On the Ground

As you are about to witness, there were a ton of leaves on the ground in the woods yesterday, but there was still some colour up high too although usually in the distance.

Full disclaimer: I played around with texture overlays with this lot. Although I don't think you can actually see the textures, they have, nevertheless, affected  the images.

My friend, Nick, talks about looking down on the ground for photo ops, so I tried to do this a little bit. While I don't put in the time and care that he does, I do think he is onto something.

Weekend Walkies

On Saturday we walked a little walk on our nearby trail. This part of the trail is never the best for photography, and there wasn't a lot of colour either, but we found a few spots.

Sunday took us downtown where I tried some different photographic things. As Sue took her upriver photos for her photo group. I leaned over the edge of the bridge, noticed the interesting light pattern, and pressed the shutter.

As she continued to take her photos, I noticed my shadow falling on her.

Later, I saw her reflection as she was taking another photos. Her refection was only a small part of the photo, but I still liked the setting. I did try some closer photos, but I liked this one better.

I liked it even better converted to b&w.

Who knows what walks or photo ops this new week will bring our way.

Carpet and Canopy

As you can see, the leaf fall has been early and prodigious. But at Riverside Park, there were still a few trees looking pretty darn good in the afternoon light. I took these two photos from the same spot, or close enough, but the second one uses the wide angle function for a different view. I never know what will work best, and, although I like them both, thee first normal photo is the winner in my opinion. That being said, I do like the second one too.

Caturday 92: Podium Flowers

It was a beautiful day last Caturday. People and dogs were out and about downtown. I thought to say to Sue that, "It's a good day to be alive," but I got a little choked up because Lacey was alive no longer. But yes, it was a good day to be alive.

Sentimental feelings seem to increase with age — for me anyway. The stereotype is that old men are grumpy, but I don't know about that. Maybe both things can be true in different ways. Maybe we get more exasperated with stupidity but also more empathetic about needs and feelings. Maybe. I dunno.

Lacey's things have been sorted and stored, with litter and comestibles being passed on to Sabine, who squeaked and mewed at me when I dropped by with a load. She cajoled me into petting her. I really hated to do it, you know. ;-)

One item that has not been put into storage is Lacey's podium. I decided that it needed flowers and found a cheap pot of mums. They are outdoor mums so it's not the prettiest indoor display, but I am glad of it. My thought is to keep the podium in place and in use until Christmas when it will bear a poinsettia. And then I shall move on.

Here's the photo, taken in the dark while I held a flashlight.

Of course, it keeps catching my eye, and for a second I think it is Lacey. And that is okay. 

starting to put the garden to bed

It's time to begin putting the garden to bed. Yesterday, Jonathan came over to help us.

The first part of the job, was to pull a ground cover plant that had gotten out of control. We both did some pulling, but I can't very well step into the garden under the tree with my bodily ailments: hence JJ. We were just about finished the eradication when Sue took this photo. I stun myself by looking so skinny and ancient. I guess it would help if I weren't wearing a shirt that fit me then but is too large now and just hangs on me  

Next: Jonathan is standing where we have pulled the ground cover, and I am somewhere in the process of pointing out where we might dig holes to plant tulip bulbs. We needed to dig about 6"/15cm deep. That's a yard/metre stick in my hand. It was a freebie from an International Plowing match about 40 years ago. I was teaching at a rural high school, and staff and students were granted the day to attend the event. D2 was in an urban school, but she came with me for the day. I do not remember it being exhilarating.

JJ got to it.

But he found the spade more to his liking and used it to demonstrate his athletic ability. 

I couldn't resist adding a radial blur to the last photo.

There is more garden work to be done as the month progresses, but that is just about all that we have to do within that little space under the tree. Sue and I can manage the rest.

Phones Really Rock

I recently showed you here what an iPhone can do in portrait mode. One evening with Sue already abed and making funny noises which weren't exactly snoring and not quite blowing bubbles, I decided to see if the portrait mode on prints that hang on my wall would work  

First, I focussed on Jonathan's portrait.

It worked. The phone recognized JJ as a human form. This is the result — unedited, btw.

Next was a group portrait of Sue with our two grown children. It was taken on an almost blizzardy day. Look how the phone version accentuates the snow, or maybe you won't see it at this resolution.

Finally, Dani.

Pretty interesting and impressive, whatever you think of phone photography in general. BTW, the hanging prints do look much better on the wall than they do here. The point was to demonstrate the phone's unique capability and not to highlight the original prints. 

Phantosmia One More Time

It was a powerful smell and not a pleasant one. It reminded me of putrid urine left to stew. Well that couldn't be it, so perhaps Sue was employing a very powerful, pungent cleaner downstairs.

But no. She was sitting in her chair, taking life easy. She reported smelling nothing, which means that there was nothing to smell because she has a nose that is the envy of bloodhounds. 

We began discussing this oddity and remembering similar issues in the past, and I thought I remembered experiencing this particular fake smell once before. I may have even googled it, but I didn't write about it here, so I can't be sure.

However, I could remember the very first such similar odour incident from March 2022. I had been smelling gasoline off and on for some time and finally realized that I had been hallucinating. That is when I googled “Why do I smell gasoline,” and was informed that could be side effect of the Gabapentin drug. It fit because I was taking it at that time, and I stopped forthwith because it wasn't helping me anyway.

Sue then began to remember that I also once reported smelling a]something very pleasant, like perfume. I had forgotten at first, but it came back to me, and I found two posts that I had written: January 2023 and January 2025. Why both in January, I wonder, and why did it slip my mind? The one episode was just this year. 

The name, Phantosmia, also slipped my mind until Sue mentioned that there was a word, and that is when I remembered. I do seem to require a nudge to bring things to mind, but at least they still seem to be there somewhere in the recesses of my brain.

Phantosmia is the medical term for an olfactory hallucination, where you smell odors that aren't actually present, such as burning rubber, garbage, or burnt toast. It can be unpleasant, but it's often not serious and can resolve on its own. Common causes include colds, sinus infections, migraines, head trauma, and certain medications. If the phantom smells persist for more than a few weeks, it's a good idea to see a doctor for an evaluation. (Google AI)

The odour hallucination also seemed very real in all three instances. I wonder how often people do hallucinate in general. We know, for example that grief hallucinations are not uncommon.

Hallucinating the visitation of the dead is a common and normal part of the grieving process known as bereavement hallucinations or grief hallucinations. These benign sensory experiences, such as seeing, hearing, feeling, or smelling a deceased loved one, are considered a normal reaction to acute grief and can be a source of comfort to the bereaved. While these experiences feel real to the person having them, they are illusions, not actual spirits, and can be triggered by familiar sights, sounds, or smells. (Google AI)

This caused me to think of Dicken's Scrooge when the ghost of Marley visited him.

In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley asks Scrooge, "Why do you doubt your senses?" to which Scrooge replies, "Because, said Scrooge, a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats," attributing his inability to trust his senses to indigestion and physical ailments, a rationalization to hide his fear of the spectral apparition.

I have pretty well concluded that my issues are sinus related, but whatever the cause, I hope that should a hallucination reoccur, I will be able to enjoy pleasantly fragrant perfume rather than fetid urine.

Our Delayed Anniversary Extravaganz

Here We Go

Where we were going is shown on the fin of the helicopter.

Yesterday, we drove down to the St Lawrence River for a helicopter tour on the 1000 islands. It was a gift from Shauna for our 50th wedding anniversary. Note: we have been married for 56.5 years. I will explain in a moment.

Of course, our phones were busy snapping pics, but I will just show you a few photos. We were shooting through glass, so they are what they are.

There really are a 1000 islands, over 1800 in point of fact. There can be very small, of course.

reflections on the left

The islands are part of a geological feature called The Frontenac Axis. This is just something that I know from my geographical background. It was not mentioned by our pilot who did give us the typical tourist spiel — which was very nice, actually.

The Thousand Islands – Frontenac Arch region or the Frontenac Axis is an exposed strip of Precambrian rock in Canada and the United States that links the Canadian Shield from Algonquin Park with the Adirondack Mountain region in New York, an extension of the Laurentian Mountains of Québec. The Algonquin to Adirondacks region, which includes the Frontenac Axis or Arch, is a critical linkage for biodiversity and resilience, and one with important conservation potential. The axis separates the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the Great Lakes Lowlands. It has many distinctive plant and animal species. It is one of four ecoregions of the Mixedwood Plains.

The bedrock is mostly gneiss, granite, and marble, more than a billion years old. The Frontenac terrain is the youngest of the Ontario portions of the arch, dated at 1.2 billion years old. These rocks were once part of a large mountain chain of the ancient supercontinent of Rodinia. (Wikipedia)

More islands below and, I think, the Canadian part of the bridge (or bridges) between the two countries. We spent some time in American space on the tour. Miraculously, it's a normal and acceptable thing in the region.

Our tour featured a fly by the two castles: Boldt and Singer. There are stories, of course, including the origin of 1000 islands dressing, and it really was invented here in one of the castles — Singer, I believe.

We crossed the 401 highway several times. It traverses all of southern Ontario from Windsor in the west to the eastern edge of Ontario and even beyond into Montreal although it is not known as the 401 there. It's not very busy here but it becomes up to 18 lanes wide in Toronto.

Highway 401 in Toronto is one of the busiest highways in North America, with a 2019 average daily traffic (AADT) of about 360,000 vehicles. The busiest section, between Renforth Drive and Highway 427, saw an average of over 450,000 vehicles per day in 2019, exceeding 500,000 on some days. The highway is vital for connecting cities like Toronto and Montreal and plays a crucial role in regional and national transportation for commuters and freight. (Google)

my shoes, the 401 and some autumn colour

Now, I shall explain, in brief terms, how it is that we are cashing in on a 50th anniversary gift, more than 6 years later.

It began as a very generous hot air balloon ride gift from Shauna. Over the intervening years, there have been at least 2 reservations that were cancelled at the last minute by the balloon pilot due to unfavourable weather condition. The conditions were not bad really, but they have to be very careful with balloons. There was COVID. There were surgeries. There was general aging and concomitant accessibility issues.

We were able to divert the funds from balloons to the helicopter rides, sponsored by the same company. Due to location, both the journey to the 1000 islands and the helicopter itself was more accessible for us, and we finally got the deal done yesterday.

Now you know the rest of the story.

Jonathan and the Serendipitous Sunset

I drove Jonathan to his part-time job on Saturday afternoon. While I am often called upon to perform this task during the week, parents are usually available on weekends. On this day, however, Mom was in faraway Sarnia (6+ hours) and both Danica and Dad had travelled in the other direction (2 hours)  job— east to Montreal for a concert. 

After I got back home, Sue asked how JJ would be getting home. It dawned on me that he probably had no ride. In point of fact, he probably hadn't even thought that far ahead. Jonathan is kind of like that. 

I texted.

He was a slight bit earlier than 7, and after dropping the boy off,  I saw that the sky was looking good, so when I drove past the park, I scrambled eased myself gently out of the car and sprinted hobbled down to the river.

I'm glad that I stopped.

I also took the next photo, and it is nice enough, but it was the sunset over the river that is the keeper.

On the way home, he had asked if I would also pick him up for work at 9 in the morning. Of course I would.

I texted that I was on my way as I left the house at 8:30 the next morning. No reply. 

A premonition bubbled inside me. Rather than wait in the driveway as I usually do, I went right inside. JJ has a grand space in the basement, but all was in darkness. I switched on the light and called down.

Me: JJ, are you awake?
JJ: Oh shit!

Believe it or not, because we live in a town, we still made it in time.

Upon his exit, we agreed that I should drive him home at 2. It's a good thing we made the arrangement when we did because he had forgotten his phone and would have been rather stuck  

Our Annual Autumnal Pilgrimage

This silly, sentimental ole fella thanks you for your comments yesterday. Now, onto today’s post we go.

On Friday we took our annual fall excursion into the Lanark Highlands: destination Wheelers Sugar Camp, near McDonalds Corners. As you know, we make semi annual treks: one in spring and one in autumn.

We are still just in September, but the autumnal change seems early this year, so off we went. Along the way, the colours often seemed near peak, and sometimes the light was near peak too. At other times,  however, the sky clouded over. In any case, we thoroughly enjoyed our 45 minute drive, but we made no picture stops along the way.

Oddly enough, the sugar bush was not at peak colour. However, we've seen it in top form many times, and it also doesn't matter too much at the camp since the sugar maples turn yellow and not the oranges and reds that are to die for.

We had reservations for 11, and that is when we arrived, so we went right in. They had a table reserved for us, but we needn't have phoned ahead. I think the crunch will begin this weekend and carry on over the next two weeks, which is one reason why we travelled when we did. Once seated, I did what I always do and took a Sue pic followed by an inside pic, and here they are.

As we have done before, we wandered the compound afterward and took a few pics, pretty well the same pics as always. We can see some orange leaves around the fringes near the buildings, but inside the bush the maples are yellow or will be soon.

A blogger recently asked about my camera. All of my recent photography is via my phone. My Canon is gathering dust. The phone is so convenient, and between it and my software, I think I am getting decent results for the most part.

The Original Sugar Shack of days gone by.

Tim Wheelers Blacksmith Shop

Sue waiting for me to be done

On the long driveway to leave the property, I stopped to grab a couple more photos where we can see some more orange colour.

Those boulders in the foreground are erratics: boulders deposited by the glaciers.
They are strewn about erratically and do not belong to the local geology.
Some are much bigger that these.

Caught in the act

I always have it in mind to take the backcountry way home to look for more photo ops, and we have done that in the past. Nowadays, when it comes to it, I always and up making the decision to drive directly home and to be content with enjoying the passing views one more time.

Caturday 91: The Lonely Podium

The Lonely Podium

We called Lacey's little cat tree by my den window, Lacey's Podium. On most evenings, I would remember to place a treat up there for the puss. She would find it on almost every night, and Lacey in her podium was often the first thing that I saw in the morning. If I were sleeping in my chair, I'd open my eyes, peek over, and there she would often be, looking back at me.

Last night, when I thought that I should place the usual treat on the podium, I soon realized that there was no need because Lacey will not ascend to her podium again. Nor will I see her in her bed under the desk, or her downstairs bed on the couch. The blanket on the bed where she would catch the afternoon sun on chilly days will gather her fur no more.

It was late last week that we began to notice serious problems with the old girl. One side of her mouth  swelled up, and she was having trouble eating. We were quite distressed and resolved to call the vet on Monday. We did call but could not get an appointment until Thursday.

Meanwhile, Lacey could sometimes pick up some kibble and a treat, and I offered her plenty of treats. By Thursday, I had figured out how to get her to eat her wet food by dishing very small bits rather than the customary big lump.

On that final morning, Thursday, I spread a dozen small mouthfuls at intervals on her plate, and she was able to consume most of her breakfast, sometimes with AC nudging the bits into place for her. I remain pleased that we figured out how Lacey could eat a good last meal.

On the previous afternoon, Shauna had come by for what we expected to be a final visit. Then, on the fateful Thursday morning, Danica dropped in to bid farewell. She helped us by carrying the cat carrier to the car, but she helped us more by just being here. 

We expected that Lacey would either have a tooth abscess or cancer. In either case we were not expecting her to come home. If it were an abscess, there is no way we would allow an already fragile, old puss to suffer through extractions and life afterward. If it were cancer there would be no remedy. It turned out that she had cancer in her jaw. The vet discovered that Lacey had already lost a tooth or two while the cancer was having its way.

We knew what had to be done, but we shed tears. When she was sedated, we shed more tears as she drifted into faraway land. We shed more tears as the final dose was administered, and Lacey was soon crossing that rainbow bridge. And now, I shed a few more tears as I write about her parting. 

The litter box is being emptied. Her beds will be cleaned and put away. Her food will be passed on. But, the podium will remain in place for the time being, for we are not in a hurry to forget our Lacey. 

===============

I will drop a few pictures. The first is Lacey just a few days after she came to live with us in February 2019.

Shortly afterward, we purchased her podium: April 2019.

Sue was kind with Lacey during the vet visit, stroking her and talking lovingly. In this final picture, we are both touching her comfortingly before the vet came in to examine her.

Sniff.

Colour at Riverside Park

The fotos are coming fast and furious these days. I know that they are always plentiful here at The AC is On, but autumn comes so quickly and gloriously that an old AC can't help going even more overboard than usual.

That said however, I wasn't expecting to do a photoshoot when we dropped by the park on Wednesday. We had run some errands and, almost as an afterthought, had picked up coffee and decided to consume it at Riverside. But we were hit by colour immediately upon exiting Hermione the Honda. I took this photo about 6' away from the car.

And we weren't much farther in when I took this one. How could I not?

We sat on a bench consuming our coffee. The view on the far bank was good, and I sneakily photographed a few passersby. While I wouldn't put sneaky photos on FB, they are really anonymous to all of you far-flung folk, and they aren't really recognizable from the sideview anyway.

Then I saw this funny, old lady with her call phone.

Once we had finished our drinks, we decided to stretch our legs and saunter to the western edge of the park. Benches were occupied, and I like people on benches. If nothing else, they are useful for the Monday bench theme that I sometimes post to on Flickr.