This is Tyrella beach Co. Down, N. Ireland, looking across to Newcastle where in the words of a famous (over here) song "The Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea". Sunday 30th about 3 pm.

Mountains ??

Canada occasionally gets accused of being boring, but if so, it sure beats hurricanes and earthquakes and the thousand natural shocks we don't get (whew!).

"Mountains of Mourne" is well-known here, no doubt because half of Ireland moved to North America in the last half of the 19th century (including my mother's family).

Glad you liked the series - your photo is beautiful; I love that misty effect.

Bill

[Glenn Kennedy]

I was caked with salt spray after a 30 minute walk on the beach. It was no effect... trust me !