The Week That Was #26

May 10th to May 16th, 2026

May 19, 2026

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Week That Was, a collection of images that I’ve taken the previous week.
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It’s a bit of a mixed bag for you this week.

We spent a couple of nights away in the small town of Elora in South Western Ontario. It’s a quaint little town in the heart of Mennonite country and it was originally settled in 1817. Most of the buildings in the town are made from limestone which came from the nearby quarry.

In 1832, a grist mill was built to take advantage of the waterfall along this stretch of the Grand River. In 1970, the mill became the Elora Mill Inn. In recent years, the inn has expanded in size and is now the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa. As a result of the expansion, the once lovely public views of the waterfall have now all but vanished, unless you are a hotel visitor.

Here’s a view along the gorge to the David Street Bridge.

We didn’t stay at the Mill Inn (too fancy for us), instead we stayed in an AirBnb just a short walk from everything Elora has to offer. It was a nice place to stay and this is what caught my eye shortly after we checked in.

Spotted some interesting animal themed public art too….

And this one in the nearby town of Fergus….

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the greatest while we were there (cold, damp, rainy and grey) so my photographic opportunities and inspiration were limited. I’ll just have to go back when the weather’s better.

This weekend was spent closer to home and included a visit to Colonel Samuel Smith Park which has nice views of the Toronto skyline. It’s also a favourite haunt for birdwatchers and nature photographers.

And now for a quick splash of colour. As I mentioned, the park is a great place for birdwatching and, at this time of year, it’s home to tree swallows who come here to breed.

Something that was a nice surprise was seeing this little guy. It’s a DeKay’s Brown snake, a snake species I’ve not heard of before until I Googled its photo. They’re non-venomous, not aggressive and, apparently, quite common throughout southern Ontario. They’re also quite small, around 30cms in length and they eat insects, slugs, snails and worms. I was only able to grab a quick snap with my phone before it slithered away into the bushes.

Finally, a couple more black and white photos to close out this week’s post. I was chasing the morning light and shadows in our kitchen. I quite like the “face” silhouette in the second one.