Category Archives: nature

The Seasons of Victoria Beach (Winnipeg Photographers)

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Over the past 4 years I have had the privilege of getting to know Victoria Beach. John, my fiance, is fortunate enough that his grandfather bought a cabin there in 1944 for $600. This cabin was torn down a couple of years ago and replaced with a new, modern and very beautiful cabin.  It is really more of a beach house than a cabin. We both love it there and call it our sanctuary. Most people only come to their cabins in the summer but we go all year round and we love it even more in the winter. Here are some images that I’ve taken in the 4 seasons at Victoria Beach.

SUMMER

Summer is a very busy time at VB.  There are people playing tennis, visiting in the village green, biking, walking, swimming and waiting in line at the bakery. The sunsets are amazing and the beaches are busy. The pelicans and the eagles are back and the days are long and hot. I love summer.

 

FALL

Fall is the most beautiful time at VB. The days and nights are cooler and there are fewer people around, especially after Thanksgiving. I love walking with my camera in the fall.

WINTER

It might strike you as strange but winter has become my favorite season at VB. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, the people are gone. The population goes from about 16,000 in the summer to 450 in the winter.  It’s not that I don’t like people, but I love the solitude in winter. I love walking the dogs on the roads without worrying about anyone complaining about them being off leash. I love that even on the coldest days, the wind is blocked by the trees and I can take the dogs for walks.  I love the pictures that I can take of the cold and the snow. Take a look:

 

 

SPRING

One of the really neat things about spring at VB is hearing the ice moving as it melts. The dogs can still run free and people have not returned yet. Spring leads to some really interesting pictures as well, with the contrast of the blue water and sky and the white snow and ice.

 

As you can see, it is an idyllic place in all the seasons.

We would love to see you at our sanctuary. Come for a drive and visit us. It’s only an hour from the North Perimeter and well worth the trip.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” John Keats

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Lilies have long been referred to in literature for their beauty as I found out when I looked for quotes about lilies. Here are a couple”

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin.” Matthew VI 28.

The rose is the flower and handmaiden of love – the lily, her fair associate, is the emblem of beauty and purity. Dorothea Dix

I love lilies and every summer my front yard is in full blossom with their beauty and colours. My neighbour joined me in planting lilies and many other flowers, so our front yards are a colourful site  to see. Here are some of the flowers from my yard, including a few lilies.

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Victoria Beach, Mb (Winnipeg Photographers)

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We may live in a hostile, cold environment here in Manitoba, but we are blessed with some of the best lakes and beaches in North America. Victoria Beach is one of them and I was lucky to be able to have spent this last weekend there. I love the rugged coastline with its many beaches.

What a glorious place to go!

Here are a few of my favorite images:

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A Little Taste of Summer! (Winnipeg Photographers)

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Winnipeg has been brown and grey with dull skies lately. I find the dullness kills my spirit and I needed to see some colour and some beauty in nature.

The Conservatory was a perfect place to go for a cure. Being a lover of lilies, I was thrilled to see all the lilies and smell their fragrant aromas. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see some colour.

Here are some of my favorites:

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Kilcona in the Fall (Winnipeg Nature Photographers0

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My dog and I love Kilcona Park. I think it’s at its best in the fall. I took my camera along and got some pictures today while Taylor, my dog, caught up on his p-mail. This was before going to the dentist for a root canal. Definitely gave the day a more positive feel!

I tried some pictures using a slow shutter speed while moving the camera. This first one is one of my favorites.

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LIght Painting Workshop

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It was a beautiful night. It was a break from the every day.  It was fun. It was great to be with good friends. But best of all are the images that I made tonight. Totally amazing images. They speak for themselves.

A huge thank you to Mike Stobbs for coming to Winnipeg and doing this workshop for us and to Kirsten Homenuik for setting this up.

Here are some of the images that I made tonight!

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A Piece of Lily Heaven! (Winnipeg Nature Photography)

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There’s a small piece of lily heaven happening right now in my front yard. I have 8 different colours and kind of lilies blooming and they’re putting on quite a show. I’ve been going out every day to photograph them and in the last 4 days I’ve found a new type of lily has opened up each day. This show has been a couple of years in the making because the red lily beetle has eaten my lilies to the ground in the last 2 years. This year I lost a couple of white ones to rabbits, but aside from that, my piece of lily heaven is glorious!

Here are a few of the stars of the show! Let me know if you have a favorite.
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In My Own Backyard (Winnipeg Photographers)

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Sometimes we think we have to go somewhere to take great photos, and although I love going places to take pictures, I decided to see what I could find in my own yard, and I have to say, I was really surprised.

I love spider webs and have quite a few of them but the one shown below, which by a rusting plant bracket really struck me. My climbing rose is in bloom and with the sun’s directional light it looked really pretty.  Then, I have a family of rabbits living under my deck and one of the larger ones was out for his evening meal. Fortunately, he was eating grass and not my lilies! The biggest surprise was in my bird bath, where I found some seeds had blown in and a few had sprouted.

Why not challenge yourself to see what you can find in your yard? I bet you would be surprised as well!

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