A Cold Day at Blakeney Rapids

This morning was a cold -15 C, so I decided to be a a bit crazy and take my camera out to Blakeney Rapids near Ottawa.  Even though the sky was getting cloudy, the rapids were quite beautiful, with all of the trees covered with frost or snow from last week.

The Mississippi River above Blakeney Rapids

Frozen Mist on Tree Branches

Creek Flowing into the Rapids

Trees Beside the Creek

Island At The End Of The Rapids

Bush Overlooking the Rapids

The Woods Beside the Rapids

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

A Few Fall Photographs

Fall is in full colour in this area, and I was able to get out and take some photographs the other day.  Here are a few.  Please enjoy.

The Rideau River South of Hunt Club

Bull Rushes (bulrush) at Mer Bleue Bog

Blueberry Bush leaves, Mer Bleue Bog

Blueberry bushes mixed with Labrador Tea, Mer Bleue Bog

Larch branches with Blueberry Leaves

Maple Tree along the Mer Bleue Trail

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Curzon Village, Gros Morne National Park

Curzon Village is immediately beside Woody Point in Gros Morne National Park.  I didn't know it existed until this year, when I decided to drive further down the road that leads to Woody Point.  Up until I saw the small sign at the side of the road, I thought "Curzon" was just the name of a Startrek character.  But it turns out that this Curzon is a small village with a series of stages by the water.

Boat on Bonne Bay

The clouds were just starting to break up when I took this photograph.  I really liked the sliver reflections in the water and the ropes connecting the buoy to the shore.  Norris Point can be seen on the far shore of Bonne Bay.

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Bunchberries and a Fish Net in Bird Cove

While driving in Newfoundland from Deer Lake to St. Anthony, we stopped at a motel in a small village called Plum Point.  We decided to take a walk along the water at Bird Cove, a couple of kilometers down a small road from Plum Point.  There, we found a trail along the water into the woods that had masses of bunchberries, and a wharf with a few boats and some fishing equipment.

Bunchberries along the forest trail

This fish net was on the wharf.  I love the patterns of the net, the rope and dark weight.

Fish Net

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Raleigh, Newfoundland

Sitting across the bay from Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve sits the community of Raleigh, originally named Ha Ha Bay, after the bay on which it resides.

Fishing Stage in Raleigh, Newfoundland

How and when the name was changed to Raleigh seems to be in question -- I've read two different explanations online, and I've hear a third.  There doesn't seem to be any doubt that it was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, but whether it was from HMS Raleigh which ran aground nearby in Labrador, after Raleigh North Carolina or after Raleigh himself, I can't tell.

Raleigh fishing stages

Regardless, it's an attractive fishing village.  We ate dinner at a cafe in the village, and I took some photographs after dinner.

Raleigh United Church

 
. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Great Brehat, Newfoundland

While we were staying in St. Anthony, we visited a number of small coves nearby in a search for icebergs and walking trails.  One of the most picturesque and rugged was Great Brehat, about 10km north-east of St. Anthony on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.

Great Brehat

You can see that the village is very protected from the ocean.  The wind was very strong when we were there, so it was quite clear that protection like this is necessary.

Boat under repair

My wife and I talked to a woman living in Great Brehat who was enjoying the warm weather (we were outfitted with warm jackets and windbreakers).  She told us that the name of the village was pronounced "Great Brayh" -- the "t" was silent.  I am wondering if it was named after Île-de-Bréhat, and island off the coast of Brittany.  Many of the place names in this area of Newfoundland are French (sometimes Anglicized).  

Fishing Stage

The landscape was beautiful and dramatic, and we both thought that this was one of the most picturesque places in this area of Newfoundland.

Rocky view of Great Brehat Bay

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Cape Onion

On one of our cloudy-but-not-rainy days, we decided to see Burnt Cape, a seemingly barren peninsula, but with arctic plants.  We also wanted to see Cape Onion, beside Ship Cove, a community nearby.  However, my car decided to go to Cape Onion first, by taking a wrong turn.

Ship Cove Cemetary at Cape Onion

Cape Onion was a magnificant sight, with a three-way ocean view, rocky outcrops, and several small and large islands in view.   However, it was still mostly cloudy, but when the sun shone (however briefly), I took some photographs of the cemetary located on the cape.  The one house in the cove, evidently the doctor's house, has a fantastic view of the water.



After visiting Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve, we decided to return to Cape Onion for the sunset.

Cape Onion at Sunset.  Great Sacred Island is in the distance.

This time we were treated to a very windy but beautiful sunset.  Cape Onion was one of the unexpected discoveries that we love to find when visiting a location.

One of the rocky outcrops, with a view of offshore islands

Cape Onion and Great Sacred Island

Onion Island catching the last rays of the sun.

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Newfoundland 2012: Fishing Point at St. Anthony

St. Anthony is a town on the northern peninsula of Newfoundland, known for Sir Wilfred Grenfell, a medical doctor from England who set up hospitals and medical centres in Labrador and Newfoundland.

 View of St. Anthony harbour from Fishing Point 

Fishing point is a point on a cliff overlooking the harbour at St. Anthony, near where Grenfell located his house and hospital.  It is a typical Newfoundland landscape, with low bog-like plants growing over rocks.  It's a popular place at sunset, where you can often see whales feeding off the point, and across the harbour.

  Lighthouse at Fishing Point

On this evening, the sun broke through the clouds, and gave us some beautiful evening light.  In the background of this photograph, you can see a large iceberg that was grounded off shore.

   Whale watching at Fishing Point

As the sun went down behind us, we could see a whale (or possibly two) travelling from right to left in the photograph towards the opposite end of the harbour where there were a number of whales feeding.

More photographs to come.

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca