Family Tree Knits

Family Tree Knits is at it again. This time with a wonderfully warm scarf pattern!



The Family Tree Scarf uses birthstone colors to represent each of your family members, so no two scarves will be alike! Half the fun is in figuring out your family’s set of colors and deciding how to place them, and just like families, the combinations will be unique.



The finished item is like having a family ring, in the form of a hand knit, with lots of history and significance. Yours can include whatever constellation of family you’d like to represent, your immediate or extended family, even pets! Grandmothers would love one representing each of their grandchildren.

The pattern is a broken rib stitch, and has a lovely texture. It is simple enough for a beginner, but the color changes and placement will keep an experienced knitter interested.



The pattern comes with a list of birth months and their corresponding birthstone and color. Feel free to substitute yarn, or use some from your stash.

If you buy both the Family Tree Scarf and the Cowl, it is $1 off each, or $6 for both patterns.

Join the new Family Tree Knits group to share pictures and participate in the KAL to win prizes (including a yarn prize!)

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

CamuksXtreme

Season's greetings!

It has been quite a while since I have posted to the blog. That makes me sad. Life get's busy for many of us around this time of year.

It has also been unusually cold in Manitoba this year, so that has not helped much. As most regular readers know, I am very fond of getting into the great outdoors, and photographing nature. I regularly take a break from outdoor photography when the mercury dips below -15 C or so. My hands get numb, my feet start to burn, and the frost starts to BITE. I have had frost bite several times in a life lived in Manitoba.

You don't know what cold is unless you have fallen through the ice up to your arm pits in water in the middle of a -30 C blizzard. That was the coldest I have ever been. I have however had frostbite bad enough to lose the skin on my feet multiple times.

I have taken the paranoid approach lately. I am a little more careful. I do long to get outdoors in the Winter though. People who live here like to joke about how much they love summer, all two months of it. There have been some years where that doesn't seem like much of an exaggeration. The average Winter temperature in Winnipeg, where I live is -23 C. That is around -9 F for my American friends. The coldest windchill temperature ever recorded in Winnipeg was -57.1 C (-70.78 F) in 1996. It's not the coldest place on Earth, not by a long shot, but sometimes it feels that way.

So, this year, I have taken the plunge back into the frosty outdoors thanks in large part to Steger Mukluks and these bad boys:





They are a little pricey, $239.95 American. In Canada, it cost me $307.26 including shipping. Add about another $50 Canadian for Customs. I really hope they are worth it! If my feet stay warm and dry for the season it definitely will be. Anything else will just be a bonus. I'll get to that in a bit.

I am planning on updating you guys with a product review at the end of the season after I have put them through their paces. I started breaking them in today with 2 different tasks, totally un-related to photography.

The first was a minor standing test. I needed to replace the block heater cord on my car, and that meant standing in one place, somewhat in-actively for a while. The time it took to fix the cord was drawn out, as fiddling with small screws and hand tools with bare hands in today's -26 C (-9.4 F) meant painfully stiff, long drawn out movements. But my feet were toasty warm! And I didn't even wear socks!

The next task I set out to do was take Charlee to the dog park. This was a whole different ball of wax. She was very happy to be there! She gets a little neglected in the cold weather for the aforementioned reasons. I know she was getting a bit of the cabin fever, and so was I! We walked at a brisk pace. The first thing I noticed was how quiet they were! For the first time ever, my dog's footsteps were actually louder than my own! I got a kick out of that. This could definitely make stalking animals interesting, but I will more than likely be wearing snowshoes, and the advantage will be lost. This is a good thing for hunters of the meat eating kind, as well as the photographer kind.

I wear a 13 double wide CamuksExtreme, and they fit my snowshoe bindings, so that is a definite bonus. The second thing I noticed was how in touch with the trail my feet were. I could feel every nook and cranny through the soft soles. That is probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. I frequently take short hikes through the bush in bare feet. If I had more time I would do it more often. I love feeling the connection to the ground. This is the Winter analog I suppose. Incidentally the soft soles also make driving a lot easier than my old winter boots.

The next thing I found was that the treads lived up to the hype. From what I understand the soles of the Mukluks are made from moose hide, and then dipped in some strange rubberized concoction that is super soft and flexible, yet durable once it hardens on the mukluk. It also has an aggressive tread pattern. It made climbing and descending a cinch. This was most apparent on the down slope of the toboggan run just before we arrived back at the car. The snow was compressed to sheer hard pack, and polished to a glossy sheen, and the camuks gripped like a champ. I am curious how well they would do in warmer conditions with a little surface water. We'll have to wait for warmer weather for that answer.

Lastly, the camuks are extremely lightweight. This was not much of a factor, as my trip was quick, and relatively short distance. But it was apparent never the less.

So, over all my first impressions are quite hopeful. I'll post again later, with regard to durability, and new usage conditions.

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Ten Pointer

Ten Point White Tail Deer Buck

If you need someone to document your Manitoba/N.W. Ontario big game hunt this year, give me a shout. I will spend as long as it takes making sure you have the story, and your memories, to keep and share. It's not just about meat in the freezer. Is this the year that you are taking your son or daughter out for the first hunt? Document it! Give me a call or an e-mail today.

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Manitoba Filipino Street Festival (2013)

I had a chance to view and photograph the 2013 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival this year. I could not be there for all of the festivities, but I really enjoyed the time I had to spend there. I hope I can spend more time at next year's festival! If you are involved with this festival, and would like to have some dedicated coverage of the things that your group does to really help make next year's festival a success, be sure to contact me! I would love some behind the scenes opportunities!

Here are some of the things I saw this year...



Warriors




Ambassador




Balut Boat





Sam Katz




The Magellan's Cross




The Queen Alyssa DeGuzman




The Royals




MFSF President Aida Champagne





Manitoba Street Festival Choir




Tricycle




Vendor




Guitarist


All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Red Fox

This red fox is taking care of a litter of pups, which I never got to see, but it is good to see the mother. She is losing her Winter coat, and is obviously skinny, but that will change as prey items are becoming more and more plentiful with each passing day. It looks like this little lady made it through the winter. I wish her well. Enjoy the sunny naps of Summer, you earned it!



All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Whiskeyjack

The Whiskeyjack, otherwise known as the Grey Jay is a fairly cheeky bird when it comes to humans. They will seek out targets of opportunity for food, and you can get quite close for photos if you put in the time. For these photos, I set up a feeding station with a few nuggets of Charlee's dog food below a natural perch. They had already been stealing Charlee's meal, so I thought what the heck. It's a long Winter. They do not migrate for Winter.

They don't necessarily eat what they take right away. If they are by themselves when they find food, they often will hide it nearby, for eating at a later date. Interestingly though, if they find food that has been found by other animals as well, they will carry it a greater distance away, in order to conceal it from something else that may be watching.

I firmly believe that they keep a close eye on other Whiskeyjacks, other birds, animals, and people, in order to find food. If one happens by something good to eat, it won't be long before you will have many more snooping about.

Also, interestingly I have learned the origin of the name Whiskeyjack. It has confounded me up until now, how a bird could be named such a thing.

Wikipedia makes it clear:

"Wisakedjak (Wìsakedjàk in Algonquin, Wīhsakecāhkw in Cree and Wiisagejaak in Oji-cree) is the Crane Manitou found in northern Algonquian mythology, similar to the trickster god Nanabozho in Ojibwa aadizookaanan (sacred stories) and Inktonme in Assiniboine myth. He is generally portrayed as being responsible for a great flood which destroyed the world originally made by the Creator, as well as the one who created the current world with magic, either on his own or with powers given to him by the Creator for that specific purpose. His name is subject to many variant spellings, including Weesack-kachack, Wisagatcak, Wis-kay-tchach, Wissaketchak, Woesack-ootchacht, and undoubtedly others. It was sometimes Anglicized as Whiskey Jack, which became an alternate name for the Gray Jay."

Winnipeg Small Business Profiles

I am excited to announce a new project that I am working on coming up in 2012.  If you are a small business owner in Winnipeg, now is your chance to get some free exposure for your company and your products.  Event Horizons Photography (EHP) is now offering free space on the blog to get your company's mojo out into the readership.  I will come to your workplace, and make some images, you can write your own write-up (must meet EHP's standards, and be approved by me).  All images must have model release forms filled out properly in order for a story to be included in the blog.

The Event Horizons Photography blog has been around since May 2009.  It has had over 6000 page views (as of December 2011).  In November, we had 249 page views.  That is a decent audience, and it continues to grow.  Most of our audience is in Winnipeg, so this is probably more appealing to Winnipeg focused businesses, however we get viewers from around the globe, from time to time.  As more people take up the offer here, more people will see your company profile, I have designed this program to maximize early investment.  The sooner you have a company profile posted, the more views you will get.

What's in it for EHP?  If you like your images, and would like them to be used for company media, or just to hang on your wall at the office, you can purchase them at regular prices.  (Clearly stated on the blog.)  Be advised however, I will not push any sales!  If you want to talk about it, I will wait for YOU to approach ME.

Once your story is accepted, and posted, you can include the link to the story in your companies literature, for a ready made profile for your customers and partners to see.  I will also include a link to your company website, if you have one, so people can find you easy!  This will also increase your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

You can request removal of any post, any time.  If things change for your company, EHP can change with you!

Please pass this offer on to people you may know, who might be interested!

The front page is located here:

http://eventhorizonsphotography.blogspot.com/

Sincerely,

     -David Williams

Happy Thanks Giving!

The fox is thankful for the Spruce Grouse, I don't know what the Spruce Hen is thankful for.  I am thankful for another great weekend out in the wilds of Canada.  Fresh air, active wildlife, a healthy body, good friends, a loving family, and a job that pays the bills.  That's what I'm thankful for. What are you thankful for?  Let me know in the comments!

Lockport Manitoba

A popular place for picnics, and fishing, Lockport Manitoba is quite active with all kinds of wildlife. My favourite is the pelicans, who seem to defy gravity as they glide across the water. They spend most of their time gathered in large groups near the dam, hop-scotching over each other as they float too far from the dam. I can only assume they are catching the smaller fish that congregate near to the dam.

Don't forget to try a world famous Skinner's Hotdog, while you are there. So good!

 
 
 
 
 

Northern Trip

August has been a busy month. I have been shooting like mad, and I have not posted much, so I'll try to make up for that a bit.

Our first stop was Steep Rock, which is not far from Winnipeg. It is close to a quarry, and the town has some static displays of mining equipment in a park just as you enter the town.


The cliffs themselves are quite nice. Very aesthetic. I can totally see doing a shoot there in the near future, perhaps some engagement photos, or family portraits.




There were quite a few dragon flies hanging around the cliffs. Not really flying about, just relaxing on the rocks. I don't know much about dragon flies, but maybe they were warming themselves? Their camouflage was amazing. You could not see them from a distance, only when you were right on top of them did they not look like just another crack in the face of the rock.




The woman behind the desk at the campground we stayed at was very helpful, with both finding the cliffs, and finding a "bed" as it were. We camped in her campsite over night.

We are fairly certain one of the garbage cans had a visit from one or two raccoons over night, because garbage was strewn all around a neighbor's campsite in the morning, but the can was un-disturbed.


The weather was not great over all, but we still made it out to Pisew falls to do some shooting. The mosquitoes were pretty bad, and the weather didn't cooperate for comfort, but sometimes a little cloud cover can add to photos, and I'm really pleased with these shots of the falls.



There is a bridge near the falls, that takes you across the Grass River to get a different perspective of the falls, and it also allows access to the hiking trail to the other falls in the area called Kwasitchewan, which are a day's hike away . We didn't make it that far, as the sun was quickly going down and we still had to find a place to camp. We did however see the other side of Pisew, and it was quite grand.



On the way back, we stopped at Baldy Mountain, Manitoba's highest point. Ok, so it's not that high, but this antenna was literally scraping the clouds when we were there. The views in the areas between there and Winnipeg were very picturesque. I will return for some more shots, I know it.

Yin and Yang

Seemingly opposing forces inside my mind, battle each other for supremacy. On one hand I feel the anxious tone of many fellow Manitobans, on the other I have to admire the splendid beauty of the forces at work here. I am reminded of how impotent we are, in spite of all our plans, and dreams, our toil, and sweat. In our submissive state, we still bow to the forces of nature, which we often pretend to control. Just one more reminder that we merely bend, and weave nature. Then cross our fingers.

Photos of the icy waters rising at Lockport, MB