Knarr Gallery
242 Union St E N2J 1E2 Waterloo, ON, Canada

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 st...ep 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 " " is certainly a favourite of mine, probably because of the adventure taken trying to capture it. As always... , ! #abandoned #muskoka #huntsville

Over the past couple of years, the primary focus of my photography has been on nature. Honing in on my birding, it has amazed me at the number of species that can be seen on a single evening hike. The diversity of colour, size, habitat, and behaviour creates a wonderful pallete for the camera. Interspersed with my landscape postings, I will also be sharing some of my nature postings, such as this set of images taken this past Saturday, where I met up with a friend, Julie Seiler . It focuses on the red-bellied woodpecker. Let me know what you think and feel free to share!

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. See more

SNOW. As many of my friends know, I consider this a 4 letter word. Bass season is over, fishing poles taken apart and stowed away :-( . Going out and shooting white snow when I could be sitting by a warm fireplace with a nice shiraz, is not my idea of good time. Besides, how creative can you be shooting a polar bear in a snowstorm? Right? So this past winter to gain some motivation, I made a goal to shoot and create 10 winter scenes. Although 10 doesn't sound like a big numbe...r, compared to other years, to me this seemed unrealistic. Most were shot in Muskoka where snow is deep and roofs are covered not only creating dream-like scences, but can also cover a number of items that aren't so picturesque. This image appears to be a sunset, however is close to winter solstice in Muskoka where the sun is low in the sky mid-afternoon. Again feel free to share. Enjoy! "Last Call"

A New Day's Hope

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 foc...us 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 " " 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. ! #algonquin #lakeofbays #RuralLandscape #KnarrGallery #barns

While hiking along the edge of a woodlot alongside a field left fallowed for more than a generation, I came upon a long "" 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 prov...ided 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. , !

This premature winter, with the unprepared snowblowers and rush to get snow tires on, has caught us all unprepared. Many trees still have their leaves left on them. It's messed up the bird migration patterns. Many landscapers who were still in yard preparation mode, hurried to get their trucks converted over to plow and salt mode. What was supposed to be an autumn tree planting today in our back yard turned much more difficult as I needed to snow blow a path for the planters ...to reach the location. Once again, getting motivation to go out in the cold and shoot white snow is difficult for this warm weather old coot. I'd much rather be out shooting in the fall with the beauty of the Master Painter everywhere. This image named " " was taken in on a dull day in Hastings County. With it's reflections and dead tree trunks against the popping colours of the maples, birches & conifers, I am attempting to show the beauty in a location that is usually perceived as just an old swamp. , !

, 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. , !

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!