Knarr Gallery

Since our daughter and her husband moved up to Muskoka, we have driven past this old driving shed a hundred times or more. I knew I wanted to shoot this relic but I needed to wait for just the perfect light and timing. Then three years ago, there it was; snow-covered, and great lighting. All I needed to do was get to it. Unfortunately there were no unobstructed viewpoints from the road so I needed to get in behind the bush surrounding it. Grabbing the camera and making one step towards the shed on the even snow, i realized I forgot about the deep ditch and I was chest deep and stuck. Disappointed & frustrated I pulled myself out, and lost my chance for that year. Fast forward last December; woke up on sunny Sunday morning to a beautiful 10 inch snowfall from the night before. Generally 10 inches of snow brings nothing but mean-spirited words under my breath, but today I had a mission. Borrowing a set of old rawhide strung snowshoes, I headed for the shed. Just as I hoped, the setting was perfect and the rest is history. This image "𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫" is certainly a favourite of mine, probably because of the adventure taken trying to capture it. As always...

𝑬𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆!

I love old barns. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the Old Order Mennonite background that is in my bloodline. Maybe it's growing up in Waterloo County with rural activity constantly surrounding me. Susan and I often drive around on Sunday afternoons, taking in Amish country. The trip back in time seems to help bring restoration to the soul. Older barns with fieldstone foundations and weathered pine or hemlock boarding always catch my eye. I think they make a beautiful focus for images. The subject of this image actually comes from the Algonquin area on the north side of Lake of Bays. Taken late in the day last winter, this rural landscape "𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞" captured my attention with it's snowy roof and white framed doors. With multiple textured layers, I feel this has that Christmas card warm feeling.

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞!

While hiking along the edge of a woodlot alongside a field left fallowed for more than a generation, I came upon a long "𝑨𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅" piece of farm equipment. It made me think of the difficulty the farmers must have endured to prepare the rocky clay soil in the Muskoka area before tractors and front-end loaders. The soil that was found in the area, was usually only inches deep before hitting the bedrock of the most southerly part of the Canadian Shield. Generally the land provided these hard working farmers only enough crops for subsistence. Once logging and tourism became clear that they could provide a better living, many farmers traded their plows for storefronts or hotels. When we think of Muskoka today, we envision the beautiful lakefront properties, the tourist driven towns, and the vacation hot-spots. It's hard to imagine the trials, blood, sweat and tears that went into developing this beautiful part of Ontario.

𝑬𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆!

𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗸𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗜𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻, There's no place on earth that can boast more beautiful fall colours. Lake Vernon in Huntsville is surrounded by forests, cottages, camps, restaurants and even farmland. Right across from my Daughters home, this old barn peaks out amongst trees that appear to have enveloped it in through the years. The rusty roof and old stone foundation give us a hint to the age of this relic. As stated in an earlier post, old barns and structures always catch my eye.

𝑬𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆!

Late September, the sinking sun bounces off the high whispy clouds. Farmer's fields have been harvested and turned. Cold nights and warm shorter days. Bird migration is at it's peak and we start preparing for the onset of winter. The pallette of oranges, blues, purples and yellows paint the sky behind a rural silhouette. The beauty of the sky during sunsets are the focus of many of my images as no one can create a scene like the Master Designer. Enjoy and please share!

𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔
𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑
𝑁𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡
𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑"
𝘗𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘨𝘦
𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯

Many of my friends who are following my postings will not only know this place, but understand why I named this piece "Holy of Holies". It holds many memories for me. Both with friends and alone, this is one place where I have genuinely felt God's presence. Not an emotion. Not a warm fuzzy feeling. Not some kind of a trance. God. Unlike Bruce's lyrics where he has trouble making out where the sun's pointed reflection points, in this location it always points to the cross. A reminder of the grace I experience and faith I grasp on to, the older I get. Although the surroundings have changed, trees have grown, grass is sparser, sitting area smaller; much like myself (although my sitting area has grown :-) ) the Son and the cross are steadfast and always remain the same.

"𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔"
𝑉𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑃𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡
𝐶𝑎𝑚𝑝 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑎

Dorset, ON located just south of Algonquin Park is a small town that holds many memories for me. Since I was a teen, few years have past that I haven't visited it at least once. From it's fire tower that overlooks the beautiful Lake of Bays, especially beautiful during the fall colours, to Robinson's General Store, once voted Canada's best Country Store. Owned and operated by the same family since 1921, this famous general store has become a major tourist attraction and is a "must see" for any visitor to the Haliburton or Muskoka area. It's also the home dock for the small steamship the SS Bigwin. It has carried guests such as Clark Gable, Louis Armstrong, Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo and many other famous people out to the luxurious Bigwin Inn on Bigwin Island. This image was taken a number of years back during an autumn visit. Enjoy and share.