Country Adventures

Farewell to February 2020.

Time flies when you're having fun, so the saying goes. Last week I was out with  a fellow photographer friend and here are a few images I captured that day.

This old truck is almost buried in the snow. I guess, it's not going anywhere.

Here is a closer look.

Even an old dried corn stalk gives welcome relief from the white , snowy landscape.

A little further down the road, this lovely Red Fox paused long enough for me to get some pictures.

Finally he decided that he had posed enough and trotted off to find his next meal, perhaps.

Creation is filled with signs that point to the Creator.

A BUS DRIVER? ME? Chapter 9

Here is my final instalment of my school bus driver story.

As always, the pictures have nothing to do with the story. 

I do hope the roses, which I bought after Valentine's Day, just to take pictures of something other than snow, will brighten your day.

How the years have flown! So much has changed, yet so much is still the same. Over forty years ago, who would have thought that I would drive the bus for so long? Certainly not me. One of the constant things about bus driving is the children. Yes, the faces change but they are all so much alike. There are the shy ones who barely give a smile as they enter the bus and cry bitter tears when things go wrong. On the opposite side are the live wires, the ones that are either constantly talking or stirring up trouble.. In between these two extremes are the children who seem happy, have many friends and seldom, if ever cause a problem. Oh for a bus full of these children. 

 The part of bus driving that changes more often is the drivers. Yes, many stay for a long time , but many also do not. Over the last forty plus years I have seen many drivers come and go. Some left because of situations at home, others just didn’t enjoy it as much as they thought they would. Some worked till they were of retirement age and are still around to give a word of encouragement from time to time. The sad part is that several of our drivers have left because their life was cut short.  

Some stayed till retirement but passed away shortly after that. Others left this earth while still employed with the school division.My mind goes to a gentleman by the name of Elgin Helps. That was his real name and it was so perfect as he was always quick to lend a helping hand whenever he could. When his life was cut short, it left a void in his family but also in the school division. Another one who didn’t get to retire was Merv Spencer. Merv and his wife Jean both drove for this division at one time. Merv’s dry humour is still missed and his name still comes up in conversation. I cannot forget to mention Art Dudgeon. Art did retire but left this world shortly after that. Art was one of those people who had a way of endearing himself to others. Good old Art, how could we ever forget his jokes and participation at our meetings. 

 I will choose to think of these and many others who I have met through this job, as my friends and cherish the memories I have of them.  

 These are some of the human changes that have taken place, but there are many others as well. Driver training has become more intense and that is good,. Rules and regulations have changes, some enforced by the government, some by the school division.Yet, with all these changes one thing always remains the same. Being a school bus driver is a huge responsibility. The lives of the children is in our hands. Alertness is of great importance. 

 Years ago, I found a prayer and for the longest time I had it printed out and on the dashboard of my bus so I would read it every day. It goes like this: 

   Oh ever present Lord, I pray be with me at the wheel today. 

Fill every corner of my mind, so roaming thoughts no lodging find. 

Take control of my two eyes, that they may be alert and wise. 

Take my feet and take my hands, that they react to quick demands. 

Then when I come to journeys end, my prayer to Heaven will ascend 

In utter thankfulness to Thee, who kept the wheel all day with me. 

           Amen 

To Everything There Is A Season

Winter time in southern Manitoba results in a lot less photo opportunities than I would like. Never the less, there are still some spots of beauty and interest. 

On a recent Sunday afternoon drive I was able to get a few such shots. 

This little old building sits in the middle of a field. I think it must be an inconvenience for the farmer to work around it, but I am glad he has left it there.

Here, I have zoomed in some more to show the building itself.

A little further down the road a small flock of Wild Turkeys were feeding on a few leftover seeds they could find. These birds have beautiful iridescent feathers.

Later that day, I waited for the sunset and while I did, I was able to capture this shot of a partial moon.

The sunset, although not super spectacular, was still pretty.

I may think the winter drags on, or that there is a lack of things to photograph, but God's Word says:

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Delicate Details

After a light snowfall the world is filled with delicate beauty. This is a beauty which many will never see. Not because they can't, but because they fail to take a moment to stop and really look at what is around them.

The pictures today were all taken while standing on my deck. We had placed a small evergreen bough near the bird bath, for better photo opportunities. The light snowfall had turned those boughs into the prettiest little scenes.

All the pictures look similar, yet they are all different.

Enjoy the little details of each tiny snowflake.

Perhaps you may want to click on each picture to see them a little larger.

I marvelled at these delicate details.

Those tiny snowflakes were so light that the slightest breath would blow them away.

Sometimes we see those majestic mountain peaks or the rushing rivers and marvel at the beauty, and rightly so, but we need to also take time to notice the little details.

The same God who created the mountains and you and me, also created these little snowflakes.

More Winter Whites

This post continues with more frost covered trees and power lines.

The hoar frost adds beauty to almost anything it touches.

A simple barbed-wire fence takes on a new look when coated with frost.

No, the deer were not frost covered. They also were not in a photogenic mood, so this was the best I could do.

Power lines look like strings of narrow garland strung from pole to pole.

And everywhere I looked the trees were coated with the frost and looked like delicate lace structures.

Only the dark tree trunks created a little definition.

Closing Thought:

You were made to shine from the inside out.

Winter White

Winter seems long at times. We get tired of the cold, the snow and the inconvenience of having to put on extra layers to go outside, but, winter does have a lot of beauty.

When a dense fog hits the area, combined with just the right temperatures, the result is some gorgeous displays of hoarfrost.

I would have loved to have sunshine and that beautiful blue sky, but this is pretty cool as well.

The frost covered tree branches fade into the grey sky.

Two lines of trees draw the eye towards the far end.

This tree is often referred to as 'The Tree' at my house. It stands close to the Pembina Valley and is just so picturesque.

As I approach the drop down to the valley, I notice this little tree. It has likely been there for many years, but it took a layer of hoarfrost to make me notice it.

Closing Thought:

Every second brings a new beginning,

Every hour holds a new promise,

Every day gives us new hope.

Bald Eagle!

A shopping trip to Winnipeg, which is about an hour and half drive, demands that the camera has to come along. A few weeks ago, it paid off. A Bald Eagle was feasting on some carrion in the field.

 The pictures are in order of how they happened. This first shot shows him sitting beside his prize.

He was fully aware of my presence and chose not to hang around too long,

And away he goes, to come back when there would be no observers.

For this final picture, I share another bubble shot, just for your enjoyment.

Thought for Today

My God is bigger than any problems I face.

All About The Birds

This post is all about the birds. I used to post more bird photos, but recently have shifted to other things. Hopefully with a new camera and when warmer weather returns, I can once again capture those bird images.

This first picture is taken through my, less than clean living room window. Can you see the bird? 

I'll give you a hint. It is on the trunk of the tree and blends in very well.

Yes, it is a Brown Creeper. This guy is a master at camouflage, and rarely sits in one place for more than a second or two.

The rest of today's birds are Pine Siskins. These little guys don't mind being near people, so on a comfortable winter day, I took my camera outside and waited for them to come.

I didn't have to wait long. Soon they were coming in to get a drink from the heated birdbath.

I think this one was ready to drop down for a drink.,

 I was having so much fun and taking far more pictures than I needed, but that is OK.

 Birdies, beware, I will be back often as the weather warms up.

These are such small, nondescript birds, but the detail in their feathers is amazing. They brought me joy that day and I hope these pictures brought a smile to your face.

Bubbles!

A few Sunday's ago, Steve and I had some fun, photographing something new or at least new to me.

Steve set it all up, made the solution for soapy bubbles, and I had the privilege of capturing many images. I won't show them all, but here are some.

It started out like this, a dark cloth backdrop, a small black lens cap as a base for the bubbles. This is what you would see when observing from the sidelines. When I was ready to shoot, Steve held an umbrella flash over the bubble.

It seemed that each bubble started out forming these coloured bands.

Some of them showed very pastel colors. I should add that these are mostly exactly as they came out of the camera.

Some had distinct gold swirls in the.

 Each one was different.

 Some times the patterns were tightly swirled together.

This is possibly my favourite image. You can still see some of the banding, but the swirls of color are mesmerizing.

Remember, this is what the human eye saw, without the aid of a flash. Here we made the bubble on a small glass dish.

Since this post is all about color, remember this:

We’re all a little broken, but last time I checked, broken crayons still color.