The Toronto Zoo

For anyone who follows me on Instagram, you may have seen the news that I was off for a short three-day vacation to Niagara Falls at the start of the week. It was an incredible trip (with photos I will be posting here soon) and I would love to go back one day.

On the way home my travelling partner and I stopped at the Toronto Zoo. It's the last summer to see the giant pandas and I just had to see them (they are my favourite animal, and this visit only made me love them more!). Of course, we visited some of the other wonderful zoo creatures which you can find in my images below. Enjoy!

To learn more about the Toronto Zoo and their conservation efforts visit them on their website at torontozoo.com.

The Value of Patience

Patience is a virtue. Admittedly, I am not always the best vessel of this virtue, but I can well appreciate the rewards of patience. In front of my house is a beautiful flowering plant that attracts several bumble bees at a time. I sat outside for nearly a half hour waiting for one of dozens of bumble bees to be in a perfect position for a photo. Try as I might they all seemed awfully camera shy, lingering behind the flowers furthest from me and my camera, no matter where I positioned myself.  Just when I was ready to give up, one bee braved the camera, and my patience was rewarded with this photo.

La Machine

It being Canada's 150th year, many cities across the country have been holding a year long celebration. Here in Ottawa, our great nation's capital, we've had some pretty amazing events, my favourite so far being La Machine. This wonderful show graced downtown Ottawa, as the dragon-horse Long Ma chases and battles Kumo the giant spider. Kumo had burned Long Ma's wings and robbed his sacred temple. Long Ma and Kumo are large machines (though I view them as being more like kinetic sculptures), operated using hydraulics controlled by their human riders. Below, you can find some of my favourite photos of the event, from the awakening of Long Ma, to traveling with him and Kumo through the city as their epic battle ensued. Enjoy!

You can find more info about La Machine here.