photos

October: photos post

Posted by Patrick Lam on Sunday, November 2, 2025

In October I was working on my NSERC Discovery proposal, so I may have procrastinated sometimes by processing pictures. I selected about as many pictures as I did in July (887 versus 846), but the total number of pictures processed was 27% higher in July (3354 versus 2642). July did include a large collection of Estonian bird photos (710) and a walk up to Apostolidis (528). This month, on the other hand, I had lots of tiny sets, including in-transit days. Still, there were 13 over-100-picture days.

Picture logs available, and, as always, pictures are clickable to go to the full gallery.

  • Sets of pictures processed: October=39, September=10, August=12, July=15
  • Total pictures processed: October=887, September=414, August=563, July=846
  • Total pictures in selection pool: October=2642, September=1486, August=2123, July=3354
  • Accept rate: 34% (min 28%, max 66%)
  • Pictures posted on this page: 204
Ngauruhoe; Winnipeg Union Station; exhibits about Gaza at Canadian Human Rights Museum; Portage and Main (Winnipeg); Catedral (Tallinn); azure-winged magpie (Shanghai); valleys and peaks (Alps); mule (Alps); boat plume (Gisborne); golden sky & fresh tracks (Tasman Glacier); line back up to Saddle Chair (Treble Cone); me on skis (Tukino); Crater Lake (Ruapehu).
Mourning dove (Waterloo); ring-billed gull, squirrel, and Canada geese (Winnipeg); NZ ice plant, common rock crab (Greater Wellington); mourning doves (Montreal); Western yellow wagtail, arctic tern (Tallinn); black swan, cat, Muscovy duck, other ducks, pied skimmer, little egret, sacred lotus, little grebe (Shanghai); pigeon (Vancouver); club-legged grasshopper, cranberry blue, brush-footed butterfly (Alps); Northern Cardinal (Montreal); kākā, buff-tailed bumble bee (Wellington).

Most Recent (October 2025)

Let’s also put the October 2025 pictures right here.

Historical events and scooter parking; FENZ complaints; paradise shelduck/pūtangitangi and chicks; mismatching signs.

Tour du Mont Blanc (July 2025)

Descending out of Robert Blanc; French group climbing back up; plam and MP; traversing; clouds around the valley; Pyramides Calcaires; barrel-like buildings; Roman road; dog on a hike; random campervan and Combal; Ghiacciaio del Miage; dorms at Maison Vielle.

Skiing (September 2025)

I did go skiing a lot in September, more than I have for the past few years.

Glacier Ski Tour

September 2 at CHC: Hello Spring; famous Fairlie Bakehouse; Aoraki from over Lake Pukaki; our ride to Tasman Glacier; Tasman Saddle Hut; view from Kelman Hut; inside Kelman; skiing; golden sky; towards the sunset; morning at Tasman Glacier; snowy mountains; no penguins!
Clouds streaming over; compound lenticular; J on lunch break; massive lineup at Treble Cone's Saddle Basin Quad; looking across the Motatapu River; a rest from splitboarding; river crossing on skis (!); leaving Treble Cone; a caravan of caravans.

NZAC Tukino Ski Meet

Pyramid Peak; among the rocks; portable rope tow at Tukino; pretty icy up to the crater; summit plateau; Blair; skiing; Ringatoto N Buttress recon; wind transport; high winds; Ross the fireman; frozen water.

Turoa

Trying Turoa; snowboarding towards Whynot; low cloud layer; canoe safari boats.

Cities

Winnipeg (Manitoba Open, October 2023)

Hallowe'en decorations; Banh Mi House, the best banh mi; no trains at Union Station; CN "serves all Canada"; Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg; Canadian stories; thoughts about Ukraine; Garden of Contemplation; encampment in the shadow of the museum; mural about refugees; Manitoba legislative building.

Calgary (and Seattle and Squamish) (September 2023)

Streets of Calgary; kata discussion at Hiro's; MyMy sub; Calgary Public library; street art; Pan Am Oceania Championship; training camp; Flavours of Quebec; golden hour in Calgary; above SeaTac; Squamish Parking Lot Wall; the Chief.

Tallinn, Shanghai, and Vancouver/Seattle

Most of the Century Park pictures are flora and fauna, seen above.

Richmond townhouses; biplane at SEA; Tallinn: go away Copilot; Tartu or Tallinn; Eesti Vabadussoda cross; Ukraine & Estonia; public square; anti-Russian graffiti; graffiti at Linnahall; Kompressor; Stenbock House; medieval wall; Shanghai: not a throne; matching clothes; some highrise towers; Montreal Garden in Shanghai.

Walks in Wellington and Montreal

Wellington's Skyline Track; Wellington Harbour view; a walk at Whitireia Park; Porirua Harbour; tactile representation of Mont-Royal; classic Montreal view, smoggy; looking east from Mont-Royal; the moon; We Have the Power in Wellington; above Omaaroro water reservoir; St. Gerard's Church and Monastery (Wellington)

On The Road/In The Air

VIA at Union Station; Toronto skyline; various airlines at SYD; morning in Vancouver; YWG baggage claim; Assiniboine River; leaving WLG; AKL pohutukawa; AKL int'l; Kaipara entrance to Auckland harbour; near La Tontouta; bienvenue en Nouvelle-Calédonie; Magenta airport; fare in Ouvéa; flat Prairies fields.
Approaching YUL by bus; sunrise over Europe; back in Canada; fields outside Vancouver; Rogers Stadium YZD; YYZ int'l Maple Leaf Lounge; Pearson; boarding to GIS; valley and hills; landing at GIS near sheep; Remutaka range and Lake Ferry; WLG again; new WLG bird; dawn at WLG.

Around town

Consolidating some smaller sets here.as well as random pictures from around town.

Canada

Canada geese going for a walk in snowy Waterloo; Engineering undergrad design teams space; biking to winter birdwatching; Toronto skyline; Capstone Design Symposium; high water on Laurel Creek; Lego kākāpō; luggage transport via bike; Pursuit Climbing in Stratford; Save Max Sports Centre; backyard chicken; Ontario Open 2023; Montreal West train station; McGill College Avenue; plants at Bloc Shop; the streets of Montreal.

Queenstown and Wellington

The Old Bailey (Wellington); Karori Park on a grey day; slow for kererū; the once and future Wellington Central Library/Te Matapihi ki te ao nui; Alexander Turnbull Library; Wellington Cathedral of St Paul; Tigger at Harbourside Market; the late Sylvester; "Tree" playing a saxophone; Canadian and other flags; sweeping at Wellington Judo Academy; "Albatross" fountain; small plane at the Remarkables; Hilton Queenstown; Taranaki maunga; Air NZ aircraft at dusk.

The List

Some solid progress here.

2023:

  • [November] Waiopehu (2)
  • [November/December] Ouvea, Noumea Zoo, Riviere Bleue, Aquarium, Grandes Fougeres, Pic Malawi (7)
  • [December] Seattle, Montreal, Nelson (4)
  • Various (4)

2024:

  • Various (6)
  • [February] Travers-Sabine (7)
  • [June] Light Cycles
  • [June] Nairn St Cottage
  • [June/July] Old Ghost Road (6)
  • [July] Melbourne/Cairns (7)
  • [August] Catlins (3)
  • [September] Skyline
  • [September] Japan (6)
  • [October] Rotorua (2)
  • [October] Ontario (5)
  • [October] Pasadena (5)
  • [November] Johnston Hill and Zealandia
  • [November] Gisborne (3)
  • [December] Cascade Saddle attempt (6)
  • [December/January] French Polynesia (8)

2025:

  • Various
  • [January] Montreal
  • [January] Regina (almost none!)
  • [February] Japan (7)
  • [February/March] Kingston (2)
  • [March] Edmonton (4)
  • [March] Peterborough and Ottawa
  • [April] Lima (3)
  • [May] Escarpment Track
  • [June] Korean Festival in Wellington/WJA (2)
  • [June] Australian Nationals (1)
  • [June] PLDI (9)
  • [July] TMB (13 days, 4131 pictures) (11 left)
  • [August] Grenoble (3)
  • [August] Auckland (2)
  • [September] Glacier skiing (1)
  • [September] Auckland SCAM (2)
  • [September] Turoa and cherry blossoms (1)
  • [September] misc
  • [October] Canada
  • [October] Whitehorse WFR
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