Specifically the Brunette River, which today started creeping over its banks in a few low-lying spots. I was out in the monsoon to get a little exercise and once I was thoroughly drenched, I no longer cared and just had (relative) fun with it.
I didn’t jump in any puddles, though.
This is one of the trails that wends along the hillside in Lower Hume Park. I took the shot with my iPhone 12, then played around with the settings in Affinity Photo because I am all about manipulating reality. Also, the iPhone 12 has this tendency to make images much brighter than they appeared, almost as if Night Mode is stuck on all the time. It’s weird, but assuming it’s intentional, I suppose the logic is that it’s better to have slightly overexposed photos than ones that are too dark and will only bring shame to you when posted to social media.
Here are the settings I adjusted:
And here’s a comparison between the original and altered shot. The changes are subtle, but I think they improve the look and bring it closer to what I was eyeballing at the time.
Just a curly little leaf I saw on a walk that caught my eye.
The sun was out and the birds were in abundance.
Crowd restrictions meant we went surprisingly long stretches without seeing anyone else, so it felt very tranquil at times. Except for the constant honking of geese in the distance.
The gallery:
A green leaf on a gray winter day.
Nic and I went to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary on Saturday and I took a bunch of pictures with my iPhone 8…and my 12-year-old Canon Powershot SD1100. Why did I have my Canon digital camera with me? Because the battery on my iPhone has gone bonkers and barely lasts an hour. I also took a power bank with me and pretty much kept it tethered to the phone.
As a result, I have a lot of duplicate photos from both devices and the Canon held up quite well, given its age.
I also didn’t dress for the weather. I would have been fine, as it was clear and sunny and not too cold–around 8C–but once the wind picked up, I became jealous of the ducks and their down.
We didn’t see any snow geese, which was a bit of a bummer, but more reason to go back, especially since I now know to wear 15 layers.
Before the ripening.
Berries in Burns Bog.
Not quite ripe.
These were taken over the past few days, but I was too lazy/indolent to post them right away.
Fun fact about the first shot: I used Pixelmator Photo on my iPad to remove an out of focus telephone wire from the sky. Yes, this image is not true to life.
But it looks nice.
These will probably grow into horribly sour crab apples or something. I’m not a fruitologist, so don’t quote me on that.
Delicious* Rowan berries!
* If eaten uncooked, the parasorbic acid will actually cause indigestion or, if you’re especially lucky, kidney damage. Per Wikipedia. (I didn’t sample any.)
I booked today off and went for a walk in the afternoon because it was pleasant out and I like pleasant things.
In The Truth Equation Neil Pasricha suggests doing one of three activities every day, for 20 minutes:
Each activity is supposed to put you in a positive frame of mind, with the tree one working apparently because trees secretly spray you with feel-good chemicals or something. You know, like the spores in that episode of the original Star Trek, but les evil.
I ended up doing a full loop of Burnaby Lake and am a little pooped as a result, because I am soft and flabby. But it was nice.
And unnerving.
It was nice because the weather was warm but not hot, the breeze gentle and inviting. I stopped and took pictures (see below). It was everything Pasricha had promised in his book.
But of course, we are in the middle of a pandemic right now, so there are still signs all over asking everyone to stay 2 meters apart, don’t sneeze into each other’s faces and so on.
For stretches, especially the first few km, it was fine. There were few people out–it was a workday and most people, despite all the closures, are still working. But it is also a long weekend and others like me were obviously getting an early start. All good.
So, the walk was relaxing. Except when other people came by, because of the ones who passed me, there was exactly one small group of three that made an actual effort to make as much space as possible between them and me. Everyone else just walked straight by, as if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic.
Realistically, the chances of catching the virus while walking past someone outdoors is exceedingly small. I had no real need to be concerned. But it still created a tension that began to wear on me as I progressed around the lake. I even diverted temporarily onto the Freeway trail at one point just because I knew there would be few if any people walking it (there were a few cyclists, it turned out). But the Freeway trail is not very scenic and, being next to the freeway, is noisy. It’s the kind of trail you walk on if you have to, not because you want to. I returned to the Burnaby Lake loop at the second opportunity to do so and finished my walk.
Overall, it was fine. I get it, people are tired of walking on virtual eggshells, and of being cooped up all the time and being asked to stay home. Parks are one of the few public places that are open and available. But if what I saw today is an indication of how seriously people are treating physical distancing right now–well, let me say that I won’t be surprised if we see an uptick in cases in a few weeks.
On a more pleasant note, photos!
And finally, one last shot of the lake with the Metrotown towers in the distance and some god rays in the top left. At least I didn’t get my thumb in this one (something I’ve done several times recently for reasons unknown).
What will eventually become stomach-churning (if eaten raw) Rowan berries, flowering near Burnaby Lake:
