Rural Ontario Pondscapes

Peaceful and calm as these images may seem, they don't tell the whole story of a winter fast approaching.  

 Just a few more weeks and this scene may be frozen under a blanket of snow.

BARNSCAPES

 Something as simple and straightforward as the design of a farm building speaks volumes about our heritage and culture.

 We keep ourselves grounded when we remember our own connection to what is old yet still functional and useful.

The feel of weathered barnboard.  The smell of straw and feed grains evokes not only this link to the past but should keep us conscious of where the foods we put on our table come from.

If you are interested in seeing similar photos, look back to my posting on October 11, 2010.  This kind of setting keeps calling me to capture it.   Like a photograph hangs on to a moment, these images seem frozen in their time.

New Link Posted

Check out Rob's Morning Rant.                    It just made it's debut today.

Hopefully much much more to come in future.

Palermo, Sicily

The urban heart of Sicily took me by surprise.  

I'm not sure what I expected but what I found was an attractive sophisticated urban landscape easily the equal 

of any other major centre I have seen. 

Modes of tourist transportation range from 

the functional to the romantic.

 Detail of the Teatro Massimo, The largest opera house in Italy and third in size behind Paris and Vienna.   A centrepiece of Palermo.  For more information about this magnificent structure, it's history and upcoming events visit the homepage of Teatro Massimo itself or Wikipedia.

                                                 Open for business

OLYMPUS DSLR Cameras, I Am In Crisis

Olympus has just introduced an update to their professional DSLR camera line called the E-5.

                                                           (Not my Picture)

I want one.  I want one real bad.
Can I afford it?
Yes.
Do I need it?
No
Can I justify it?
No.
I'm torn.

It's bad enough that I appear to be one of only two people in the greater Metropolitan Toronto area who is sticking with Olympus DSLR equipment (I talked the other guy into it).
I'm finding it very difficult to avoid the tug to buy this latest gadget that Olympus has put out there.

So what do I do?  Every time I'm spending too much time looking at advertisements for the E-5, I pick up one of my two E-510 cameras, each now almost 4 years old, and am quickly reminded of why I bought them in the first place.

                                                              (Not my Picture)

 I still think this little tough as nails model is the best thing Olympus, or any other recognized name brand (and you know who they are), has come up with for the money to date.  Until something new comes on the market that just blows this out of the water, I'm perfectly content with what I have and don't intend to do more than look at the pretty pictures of what is, ostensibly, new and improved.

Olympus has never held a substantial market share in North America and Canada in particular.  I'm not really certain why that is as they are acknowledged even by the competition as producing incredible optics and exceptionally durable hardware.

I've had my 510's in every kind of weather and extremes of temperature.
Far (Really far.  Seriously.) beyond what they are designed for.

Just in case anyone is interested.
Here is a link to the Olympus website in Canada.

Engagement Rings, Every picture tells a story

This photo, taken in Genoa, Italy, was a complete surprise.  Shooting the facade of a local church, I caught these four sitting on the front steps.  I took as many shots as I could without being intrusive and this was the result.

Gaudi's style in Barcelona

 On the tourist bus for a quick spin around the city and back in port just in time to catch the last boarding call of the day.

La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's master work and still not complete after 128 years.  The Basilica is completely funded by donations from visitors and other benefactors.  Construction is slated to be completed for 2026, the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi's death.