I took some photos of my kids.
Archive for the ‘L’Ile du Marais’ Category
The Island in Spring (L’Île du Marais)
We went to the island for Mother’s day. I insisted we go before breakfast.
We spent the morning looking at things.
I took many fascinating photos through a magnifying glass, after which I learned a few things.
One: I have a hard time focusing the camera properly.
Two: magnifying glasses are made of glass, and glass does a lot of reflecting.
In the end of all of it, I ended up with one good magnifying glass photo.
There is a big-ol’ sideways root ball along the path.
It makes Martin feel quite manly to climb a few feet up it,
so he always gratifies himself with a wee climb on ye ol’ root ball.
He talks about how impressive he is to Akiva, so naturally Akiva climbs up it, too.
100% of the time that we visit L’Île du Marais, I have to take a photo at this exact spot.
Just for some variety, I’m leaving the colour up to your imagination this time.
Going through some old photos, I discovered this old photo of her winking into the sunshine while looking in the camera.
Nearly a lifetime and a half later, she’s only getting cuter!
Le marais dans la neige
Last year’s walk across the ice at the Ile du Marais was delightfully memorable, so we invited Martin to come with us this year. Perhaps because it is earlier in the year, there is more snow and many more people. There are also trucks, vans and ATVs driving on the ice. Fishing houses crowd the lake. When we walk around to the back side of the biggest island where the fishing is poor, there are many fewer people. A couple of ATV drivers, beers in hand, stink up the air and ruin the quiet as they speed randomly through the protected area of the marsh. The ice between the marsh plants becomes unpredictable. Past the area where ATVs can drive, tiny footprints trace paths between the vegetation. For a few minutes, there is silence.
Autumn, L’Île du Marais
When we get there, we walk across the boardwalk to the island. On the west side of the boardwalk, turtles bask in the setting sun. I did not buy my camera for the purpose of photographing far-away turtles. I chose my camera for the purpose of photographing children. The binoculars are for the turtles. If there are still turtles when my children are grown, they will still look like turtles. We will still see them with binoculars in that future. If there are no turtles when my children are grown, we will look at photographs of turtles that other people have taken. We will say, “Remember when there were turtles in the ponds? They sat on logs in the sun and we looked at them.” A world with turtles is a happier place than a world without turtles.
In the middle of the island there are rocks with moss on them. There are trees. If there is a time in the future when there are no turtles and no people, at least for a while there will be rocks with moss. For a while, there will be trees. Everyone will wish they could be there.
My favorite part of the walk, at least at the moment, is around the back side of the island. There is the edge of the island. There is the still water, the marsh, the hill, the silver steeple of Canton-de-Hatley. There is the sky. There is the moon. The world is everywhere we look.
L’Île du Marais Monstre—
—c’est juste un petit garçon.
L’Ile du Marais, Marinier Archipelago
At L’Ile du Marais in Ste-Catherine-de-Hatley, the ice is still frozen. Instead of taking the regular trail around the main island, we follow the footprints of ice fishers fishing between the small island of the Marinier Archipelago and the western shore of the southern end of Magog Lake.
I am anxious to cross the ice, but Iris and Akiva have no fear. There is no reason to be afraid: there are many people safely fishing through holes drilled in the thick ice. It takes quite an effort to make fear succumb to reason.
I am tired because I am not good at sleeping. While I rest lazily, head down on a slope, the children explore. After some time, we leave. We never make it to the main trails.
Pink Lady’s Slipper (L’Ile Du Marais)
I am missing the spring with all this work I am doing on the house, so we took an emergency trip to L’Ile Du Marais. It’s been a while! The woods were positively overflowing with wildflowers. Being mainly a photographer of two very specific individuals (I really should branch out), I didn’t take many photos of the delicate blooms. It was an absolutely delightful trip! We should go more often.
How does this superior-type expression of self arise in isolated individuals? Akiva has never seen someone take this posture.
Portrait on the very very very abandoned car.
Another five-leaf trillium!
Iris inspects the labia of a lady’s slipper.
Goofballs (L’Île du Marais)
Iris & Akiva discuss the various merits of their snowballs.
Akiva is left with the feeling of having created an inferior snowball.
We climb the lookout that I might take a fine dual portrait in front of the marsh.
Then I try individual portraits.
A wide-angle lens definitely increases goofballishness in closeup.
We have a memorable adventure.
Family Visit (L’Ile du Marais)
Iris has always been a people watcher. She stated this to me explicitly at age two. One of her favorite people to watch is Uncle Dan. She likes to watch him draw, especially when he is drawing landscapes. Rendering a landscape in watercolor is a magical act.
Landscape:
* * *
Later, at home, Gramma watches Iris knit.
Now & again, she lends a hand.
Knitting is not one of Iris’s favorite activities, but she is much better at it than I am!
