Walking With Nature By The Bay

 

 

Red Winged Black Bird Singing His Summer Song

High above me in this tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One little Goldfinch sitting in a tree

Looking as pretty as can be.

As He  looks down

I wonder what do you see

besides me,

perched way up in that tree?

Written by Dianne dsphotocats

 

 

 

 

 

 Seems He is following me,  posed for another picture

I have wanted to capture one of these for a very long time. And today he flew into my path.

I prayed God would Bless me and He did.

I believe God can and does use His Creation to Bless those who’s heart is open to see and hear, not only creation, but the Creator Himself.

 

 

 

 

 Queen Anne’s Lace is one of my favorite Wildflowers

Dainty and oh so Pretty is she.

I like how she stands out in her surroundings.

 

 

 

 

What a pleasant surprise as this Beautiful Butterfly

Fluttered by me and Landed long enough

for me to take this photo.

If anyone knows the name of this Butterfly please let me know.

 

 

 

 

He leads me beside still waters

He restores my soul. 

Words from Psalm 23.

That is what came to mind as I looked into the pond and saw this Water Lilly, and her reflection in the still waters.

Maybe you look at this photo and see something totally different , and that is fine too.

I hope that by looking at these photos , and reading this blog, you will be Blessed .

Hope to find you all well and enjoying the seasons of life where ever you may dwell.  May you see the Beauty beyond whatever circumstances you may face in this life. 

May God reveal Himself to you as you seek Him, and Bless You beyond measure.

Sincerely Dianne :)

P.S If you click on each photo you will be able to see a bigger photo.

Dianne © dsphotocats

All Was Calm, All Was Bright At The End Of This November Day

A Biker Sitting At The Peer, Taking In The View At The End Of The Day

Crimson Red Sky And Ripples In The Calm Waters Of The Bay

A Cross In The Sky As I Looked Almost Over My Head

It was as if I were at the foot of the cross.

What a Beautiful thought and sight.

Jesus is no longer on a cross and He is Alive

and one day He will return to this earth.

Acts Chapter 1 in the Bible, tells us how Jesus was taken up

into Heaven, as His Disciples watched,

and suddenly two men dressed

in white appeared and asked them why they stood gazing

into the sky?

This same Jesus , who has been taken from you into heaven ,

will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

------------------------------------

I wonder how many people really believe that Jesus Christ will return to this earth and what the consequences will be?

It’s all recorded in the Bible for all to read , and choose what they will believe. It is all about free choice and Faith.

We can have faith in almost anything but in the end Truth will be revealed.

We can call anything God and worship anything we choose. But I think in the end God Almighty will have the last say.

As I sit at my computer this night these are the thoughts that came to mind as I looked at the image of what I see as a cross in the sky.

These photos were taken just a little over a week ago on a mild November evening just after the sunset. It was so peaceful and the water so calm, which is somewhat unusual for this time of year. Usually it is very cold and the water very rough. I stood in “Awe” of the Beauty that was on display , and the quiet serenity of it all. Just me and two others were standing on the peer lost in our own thoughts and feelings. That was the last time I was out with my camera. It was a night to remember.

I am just getting over the flu and it was a nasty bug indeed. Our weather has changed and the days are getting cooler but still no snow. It won’t be long now as I know things can change over night. After all this is November , and I live in Ontario, Canada.

I want to wish all my American friends and anyone else who celebrates Thanksgiving this week , a very Happy Thanksgiving, and remember, “Thanksgiving is more than a Holiday, it is an Attitude. “

Yours Truly, Dianne :)

My Kind Of A Cloudy Day_Lake On The Mountain

 

 

Reflections Are God's Mirror

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am lost for words, I can only feel when I look at these photos. I was honoured to be able to stand before this view and say yes, I was here on a Beautiful Fall Day.   Dianne © dsphotocats

A Late Summer’s Walk Along The Bay_ Sept.17th/10

 

 

 

Bridge Over The Bay

 

 

 

 

My View From A Distance

 

 

 

 

God’s Canvas In The Sky

 

 

 

 

Swing Low Sweet Chariots

 

 

 

 

Over Looking The City

 

 

 

 

A Different View Of The Bay With The City In The Background

 

 

 

 

One Lone Swan Posing For The Camera

 

 

 

 

A Glimpse Of A Change Of Seasons

 

 

I know Autumn has arrived but I am a little behind the times, and doing a little catching up here.

For those of you who know me, know that many of my photos are taken along the waterfront trails, along the city  where I live. I decided to step back from the trails, and show you  a little of the Bigger Picture. Those who know me know how I love to walk, and bike the trails that follow the Bay, and the river that flows into it. 

These photos only depict a small portion of The Bay, which is fairly large, and leads into Lake Ontario.

I decided on this hot, sunny, late summer, afternoon to take a walk along The Bay, from a distance, but did end up on part of the waterfront trail near the end of my walk. This was 5 days before the end of summer, and it was so Beautiful. I had the afternoon off work, and I just had to get out there with my camera, and enjoy the great outdoors.

I hope you have enjoyed the walk, and the view. Goodbye Summer and hello Autumn.

Have a wonderful Sunday, and remember…. When things look down, look up.

Blessings to all.  Dianne dsphotocats :)

Morning Sunrise

 

 

The Beginning Of A New Day

 

 

 

 

The Light Of The Day Unfolds

 

 

 

 

Light And Darkness Mingling

 

 

 

 

Drawn Into The Light

 

 

 

 

Darkness Slips Away and Gives Way To The Light

 

 

 

 

Watching From A Distance As The Day Unfolds

 

 

 

 

The Clouds And Fog Moves In

 

 

 

 

It Is Like A Curtain Is Drawn As The Clouds And Fog Settle

For A Time, Obscuring The Sun.

 

 

Although you can’t see the Sun, it is there rising above the horizon. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it is not there. It is rather silly to say, “I won’t believe it until I see it”.

It is Fact. You can’t always go by sight or by your  feelings, for sometimes what you see or feel isn’t baste on the Facts or The Truth of the matter.

 

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Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

By Faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3

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The Promise Gives Us Hope, Which Produces Faith

To All Who Believe.

 

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Well I started this post on Saturday night, and now it is officially Sunday Morning.

I have been up since 5:30 Sat. morning. I woke up and the thought crossed my mind to get up and try and capture the sunrise. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep to no avail, so up I got and threw on my clothes, made coffee, grabbed a granola bar, and my camera bag and out the door I went, leaving my hubby rubbing his eyes and giving me a kiss , my little dog by his side .

I headed down to the Bay, One of my favourite places to go. This is the same place I took the photo that is on my blog header up above. Just a different day.

I took a few photos , and then after the fog and clouds moved in, I headed back to the van and drank my morning coffee and did some reading, and some praying. Some of you came to mind. It was a wonderful morning , so quiet and peaceful and my soul was refreshed. Yes it was good to be still, after another long and busy week.

A little time later I got out of my van and went and took a few more pictures of things that crossed my path. I will save them for another day. Hope you enjoyed coming along on this small part of my journey. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. Blessing to all.

Sincerely, Dianne :) and Hugs to all my friends.

 

Spring Sunrise_ May24/09

Just Before Sunrise On A Saturday Morning In May

God’s Painting Before My Eyes

The Sun Is Still Behind The Horizon

Waiting For The Sun To Come Up

and

It Begins To Rise

In The Set Time

No Person Can Manipulate It’s Timing

All Must Wait

Only The Creator

Can Cause It to Rise and Set.

I Am In Awe

and

Feel At Peace

As I Witness

The Act Of God

All We Can Do

Is Try To Copy It’s Splendour

Whether By Painting On Canvas

Or Taking A Photograph

We Can Ignore It

Or

We Can Embrace It’s Beauty

But One Thing We Know

God Gave Us The Light

And

He Gave Us His Son

We Can Choose To

Accept Him and Embrace Him

Or

We Can Choose To Reject Him

And Walk Alone

God Is Gracious

and

Loves Each One

Today Is A Gift

Tomorrow May Not Be Ours

Don’t Take Life For granted

Embrace Today

and

Hope For Tomorrow

Trust And Believe

Give Him Your Life

Every Sunrise Is Different

But

God Never Changes

He Is

And Was

and

Always Will Be

The Creator

and

Almighty God.

He Loves You

and

He Loves Me.

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Written and Photographed by Dianne (dsphotocats)

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I had no idea where I was going with this post when I started. May it somehow speak to your heart as it did me.

I woke up Saturday morning at 3:30 and dozed off again, and then the robins began to sing at 4:30 and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I got up and decided to grab my camera and a coffee to go, and headed down to the Bay. I was the only one there at 5 A.M accept for nature itself and yes I did feel the presence of God. It was so quiet accept for the birds singing, the waves splashing gently on the shore. I was wide awake and in Awe of what I seen before my eyes and what I heard which was music to my ears.

In closing I want to wish you all a very good week.

Blessings to all.

Dianne :)

The Little Cygnets Are Growing

 

 

The first showing of the proud parents and their 8 cygnets was on May 20th/2010

A lot has happened since then as some of you have read and witnessed through my blog.

 

 

This photo was taken on June 2/2010

There are 4 surviving cygnets plus their parents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken on July 1st/2010

You can see how much they have grown.

They still have their nest and although they are too big for it they still call it home.

They get up early to feed and come back to the nesting place for an afternoon nap…

Then they go back out and come back again around 5 p.m and then back out into the deeper water until around 9 p.m when they settle for the night.

I try and go see them at least once a week and hope they stick around as I would love to see them learn how to fly.

That is it for now. I hope you have enjoyed the journey of the swans and I.

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Remember… If you look around you , you will catch a glimpse of His Beauty in the things He has created.

Hugs and Smiles

Dianne (dsphotocats)

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Every Sunrise

Every Sunrise

Every sunrise is a present,

A gift from God above.

Gift- wrapped with scarlet ribbons,

Tied with a bow of love.

Each day is a new beginning,

A time to start anew,

While all the stars are sleeping,

The rose is a fresh with dew.

Each day is a new creation,

To lovely to ignore,

We may find a blessing,

Just outside the door.

We cannot keep the past,

Like fireflies in a jar,

Nor journey to the future,

By wishing on a star.

Every sunrise is a blessing,

A gift just for today.

Rejoice my friend,

Embrace it before it fades away.

Author Unknown

 

 

 

Welcome to my new blog. This is a new day, a new beginning, and a new adventure.  I  am looking forward  to reuniting  with  friends, and making new friends. This blog is a work in progress and I  am a work in progress also, in so many ways. As the saying  goes, “Be patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet.” I haven’t arrived by no means and have a lot to learn along my life journey.

One thing I have learned is to walk in God’s Grace. I never walk alone. He is always with me. He has been since I gave my life to Him many years ago. God gave His Son Jesus so that we could have life. The least I can do is live for Him. Most of us are familiar with John 3:16 written in the Bible which is God’s Love  letter to us.

Well It was a beautiful day here in my home town in Ontario Canada. Wherever you may be, I pray you will have a beautiful day from sunrise to the setting of the sun. I know many of us live in different time zones and whether it be day or night, God Bless you all.  That is it for my photographs and random thoughts this day.

Dianne :)

6 Little Cygnets Riding Piggyback

 

 

8TH Day On The Water (May 26/2010)

 

This is a dream shot I never thought I would have the pleasure of capturing. This was one of those times when I had just got off work , went home and grabbed my camera and packed dinner that my hubby had so lovingly made for me.

It was a little past 6 o’clock in the evening. The swan family had just come back from a long afternoon on the Bay and the cygnets got a free ride home, back to the nest. They had just come back from about 3 kilometres away. This was the cygnets 8th day on the water and if you notice, sadly there are only 6 out of 8. The cygnets have many predators. Turtles is one of the main concerns as they pull the young ones under the water and they end up drowning. If you see a swan stirring up mud  and stomping its feet in the water, grunting , growling and hissing you know there is something in the water that is a threat to their young. If they can the parents will kill its prey. I saw and heard this on occasion. It is not a pretty sight. As loving and affectionate as these swans can be to their young, they can also be vicious and deadly to anything that threatens them.

 

Dinner Time Under The Tree Canopy (May 26/2010)

This picture was taken just to the right of where I was standing. Their nest is just across from where they were having their dinner.

 

I have grown to love these swans and they seem to like me. Tonight after work I went to check on them and when I finally found them, I called out to them in a low soft voice and to my surprise they came swimming up to me. I sat quietly on a rock and they came within 4 feet of me. It was as if they were saying hello and where have you been. This is the first I have seen them since last Saturday. They proudly showed me their 4 young ones. Yes, you heard me correctly. There are now only 4 cygnets left. They stayed close by for quite some time and then suddenly the cob grunted, growled and hissed at something it saw in the water. The Pen and the cygnets left immediately and the Cob followed them to safety from what ever they saw in the water.

I did have my little camera with me and took a couple of short videos that I will post at some point. But for now I will end this update with one more picture that was taken after they had come back close to the nest. They had dinner under this tree and then headed back to the nest for the night.

I noticed that now they wonder farther away, and only go back to the nest to rest a few times during the day and at night around 9 P.M. I know that one of these days I will head down and they might be gone or who knows, maybe they will stay at least till fall.

 

Well I hope you enjoyed this update.  I would like to dedicate this blog to all my blogger friends. You all have a special place in my heart.

God be with you all.

Hugs!!!  Dianne ( dsphotocats )

Update#6 Meet The Family on Second Day of Viewing

 

Second Day Of Viewing On May 20th 2010

There are  8 Cygnets all together but only 5 can be seen here. They are getting restless for adventure and today will be just that. These little cygnets have a lot to learn about their surroundings and the world around them. There are many dangers that these young ones know nothing about. Chances are not all of them will survive. But for today this will be a day to remember and venture out with the guidance of their parents.

 

 

 

 

8 Little Cygnets First Day On The Water

I had a couple of hours between clients and so I headed down to the Bay on my lunch hour. I got there just in time to witness their first swim. I was thrilled as you can imagine as I watched them follow mom ( the pen), into the water for the first time. The day before was the first time mom showed off her babies in the nest. If you look closely you will see 7 cygnets in the water, and one stayed behind between the nest and the water, on the right side by mom.

 

 

 

One Little Cygnet Needed Coaxing

This reminds me of me on my first day of school. There was no way I wanted to go and I made it known as many little one do.  Here I witnessed the reluctance of one tiny swan who appeared afraid and not ready to venture out into the water, even with mom and dad their to help him/her every step of the way. Mom had to come back out of the water 3 times until finally this little one had enough courage to follow her into the water. I am sure that the other siblings and dad also encouraged him/her to join in on the new adventure. This is all part of the life of a swan.

 

 

Finally The Little Cygnet Is In The Water

Yes, Bravo!!! I was so happy this little one finally had the courage with the help of a very patient mom to join the rest of the family for their first swim.

 

 

Meet The Family Of Swans

Here they are , the whole family and they are ready to go for their first swim. Mom decides to have a quick snack before they leave and dad has already checked the whole area and gave notice to all, that this is their territory, and anything that gets in their way will face the consequences, including death. These swans don’t fool around. They are very protective of their young, and need to be as their are many dangers out their. I have seen them in action and will discuss the topic a little more in another update. These swans don’t mind people as long as they are respectful and don’t cause them to think you are a threat to them or their young. They swam around showing off their young and were so proud of them. They are so loving and affectionate to their young and to each other. The adult swans make this really cute sound that sounds like a puppy. I guess you could call it “Puppy Love”.

After being in the water for about a half hour they swam back to the nest. Before the cygnets even got out of the water the pen (mom) got up out of the water and checked the nest and area to make sure their are no intruders that are a threat to the cygnets. The Cob (Dad) stayed with the young ones in the water always watching for danger, and when they see that it is safe the young ones went up by the nest and the cob followed them up unto the land by the nest. There they all cleaned their feathers, etc. The cygnets huddled together outside the nest and dried off in the sun and fell asleep as mom and dad watched over them. It was very touching to see. I was able to see and capture all this before I left to go back to work. This was a wonderful birthday present to see my family of swans after waiting so long for their arrival, I got to witness their first time on the water.

The swans have been such a Blessing to me , during this time in my life. I have so many pictures to sort  and I am so far behind in my updates. At some point I will add more pictures and updates. I have been busy working , dealing with my dads passing and my sons up and coming wedding . I have a mixed bag of emotions that I am dealing with right now but I am fine. Yes a little stressed but that to shall pass. Today is my sons birthday and at the same time we are going to a Jack and Jill for my son and his bride to be. I have so many things going through my mind and things to do. I hope you all understand why I haven’t been able to visit much at the moment but will when I can.

Well I had better go and get ready for my day. It should be a lot of fun as well as emotional. Lord help me on the day of the wedding. ha! I guess I am a typical mom. Although Ed just turned 31 today, he will always be my baby, although he is an adult and has become a wonderful man and I am so proud of him as well as all our sons.

Well there you go, just a few of my thoughts and observations. Hope you are all well and have a wonderful day.

xx’s Dianne (dsphotocats) :)