Sunday, November 01, 2015

Another Walk in the Woods


An incorrect camera setting gave me the above photo. I kind of like it, although it does give the impression of snow on the ground ... brrrr! I went for a walk in my nearby conservation area with my husband and the pup. It's a mild but windy day today, and the woods were damp. It's not a very long walk (well, what we did, there is a much longer loop I would have walked if I was on my own), but it was enough to get some fresh air and a bit of exercise for the day.

This is the shot I was going for originally (below) ... quite a bit more colourful wouldn't you say? A lovely beech tree leaning over the path with lots of that coppery goodness still decorating its branches.


Still lots of colour around, but most of the leaves have dropped to the ground now, leaving the trees in their cold bareness for the coming winter months.


I do love the combination of the white and black birches and their golden leaves.
A perfect autumn combination :)






I'll let the trees speak for themselves for the next few shots ...











This is the oak tree I showed in my previous post of my walk in these woods. It's now turned coppery orange in the short space of two weeks, and looking amazing!

today

two weeks ago

The sky was starting to look ominous, and the wind was definitely picking up! We were afraid a storm was brewing, but even now that we're home that hasn't happened.


  This interesting fungus which I photographed last time as well.




This is along my secret path ... not so many people come down this path, so I can let Cody off leash. 



I liked the way the greenery was trickling down the end of this tree stump.
The creek was quite swollen and muddy from our heavy rain earlier this week.




There were a lot of people along the trail today, and almost everyone had their obligatory cup of coffee from Tim Horton's in their hands. Unfortunately, most people that walk into the woods with a coffee don't walk out with the empty cup! The cup is tossed carelessly onto the forest floor. The coffee cups are not biodegradable as there's a plastic lining in the cup to keep them from leaking. So they sit for a long time in the woods without disintegrating and looking quite ugly. When I saw one cup stuffed into the top of a tree stump I at first walked by while my husband and I made comments about how lazy people are by not taking their empty cups with them. But then I walked back and put the cup into a plastic bag I happened to have in my pocket. Twenty cups later!! I had a bag full of coffee cups (all from Tim Horton's) and about 10 bottles and cans. Terrible! 

There were even more cups added after this shot!
I have admired Tammy for her efforts in cleaning up garbage in her city, which seems at times futile. But if no one ever picks this stuff up, our green spaces will look like a garbage dump. On the way out, I stopped and squeezed my full shopping bag of cups into the one and only garbage bin in this park, which is on the way out to the parking lot. On the way back to the parking lot I spied yet another bag of McDonald's garbage, carelessly tossed under a beautiful pine tree. The garbage bin is on the left and the garbage is on the right. You'd think the person would be able to see the garbage bin quite plainly, and maybe they did and were just too lazy to take it there. So annoying.


We passed another couple who each had a cup of coffee in their hands. I was in the process of picking up yet another Tim Horton's coffee cup from under the trees. When I stood up I just had to tell them "Don't throw your cups into the woods when you're finished with them!!". Of course they said they wouldn't with little chuckles, but I wonder if they did. Even though it seems a bit degrading to pick up other people's garbage, I consider these conservation areas to be mine (along with everyone else), and I like to see a clean green space, not a garbage dump. I think when people see that someone else already threw their garbage on the ground, they think it's OK for them to do the same. So I'm hoping that if they see that there isn't any garbage around, they will think twice and maybe take it out with them. 

You carried it in, you can carry it out!

And after that little rant ... have an enjoyable Sunday afternoon :)

Wendy











28 comments:

  1. Hello, I just love the pretty colors and those birch trees. The bark is beautiful. I totally agree if you can carry it you can also carry it out. My hubby carries trash bags with him on his walks to pick up all the trash people leave behind. Kudos to you for helping to keep our earth clean. Happy Sunday, enjoy your new week!

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  2. Oh goodness Wendy - I thought that first photo was snow!!

    YOur tree shots are absolutely gorgeous though! Such beautiful color and truly gallery worthy. ;)

    I agree with you - that it's shameful and sad that folks can't be more conservation conscious about their litter. I mean really, in this day and age with all the education about our environment there is NO excuse!! God bless you for making up for those twits and cleaning things up and caring about our world. You get an extra big gold star from me. ;)

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  3. What amazing color! And the first photo is neat too. I thanked a man for picking up trash on the beach the other day. It sure makes me sad to see trash in our beautiful outdoors! Enjoy your evening my friend....and thanks for picking up on your walk. Hugs, Diane

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  4. Gosh, I thought you had gotten snow already! You live in such a beautiful area of the world. The color of the leaves is gorgeous.

    Bless you for picking up the trash of others! I don't know how there can still be people who are ignorant (or uncaring) about how harmful their trash is to the forest and its inhabitants, but it seems like there's a never-ending supply.

    Have a great week!

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  5. Wonderful photos and rant Wendy! Good for you!
    Enjoy your week...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)
    ps...love all the Tim Horton cups on the shelves at Homesense! Hahaha!

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  6. What gorgeous photos. I don't understand people who can walk in such a beautiful place and throw trash in it.

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  7. Looks like a great walk in spite of the coffee cups!

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  8. The black and white birches are fascinating aren't they. My that first photo does look like the photo has been sheathed in snow. Good on you for your rant......it doesn't take much effort to take the rubbish with you when you have finished; then of course everyone can enjoy the pristine nature around us.

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  9. Absolutely gorgeous, the black and white photos are beautiful, just love your first photo.
    luv
    irene
    xxxx

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  10. Beautiful pictures Wendy, it makes me scream when I see trash thrown about like that have people got no sense! they can see the beauty around them and then spoil it by throwing their rubbish down. I would have been collecting the cups up too just like you did. have a great week. :) xxx

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  11. fabulous photos Wendy, I have pretty much missed out on my most favorite month of the year October-but we will be mid 70s here for several days so hope get outdoors and at least get my veggie garden in order, and try to get a walk in this week

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  12. Such lovely shots of your fall woods...I especially enjoyed the birches :)

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  13. Wendy,
    Birches are one of my favorite Trees in the entire world and they do not grow in the Southern part of the U.S. They seem to require the colder temps and perhaps the higher altitudes. I too love to walk among the forest and enjoy the crunch of Autumn that has fallen to the ground. I miss Fall ...
    xo
    Jemma

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  14. Gorgeous autumn colour! What a pity people are so untidy. It's interesting to me that people take their disposable cups walking with them, you just wouldn't see that here, runner's with a sports drink possibly but nothing else.

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  15. Ah Tim Horton's - one of the best things about Canada! Well done for picking up all those discarded cups, and naughty people for not looking after those spectacular woods. I have twice been over at this time of year and the colour of the trees blows me away in its golden glory. Great photos.

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  16. How unfortunate that people are leaving rubbish behind at the trails. I remember participating in organized clean-ups of parks, etc. when I was a high school student on Earth Day.

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  17. Wonderful tree pictures from your walk, Wendy! Well done for picking up al those Tim Horton's cups. I'm sort of surprised so many people throw their cups on the ground like that. I do occasionally see garbage here when I walk, but not very often. Maybe it is simply because you are in a place that has more people.

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  18. The first image actually looks like a landscape buried in snow. Fortunately, so I was not and was walking through the beautiful color, autumn forest. I love birch. Sorry, the walking people do not take their garbage, just they leave the forest With us also is so. Regards.

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  19. Hi - love your photos. I enjoy getting out and about with my camera. I especially love the scene with the wrong setting - it really did look like snow. Joan at www.aviewtothefells.com

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  20. These photos are gorgeous, Wendy! What a beautiful place. The first picture did make me shiver a little :)
    How sad is that people don't think when they toss rubbish so carelessly. What you did is not degrading at all. I think it is extremely admirable.

    -Soma

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  21. These are proper autumn photos, Wendy. Ours is much more half-hearted, can't let go of summer just yet.
    Amalia
    xo

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  22. Fabulous autumn photos. You're a good steward to pick up other people's trash, I do for some things but don't collect with a bag. Even if there were signs, some people would still dump their trash.

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  23. When we used to go camping when I was a child my mother always told us to leave the campsite cleaner than when we found it. so we were always picking up trash. Good for you for helping to beautify your area. It is such a gorgeous place for a walk. Lovely pictures! And isn't that fungus amazing?

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  24. Amazingly beautiful Fall colors that you have captured perfectly! Even the one on the wrong settings

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  25. Beautiful Fall color. Some amazing trees! Love this are where you are taking your walks! DON'T love that people throw their trash about!

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  26. Gorgeous photos Wendy! Thank you for taking us on a walk with you. Those birches are awesome. I hate that people throw out their trash too, especially when there is a trash can nearby. To be fair though, I do think the park could do its part by having another trash can further down the area where most of the trash is thrown (about the time the cup of coffee is done). I know I pick up my dog's presents, and I have to carry it for a long time before I can get back around to the trash can unless I backtrack.

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  27. Wendy, I applaud what you had to say about trashing the woods and your clean up efforts! We always had a rule when camping, which was "Leave it better then it was when you came." The only time we ever ran into a place that was so pristine we could not do that was in northern Canada, on a one week long canoe portage trip. It was so lovely and remote...I'll never forget it.
    Your walk and photography makes me feel like we're right there with you. I especially love the before and after shots you took of that majestic oak tree.

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  28. How glorious your trees look with the colours and shapes of the leaves. I enjoyed this walk in the forest with you. :-)

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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