What is it about light?

Recently, it occurs to me that many of the things I enjoy all have something in common - light.

Let's start with fire. I love to watch a fire burn. A controlled fire, thank you - don't worry, I'm not setting things ablaze with abandon. Bonfire, fire pit, fireplace..... tell me where one is and I'll be there.

Lightning storms. Totally enthralling. In Kingston we lived on the 5th floor of an apartment building with a fantastic view of incoming storms from the West.

Stars. So awe inspiring to lay back in an area with little light pollution and look at the stars.

Meteor showers. Yep, been there, done that too. Many times. At four in the morning on a work day no less.

Home lighting. I have always been fascinated by the unlimited variations of lighting sources and tend to slow right down when I hit the lighting zone in Ikea and other stores with a variety of lighting on display.

Sunrises and sunsets. One of the reasons I like the seashore so much - unobstructed views of the magnificent palette of colour displayed by our sun and our atmosphere. My favourite colour - that blue-white hue that glows in the Western sky just before the sky goes completely dark at sunset.

City lights. Put me in a hotel with an expansive view of city lights and I'll be reluctant to leave (such as the view I had in Vegas late January). One time in my youth, I spent the entire night on top of Mount Royal in downtown Montreal walking back and forth between the various look-outs with the great views of downtown Montreal and the outlying areas.

Laser light shows. If you haven't seen a classic rock laser light show in a planetarium.... you haven't lived.

Fireworks. When Montreal had the Benson & Hedges International Fireworks competition (back when cigarette companies could sponsor stuff), I was in my glory. Unlike other venues, Montreal put the show right in the middle of La Ronde amusement park, which is on an island right in the middle of the St Lawrence River (the old site of Expo '67). The Jacques Cartier bridge spans the river just 100 metres away from the firing point and the bridge closes to vehicle traffic so you could walk onto it and watch the spectacle from the bridge deck. You don't get a better view than that.

The picture here has two of my favourites, the sunset colours and city lights. And yes, that was from our hotel room in Vegas.....