Tall Ships Parade of Sail

I was able for the first time to attend the Parade of Sail by the Tall Ships this summer - here are a few of my favourite shots:

I'm not sure if these soldiers are part of the Parade of Sail each time, or if they were part of the commemoration of the War of 1812 that is being celebrated this year.  As the ships would go by they would fire off their cannons at the shore and these soldiers would fire back at them.  The sound was deafening, and gave me a new appreciation for what it must have really been like for those who really did participate in battles on ships:

Abstracts In Nature

I decided I would take the dogs out early for a walk on Saturday morning, before it got too warm.  Unfortunately it was MUCH warmer than I had anticipated, which eventually resulted in a migraine...but I digress.  My sister Brenda, who is an abstract artist, has been asking me to send her some of my more abstract pictures so she can get a few ideas for her work (not that she needs them,) so anyway, Bem, here's a few "abstracts" that I took before the heat got to me!

Oh, and is this one abstract enough for you - I think most people would call it out of focus, but you artists can rescue anything!