PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BARNYARD ANIMALS IN WINTER

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BARNYARD ANIMALS

CALLAHAN TUNNEL EXIT IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON

CALLAHAN TUNNEL (THE MASSACHUSETTS 1-A) NEAR HANOVER AND CROSS STREET IN BOSTON

PLYMOUTH ROCK PANORAMIC

PLYMOUTH ROCK

LITTLE ITALY IN BOSTON

BOSTON'S LITTLE ITALY

QUINCY MARKET ON A BUSY SUNDAY

QUINCY MARKET ON A BUSY APRIL SUNDAY - BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

TERENCE BAY LIGHTHOUSE

Not far from the position of this lighthouse in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia, the largest pre-Titanic disaster at sea took place in the late 1800s. Hundreds of lives were lost on the RMS Atlantic. And hundreds were saved by residents of the nearby communities with the help of their fishing boats. A stroll past Sandy Cove and significant private property leads you through a sometimes muddy trail to the rocks surrounding this weather-beaten beacon. In this silhoutte picture, TC was standing near sea level looking southwest. This gorgeous community is only a short drive from Halifax; closer than Peggy's Cove, in fact.

GREAT VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Great Village Elementary School is still in service. The basketball net in front is a symbol of its age: I'm pretty sure the school was built before the game was invented. On a day that took SC and TC to Economy Falls and Five Islands Provincial Park, this school jumped out at us on the way back to Truro. For one thing, the clouds. Oh, the clouds. But it also struck us as a building where, looking back as adults, we would have loved to be educated. Unfortunately the children inside are likely under the impression that the big city schools with all their technology and dual gymnasiums are the place to be, but these are the kids who will have a story to tell about the school where they spent their formative years; a story that'll last them for life.

HORSES ON GLOOSCAP TRAIL

This tiny little peninsula called Nova Scotia is home to fewer than a million people and just 55,338 square kilometres. Yet many, many tens of thousands of those square kilometres have gone unexplored by SC and even undiscovered by TC, a native to the province. Between Windsor and Truro along the Fundy shore is the Glooscap Trail. Home to the highest tides in the world at Burntcoat Head and some of the most rugged, ever-changing scenery you'll ever see, this section of the Glooscap Trail is worth seeing every year, not once every three decades. Horses seemed to be in abundance, most regularly along the shore side of the road. Although you can't see it in this photograph, these horses are just metres away from a cliff that drops right down to the water (or mud when the tide is out). Happy to stand and pose for a couple minutes, these horses in Selma or Spring Brook may not have realized the stunning backdrop forming behind them. The clouds on this day were spectacular.

ISLAND OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Walk a few minutes around the eroding bend from this previously pictured beach in Lower Darnley, Prince Edward Island and you'll find this spot. The rate at which PEI disappears casts doubt upon the life expectancy of this sandstone edifice; only adding to its allure. Grassy corners full of small birds who likely spend much of their summer hardly seeing a single human mark this island as one of the Island's most charming spots.

QUEEN'S COLOUR SAILORS

At the presenting of the Queen's Colour on the Garrison Grounds at the base of Citadel Hill, the perfect lines of the Canadian Navy's sailors appear incredibly skewed when viewed without.... their bodies. Security for Governor General Michaelle Jean was surprisingly active. Peter MacKay also made an appearance along with plenty of provincial dignitaries and a massive contingent of Halifax-based Navy personnel.

SPIDERWEBS AND SAILBOATS

You may have heard of the security guard who asked TC and SC to depart the sea level docks on the harbourfront boardwalk. If requests like that were adhered to, photos like this wouldn't happen. This wonderfully formed spiderweb was strung along between the bars of a walkway that led downward to a floating dock, just like the one holding the sailboat in the background. Read between the lines to spot the tugboat in the distance.

DUNCAN'S COVE LIGHTHOUSE

From the shore looking up towards the Duncan's Cove lighthouse (Chebucto Head), one realizes again the enormity of the task set before such a building. This is the harshest possible land into which any ship could come into contact. If the way was not lit decades or even centuries ago, huge numbers of lives would be lost. In this picture, the lighthouse looks to be miles away but is actually just a short walk up the slippery cliffs. After traversing one of the worst roads in HRM, the drive downtown is about 25 minutes.

DINGLE IN FRONT OF PURCELL'S COVE FIRE

Utter sadness meets epic scenery in this real-time shot of the Purcell's Cove fire that sprung out of the forest and gobbled up multiple homes in suburban Halifax. In a drastic situation, it's awful to be grabbing pictures of the fire remnants from just a couple kilometres away. In reality, one tells one's self that we were many kilometres away (out one peninsula and into another) and that only official help could really assist. In an world full of more than six billion people, we always find a reason to talk about trouble but disassociate ourselves at the same time. We can only hope that a picture likes this represents danger and spreads caution but also stands as a testament to people who worked overtime (and more overtime) to put the fire out and take care of the affected people.

CENTENNIAL BUILDING's SALTY STEPS

While waiting for SC's workday to be complete, TC captured this salt-caked stairs infront of the Centennial Building on Hollis Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To SC, salt is the key depressing element of the lovely winter season - it can make for an interesting picture though.

SOLITARY TREE IN HUNTER RIVER FIELD

Less than 24 hours after a major winter storm struck Prince Edward Island just before Christmas, Summerside-based SC and TC traveled towards Charlottetown with one goal: eat at the Canton Cafe. One of many stops resulted in a sideroad near Hunter River. Winds were howling and the windchill was lower than -20 C. Drifts were forming under a bright blue sky on relatively high-trafficked roads. This snow-covered dirt road was as picturesque as could be expected in winter scenery, with this battered tree separating two potato fields off to the side of the road. Because of the cold, TC didn't even escape from the heated seat of his in-laws Toyota Camry.

DESERTED TRACTOR IN ISLAND FIELD

While on the side road in PEI, we couldn't help but stop and take this picture.  It speaks of how things come to a grinding halt for some farmers when winter hits the Island.

URBAN BUTTER HALIFAX '08

While watching the Urban Butter Showcase in the Grand Parade in downtown Halifax, TC shot this picture. The World Trade Convention Centre is the backdrop as this snowboarder competes in the freestyle ski and snowboard competition on November 29, 2008.

RAILROAD TRACKS NEAR THE DARTMOUTH FERRY TERMINAL AT ALDERNEY LANDING

Fooled you. Rural this is not. Only steps from the downtown Dartmouth Ferry terminal in Nova Scotia, these tracks are no longer busy but remain "No Trespassing" territory. Oops. Shocking though it may sound, this wildly thick fog lifted completely about twenty minutes after this picture was taken.

REPAIRS NEEDED ON WHARF ELECTRICALS

The footing may be solid. The electrical outlets? Not so much. Only metres from one of Halifax's most revered residences, Bishops Landing, the former emergency helipad is a favourite viewpoint for watching cruise ships enter and leave the harbour. Fortunately, those ships don't look for electricity from this wharf.

PIZZERIA A MANO'S OUTDOOR CAFE IN SNOW

At Pizzeria aMano on Bishops Landing in downtown Halifax, the outdoor furniture sits tight all year round. Don't be fooled, that is just a mural. But don't underestimate the depth of snow, either. Many cups of hot chocolate and many slices of gourmet pizza would be needed to keep you warm at these tables.