The Universe (as I see it) » Family

A Picnic in Toronto

Don Komarechka — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:55:40 +0000

It’s fun to get out, even if you don’t go very far. A while back, Desi and I went on a picnic one quiet afternoon at a nearby park. In the busy lives we live, there is much to be said for staring up into the sky and dreaming. Peace and quiet are things that need to be sought out sometimes, which is exactly what Desi and I did.

… and you know what, I didn’t get a photo of the wonderful spread of food we brought. Wonderful sandwiches, cheeses and bread, and great dessert too! I did, however, try out some infrared photography, which was quite interesting:

It is interesting to see the world in a way that we can never see it. Our eyes cannot see infrared, yet it bounces around the world just like regular light. It acts a little differently though – it reflects heavily off of foliage, and almost not at all off of water and the sky. It can make for some very surreal looking landscapes – portraits too! (you’ll find one of Desi in the gallery below). Colour in infrared photos are always fake, so you can play with them and have fun, or make them black & white. Photos like that can help me open my eyes, a wonderful thing to do.

Desi and I had a great time, definitely going to do this again

A Glimpse of the Past

Don Komarechka — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:39:17 +0000

A little while ago, Desi had a wonderful idea. During the Doors Open Toronto city-wide event, many attractions had no admission fee for the day. We were able to take advantage of this and visit the Black Creek Pioneer Village for about an hour after work, and we had a wonderful time.

For those unfamiliar with the place, it is essentially an entire village center with various businesses and workshops all staffed by people in period costumes. The village is circa early to mid 1800s and was simply fascinating to visit. We didn’t have very much time so we didn’t get to see it all, but we definitely want to go back and visit it again when we have more time. They even had a fully-operational microbrewery built to 1850 standards and a blacksmith heating and bending metal with period tools:

Our quick visit to the village was a fun adventure and reminded us both a little of our trip across Europe. Full gallery below:

Rose Tea from Vietnam!

Don Komarechka — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:29:09 +0000

My cousin James just returned from quite an adventure through Eastern Asia and ending in New Zealand. On these travels we had been in contact via e-mail, and he told me to expect a package in the mail. A few weeks later, a very curious package arrived in the mail:

The package contained something that I was quite happy to receive; inside was a great letter and a wonderful gift from Vietnam – Rose Tea:

The tea is effectively dried rosebuds in a package, such an intriguing idea to use roses as an herbal tea! Interesting fact: Roses are very closely related genetically to apples.

Anyhow, Desi and I decided to try out the tea, and I found it quite crisp and very aromatic, Desi found it wonderful as well – a great tea with a unique story! Desi and I both thought it was a nice romantic gift for us to share.

We also made a cup of it for Desi’s mom, and I think that out of the three of us, I enjoyed it the most – I love these special herbal teas. Thanks very much for the great gift James, I’m still shocked it made it through customs without a problem!

Beautiful Art

Don Komarechka — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:38:32 +0000

Even though she is extremely busy, that doesn’t stop her creativity one bit! Recently, Desi created a painting for one of her teachers and I had the opportunity to see it and photograph it before it was given away. This is definitely one of my favourites, and I thought I would share it with everyone here as well:

When people ask me where I get my inspiration, the answer is often from art like this.

Easter 2010 in Oakville

Don Komarechka — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:50:38 +0000

This year for Easter we went to Oakville to visit my aunt Cynthia and uncle James, and my little cousins Easton and Maddyx. I hadn’t been there in a while, so it was a really great visit. It was quite the gang we had there, many smiles and great conversations, not to mention the food! It was a wonderful Easter, and so great to see everyone again. One of the highlights, however, was when Maddyx decided to join in the ball hockey game on the street as the goalie:

It was a great light-hearted evening. Many more photos below!

Memories in March

Don Komarechka — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:07:57 +0000

Whenever March comes along, I think a little more than usual about my Dad. Its all positive things, and these thoughts leave me with a smile. I feel in many ways that his spirit and inspiration live on in these memories, and help me strive to pursue my passions in life. To that end, I put a new twist on a photo that many of you should recognize:

I hope that at some point this year I can revisit this place. I love you, Dad.

Shaw’s Maple Syrup – BPC Outing

Don Komarechka — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:43:35 +0000

Today was an outing with the Barrie Photo Club, making for an early morning. We gathered at Shaw’s Pancake House for breakfast, to go for a walk in the nearby maple sap farm. The food was great (especially the syrup!) and the want was amazing. It was great to get out taking photos again, and very enjoyable with the company of a few fellow BPC members. Here is a photo from today of an old tractor we came across:

We also came across the old boiler shed out in the woods, which can certainly seen better days:

It was a great way to spend my morning! Normally I wouldn’t have even been awake at this point on a Saturday, so it was a nice change. Part way through our walk in the woods, a horse-drawn wagon came by a nearby path. Completely unexpectedly, look who I found out for a ride:

Looks like mom and Walter decided to come check out the place and go for a horse ride! Too bad they didn’t stay for breakfast, it was delicious. More photos below, even though it was a chilly overcast day, I still got some decent photos!

Valentine’s Day in Niagara Falls

Don Komarechka — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:18:29 +0000

This past weekend was a nice getaway for Desi and I. I treated her to a night in Niagara Falls, complete with dinner at the Skylon rotating dining room overlooking the city. We had a absolutely wonderful time, and it has convinced me that we should have little getaways like this more often. This was the best Valentine’s Day ever, I love you very much Desi! Here’s a photo of us by the falls:

I took a moment to take the photos needed to make a panorama of the falls. Here’s a very small version of the panorama, the full version is 236 megapixels:

We visited the casino and had a great time spending $12 and winning back $2. We were a little startled when we found out that the parking cost more than our gambling though! Our final stop before we headed home was another surprise – the butterfly conservatory. Desi and I walked around the paths about three times, chasing after the butterflies for photos, and just enjoying the tropical environment in the dead of winter. I got some great photos, and Desi too!

Some of the butterflies were extremely colourful, and the the photos turned out great. Desi and I were talking around and pointing out the most colourful ones, especially the wings on this one:

We really enjoyed our visit to the butterfly conservatory, and noticed some nice hiking trails in the area. This is probably a place we’ll go back to in the summer! Here’s another photo, and the gallery below:

And I’d like to take a moment and thank everyone for all of the comments you leave on my blog. I read every one and look forward to them always. Thanks so much!

A Painting to Celebrate

Don Komarechka — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:36:20 +0000

Desi and I have made a wonderfully artistic tradition. Every January 14th, the anniversary of us starting to date, we make a painting together. Last year’s was the first oil painting I ever made, even in part, and it turned out great. This year we tried something a little different. I painted the bottom and Desi painted the top, and then we overlapped and contributed to the whole. Enjoy!

And for those daring, here is a larger version. I actually took the photo in segments, and combined them in a vertical panorama. The full version is 54 megapixel, perfect to reprint it if we ever want to make a copy. What do you think of this tradition? I love it, and I am already looking forward to next year.

Film from New Years Eve

Don Komarechka — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:07:12 +0000

Who says film is dead? Actually, its close. Film is sitting on shelves for so long that it expires. I don’t let it go to waste though! I decided to shoot a few roles of expired film through my Canon EOS 1N camera on New Years, a nice way to greet the new year. In an era where cameras with 60MP sensors have a commercial price tag, I’ll ring in the new year with black & white film:

The film didn’t turn out too bad, though the colour roll was a little discoloured and difficult to correct. We had a great evening, tons of games, jokes, laughs and wonderful memories. Brent, Steve and Lorraine came to visit, and joined with Desi and I, Karryna and Kevin, and Mom and Walter. Great company, and a great evening even into the new year (and seconds before):

Check through the gallery and let me know what you think! Film certainly has a different feel than digital. I used a special scanning technique that does multiple exposures of the negatives. How do you think it turned out?

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I hope everyone achieves the goals they have set for themselves this year.