Tag Archives: BC

Photo of the Month – August

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Hi Folks:

Summer in this City of Gardens means flowers – with their myriad of colours, shapes, sizes and scents – so it’s fitting that our photo of the month for August should be a flower. This one was captured by Marcia with her cell phone, then pushed around a bit in Lightroom. The backlighting through the petals provides the perfect highlight to the blooms. The flowers will mostly be gone in another couple of months and we won’t see cherry blossoms, hellebores and winter rhododendrons until January or February, so it’s best to appreciate them while we can!

Okay, that’s it. Now go out and make some photographs!

Hugs,
M&M

Dahlia

Dahlia

Hugging hitchBOT

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Hi Folks:

Last Thursday was our ninth hugging session this year. So far this year we’ve hugged people from 41 countries (that we know about): Australia, Austria, Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Columbia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the US, Venezuela, Vietnam and Wales – and we always welcome more!

Free Hugs

Hugging Victoria!

Thursday was special in another way, however, because after our hugging session we headed over to Open Space to meet hitchBOT!

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2014: The Year of Hugging Exuberantly

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Hi Folks:

Well, this is our fifth year of hugging Victorians (and others); mid-July and we’ve already had six free hugs sessions this year!

Marcia's Hugging Stance

Basic Hugging Attire – Poster, Sun Hat, Winning Smile…!

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Photo of the Month – June: Collecting Stories

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Hi Folks:

There’s an old adage that says ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’, and since we’re both writers and we’re both photographers, in a given month we can collect a lot of ‘words’. In June we shot nearly 600 images between the two of us, and choosing one image is never an easy task. That’s my excuse for choosing two images for June. 🙂 These two images were chosen both because they’re good images in their own way and because of the stories they have to tell… Continue Reading →

Happy Birthday, Canada!

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Hi Folks:

While we may not always be very vocal about it (typically Canadian), us up here in the Great White North are proud to be Canadian, and that’s never more evident than it is today – Canada Day.

When we were downtown yesterday there was someone from the local news channel who was asking people whether (as with this year) Canada Day should be celebrated on July 1, or whether it should be celebrated on say the Monday of that week (like Easter Monday, for example) to allow for a long weekend. While there are some celebrations that are based on a certain day of the week (for example, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox), July 1, 1867 marked the signing of the British North America Act that made Canada into a country. We’ll keep our date, thanks – quietly, but proudly! Continue Reading →

Photo of the Month – April

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Hi Folks:

One of the (many) benefits of living in Victoria is that we have the beauty of Beacon Hill Park to enjoy year round. In addition to the many wildflowers, the wildlife, natural landscapes and gardens populated by flowers, shrubs and trees from around the world, the park is also home to about three dozen peafowl. The vivid displays of the peacocks are very popular with tourists and locals alike (not to mention, hopefully, the peahens), but many people are surprised to discover that peafowl can fly.

The image of the month for April is one Marcia captured with her new pocket camera. We trust you’ll enjoy it!

Peacock

Okay, that’s it. Now go out and make some photographs!

Hugs,
Marcia and Mike.

Victorious Voices, 2014!

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Hi Folks:

Earlier this month Marcia and I were pleased to attend the 5th Annual High School Slam Poetry contest known as Victorious Voices. Started by Jeremy Loveday, this fifth year had contestants from more schools than ever before, and this is wonderful news!

Slam poetry was founded by Mark Smith (So What!) in the late 1980s. For those new to slam poetry, the competition rules are fairly simple. Each poet (or team) has three minutes to present their poem. Following that is a short grace period, but going over that time results in a time penalty. All poems must be original and poets can read their work, but props and costumes are not permitted. A few poems this year (or rather parts thereof) were sung, something we’ve not seen before.

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Eating Our Way Through Tofino… Again!

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Hi Folks:

Back at the end of March we decided to indulge our fascination for beach walking and combine it with a little winter storm watching by heading across the island to Tofino. We’ve stayed in Tofino three times now; as it happens each time was at a different location. We wanted to wait until after the Whale Festival to avoid the crowds, but we weren’t aware that many B&Bs and the like don’t generally open before April. We ended up staying at the African Beach Cabin, and were very glad we did! Continue Reading →

Photo of the Month: February Flowers

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Hi Folks:

Well, one of the (many) benefits of living on our Pacific island paradise is that spring comes earlier here than it does to the rest of Canada. As a promise of something yet to come for friends and relatives back east, in February we went out one day with cell phones in hand and captured images of the various flowers we found in bloom in and around our neighbourhood. We then put them into a photo-mosaic using Lightroom’s Print module. We offer it here for you to share in as well!

February Flowers

Okay, that’s it. Now go out and make some photographs!

Hugs,
M&M

My Favourite Image of the Year

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Hi Folks:

At the end of every year it’s become more and more common for photographers to go back through the images they made over that year and choose what they feel is their best work.  This can be an immensely challenging and yet creative project, because what one feels is one’s best work is often not the work most popular with others.  Marcia and I do something similar, choosing one image from each month to use in our annual photo calendar.

However, I know without hesitation what will be my favourite image of the year, and I don’t have to wait to find it – it’s made on New Year’s Day.  Every New Year we head to Government House to participate in the Lieutenant Governor’s levée … we have the opportunity to meet the Lieutenant Governor in office (and his or her spouse), share in some coffee and treats, listen to the speech and the bagpipes, and at some point we wander out to the balcony at the back.  There’s a great view of Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains in Washington from there, and I use my cell phone to capture an image (okay, several) of Marcia at the rail.  Being New Year’s Day it gives me an opportunity to marvel at all that this amazing woman gives to me every day, and an opportunity to look forward to another year of adventure with her.  Without a doubt, it’s my favourite image of the year.

Marcia on New Year's Day, 2014

Marcia on New Year’s Day, 2014

From Marcia and me, we wish you a new year filled with as much happiness, health, prosperity, excitement, love, peace and adventure as you can handle!

Okay, that’s it.  Now go out and make some photographs!

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. Santa Claus brought us both new cell phone (cameras) this year.  Who knows where that may lead!