When speaking of wildlife, it is understood that we talk about birds, deer, moose and so on. A lesser known fact is that Manitoba also has native plants. One of those plant families is the Orchids. Manitoba has 37 different wild orchids.
Now if they had said 273 orchids, I would have said, “Fine, I’ll see what I can get” but 37 is a doable goal to get them all. Or at least get close. So last week I went hunting for orchids.
Of all the animals on earth, insects are by far the most prevalent. Insects also look the most scary, if you look at them up close. If you can get close enough, the details are simply astonishing. A few years ago, my first and only shot of a willing dragonfly was this one.
After that, it was a hit and miss adventure to get them. Mostly the “miss” part…
We have all heard about them. We all know where they come from. But I can attest that I have seen one. This one was limping a bit so he was not fast enough to escape my camera. A few weeks ago, the Northern Lights were out in force. Nothing was forecast, no warning emails in my inbox, nothing. Yet, some indicators showed that it might be one heck of a show.
So I called a friend of mine and told him what could be for the night. As usual, he was game for this and we set out to the north. The north-north was packed with one big band of heavy clouds. As usual, was my thought. However, to the east, the clouds seemed to be going from less to nonexistent.
A few weeks ago, the inevitable happened. I found myself in a place where most people don’t want to be. A place where atrocities and unwanted intimacies were committed without much extra punishment. The local jail. My particular crime to end up in there? Curiosity, nothing more, nothing less. Innocent as a baby, just like everyone else in there.
Open Doors Winnipeg has made the Vaughan Street Jail a star attraction. A place I have always wanted to see, but somehow always missed. This year, however, it was jail time for me.
Anybody who knows me, will know that vodka and me do not agree with each other. Pour me one shot of vodka and I will feel miserable for the rest of the day. No, vodka is really not my thing. However, walking around in a facility where vodka is made is a whole different ball game. I’ll bring my camera and try (without much success) to keep myself from shooting involuntary selfies.
One such outing was a few weeks ago, to the Capital K Distillery in Winnipeg.