CN workers

I was driving home from work and on Moira, there were some CN workers that caught my eye. I stopped and asked if I could take some pictures of the night-repairs being done to the railway track. Seeing as it was 3 a.m. or so, the welding and other machinery let off some crazy sparks and made for a few good pictures. 

In assembly line fashion, various jobs must be done to the tracks
in order before the welding can take place.

They had a saw that cut a section of the track that needed to be removed and replaced.

This is the Welding gang foreman, Chris Ramsey.

They have to stop working to wait while a train passes on the other tracks.

A machine lifted the pieces of track away

They heat up the section that needs to be welded.

A machine does the welding once it is fitted with the track perfectly.
Ramsey and the guys can just watch the sparks fly.

Therapy dogs

     I was working on the school paper this week and had the chance to go out and meet Peggi Dugas and Rose DeLuca from Canine Comfort of Canada. These ladies run a dog training course in Stockdale, Ont. at Cold Creek Shepherds arena. The course is to prepare dogs to be volunteered as specialty dogs, including seeing and hearing impaired, search and rescue and therapy dogs which visit individuals in need of a helping paw.

    The paper used a picture of Peggi and Rose with their dogs, but I have a few other photos from a class I sat in on that I wouldn't mind sharing.

Enjoy.

This is Hardy, Rose DeLuca's German Sherpherd.

Peggi (left) with her dog, Man tracker and Rose with Hardy. Getting ready for school.

One of the dogs during class, laying down and keeping an eye on me.

The dogs are exposed to medical equipment and approaching different people.

Peggi's coat.

The first class lines up for a picture

Say cheese, or woof!

Hey blog.

     I made this blog for a school project but I think I'm way over-due to start a photographer's blog of my own.

     I have to say that honestly, my first year at Loyalist was a bit of a write-off. No one really got to know me in my program because I barely showed up to class and socialized very little with any fellow photojournalists. Truth is, I was sick a lot of the time. The dog didn't eat my homework, I just didn't do it because I spent a whole lot of time with my bed or the hospital. So this year, my final year, is being spent experiencing what I should have in first year and I still don't talk to many people, despite being there consistently. Oh well, I'm still keeping up, learning and loving it.

     I will add photos frequently, when I get spare time and have something worth showing off. I'll throw a few up after this post, as I've done a few things since October (when I made this).

     Something interesting that I'm working on right now - not so journalistic really - but I'm hunting for owls. With my camera, obviously. I'm in love with owls, bought an owl call and walked out in to a dark forest this evening, with snow shoes strapped to my feet and my telephoto lens on my camera...I'm not experienced and had I been lucky enough to get a response to my calls, I probably would have gotten a blurry picture and scared the poor creature off anyways. There are some trails with guides and other things I'm looking at to learn how to do this better, but we all start somewhere, right? Thought "you" should know, you being whoever might actually read this nonsense.