Tag Archives: life

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

Dec 2, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 61 Comments

Many thanks to Beth at Wandering Dawgs who is hosting this week’s lens-artists photo challenge: wings.

Arctic flying: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

As a pilot, wings have obviously been a large part of my life, something that started with watching birds when I was very young and wishing I could fly like them. So herewith are a few of my favourite “wings” photos – of both aircraft and birds.

Royal Canadian Air Force’s military aerobatics flight demonstration team.

Swans. I didn’t capture their landing, unfortunately.

As the sun rises, takeoff from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories over a frozen Great Salve Lake.

I very much enjoyed this challenge; I had fun looking through my archives and then finding photos I had all but forgotten.

If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists challenge, please click here.

Reblogs

Reblog: November Ends

Dec 2, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 3 Comments

And November ends Without any more shadows In a sunlight blaze Love wintery days Full of sunshine, snow and cold Makes me so unique! Bernie
November Ends

I hope you enjoyed these beautiful winter photos from Bernie at 3Six5Snap2. She has such a good eye for a great capture. To see more of her pictures, please click the link above.

nature, Photography

November Retrospective

Dec 1, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 45 Comments

We’ve passed through November (can you believe that?) so here’s a look back at some of the beauties I saw.

November began with some spectacular sugar maple colours …

… and some beautifully blue skies, too.

An abundance of Japanese garden autumn foliage …

… like lemony yellow gingko biloba leaves …

… and fire engine red lace leaf maples.

There were some lovely sunsets …

… and very dramatic clouds …

… while the barberries …

… assembled a stunning autumn wardrobe …

… and cotoneaster shrubs did the same.

An assortment of leaves covered the ground …

… in multi-hued abandon.

The lace leaf maples gradually turned the most glorious shade of red …

… but in the end it all passed too quickly.

If I could I would slow it down, savour it a bit more, but then again, I’m looking forward to spring.

Happy December.

nature, Photography

Sunny Skaha Lake

Nov 29, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 34 Comments

After 25 cm (9.8 inches) of rain recently fell on us, we had a beautifully sunny day.

For a change of scene I had a ramble at Skaha Lake, which is at the south end of the city.

It was 10C (50F) and windless, so walking conditions were pretty nice.

I encountered a group a students with their teacher who were happily enjoying a weenie roast on the beach after they had completed a hike. They were having a great time.

It was wonderful to have a break from the rain and I enjoyed every second.

Happy Saturday.

nature, Photography

November 28’s Friday Fleurday

Nov 28, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 40 Comments

Last Friday Fleurday I posted flower pictures from March, April and May; today I’m posting pictures from June, July and August. And I’m really happy about that, because right now we have cloud down to the valley floor and a lot of rain! In the mountains it came down as snow, so if you’re planning a ski trip, I know where there’s plenty of the fresh stuff! But on to more colourful things …

… like a lovely June iris …

… a very fresh daisy …

… and some lovely variegated hydrangeas.

July brought pond lilies …

… impatiens …

… many more hydrangeas …

… and lots of pond lilies, too.

While in August we had anemones …

… sunflowers …

… black-eyed susans …

… penny macs …

… and last but not least, tea roses.

I really enjoyed my little trip through the summer archive! After going for a very soggy and grey ramble today, it was lovely knowing that all these lovelies will be back.

Happy Friday, happy weekend.

nature, Photography

Lovely Black Maple Trees

Nov 26, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 37 Comments

One of the maple species that tends to be overshadowed by the red and sugar maples is the black maple (acer nigrum). So-called because of its dark brown trunk, the black maple is a lovely shade tree.

They have a beautiful shape and in autumn, their large green leaves turn a combination of orange, red and yellow.

They are related to the sugar maples to the extent that some botanists consider them to be a subspecies and they can also be tapped for syrup.

They can grow up to 34 metres (112 ft) and will develop a dense crown which encourages people on a hot day to sit underneath with a cool drink.

Happy Wednesday.

nature, Photography

Snow on the Mountains

Nov 25, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 32 Comments

First we had this …

… which gave us a very early start to evening darkness. With this sort of weather, it was good to be at home with a hot chocolate!

These very dark clouds dropped a terrific amount of rain which in the mountains fell as snow.

But then we got some of this …

… which lead to being able to see the snow on the mountains. And that’s exactly where it belongs. The skiers are happy but we’re equally happy with 10C (50F) and snowless environs!

Happy Tuesday.

nature, Photography

Radiance …

Nov 22, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 21 Comments

… comes in many forms:

from a barberry shrub that’s still retaining its leaves …

… to one that’s without …

… or to a pink-hued late autumn sky.

The radiance of finality is both bitter and sweet; nature’s reclamation of what was never ours in the first place.

nature, Photography

November 21’s Friday Fleurday

Nov 21, 2025 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 56 Comments

Well, it’s that time of year when outdoor flowers have become very hard to find. So as a seasonal goodbye, I’m going to do a couple of retrospective posts showcasing some of my favourites from this year’s bloomers.

First up is March, April and May. These are wonderful months for many reasons but not least of which is that the blooms are everywhere and quickly bring us out of our winter blahs.

Lovely March daffodils, always a classic …

… were closely followed by another classic, April tulips, and so many, many other beautiful bloomers.

Cherry blossoms …

… plums …

… and apples … with us and then gone again so quickly.

Magnolias thriving in the April sun …

… a flower feast.

And then there was the heady scent of the lilacs, an old-fashioned flower that’s never really gone out of style.

Early May brought the rhododendrons …

… and dogwoods, British Columbia’s provincial flower.

Irises …

… and peonies …

… and hydrangeas completed a smorgasbord of gorgeous sights and scents.

And, no snow here, just lots of petals!

Although the southern hemisphere is heading into spring right now, for us northerners, I think that a little glimpse of what will be arriving again in March is a good thing.

Happy Friday.