my favourite photos of 2012

As 2012 wraps up I thought I'd post some of my favourite photos that I took this past year. Some of these you've seen before but some of them you haven't. There's something in here for everybody: portraits, streety photography, landmarks, starry skies, politicians, musicians, and roller derby. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

1:12 pm. january 5, 2012. Bangkok, Thailand. January 2012.11:18 pm. january 28, 2012. Maui, Hawaii. January 2012.1:37 pm. february 11, 2012. 2012 PC Party of Ontario AGM, Niagara Falls, Ontario. February 2012.michael bryant. Toronto, Ontario. February 2012.9:12 pm. march 3, 2012. The Death Track Dolls vs. The Smoke City Betties. The Bunker, Downsview Park, Toronto, Ontario. March 2012.11:10 am. april 14, 2012. Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Ontario NDP Convention, Hamilton, Ontario. April 2012.12:28 pm. april 15, 2012. Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, Ontario NDP Convention, Hamilton, Ontario. April 2012.5:01 pm. july 22, 2012. "Dames of Thrones," RDAC Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Championship, Sleeman Centre, Guelph, Ontario. July 2012.1:14 pm. august 1, 2012. Hoover Dam, Colorado River, On the Border between Arizona and Nevada, United States of America. August 2012.2:02 pm. august 1, 2012. Hoover Dam, Colorado River, On the Border between Arizona and Nevada, United States of America. August 2012.2:22 pm. august 1, 2012. Hoover Dam, Colorado River, On the Border between Arizona and Nevada, United States of America. August 2012.12:58 pm. august 22, 2012. Barbara Fox, President, Enterprise Canada, Toronto, Ontario. August 2012.7:06 pm. november 1, 2012. Hilary and Galen Weston, True Patriot Love Foundation Gala Dinner, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario. November 2012.9:52 pm. november 1, 2012. Blue Rodeo, True Patriot Love Foundation Gala Dinner, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario. November 2012.10:10 pm. november 1, 2012. Blue Rodeo, True Patriot Love Foundation Gala Dinner, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario. November 2012.7:44 pm. november 8, 2012. Preston Manning. Churchill Society Awards Dinner, Toronto, Ontario. November 2012.9:12 pm. november 13, 2012. George Perris performs at the Horatio Alger Association of Canada Benefit, Al Green Theatre, Toronto, Ontario. November 2012.

vegas bound again

Amanda and I are getting ready for our annual trip to Las Vegas.

Last summer we travelled out into the desert to have lunch at the Little A'le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada, and to see how close we could get to Area 51.

Here are some photos from that trip. The last one is a mystery.

1:16 pm. august 1, 2011. Highway 93, Nevada. August 2011.2:44 pm. august 1, 2011. Route 93, The Great Basin Highway, Nevada. August 2011.3:03 pm. august 1, 2011. The Extraterrestrial Highway, Hwy 375, near Crystal Springs, NV. August 2011.3:08 pm. august 1, 2011. Alien Research Center, Hiko, NV. August 2011.3:46 pm. august 1, 2011. Highway 375, Nevada. August 2011.4:35 pm. august 1, 2011. Little A'Le'Inn, Rachel, NV. August 2011.5:21 pm. august 1, 2011. The Little A'Le'Inn, Rachel, Nevada. August 2011.6:40 pm. august 1, 2011. Groom Lake Road, Nevada. August 2011.7:27 pm. august 1, 2011. Groom Lake Road, Nevada. August 2011.

This last photo was taken after we had driven just about as close to the entrance of Area 51 as one can get. We saw the signs (go any further and risk getting shot) and the men in the mystery SUVs. As we were driving away, along the unpaved Groom Lake Road to get back to the highway, I was taking photos of the mountains in the distance. I didn't notice anything unusual about any of the photos until I looked at them on the computer and noticed the strange blur in this photo. This was taken about 5 miles or so from the boundary of Area 51. It doesn't appear in any of the other photos, even those taken a second or two later. Any ideas what it could be?