Green (and pink, and blue) Thumb

One of my favorite parts of being a homeowner is having space to plant flowers. I'll admit, I don't have the greenest thumb, but in the summer of 2011, I was the proud owner of an incredible crop of blue morning glories in the backyard...

...and (among others) some glorious pink cosmos in the front!

 

 

The cosmos grew a little big for their britches, so next year I'll go with something a little smaller. Until then, I absolutely LOVE these ones!!!!

Jill and Adam

Jill and Adam were married on Prince Edward Island on August 22, 2011. The bride is a friend of a friend, and I, in turn, was a wedding gift. I didn't tell anyone until after the fact that I was on the winning end of this deal whatever way you looked at it: a summer weekend in a vacation paradise with some of my best girls AND I get to shoot a stunning and unique outdoor wedding?! Count me in!

Now, I use the word "unique" to describe this wedding because it really was a personal event. The location was the parents of the bride's old farmhouse, the aisle was a garden path in the side yard.

The reception was held in the family barn. There was a dory filled with ice and beer in lieu of wedding favours, bottles of homemade wine with labels depicting lyrics of love songs, beer bottles turned center-pieces on the tables, and a clothesline of postcards on which you  could write your wishes for the new mister and missus. There were also trading cards: one for each member of the wedding party and immediate family, and each guest received 6 and were encouraged to trade amongst each other to get the entire set.

The bride and groom requested no formal shots: they did not want to interrupt their guests enjoying themselves, and I happily obliged... well, for the most part. :)

 The ceremony itself was like something out of a romance novel: the rows of chairs set up in the garden provided room for all, and the sun shining over the house made for perfect lighting.

Both Jill and Adam were barefoot as they spoke the vows they had written for each other, and still as barefoot as they turned and ran back down the aisle after the short and sweet ceremony.

Guest entertainment included a washertoss tournament that was a huge hit!

 

and dinner was served up fresh from the barbeque, or the lobster burner, as you preferred. 

I'm not too proud to say that I begged Adam and Jill to allow me 15 minutes of their time for a few posed shots that I had in mind especially for their setting. Adam negotiated me down to 10... and that was all I needed.

 

Then there were the traditional speeches by the best man and the father of the bride, followed by a first dance, more washertoss, and some socializing under the tents as the sun went down...

and after dark there were bonfires and sparklers: a perfect end to a perfect wedding day.

Much thanks to those who were involved in getting me the chance to shoot this one. I am grateful for the experience: it was an incredible time! Also thanks to Adam for not letting Jill turn down the offer of a photographer as a wedding gift. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SAID NO THANKS?"

Priceless.

Prince Edward Island

I confess.

Though my heart is in Cape Breton, there is another island in my life. 

Prince Edward Island is where I went to college and learned the art of photography. It was a bit of a reunion for me to return there to shoot a wedding at the end of August 2011, and to take the Canon for a bit of a walk in my free time.

One of the most striking physical features about PEI is its soil. The bedrock contains a high level of iron-oxide, giving the entire island a striking red color.

 

It is also a vacationers' paradise. Home to the world-renowned Anne of Green Gables, as well as some incredible beaches, there is no shortage of things to see. The island is small and quaint, its inhabitants laid-back and friendly.

One of the last things you see when leaving PEI is the Confederation Bridge. It spans a 12.9km (9 mile) long section of the Atlantic Ocean, and connects PEI with New Brunswick and the rest of Canada. It was completed in 1997 and served to supplement the existing ferry crossing all year round. It is a stunning piece of architecture and an historic engineering feat for Atlantic Canada

A Fly On The Wall

"Oh, if only I were a fly on the wall..."

It's a saying that implies being an unnoticed witness to an event. But maybe we should be taking more notice of these 'pests' and appreciating how beautiful they are when you get in a little closer.

Ominous Crow

This guy returned to sit on the old birch tree in my backyard for days. He watched the blue jays eating peanuts, watched me enjoying the deck, and left on occasion, but never for long. Kind of gave me the creeps to be honest, but maybe he was looking out for me... or just wanted to get his picture on the internet.

My Island

I'm so lucky to be from such a gorgeous part of the world. Here's some more Cape Breton scenery from various trips this summer.

First, a local favorite: Wentworth Park.

Downtown Sydney for the world's biggest fiddle and some lupin love.

Louisbourg:

The Mira River:

and the Bras D'Or Lakes.

"We are an island, a rock in a stream
We are a people as proud as there’s been
In soft summer breeze or in wild winter winds
The home of our hearts, Cape Breton"

-Kenzie MacNeil "the Island"

Nancy and Jonathan: Officially Engaged!

The last mission of that week in Sydney was to once again meet up with Nancy and Jonathan for some official engagement photos. Turns out, Jonathan popped the question (on one knee, beside a waterfall... *swoon*) about two weeks after our last session, and I couldn't turn down these two if I tried, so we met up at Wentworth Park in Sydney for an evening with the Canon.

First, you've got to see this ring. 

I love the heart on the side.

And it's just as beautiful on her finger.

And on this random plant. :)

Nancy is beautiful all on her own.

and Jonathan compliments her so nicely.

By this point, it was starting to get dark, and I noticed the lights coming on in the fountain on the other side of the park. It looked like a perfect backdrop with geysers of water spewing up out of the ground at various heights, each lit by a light at the base of each spout. Naturally, by the time we got to the other side of the park, the lights had turned off for some reason... but the water continued to flow at least.

By the time we were done with that area, both Nancy and Jonathan were a bit wet and getting a little cold. We hung out for a few minutes, willing the lights to come back on, but to no avail.

That is, until we started to walk away!

SUCCESS!

It turns out, the lights are on timers. Who knew?!

Never one to pass up a photo opportunity, I asked if they'd be willing to play. Nancy was easy enough to convince; Jonathan wasn't so sure until she told him to go for it. When I asked if they'd be willing to get right in the fountain and they obliged, it was sheer, unadulterated magic.

In June 2012, Nancy and Jonathan will be married, and I will be the lucky one who gets to capture the first day of their lives as husband and wife. To say I'm excited is an understatement: this will DEFINITELY be one to watch for!
 

There and Back Again

The first week of August 2011 found me back in Cape Breton visiting my mom in Sydney. My brother was also home visiting and it was the first time in about a decade that the three of us were under the same roof. He brought with him his lovely girlfriend, and I brought with me my favorite sidekick: my Canon.

Sydney is a small city. It's not a place of skyscrapers or gnarled traffic. It is quaint and beautiful, both day and night.

I spent one full day about two hours outside of Sydney, driving and then hiking near Baddeck. Before I even got there, however, there was a pit stop that I stopped to take in.

A guard rail on the side of Kelly's Mountain overlooking St. Ann's Bay serves as a guest book for those who bear witness to this little piece of heaven

 In case you were wondering, that's....

Once hitting the trail to the falls, I was mesmerized by the sheer peacefulness of the hike. The trail is groomed and easily manageable for the most part with only a few tricky areas and well-kept bridges like this:

Then you come to the falls itself, which I was convinced was the most magical place on Earth. The path ends at the bottom falls with a smaller flow, and above that, almost beyond sight, is a 50 foot waterfall that looks like something straight out of a fairytale.

It was as I was crawling over rocks and the few other onlookers that had made the trek that morning that I remembered reading something about an unpromoted foot path on the other side of the brook that would lead a more adventurous hiker to the bottom of the larger falls. It was not recommended and I was packing a tripod, backpack, and camera bag, but when I spotted it winding it's way up the side of the cliff I figured I'd give it a go. 

I made it. 

Boy, did I make it.

This is the view from the top of that footpath. 

I gawked. 

I couldn't believe it. 

And although it's been years, I've been there before! 

This was single-handedly the most beautiful, peaceful, magical place I had ever been, and after a few minutes, I had it all to myself. I swear, I stood there for a good 10 minutes before the heaviness of my camera and tripod reminded me that I would be able to capture the absolute serenity before me to save for years to come... or try to anyway. I crawled over rock and limb, shooting like a crazy woman, getting my feet wet and sliding over rocks that required using my tripod as a crutch to get back up on. Lucky you, you get to see a couple of my favorites. :)

I did eventually leave. I didn't want to... I sat and stared for an hour or more before I dragged myself out of there. I had more shooting to do... although not until after I pulled the car over to chat with this lovely chap.

That night, Canadian rock legend Kim Mitchell was in town to celebrate Sydney's Action Week Festival, and headline the Rock the Dock outdoor concert. That man is 60 years old and still puts on one helluva show!

and the next night saw the festival closing with local favorites the Carlton Showband and a spectacular fireworks show which, of course, I wasn't going to miss!

 I make a lot of trips back home, but it never seems to be enough. Every time I am there I see something I had long forgotten and it reminds me that no matter where I go, my heart is always on Cape Breton Island.