D Is For Drop

Okay, So Maybe It Also Signifies Danger As Well

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I guess it’s not often you get to take a shot directly above a waterfall, but this shot of the Montmorency Falls in Quebec City was taken in mid-September 2005. I wasn't rafting over the edge - but I had a great vantage point from the wooden walkway that spans the falls themselves.

I was astonished when the guide told me that these falls are actually higher than the Niagara Falls – but obviously not as wide. She also told me that the Montmorency Falls freeze over completely in winter – and yes, that’s a sight I would love to replicate from this identical angle.

I shot this with a Canon EOS 3000 in fairly grim weather. There was low cloud and rain, but I was determined to get a bird’s-eye view of the gorge.

As I’m well over six foot, I was able to lean over and hold my camera out a long way to take this shot directly above the apex. If you look to the left of the frame, you’ll actually see floating logs down below, looking like a collection of matchsticks.

I shot about a dozen frames, from slightly different angles, but I like this one because of three reasons: a) it is an almost even balance between foaming water and relatively calm water far below; b) it is unmistakably Canadian because of the logs and c) I was lucky enough to catch two separate tendrils of “mist” emerging from far below.

This is just a low-resolution version of the original shot. To see the high-res version, just view my RedBubble version of the same shot at Over The Edge Of The Waterfall.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Arrow Minded

So I Just Turn Right For Canada, Right?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Luckily I was in the passenger seat when we drove the Top Of The World Highway, from Dawson City in Canada, through Alaska and then back into Canada on our way to Beaver Creek. I had my cameras around my neck, ready to take shots of anything I spotted.

Then we came to a T-junction near the end of the trip (correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was the only T-junction on the entire drive) and I figured this had to be one of the more unusual road signs I've ever seen.

(The Odd Shots concept came from Katney. Say "G'day" to her.)

Planet Follywood

This Is How To Get Your Kicks

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

You're not thinking photography. You're thinking lunch. Serious lunch. You've been in photography mode for a week and now hunger mode has suddenly taken over your life. You get out of the car in Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon - and this sight smacks you right between the eyes.

I'm thousands of miles from home, but this is enough to stop me in my tracks. The mid-afternoon light is strong, the sky is cloudless and although the shadows are not as long as they would be a couple of hours later, they are still prominent enough to catch my attention.

So what else caught my eye? The combination of colours. The strong parallel lines of the wood. The white shutters. The snaking wire on the right. The ornate coach lamp. The baskets of petunias. The no-parking sign.

It was more than just the advertising hoarding for the Frantic Follies, splendid though that may be. I had to get as much into the frame as possible, without losing perspective.

And after all that I still had to try and remind myself that I was in Canada, so I had to look on the "wrong" side of the street for oncoming traffic!

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

If Hollywood moved to Chile
Would they film Free Willy?
If Hollywood moved to Canada
Would they film Kung Fu Panada?

Homage To Canada's Fall Foliage

Who Mixes These Colours For Us Mortals?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Having spent six days here in gold rush country, covering 1900 kilometres in that time, at the invitation of Yukon Tourism, I was lucky to be here as the fall colours started to dominate the landscape.

On the first three days, we drove past strong yellows and greens, but by the last couple of days, we were blessed with rich russets dotted across this beautiful landscape. There was no end to the array of photo opportunities for anyone in quest of striking colours.

But just to make sure I didn't miss out on "normal" colours of the local flora, there were still plenty of green leaves to catch my attention as well.

Running Rings Around Me

This Question Used To Have Me Stumped

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was walking past this stump this morning when I did a double-take (like one of those cartoon characters) and then went back to have a closer look. I was absolutely intrigued, not just by the colours, but also because the annual growth circles of the tree could be clearly discerned in the top left. I guess it's a good way to show exactly how thick a growth circle is in this part of the world. You see, they vary depending on the prevailing climate.

As a kid, I always wanted to know what a complete growth circle looked like. Some years ago, in the Yukon, Canada, I asked if a forest of slender trees were saplings. Saplings? No, they were more than fifty years old, but their trunks were slender because the growth circles were governed by extremely short growth seasons. Simple, when you think about it - but it had never occurred to me.

Profit And Gloss Statement

This Must be Charlie's Sheen

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was on my way down Waverley Road this afternoon when I noticed this tree. It didn't have many leaves on it, but the few that graced the branches just had this incredible colour. They looked as if they were made of some light metal that had somehow corroded. When I walked across the road to the tree, I also noticed that many of the leaves had a high-gloss surface, as you can see by the sheen on their surface (no, the image isn't digitally enhanced!).

The icy blue sky made a great backdrop in terms of sheer contrast. And when I say icy, I mean icy. How cold was it today? Not very, according to the mercury, which stood at about 11 Celsius for the day's top. But a colleague who skied in Canada in 20 below reckons he felt colder today. And he's a Kiwi. He would know, mate.

Not Quite The Sydney Arbor Bidge

Do You Recognise This Branch Office?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Hey, it's been so hot this weekend that even the greenery is scorched. Just about the only plants that are flourishing in this drought are the bougainvilleas that are so spectacular at this time of the year. This shot shows the leaves of a plane tree, a stark contrast against the flawless blue sky. These trees form a beautiful avenue on Dandenong Road, the eight-lane carriageway that carries traffic to and from the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. My question is this. The leaves are so similar to maple leaves that I'm just wondering if the plane trees are somehow an offshoot of the maple. Is there an arborist out there who can answer the question? Or maybe one of my readers in the United States or Canada can tell me .....