Roel Photography » Nature

Butterflies

Roel — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:09:00 +0000

A little while back, I made a visit to the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara. If I could describe it in one word: stunning!

I had no idea there were so many varieties of butterflies. From really small to … HUGE. And so many colours!

So, if you are ever in the Niagara region, it is well worth a visit. I know I’ll be back again…

Sunsets

Roel — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 01:36:00 +0000

I cannot think of a human being on this planet who does not appreciate and enjoy a gorgeous sunset. It is like a promise from the heavens – that tomorrow will bring a new day and to ensure that, the sky will give us magnificent colours to enjoy.

No matter where I travel in the world – I always appreciate sunsets. One of my favourite books is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery – where the main character would always look at the sunsets.

I leave you today with a few images – they pale in comparison to what I saw and this is my way of sharing it with you. Enjoy!

Flowers

Roel — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:33:00 +0000

I have always been fascinated by flowers. Once in a while I’ll grab my camera and a lens and head out for a walk around the neighbourhood. And when I return home, I usually find that the majority of my shots are of flowers.

Flowers are amazing. They do not require much of us… just some water, sunshine and some soil. They grow whether we admire them or not. They just do what they do – be flowers.

My wife has a major green thumb and a passion for gardening. So our deck is adorned with lots of flowers this summer. I’m usually a pretty busy guy with work and all – and have found myself taking a few moments each day to check out our flowers. I don’t know exactly what it is about them that enthralls me – I just know I can be around flowers for hours.

So, next time you are out and about, don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers. I suspect you’ll be glad you did!

Newfoundland

Roel — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:05:00 +0000

During the Canada Day weekend, my wife and I did something a little different – we decided to explore Canada a little more and went to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Of course, we’ve heard all of the jokes about fish and Screech (it is a local dark rum which accurately reflects the reaction you have upon drinking it) and wanted to learn more about our most easterly province first hand.

Anne and I stayed at Angel House Heritage Inn in St. John’s. The owners, Patrica and Russell, took possession of the B&B in late 2005 and have completely and very beautifully renovated the house. It was an absolute joy staying there – not to forget, I think I gained a few pounds with their gourmet breakfasts each morning!

One thing I really enjoyed about their property was the garden. They have an acre of land which contained hundreds of Lupins (which I love), Foxglove and many other lovely species of plants and flowers. One could literally get lost in there.

We spent a day down in Witless Bay. From here you can go visit the Ecological Reserve where we were able to see North Atlantic Puffins (cute little guys, eh?) and Humpback Whales. They were quite the sight!

Oh yes, I must not forget Melissa, our tour guide, musician and our boat’s local comedienne!

We also made a visit to Cape St. Mary’s Bird Sanctuary in the southern part of the province, a 3 hour drive from St. John’s. It is literally several steep cliffs (some of the steepest I’ve ever seen) covered in birds, primarily Gannetts. Funnily enough, we had to wear our raincoats as it was easy to get “rained” upon even though it was a clear sky that day… so as you can probably guess, they weren’t raindrops falling on our heads. Good thing cows don’t fly.

It was a short visit and we’re glad we made the trip. We Canadians live in a beautiful country and I encourage all of you to get out and see it!