Bruce Dean (Puchinpappy)'s photos

The Chilean stage at the annual Heritage Festival at Hawrelak Park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. You can also peek past the stage to see a small portion of the thousands of people who were there for the festival. Of special note is the princess in the lower right corner.

It was the first year for the Syrians as they were represented at their own pavillion at Edmonton's Heritage Festival. They delighted the crowd with this round dance. Edmonton has settled many Syrian refugees in the past year.

For the Sunday Challenge: Wall For all Safeway grocery stores of a certain vintage, the 1960's, the outside walls had these characteristic stone sections.

A dancer with the Azerbaijan Cultural Society of Edmonton provides full expression of her craft at Edmonton's Heritage Festival, 2017.

This set was on display at the Syrian Pavilion at Edmonton's Heritage Festival this long weekend. It was the first year for Syria to host a pavilion at the Festival that takes over our largest city park for three days in August. Displays, food, and dance from dozens of countries pulls our city and province together and promotes peace and understanding. We settle many refugees each year in Canada and our country is better for them. The Syrians are just the newest people on the block. Many of the new wave have come in the last year.

For the Sunday Challenge: Landscape This is a part of the beautiful North Saskatchewan River valley in my city, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The glass pyramids are part of the Muttart Conservatory. "Inside the pyramids, three biomes are in the Conservatory’s year-round displays. A fourth pyramid houses creative feature displays, changing up to eight times a year. As an accredited museum, the Muttart Conservatory preserves and grows one of Canada’s largest botanical collections, and shares knowledge and enthusiasm with visitors." www.edmonton.ca/attractions_events/muttart-conservatory.aspx In the summer, the open space on the slope to the left is used for our popular Edmonton Folk Festival. It creates a natural amphitheatre and is a popular summer festival, among many others, in our city.

A garden in the City Core softens the harsh skyline. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Some hungry sparrows waiting for their mother to return with some treats. I had to shoot this one through a screen window with heavy back-lighting. Nevertheless, here is the moment.

For the Sunday Challenge: Flash. I froze the blades of the fan with a small flash that came with my camera. I had enough ambient light from a table lamp to provide some blur. I was surprised to get the superimposition of the stipple on the ceiling blended with the blades of the fan. The blades were rotating counterclockwise.

Evans Cherries enjoying the summer light.

For The Sunday Challenge: Straight Lines.

Another offering, this time for Not the Sunday Challenge, a tilt-shift of flowers.

Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz province, Spain looking towards the turquoise waters of Embalse de Zahara-el Gastor.

Tilt Shift for The Sunday Challenge. Instead of making things look like miniatures, I started with some miniatures I have acquired during my travels and placed them in London. Those familiar with London will notice that Big Ben and the Elephant are in the correct geographical locations.

Water drop on fly on peony after a rain. Please enlarge to view.

One cloud all week but it came with a lot of electrical activity so I went out after the threat was gone. Here is what I found in the aftermath. Peonies need ants to stimulate the blooms to open. TSC: Rain. Macro Monday: water drops. I dove into my archives for this one. We had a blizzard yesterday so water drops are hard to find.

No horses were harmed in the production of this sand sculpture. On the Beach of Torremolinos, Spain.