Day 307 - Blood Moon

It was raining the night of the blood moon and lunar eclipse the other night, so, I didn't get any pictures.  I was out for a bit and noticed the moon.  It still has a red tinge to it.  I know this picture is grainy, but it's the best I could do with my point and shoot.

Never tire of looking at the moon. It always makes me feel at peace.

Day 294 - Mystery

I don't know what it is about this photo, but it makes me want to tell a story... a mystery of sorts.

Day 283 - Cloudy....

This is just how I feel right now.

Day 275 - Reflection

This is the only other clear shot I took last night of the moon.  I really liked the reflection, even though the shot isn't prefect.  I would have liked to capture more of the reflection, so from a higher vantage point but I'm short so I couldn't. C'est la vie!

Day 274 - Resting for a moment

I saw the moon this evening, and just needed to take a picture of it.  I wanted to take a interesting shot of the moon and the planes that seem to be passing over head every 20 minutes, but alas, my camera was not cooperating.  So, I had to settle for taking a picture of the moon seemingly resting on the branches of my neighbour's tree.

Day 251 - "Somewhere out there..."

I remember when I was young watching the movie An American Tail. If you haven't seen it, it's a movie about Fievel's journey to reunite with his family in America.  The family was immigrating from Russia to America in hopes of finding freedom, when Fievel becomes separated from his family. There is one scene in the movie where Fievel looks up into the sky and sees the moon and sings "Somewhere out there".  At that same moment Tanya, Fievel's sister, is doing the exact same thing. It's such a sweet moment of pure love.

To this day, every time I look up at the moon, I think of that song.  It actually means more when I'm away from my family. We saw the moon every night in Morocco, and I photographed it a lot.  A friend didn't really understand why I was so enchanted with the moon, and there are many reasons, including knowing that it's a connection to others.  It was a stunning sight, and there was something comforting about seeing the moon every night.

 I think if we stayed there any longer in Morocco, I would have started belting out the song (instead of singing it in my head)... lucky for everyone, we didn't!

Somewhere out there,

beneath the pale moonlight,

someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight.

Somewhere out there,

someone's saying a prayer,

that we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there.

And even though I know how very far apart we are,

it helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,

it helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky.

Somewhere out there,

if love can see us through,

then we'll be together, somewhere out there,

out where dreams come true.

Day 205 - The silence of the night

So, the freezing rain lasted more than a few days.  I LOVED it!  It was so beautiful, particularly at night.  I loved how everything looked covered in ice. Don't you just love it?

Day 203 - Peeking out

It's been a little cold, so, this is what moved me to photograph.  I liked this photo because it is both cold and warm.... The outside is definitely cold, and the curtains are very warm.

Day 200 - One of my favourite places in Morocco!

As 2013 comes to an end, I'm a bit reflective. It's been an incredible year, with lots of happy news for my family and friends - numerous weddings and births, celebrating 10 years of MuslimFest, new jobs and new cars, and great adventures in distant lands. Don't get me wrong, there have also been many moments of less than happy experiences that have offered opportunity for reflection and/or development. It's been a busy year and for all of it, I'm thankful!

So, today's picture is a tribute to the one thing that will forever mark this year for me -- my trip to Morocco.  I learned so much about myself and the world around me on this trip.  I made some life long friends (insha'Allah/ God-willing).  I experienced a whole different life.  The funny thing is, of all the fascinating and wonderful places I saw/visited, this was one of my favourite places.  Some of you viewing this might recognize it, because it is part of your home.

Why, you might ask, was this particular place my favourite? This rooftop was my sanctuary, a place to get away and reflect, especially since anywhere I went I had to take someone with me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the company, but sometimes you just need some solitude.  So, this is to where I would steal away when I needed those moments to myself (like at a very loud wedding party), or just wanted to reflect and write. No one ever figured it out, and I'm glad; this place was mine.

Day 182 - Moon over TO

Today, just after the sun set, as the city was settling in for the night. The next couple of days will be devoted to pictures I took this evening at City Hall/Nathan Phillips Square. I've been dying to go skating, and though I was at the rink...didn't quite make it onto the ice!

Day 175 - The end of a long day

This was taken on the Summer Equinox last year. There is so much I love about this photo... I was fasting that day, and I really welcomed the sunset, and what was more amazing than being greeted with this view? No editing on this one!

Day 168 - Ribbons of light at night

So, I'm finally getting around to editing photos I took in the past. This is from a contest I was going to enter.  I was trying light writing, and well, that didn't work out too well.  This is one of my test shots to figure out composition and settings.  I liked the ribbons of light from the passing cars.

Day 152 - Mosque shining with light

I don't know how I missed this one before.  This is a picture of a mosque just after the sunset prayers.  I loved the colour of the sky, so I decided that I would take a picture of the minaret with this light behind it.  Love the light burst effect.

Day 127 - Doorway to the outside

I love doorways.  This is taken from inside a mosque, as we left after the sunset prayers.  I tried really hard to avoid the stair case on the bottom right, but I couldn't get the image I wanted if I moved anywhere else.

Day 81 - Ride in motion

This was from the CNE.  I wanted to try another long exposure on a carnival ride.  I still can't set it for very long exposure, since I'm not that completely stable.  I need to invest in a monopod!

Day 48 - The sunset

We've had some beautiful sunsets as of late, and each time I've seen them as I am driving home.  By the time I'm at a place where I can take a photo, the image I want to capture is gone, or the colours have dissipated into the dark of the night.  

This evening I was not driving, so I decided to take a picture of the colours in the sky.  This is the result of trying to take a picture when it's a bumpy ride, and having a split second to take a picture (we were veering away from the colours).

Day 36 - My muse the mosquitoes

This is what happens when you try to take a long exposure shot, while lying in mosquito infested grass at 1am in the morning. Staying still is not an option, especially when you forget to douse yourself with bug repellent. Though this isn't the shot I was looking for, I do think it looks interesting.  The two light streaks that start in the centre of the image is a plane heading to the airport.

Day 33 - Colours of night fall

All I wanted to do was capture the colours of the sky.... I know there are power lines in the shot, but when you turned, just slightly, the colours where different, ie not as pretty.

Day 19 - Plasma globe or a mature dandelion....

I can't decide if I think this image reminds me more of a plasma globe, a mature dandelion, or an iris...  I love fireworks... they make interesting photos.

Day 18 - Happy Canada Day!

This is what happens when you arrive late for fireworks and get stuck behind a tree! The show was still worth watching, but it was extremely hard to take pictures.  I couldn't steady myself, sitting on the car and worried that someone would want to leave (we were double parked).