GG Pie

Parker Quinn met his Great Grandma this past weekend.

It was amazing & a real treat for me to see her hold her first Great Grand Son.

We Love you GG!

More Moose...

bow-chica-wow-wow

OH, &

Happy Anniversary Hunny!

&

Happy Birthday Pa-Pie

Man Eating Moose

I have spent a few summers in Algonquin Park & I have been very privileged to have photographed a wide variety of wild life - from Loons & Northern Harriers on the nest, Black Bear & cubs, Buck, Does & Fawns, Wolves & of course the all impressive Moose.

I had some time to spare one afternoon about a month ago & decided to take a drive along the Frank McDougal Parkway (Hwy 60) to try my luck. The trip had been pretty uneventful up until I had turned around from the Opeongo access point & I started to head back west when I came across this cow & calf grazing on the side of the Hwy.

I could barely contain my excitement - with my hands shaking & heart racing, I managed to get my camera onto my tripod & slowly & quietly, began to approach the two. Once I got into position & got settled, I started to fire off the shots - they were very accommodating & I didn't push my luck by getting to close.

The cow was looking very rough with big patches of hair gone from heavy tick infestation, however the calf seemed to be very healthy & active.

I spent a good 10+ mins. of quality alone time with the pair until a convoy of vehicles came to a hurried, gravel crunching stop practically beside me. As vehicle doors opened & slammed shut, the cow & calf made their quick exit into the thick forest leaving behind the dismayed onlookers.

I gave my quite thanks of appreciation & quickly made my own exit. As I was making my way back to my car I overheard one of the adults comment "are moose man-eaters?" WT*! The funny thing was, that hasn't been the first time I have heard some one ask that very same question- unbelievable!

Once back in my car, I couldn't help at being a bit pissed with these ignorant folk who come into the park with such rushed enthusiasm that they end up ruining their experiences as well as everyone else's. These people need to "slow down" in all aspects of their lives, otherwise they are always going to end up seeing the "ass" end of things.

Anyways - I did calm down & enjoyed my leisurely drive back home taking my time to watch the sunset against the beautiful Algonquin Highlands landscape.

drum roll please...

Well, here I go - my very first, brand spank'n new, hot off the press & still a tad bit juicy - PHOTO BLOG!

Kinda like my son, I'll introduce you:

Cute Eh! Parker came into this world on Aug. 2nd, 2007 at 5:40 am. He is very adorable & I still can't believe he's here & that he's mine.

So, I don't know why I haven't started a photo blog earlier (could it possibly be my agonizingly slow dial-up connection at home?or is it the fact that all I need is to have some other additional time consuming interest to keep me away from my daily chores) Ya right.

I can't promise that I will have a daily post or for that matter anything of real interest to say - but the idea being here is for me to post images & thoughts for your comments, critique or for plane old bashing - so please let me know what you think - I have big shoulders.

There is this amazing antique place staged in an old barn just west of town from where I live. I can spend all day in & around this property as the light is great anytime of day there. Here is just a small sampling of images:

Well that's it for my first post - here's to many more - cheers!

cpie