Some autumn photos

Sherbrooke, Québec

These shots were taken in Downtown Sherbrooke. Here's a little bit about the city, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Sherbrooke (2006 population: 147,427) is a city in south-eastern Quebec, Canada, the only major city in the Eastern Townships. Although originally settled in the early 19th century by anglophones, it is today primarily a francophone city.

The area of Sherbrooke was first settled in 1793 by American Loyalists, including Gilbert Hyatt, a farmer from Schenectady, New York, who built a flour mill in 1802. In 1818 the village of "Hyatt's Mills" received its current name, being named after Governor General Lord Sherbrooke at the time of his retirement and return to England.

It's a beautiful city with some very nice architecture. Here are a few of my photos:

Johnville Bog & Forest Park

We went walking at Johnville Bog & Forest Park today... it was a little chilly, but very sunny and a nice day to be outdoors. It was a really interesting place to visit.

Here's more information: Johnville Bog & Forest Park


This wooden walkway leads through most of the park:




Some birch trees on the outer edge of the bog:




Trees growing in the bog:




The bog was surprisingly colorful in some places:




Pine trees are one of few species that can tolerate the low pH here:




There's not a lot of wildlife in the bog... mostly insects:




In places, it looked almost surreal:




A mushroom that looks like a fingernail :)




A tree being pulled down into the bog:



It was a beautiful day for a nature hike:

Wildlife along the bike trail

I love biking, but sometimes I prefer to go for a walk on the bike trail and bring my camera along. Here are some shots of some of the wildlife I've seen along the way.

A chickadee - very quick and hard to photograph, but this one played along:



A curious fawn - one of two walking through the woods with their mother.



A mussel or clam - he disappeared quickly when I poked him. :)




A heron - I've been stalking him for over a week in order to get a decent shot.




Three different garter snakes. Also very quick! I was quite pleased with these shots!

Vineyard Tour - Le Cep D'Argent

Hanu and I took a tour of a local winery, Vignoble le Cep d’Argent in Magog, Qc.

We took a tour of the facilities which concluded with samples of several of the wines produced by the vineyard. We both thoroughly enjoyed the tour (which was very informative). Our guide (who was quite a good photographer in her own right) was very friendly, and the wines were excellent. For more information, be sure to check out the vineyard's website, here.

Nice Day for a Hike

The weather is finally cooperating here, so I've been spending as much time outdoors as I can. Today the destination was nearby Mont Orford. It was a tough hike, but we took the time to stop and take some pictures along the way.

Fireworks

There's a fireworks competition held here every July. Here are a few shots: