…they were taken during my hunt. A woman was relaxing near Middle Cove while painting the scene. I found that and the fence a little more interesting at the time I guess.

I finally gave in today and joined the heard – I spent a good three hours this morning hunting for ice bergs. I would usually be chained to my computer on a Monday, but not knowing when we’d get another day like this, I decided to relax and enjoy.

It’s important when shooting something like a berg to remember scale – if there’s nothing else in the shot, you can’t really tell if someone got creative with an ice-cube or if you’re looking at a three-story-tall slab. For me, unless I’ve got something else in there, I just don’t take the picture… too damn boring!

I topped off the day with a half hour wait in the Dairy Queen drive-thru. It was one of those situations where, every time I’d think about getting out of the car and walking in, the line would move. So I sat tight and watched as people got out of their cars, walked in, and walked back out smiling with their treats and drove away.

How dare they not be as lazy as me?

I took these shots today while loitering at the airport, It’s a great place to people watch and to also witness first hand the damaging effects of flight delays.

For those not in Newfoundland, we’re experiencing a bit of weather.

I’ve learned that nothing motivates the masses like fear. Or flurries. So feeling like a true sheep, I stood today in line at the grocery store to buy what could be classified as “in case of power outage” supplies.

Ya know; candles, matches, fruit, whipped cream, vodka. Maybe I should change that to “third date” supplies?

Anyway, the storm has officially hit, and hit quite hard. I’m constantly checking the window, looking in disbelief at how much snow has fallen. I’m hoping it’s a hallucination induced by the delicious combination of low light, gluten and 80 proof alcohol.

So, I’m sitting here amid it all in total appreciation of the beautiful weather we had during the visit to Bell Island this past Saturday.

Tags: Bell Island, ferry workers, lobster trap in snow, shadows of the geeks, sunrise

These were taken over the last few days on the long, barren winding road that leads to Marystown from the TCH.

The temperature was -14C, but it felt like -22C with the high winds. As can be seen in the shot of the highway, the snow was behaving rather suspiciously – quietly slipping across the road – I just had to document it. I actually had to squat in the middle of the highway with a tripod as the minion watched for on-coming vehicles to get that.

Of course, I froze my arse off for all these shots.

The weather really changes at an alarming rate on the Newfoundland highways in winter. We arrived at our destination just as a snow storm broke, and it made getting around next to impossible. As we drove, we went from light to heavy rain, light to heavy snow, and the worst of all – blowing snow.

When you approach a drifting area with blowing snow, it can be a real treat. The danger is not so much the drifts – they’ll likely only be of an insignificant size anyway. The real problem is knowing what the vehicle in front of / behind you is doing. If can be a very sudden surprise if someone – anyone – decides to stop because they can’t see in a white-out.

After conditions worsened, we took a side trip into one of the many small communities – we had been slipping all over the place despite the studded tires and the snails pace at 40km / hour. We got back on the high road just behind the plow / sand truck and soon after called it a day.

When I finally got settled in at the computer, I looked out the window to see that the sky has cleared and there was a beautiful sunset. _sigh_

Being totally desperate for a few shots and in a bit of a hurry, I headed to Bowring Park.

It didn’t look promising for the first 30 seconds. But a full five minutes later I was back in the car and happily on my way. Despite what I said about it in the past, that place always comes in handy in a pinch.

Tags: bird, park bench, snow

The City of St. John’s New Years Eve Fireworks went ahead Tuesday night.

The traffic was pretty heavy downtown at about 6:30pm, so we ditched the car and walked from the Railway Museum. Had the sidewalks been cleared that would have been no problem, but as they were not, it was quite treacherous.

We got there with about 10 minutes to spare, which turned into 15, then 20 and finally 30 minutes of waiting around. The start was late by about 20 minutes and some people, mainly those with kids, started to leave before it began.

Tags: Fireworks, January 1 2008, New Years Eve

We saw this place in Torbay last year and headed back twice this year before the payoff.

I think this is the winner.

We checked out the Jiffy Cab stand a few times – not up to their usual standards. The crazy squiggles on Carrick Drive were never really a contender – just wacky looking. We also popped out to Kelligrews a few times to find the Gingerbread House, and were led on a wild goose chase with a few others, so I stopped taking pictures if a house wasn’t at least as good as Canada Drive.

Anyway, these guys are directly across from Tapper’s Gas Bar in Torbay, right at the top of the hill. The neighbour actually gets right into it too – a very elaborate job in it’s own right, had they not been next to this place. Check them out – they don’t have as many inflatables as Canada Drive, but if you listen carefully, you may hear the Christmas music that they’re playing.

Tags: Christmas lights, night shots