Snowflake Festival 2011

Last evening Invermere celebrated everything that winter has to offer here in the Columbia Valley! There was live music, food sampling, a curling bonspiel, ice skating, stump stoves and, of course, fireworks!





I couldn't resist making a triptych of these three shots! I call it "Firepalms".

Tyko

After several days of snow, I went out for a couple of hours this afternoon with Shawna, taking photo's around Invermere.

Not a lot of snow fell (compared to Whistler where feet fall at a time!), just a few inches, but there's apparently a lot on the ground for this area - the most in about 15 years!

Anyway, we shot all sorts of things today: Scenery, wild turkeys, fishing shacks, a woodpecker ... and Shawna's dog, Tyko, a monster Alaskan Malamute ... all 180lbs of him!

My favourite shots of the day are those of Tyko, and a friend of similar stature he (we think) made!

So, without any further ado, here's Tyko:






And here's his unnamed friend:

Winter Aspens

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2011! I hope the new year brings you and yours everything of the best: Health, happiness, peace ... and a little wealth wouldn't hurt either, eh?!

I was up at Panorama Resort yesterday evening for the torchlight parade (which I can proudly boast that my brother skied in!) and fireworks display.

My fireworks shots produced some pleasing results - best that I've ever done, although I'm aware that great improvements can still be made! My excuse is that it was so cold out (about -20C) that I could barely think straight - talk about suffering for one's art!







The best shot of the torchlight parade is way out of focus, but here it is:


And here's one of the bonfire that was going on beside the parking lot where we took photo's from. By the time I took this, I'd been outside for about 45 minutes and was literally in pain from the cold ... I didn't have anything left except to move the tripod to a decent vantage point, and press the shutter release!