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.

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!

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!

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.

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.