Photography

Photos I’ve taken of scenery, interesting objects and other things.

62 and counting (plus trees and other wood)

After reaching 60 posts, I realized that if I posted 62 it would be the most ever in a month, and I’ve been blogging since 1897 2005! So naturally I had to do it.

This is Post #62.

Here’s a photo I took at Burnaby Lake back on September 2 showing a pair of dead trees next to a pile of plywood. I wanted to say something clever or profound about this juxtaposition, but couldn’t come up with anything good, so never posted it.

UNTIL NOW.

Enjoy.

(And think of your own clever or profound observation on this.)

Turning lemons into another post

Occasionally my phone will take a photo on its own. I’m not entirely sure how it happens, but the image almost always looks like a fight scene from the 1960s Batman TV show, with the angle all askew.

One such photo happened recently when I stood on top of the Cariboo Dam, preparing to take a picture of the scenery. What my phone caught on its own was a shot of my feet and the railing.

I’ve cropped the image and applied a lot of effects using Luminar AI to give it a high contrast, hyperreal kind of look. It’s all abstract(ish) up in the hizzy.

I’ve also included the original photo for reference.

Heavily edited
Unedited! Shot courtesy of my iPhone 12 doing its own thing

A shot in the arm (literally)

I got my fourth COVID-19 shot today. Not the fourth one today, but the fourth since this whole kooky pandemic began. I opted for Pfizer, the devil I know.

The jab was quick and inconsequential, as usual, and my arm is a bit sore as I type this late in the evening. I did get a headache in the afternoon, which is a possible side effect, and was new for me. Not too bad as side effects call, so I merely grumble about it.

The clinic ran things very efficiently–I was in and out before my actual appointment time. Masks were still mandatory, of course, and they made me wait 15 minutes to see if I’d mutate into a super-being (I did not), but there was no real effort at physical distancing, unlike previous times. A decent amount of people were there (I had to stand in line waiting for the clinic to open), but I overheard staff say that this was pretty normal–most go in the morning and the afternoons are quieter.

I want to make a joke or use some metaphor about how the clinic is an old Best Buy, but nothing comes to mind. Have a picture instead.

It was also a warm and sunny early fall day. Having the weather continue to be summer-like is going to make The Rains that much harder to endure when they arrive. Maybe.

Also, here’s a photo of a flower at nearby Holland Park that I took when I realized how absurdly early I was.

Reifel Bird Sanctuary, September 11, 2022

The smoke haze of yesterday was still present, but eased up a bit, affording us decent light for our bird outing. Here are a few shots.

Greater yellowlegs and friends
Pretty boy.
Chickadee resting for a few moments

Others were out grabbing shots. You can see the smoke haze in this photo.

Big boat, little boat, from Deas Island. Again, the smoke haze has made the sky white instead of blue.

Photo of the day: That darn cat

I am weird in that rather than have items from Amazon (yes, they are evil and terrible, but I do order stuff from them sometimes) delivered to the condo (with attendant condo-specific issues) I have them delivered to an Amazon locker–but not the locker that’s closest, the one that’s next closest, because I get a little extra exercise walking to it (I occasionally regret this when there’s a downpour but in the summer it’s great).

The route to this particular locker takes me down a street that has a resident Calico cat that is often out and about. Tonight was such a night. The cat was sitting on the sidewalk, chilling out and I said hello, but continued on, as I wanted to just grab the package and get home before it got dark and the werewolves came out. At first, the cat seemed to be okay with this. It looked up but made no move. But as I walked further past, it suddenly bolted ahead of me, then flopped directly in my path, demanding attention and affection. I spent a minute or so scratching behind its ears and petting it, and it seemed content to allow me to move on.

If I ever get another cat, I want one that is as friendly and gently demanding as this one.

You shall not pass (without providing cuddles first)
Yep, just gonna chill out right here

Birdtopia: Rocky Point Park, Colony Farm and Burnaby Lake

We did a triple-header today and saw a bunch of birds. Here are a few, from the super common to one I’ve never seen before.

As the crow flies.
Goose, goose, goose, goose.
The best shot of a killdeer I’ve gotten yet. They do not actually kill deer.
This gull went into full “Look at me!” mode and stayed that way for quite a while.
Shine on, you crazy wood duck.
And the new bird, a green heron! It acted very heron-like but is much smaller than the blue herons we normally see here.
Bonus shot of the green heron.