Eclectic Tastes

Here is a classic Bob Dylan......

enjoy and have a great Sunday!

A Remnant Of Summer

As these photos show with the help of the lone yellow blossom, summer has come to a close.

As we were walking along the canal on Thursday around noon, I noticed this dried grass by the water's edge.

It was in stark contrast with the dark water in the background.

And as a result the grass 'popped' out at you.

And since it was high noon, the sun was very bright overhead which could have 'flooded' any picture taken.

I had to make some adjustments to the camera to accommodate the bright light.

I have been setting the shutter speed (which controls the amount of light entering the camera) at a  high speed, between 3000 and 4000, all summer long, with the aperture (also controlling the amount of light coming into camera) set according to time of day, sunlight, clouds etc.

So by setting these two controls manually according to the weather conditions, I can cross my fingers and see what the results are. I was happy with these.

This Is The Last Call For Flight Number.......

It is officially fall here in Nova Scotia.

 And if the temperature is any indication today, it was 16 C, it is here to stay.

 So here we were in the Gaspereau Valley (click here) walking along our and Sophie's favourite canal,

when we come across this beautiful butterfly.

As you can see it is a Monarch Butterfly (click here to learn more) feasting on a clover blossom.

It is very unusual to see these this time of year. They are usually long gone and heading south.

It was the only one here and he/she was very obliging as far as staying on this blossom while we photographed it.

It looked to be in good shape...no tattered wings that I could see.

So as the temperatures are beginning to fall, especially overnight when it could drop enough

to cause some frost in low-lying areas in this neck of the woods,

I am sure this butterfly will catch the next 'flight' south,

even if it has to go it alone.

Larger Than Life

One gets the feeling while on Prince Edward Island that perspective is all out of whack.

Maybe it's the red-coloured clay that is everywhere.

Even the shadows are bigger.

At least my shadow is.

'Is Jim still going on about perspective! Geesh! All I want is that walk he promised me on the beach?'

Parasurfing At Its Best

This afternoon the conditions were perfect for this fellow.

What did I tell you.......

Thinking Out Loud

'Happy and Pretty'

Chris, over at Vintage Christine (I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage), commented last week on one of my posts that she always loves coming to my blog because they are 'happy and pretty'. I took this as a compliment like I know it was meant to be. Thanks Chris.

Got me thinkin'. Could I post about the things that really bother and upset me? Could I talk about the very negative things in life that happen to us all? And about the effects these things have on us?

I guess the better question for me would be: Would I and why?

I have very strong views on a number of things....like religion and politics. I do 'vent' on occasion here like I have through my life when I feel I have been pushed too far and feel 'up against the wall'.

This 'push' could come from what is happening around me in the world in general, or what is happening to me closer to home.

There have been a few 'family' issues that have surfaced over the past year or so that have really affected and involved Ron and I. These could be considered serious enough to have lasting effects.

I know some bloggers would post about these issues and in the hope to find some answers through  help from their followers. This works for them and I am glad it does.

I would not be comfortable in doing this. Why? Well, I feel there is enough negativity in this world than to dwell on my issues here. It would be very easy to do so and would make me feel better initially to share it all with you, but that would last only for a short period of time.

Plus it would get boring very quickly. I have found that reading day after day about people's hard times, gets quite challenging to 'stay tuned'. We don't have to look very far to find something negative.....it is everywhere.

However, to talk and think in a more positive way may take some doing at first. But once one starts it becomes easier as you go. And it does make one feel better about things when the 'twist' you decide to take on any issue, is a positive one.

I was reminded of this this summer while getting our coffee at the BEST Starbucks in Halifax in the Hydrostone area in the north end (my childhood neighbourhood). The staff is wonderful and very (but not obnoxiously) upbeat.

We have been going to this outlet very regularly for over a year now. So, one day I placed my order and the manager who took it asked if we, Ron and I, are always this happy and positive. I was surprised at his question....mainly because I never think about consciously being positive....it just happens.

He said that we always appear happy and are never rude. I told him: why would I show anything else? He doesn't deserve to be the recipient of a 'bad day' I may be having at the time. I told him it would be way too easy to be negative.....wait now, I take that back! It would not be easy for me to be negative when it wasn't warranted. Why would I? And how could I?

I think there is a difference between being positive in a genuine way and positive in a contrived way. I have learned that really trying to stay 'present' in every situation helps me to understand and appreciate what is in front of me at the time and I respond and act accordingly, in an encouraging, positive manner.

Maybe it is the 'teacher' in me that is ever-present or the fact that as a child I had to find 'happy places' to get me through some difficult periods at home.

I loved the colours in this series which haven't been 'worked' at all.
A road near the cottage: l to r...BIL Jim, Sophie, Ron, sister Marilyn and Shelby.

Whatever it was, I will stick with the 'happy and pretty' road of life as much as I can. 

Thanks Christine for getting me going on this little tangent!!

Contemplative Monday

THE DREAM OF CONSTANT OKAYNESS

"It's not impermanence per se, or even knowing we're going to die,

that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught.

Rather, it's our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. 

Our discomfort arises from all our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream 

of constant okayness. When we resist change,

it's called suffering. But when we can completely let go

and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness

of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, 

that's called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature,

to our fundamental goodness.

Another word for that is freedom,

freedom from struggling against 

the fundamental ambiguity of being human."

On a personal note, I have always had difficulty grasping this

'human condition' of impermanence. My acceptance is getting better.

The above quote was taken from Pema Chodron's book: 
'Living Beautifully' which was referenced in her newsletter,
'Heart Advice: Weekly Quotes from Pema Chodron.