Seeing Blue Dots, Reflection on Theme 23 of 52, #52weeksofWE

I know they do not take that long to plug out, but these blog posts have been falling along the wayside of our 52 week photographic journey through Windsor – Essex. Life is pretty demanding when you break it down to its component parts, and suddenly exhaustion and eating just get in the way.

I am not one to ever completely give up though, and I always am looking for more motivation to get me back on the keyboard and pestering the group for their photos so that they can be featured. So why not, parasite-like, fasten on to someone else’s passion and excitement and nourish myself with it. With the warm weather, groups, non-profits, businesses, etc. are a little more active and I am spoiled for choice. Though I will not do this every week, I featured an organization in week 23 that is important to me anyway, and felt that we could all celebrate their work with our photographs.

Blue Dot Windsor believes in the right of people in Windsor – Essex to a healthy environment: clean air and water, fresh food. The Blue Dot movement is a national one, being run by the David Suzuki Foundation. You can find their information on the following links:

Blue Dot Windsor 

Blue Dot National

Natural and manufactured solar energy panels by Patrick Firth

Here is my description for the Blue Dots theme:

Do you feel like you deserve the right to a healthy environment – to fresh air, clean water, and healthy food? Do you deserve the right to take pictures of fresh air, clean water, and healthy food, and those aspects of Windsor – Essex that keep our air, water, and food clean and healthy? If you agree you will especially like this week’s theme, as well as the opportunity to look into a local / national effort to help communicate and work towards this right. Follow the links to read more about and get involved with Blue Dot Windsor, and the national Blue Dot effort run by the David Suzuki Foundation. Also, check out the Save Ojibway, Evening of Art at Milk Coffee Bar, Sunday June 21st.

On top of the Evening of Art at Milk Coffee Bar, this is also a timely post because the man himself, David Suzuki, will be at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor on June 22nd for his "Letters to my Grandchildren" book tour, which you can find here.

Clean water made its way into this week’s shots in the form of raindrops caught on a leaf and in the splash of a hunting bird – both my favourite shots for this theme. Water also ran through healthy ecosystems and was the backdrop to a flock of birds (cormorants) at dusk.

"Diving In!" by Steve Biro

"Pollinator" by Paul Thibodeau

We also saw people in action, planting trees, recycling, and just standing back and breathing in the fresh air.

"Clean, clear ice waters" by Lupita Amaya G.

"Planting trees with the scouts" by Laurita Bonita

My contribution was more tongue in cheek, with the infamous Canada Geese of Riverside Drive holding up traffic, judging silently our reliance on automobiles, or something like that.

"Public Transportation Demonstration" by Patrick Firth

Thank you again to all those who are taking part in the #52weeksofWE challenge, and those who are letting me feature their photos on my blog. This is also a reminder that – if you are seeing this for the first time especially – there is no ‘too late’ to join, or ‘too amateur.’ Let me know what themes you would like to see as well, and share the stories behind your photos. 

We are almost at the halfway point. I am looking forward to this week’s contributions, with upside down shots celebrating #YKNOTWE and #Windsor180. Check out other posts for information on this. Also check out the Flickr group for the rest of the photos for the last 23 weeks. Thanks again!