Dec 31 2022 - Weird Snow Right Here

 

There's weird snow.  And some of it is right here.  These are things like snow rollers, frost flowers, pancake ice, rabbit ice, penitentes, needle ice, and brinicles.   There are Ontario pictures of ice volcanoes, snow towers,  snow balls , ice caves, crop circles, light pillars, ice pancakes, and so on in the Narcity article HERE.  The article on Treehugger.com describes how they are formed.   There's even better formations from recent storms.  Look at the pictures below.  These came from a lake-front cottage in Dunnville, on Lake Erie in January 2022.  These are formations around Jack's neighbours lamp posts.    For traditional ice formations, the Bored Panda article has beautiful photos of snow formations is HERE.   This next picture comes from that article. I haven't found where this one is located.  So far, the pictures are from Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan.   Our recent storm has resulted in Port Stanley making the news with winter sculptures on the pier.   That was only 3 days ago.  Those pictures are HERE on the CBC website.  And Crystal Beach, just a half hour drive away also made the CBC news with its lakefront homes encased in ice from the same storm.   That picture story is HERE.  These are the Crystal Beach lakefront houses.  They look like they've been painted with Benjamin Moore's Ice Formations 873. And our picture today shows graceful Japanese Forest Grass. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

June 2 2020 - 'Totally Fresh' Wedding Trends

Into the month of weddings. Just what are the trends for 2020?  Here are the two that stand out for me in this article on theknot.com "Magical Mysticism...  If there’s one theme you need to know about 2020 wedding trends, this is it: mysticism is in. This spiritually charged vibe combines all the things: crystals, saging, palo santo, even aura photobooths. Don’t force this though, make it work for your unique couple style—send guests home with a rose quartz crystal, the classic stone for love, or ask your guests to pass around your wedding rings during your ceremony, imbuing them with good energy and well wishes." "The New Amenity Basket ... Think of this as the ultimate wedding trends #extra. Instead of treating guests to just mints and hairspray (psst, here's what else to include in a wedding bathroom basket), make their trip to the loo more memorable. Stationing tarot card readers, magicians and champagne stations just outside restrooms ensuring the party doesn’t stop, even if you leave the dance floor. " This article is immediately followed by How to Postpone Your Wedding Due to Coronavirus. What do you think?  Cancel the crystals and aura photo booths? Today's image is scanned Japanese Maple leaves, given an artistic touch with Topaz Impressions.

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Are You Professional?

The five traditional professions are architecture, clergy, engineering, law and medicine (in alphabetical order). They are also considered the most prestigious  - perhaps over thousands of years, prestige and respect have accumulated. A profession has special characteristics - advanced qualification and training is important.  Also attributed to top professions is a sense of service with the implication of a broader meaning involving moral or ethical foundations and practices.   So where are we today in terms of the top professions? Have things changed? The World Economic Forum has an article on the world's most respected professions around the world.  Here's their top ten list: 1. Doctor 11.6 2. Lawyer  9.5 3. Engineer 9.1 4. Head Teacher  8.1 5. Police Officer  7.8 6. Nurse 7.4 7. Accountant 7.3 8. Local Government Manager 7.3 9 Management Consultant 7.1 10. Secondary School Teacher 7.0 I wondered about the difference between third world and first world countries.  I  went in search of an American Poll and found a 2014 Harrison Poll indicates that American adults identify doctors, military officers, firefighters, scientists, nurses, engineers, police officers, clergy, architects and athletes.  There is another Harris Poll that includes a few new ones: video game developer, entrepreneur, chef, musician, EMT, journalist, and veterinarian. So a little variation is coming forward now. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) has determined that out of 800 occupations,  chief executive or general administrator, public administration top the list.  Manager, medicine and health is second.  You can see the article HERE.   In my search I found some funny answers and websites: one is called askmen - astronaut tops their list over doctors. Prestigious and exclusive. I've been looking over at the cemetery with the Japanese Maple that surrounds a tombstone.  I haven't taken any pictures as the colours are not great this year - maybe colours will come later, or maybe the leaves will fly first. These pictures are from last year.

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I'll Take Mine Fried

I made it in time to capture the fiery foliage of the Cemetery Japanese Maple.  It is entwined around a headstone, which is not visible in these photos.  November is their month for vivid colour - as long as it doesn't get too windy.  That's always a dilemma here in Grimsby with the wind off the escarpment or the Lake. I planned to capture the large tree in front of one of our heritage homes and the leaves are gone - they dropped in one day.    And around the corner from me is the largest Japanese Maple I've seen in Niagara, with the glorious red colour on the tree and in the driveway. From the den garden website: "In Japan, maple trees are known as kaede (楓/"frog's hands"), as well as momiji (紅葉), which means both "become crimson leaves" and "baby's hands". Momiji is commonly used as the term for autumn foliage in general in Japanese, but it is also used as a term for maple trees. These names come from the appearance of the leaves, which resemble the hands of a baby or a frog. The scientific term for Japanese maples is Acer palmatum."   "In Japan's Osaka prefecture, the red and orange maple leaves are a sight to see during the fall. As is the case in the rest of Japan, people go out in droves to see the beautiful fall scenery. However, in Osaka, locals also go out in droves to collect the leaves and turn them into a deep-fried delicacy! Fried maple leaves are a very popular snack in Osaka, and apparently have been for at least a thousand years. The city of Minoh, located in the north part of the prefecture, is particularly famous for their fried leaves. The maple leaves are dipped and fried in tempura butter, which give them their unique taste. The secret of Minoh's success with fried leaves really isn't much of a secret at all. Chefs there usually store their leaves in barrels of salt for one year, which makes their leaves particularly tasty!"

More Urban Extractions…on a Japanese Theme

Here are some dumpster finds - all with a Japanese sensibility.  It is interesting to find such lines on the small corners and labels.

Koi The Living Art

Hi everyone,
I was in the conservatory at the Royal Botanical Gardens recently.  The conditions were perfect with perfect light on the Koi swimming in the pond.  The Koi there are very comfortable with people, making photography very easy.  The two images show the pond as it is with the perfect black water.  The second is an interpreted image showcasing the Koi as the Living Art.