Black Pond Wildlife Management Area

...where the pond breaks through a sand barrier to reach Lake Ontario. South of this point is sand dunes and beaches; north is weathered flat rock, barren or with a thin layer of soil, extending northward more or less all the way to the St. Lawrence River. 

Great Blue Heron at El Dorado Beach Preserve

Summer Snowflake at El Dorado Beach Preserve

Leucojum aestivum (Summer snowflake) is not native to North America. It was introduced from Europe/Asia, and is thriving at El Dorado. It belongs to the lily family.

Icon Awaits

Stillwater Reservoir, Unusually Calm

Violets, In Vivid Color Thanks to Electronic Photography

Rap-Shaw: Still Lake with Pollen

Paint Chosen For This Moment!

Hummm...Probably Not!

Poutine (pron.: /puːˈtiːn/; French: [putin], Quebec French:[put͡sɪn]) is a common Canadian dish (originally from Quebec), made with french fries, topped with brown gravy and cheese curds.

Ottawa River Valley from Etienne Brule Lookout in the Gatineau Hills

Ottawa Tulips are Peaking!

Princess Irene paired with grape hyacinth.

Ottawa Tulips

We go north every year to see this show!

Joe Fafard's Running Horses in Front of the National Gallery of Canada

Domaine Mackenzer-King in the Gatineau Hills

A folly at Domaine MacKenzie-King outside of Ottawa in the Gatineau Hills. 

Wisteria at Franklin Square

Perennial Forget-me-not

Brunnera macrophylla

Brunnera macrophylla is not to be confused with the common forget-me-not, 

which is an abundant early flowerer that self seeds and offers a riot of early color. 

It soon takes on the characteristics of a weed and can be pulled, a few at a time, 

whenever the gardner has a spare few moments while waiting for the dog.

Brunnera macrophylla a bit taller 

and is a perennial that can be deadheaded and left for another year.

Korean Spicebush Vibernum

This viburnum fills our yard with fragrance at all hours for almost two weeks in early May.

Red Tulip

Baby Hippo

Mountain Goat Winners!

They finished just 7:13 minutes apart! 

Matthew Kiplagat and Maegan Krifchin 

climb the Colvin Street hill toward Comstock Ave.

I admire anyone who runs even a part of the Mountain Goat. 

It's a very tough race, and it was a hot day. Bravo to all!

Our Tulips

Sculpture: Syracuse Flowers at OCC

Cestmir Suska's Syracuse Flowers on the Onondaga Community College campus.

Spring on the Reservoir

Friends Heading Up the Flow

Farming With Horses in Lewis County

Bloom in Franklin Square

On the Street in Florence

In these fashion house windows, Renaissance art and anorexic barbie fashions shared our view from the sidewalk in the center of the oldest part of the city. 

Florence Shelly Preserve: Emerging Color

Whenever Ed goes to Binghamton, we tag along and visit Florence Shelly Preserve in Thompson, PA. 

A Sample of the Boats of Venice

There are almost no wheels in Venice. No bikes; a few scooters ridden by very young children; wheeled carts and wheelers to deliver goods along streets that are wide enough to accommodate them.

From the train station and car parks onward, one walks or takes a boat: public and private, utility, police, ambulance and hearse, pleasure and business. Whenever one needs to transport something that the rest of us think of a car or truck for, in Venice the job is done by boat.

Easy to say, but to really get a sense of it one has to watch: from bridges, streets and embankments, and from other boats, where every day the range is further revealed.

What follows is a very large post. I've started by showing canals, and then sorted the boats by broad categories. Hope you enjoy this little trip to watery Venice.

Canals

The Grand Canal

Embellished posts front many buildings on the Grand Canal. 

Secondary and Smaller Canals

Steps on the Grand Canal

Steps on Torcello

Giudecca Canal

 ...a wide canal that separates Giudecca from the main lagoon.

Vaporetti

Vaporetti are the public busses. There are locals and expresses, inter-island lines, day and night routes, summer and winter routes. If you go, buy a pass-3 day or 7 day- if you can stay awhile. Individual rides are expensive, and the vaporetti are very handy.

To board a vaporetto you swipe your pass and enter a covered floating dock. Bigger stops have separate docks for each direction. The system of marking the routes is easy to understand.