Thursday Doors | July 13, 2017

This week’s submission to Norm 2.0‘s Thursday Doors.

Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world.

“Private Parking – Bath Ontario”

This door caught my attention, as do the many unusual doors I pass on a daily basis. This one struck me as funny. The door is the entrance to what looks to have been a small residence or business at one point. It’s now a storage shed, completely full of junk.

I am often left wondering at the stories doors can tell. At some point in time, somebody took the time to make a fairly unique door, or they purchased a unique door and made it fit the door frame. What made me grin is the fact that this ‘junk shed’ is posted as “Private Parking”. Though the building is along the Main Street of Bath, Ontario, a small town of some two thousand residents in south-east Ontario, it is unlikely that parking will be at a premium or that anybody in the near future will be parking there.

The reason I ended up in Bath, a town with Loyalist roots dating back to the late seventeen hundreds, and was the recent  Tall Ships Regatta (see my previous posts few if you like old sailing vessels). The town was, at one point, a major port and trading centre, till roads and railways bypassed the town, taking commerce with them. It now has a small dock and sheltered harbour, making it the ideal venue for the sailing ships to anchor.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1 ISO 200

High Resolution image on 500px

for more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“On the Ropes” – Tall Ships at Bath, Ontario

“What’s in a life without Camaraderie? For setting sail on a ship with a band of merry brothers by your side is much more gratifying than drifting aimlessly on a boat lost alone at sea.” 
― Saim .A. Cheeda

This is not my typical photograph, but I could not help but be amazed by the young crew members of the Black Jack as they stood high above the deck and tied down the sails for the day.

The ship had already come to port and the deck was bustling with activity, each crew member performing their duty as part of a well trained team. Most of the crew members are quite young and participating in sailing camp and team building work. With the young women in the rigging, being guided by what I assume is a senior crew member, I thought the image of the team working together with the Canadian flag so prominent, was a great testimony to what has made our 150 year old nation so wonderful. It’s a lot of people, from different backgrounds, working together to a common goal.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 200

for more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Empire Sandy” – Tall Ships at Bath, Ontario

“It had occurred to her many times that on board it didn’t matter where you were coming from or where you were heading. Each voyage had its own charisma. Like writing a book – word by word – or crossing a country – step by step – each minute had to be lived moment by moment.” 
― Sara Sheridan

This will likely be my last Tall Ships post. The ship pictured is the Empire Sandy and at 61.8 meters, is the largest ship in the regatta. Launched in 1945 and registered in Canada, it is a spectacular vessel to behold, with its white hull and bright sails, it makes most of the other tall ships look small.

By the time this vessel came into the waters off Amherst Island, the sky had brightened up considerably and the ship offered a beautiful side view, with most of the sails open. It also reflected nicely on the water, creating a very nice image.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 200

for more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (images available for purchase)
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“St. Lawrence II” – Tall Ships at Bath, Ontario

“We clear the harbor and the wind catches her sails and my beautiful ship leans over ever so gracefully, and her elegant bow cuts cleanly into the increasing chop of the waves. I take a deep breath and my chest expands and my heart starts thumping so strongly I fear the others might see it beat through the cloth of my jacket. I face the wind and my lips peel back from my teeth in a grin of pure joy.” 
― L.A. Meyer

Above is yet another of the tall ships that made a stop at Bath, Ontario this past weekend. The ships came in all shapes and sizes, Some larger than others. The St. Lawrence II is a 21.8 meter Brigantine, registered out of Canada. It was built in 1953 and seems to be holding up nicely, I think primarily due to the fact that it’s hull is made of steel, rather than wood, though to see it on the water, that is not apparent.

As I stated in a previous post, this venue for viewing and appreciating these beautiful sailing vessels could not have been better. The ships came in, one by one as the crowds gathered on shore waited in anticipation. My vantage point was on a shaded patch of shoreline behind the beautifully preserved Fairfield-Gutzeit House.

The house, the oldest of three properties, and was built in 1793 and is open to the public for a small admission fee. It also houses the Lafarge War of 1812 Discovery Centre, which tells the story of Earnesttown (present-day Bath), the attack on the village and the flight of the HMS Royal George.

The house was a central location for the Tall Ship events and featured a beer garden and live entertainment for the entire weekend. For me, it was a quiet place to photograph from, away from crowds. It also made the arrival of the ships, one by one a thrilling experience, as they emerged, sails billowing, from behind a clump of trees. A grand sight indeed.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200

for more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com

“Cannon Fire” – Tall Ships Tour, Bath, Ontario

“…this beginning motion, this first time when a sail truly filled and the boat took life and knifed across the lake under perfect control, this was so beautiful it stopped my breath…” 
― Gary Paulsen

This image was made this past Friday, as the tall ships entered the waters between the town of Bath, Ontario and Amherst Island, on Lake Ontario. As some of the ships neared shore, they put on a show of mock cannon fire for the spectators gathered on shore.

This ship, the VS Niagara was one of the larger vessels in the tour, is a two masted brig with a hull length of 37.49 meters and is registered in the USA.

I’m personally fascinated by these marvelous vessels with their complex rigging and billowing sails. It’s like seeing a live history lesson. Last night the ships reenacted the “Battle of the Bay”, a naval battle on Lake Ontario between Upper Canada and America, during the War of 1812. Though the battle was actually between the British and Americans, most of the British forces were tied up in Europe with the Napoleonic wars, so most of the combatants were Canadian Militia.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200