Wistful Voyages...: Pinawa Dam and Cabin Photographs

Sunday, March 20

Pinawa Dam and Cabin Photographs

For Reading Week this year (yes I have one of those again, always the last week of February) I spent a weekend at a friend's cabin. Usually I am going to my family's cabin in British Columbia but that is now three provinces and 21 hour away, not so easy. We were off to Lac du Bonnet only one hour away. That is a luxury as my cabin is 5 hours away from Calgary where I used to dwell. One hour? That means I don't have to plan bathroom breaks. So much less to plan for when breaks are not necessary.

Chairs photographed as found.

Her family's cabin was my style of camping. Large queen size beds, heated home, large kitchen, everyone taking turns preparing and cooking, magnificent view of the Lac, good conversation, a glass sunroom to die for, heated water for a shower, fireplace, I could go on. Here is the most unique feature of their cabin, the builders left large parts of the rock cliff exposed in the basement for added beauty and connection with nature.

Wonderful for climbing!

After lazying about for several days, eating, drinking and conversing we headed out to the Pinawa Dam.

We all brought our DSLR cameras and accoutrements and set off. After brief drive we arrived in the crisp Manitoba air with the sun beating down, illuminating the dilapidated dam causing many shadows, a photographer delight.

Used for firing practice by the local army post-dam use.

Not dead. Just sleeping.

Old, thick, metal dumahicky :)

Light playing on the crunchy, white snow.

The snow, ice and icicles were interesting to capture. Resting on various places, slowly falling off others, soon to become water rushing into the stream nearby.

Part of the locke dam structure.

Gigantic curve of snow and ice looming over Darren.

Snow-lilly-pads

Jacquie and Darren in the act of photographing.

At one point I looked down and saw a feather resting on the snow. As the light played with the metal fence nearby and caused the show to reflect rainbow colours I knew it was a moment to be captured. Sadly, I do not as of yet have a macro lens so my proximity was limited.

The wind had fun blowing this feather around.

One became two after the wind picked up.

As we turned to leave we quickly took several fun shots. Some more fun than others.

Moi, in front of the dam.

Jacquie, a true Canadian!

We returned to Jacquie's family cabin to a new site. Her dad had loaded up the bird feeding table, not bird feeder, the bird feeding table. Dinner for the whole forest!

The lone eater

This things draws in at least 20 birds who flit from the neighbouring trees, to seed holding table, in the air, back to a tree. I had never photographed birds before so I ventured out, plopped myself down in the snow and held still like a statue until the birds thought me a tree and began filling their bellies.

The only bird I was able to capture in flight.

After a little watching, it was evident that the Blue Jay's were the ruling class in this social structure. All the other birds were more than happy to share the seeds until these bullies flew in, then in mass hysteria set loose, and the other birds would make haste to the trees. I was not able to capture any Blue Jays but I captured these shots. Pretty good I think.