2013: Chasing Hurricanes

Giving 2013 a proper send-off would not have been right without my G, my life-wife, my bestie, my therapist, that chick that drinks the other half of my bottle of wine, and all the other amazing things Georgina has been to me throughout the past year in particular. 

For Christmas, we had exchanged gifts: I'll buy your New Year's Eve outing, and you buy mine.
DEAL.
Fantastic supper and drinks at the Carleton before and after another amazing show by Matt Mays featuring, of course, Adam Baldwin at the Halifax Casino!

"Throw in the shifter 1 2 and 3
Find me the queen of Portland street
Out in the five-runner out in the rain
Me and G chasing hurricanes..."
                                                                                                                     ~Matt Mays, "Queen of Portland Street"

Christmas at Home

I spent Christmas this year in Cape Breton with my mom. There was a snowstorm on the 23rd that delayed the trip, so I was actually at her place for just a day or two, but we had a fantastic little celebration and kept up on some old traditions we had started long ago.

First up: a tiny representation of her spectacular Christmas village, which we have been contributing to for a decade or more to the point where she no longer has room to display the whole thing!

A walk outside in the beautiful Christmas snow.

And  on Christmas Eve night, we visited an uncle who was spending Christmas alone, before driving to Wentworth Park. It was snowing again and treacherous for driving, but the park looked amazing and it was so worth it!

Christmas morning meant gift opening, some silly pictures, and some nostalgic moments by the tree.

 Then there was turkey dinner, a turkey delivery to an old friend who might not have had some otherwise, and an another after-dark drive to see some of the lights and displays around Sydney.

I'm not usually a big fan of blue Christmas lights, but THIS BUSH!!!!

 and again, in black and white just because.

 Boxing Day dawned rather spectacularly. This is my mom's yard, and it really was THAT pretty.

The highway was cleared early enough that we encountered no problems when my friend and I hit the road to head back home to the big city. Well... there was that cop that pulled us over for speeding (I'd hate to say 'I told you so, but... wait. I DID tell you so! haha) but we made good time, before AND after the warning, and we were still able to get a few shots along the way.

The first two were taken out the car window. That's right, doing 100km's on the highway, window rolled down, hanging out, the passenger side, camera in hand.... LIKE A BOSS.

Seal Island Bridge:

and one last look at the Island from the top of Kelly's Mountain...

 Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Silent Night

So striking, so beautiful, and still so calming.
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Rain on my Parade

Okay, so it didn't actually rain three days before Christmas, but there was definitely a thaw.  All the frost, all the ice, and a good amount of the snow turned everything into a slushy, wet mess. 

The up side?
The pine trees: all of them. Tiny diamonds on the end of each and every needle.

First Snow

The 2013-2014 snow season didn't start until mid-December. Who'd have thought that the Longest. Winter. EVER. would start out with a dusting: just enough to cover everything in a light blanket of stunning whiteness.

 

Perfect!

Chloe

Chloe Belabean, BabyGirl, FuzzyButt, and The Most Beautiful Girl Cat In The Whole World... maybe feeling a little stressed. lol

Prime Time

In November 2013,  I finally decided to invest in a prime lens. Speed, sharpness, and the need to frame your composition 'just so' while shooting make "invest" the appropriate word for the 50mm fixed-length. Not to mention, it was under $200: a drop in the bucket as far as lenses are concerned.

I couldn't wait to try it out, and the results below are exactly the crisp, clear loveliness I was promised.

Autumn in Falls Lake

Near Windsor, NS, there is a recreational facility owned and operated by the Department of National Defence. There are 25 cabins, complete with fire pits, barbeques, and many of the comforts of home. If you're lucky enough to have a connection with the DND, you can book one of the cabins and spend a night or a weekend doing whatever you want, including absolutely nothing if that's what you desire. Fortunately, in the fall of 2013, I had just such a connection.

 

  

Back at the cabin, there was no shortage of human interest either! 

A bit of this:

along with some of this:

and a tonne of food that was not only tasty, but perfectly photogenic!

because what would a cabin mission be without a nice, warm piece of pie?

As the sun went down, another walk along the lake; a stunning end to a beautiful day in an absolutely magical place...