{"id":7830,"date":"2025-06-24T06:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/?p=7830"},"modified":"2025-06-20T07:41:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T11:41:40","slug":"summer-vacation-kingston-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/24\/summer-vacation-kingston-adventures\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Vacation | Kingston Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We wanted to stay close to home this year for our main summer vacation. The one place my wife and I had been talking about visiting is Kingston, Ontario. As a city, it is one of the older urban centres in Ontario. It is home to numerous historic sites, not to mention some stunning architecture and natural landscapes. We only spent three full days in the city, but we got to see a lot in that time. We visited Old Fort Henry, took a river cruise on the St. Lawrence through the 1000 Islands, and explored the Pumphouse Museum. We then spent some time in the historic downtown area. For my camera kit, I took along my D750 with the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm (which I ended up not using at all), 60mm, and a manual focus 200mm lens. I also packed along a Pentax Zoom 280-P, a 1990s point-and-shoot loaded with the new Kentmere 200, my Mamiya m645, the 45mm lens and a roll of Lomography Potsdam and Ilford HP5+.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54579709024\/in\/album-72177720326767423\" title=\"Cathcart Tower\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54579709024_a30fd615a8_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"Cathcart Tower\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>I&#8217;m rather pleased with this photo of Cathcart Tower, one of four Martello Towers and the one I did not have a good photo of until now!<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AI-S Nikkor 200mm 1:4<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54586426526\/in\/photostream\/\" title=\"Artillery Crew\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54586426526_05502103aa_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"761\" alt=\"Artillery Crew\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The Fort Henry Artillery crew working over their Armstrong guns, these are breach-loaded rifled field guns that were popular in the late 19th-Century.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N &#8211; Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (1+3) 11:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54579708999\/in\/album-72177720326767423\" title=\"Bayonet Drill\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54579708999_31e9f2eb49_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"390\" alt=\"Bayonet Drill\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The one thing I wish we could do in 1812 reenacting is bayonet drill but that didn&#8217;t get formalised until after that period.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54586641428\/in\/photostream\/\" title=\"Big Brass Gun\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54586641428_6e13f7a2a6_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"738\" alt=\"Big Brass Gun\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Don&#8217;t let the size fool you, this beefy boy is only a 9-pound bronze gun mounted on a field carriage.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N &#8211; Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (1+3) 11:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54579529761\/in\/album-72177720326767423\" title=\"Music At the Fort\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54579529761_b0b85ed7d6_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"Music At the Fort\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The one demo we watched was about music at Fort Henry, both the entertainment and communication side of things.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54586426451\/in\/photostream\/\" title=\"The Redoubt\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54586426451_03855ed5f4_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"739\" alt=\"The Redoubt\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Looking down along the main redoubt from the top gun deck where all the heavy artillery is located.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N &#8211; Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (1+3) 11:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Starting off our vacation with a bang, hitting up Old Fort Henry. Now, I&#8217;ve been trying to return to Fort Henry for several years; the last time I visited, I was five, according to my parents. Since then, I have visited the fort twice, and in both instances, it was closed. Once they were set up for the Halloween event, and then again for the second time, they shut down for the season. This time, I made sure the site was open. Fort Henry is the only Victorian-era masonry fort in Ontario, built primarily to defend the entrance to Lake Ontario and the Rideau Canal. Its secondary role was to defend the Kingston Dockyards (today home to the Royal Military College) until they shut down in 1853. The fort had not changed much; the usual refreshes were everywhere, but I got the chance to see all the displays and watch the guards do their training manoeuvres. However, the bugs were nasty; they weren&#8217;t biting but still annoying enough to chase me off the top gun deck of the central redoubt. I&#8217;m accustomed to smaller forts featuring multiple buildings and varied materials. Fort Henry was designed primarily for artillery; it&#8217;s big, grey, and difficult to photograph from the inside. But at least I was able to get some shots of the guard doing their thing and a lovely music demo. <\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54581083707\/in\/album-72177720326793468\" title=\"Prince George\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54581083707_71a132fbea_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"Prince George\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The Prince George Hotel &#8211; Unique in that it features several pre-1850 buildings combined into a single facade in 1898.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54591854467\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Steamship\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54591854467_0b9e51d149_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"694\" alt=\"Steamship\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The S.S. Keewatin now sits in the historic Kingston Dry Dock as part of the Great Lakes Museum, this is one of only a few Edwardian Era steam passenger ships on the Great Lakes.<br \/>\nPentax Zoom 280-P &#8211; Pentax Zoom Lens 28-80mm 1:3.5-8 &#8211; Kentmere 200 @ ASA-200 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54581955916\/in\/album-72177720326793468\" title=\"Customs House\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54581955916_031c314bb7_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"Customs House\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The former Custom&#8217;s House, completed in 1859 as a part of Kingston&#8217;s transformation into the capital of the Province of Canada. It stills serves the Federal Government today.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54592947228\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Shoal Tower\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54592947228_95829f8340_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" alt=\"Shoal Tower\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The Shoal Tower, one of four Martello Towers in Kingston, this one stands watch over the town.<br \/>\nPentax Zoom 280-P &#8211; Pentax Zoom Lens 28-80mm 1:3.5-8 &#8211; Kentmere 200 @ ASA-200 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54582268885\/in\/album-72177720326793468\" title=\"The Pumphouse\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54582268885_a6a696f478_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"The Pumphouse\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The Pumphouse, one of only six former steam-powered water pumping station. Today it&#8217;s a brilliant museum.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54592929354\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"1921\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54592929354_4755396de0_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"654\" alt=\"1921\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The beautiful steel sign for Morrison&#8217;s, a 1921 staple in downtown Kingston.<br \/>\nPentax Zoom 280-P &#8211; Pentax Zoom Lens 28-80mm 1:3.5-8 &#8211; Kentmere 200 @ ASA-200 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>The second day was spent in downtown Kingston. We had initially planned to visit the Pumphouse Museum first, then head into downtown. However, a school group was there in the morning, so we revised our plans and headed downtown. Now, we had already parked downtown and walked out to the Pumphouse, so it was back the way we came. One problem with downtown Kingston is that there is a lot to see but no easy way to see it all. We then wandered around various streets before grabbing lunch and heading back to the Pumphouse for a couple of hours. The Pumphouse is a former water pumping station that served Kingston for several years and is now a lovely little museum featuring the original steam engine and pumps in place, as well as a great display of model trains. I ended up walking back to get the car and bringing it to the Pumphouse so that we wouldn&#8217;t have to walk back a third time!<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54584470350\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"Paramenter &amp; Bulloch\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54584470350_f4bd11d99e_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" alt=\"Paramenter &amp; Bulloch\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The former Paramenter &#038; Bulloch factory, they were pretty big at their height, there&#8217;s plans to convert the place into condos.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54595386641\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Paramenter &amp; Bulloch\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54595386641_89ab8d20f0_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"710\" alt=\"Paramenter &amp; Bulloch\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Access would have been so easy if I had wanted to get in and there wasn&#8217;t a lot of eyes on it.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N &#8211; Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-200 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (1+2) 11:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54583286362\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"Paramenter &amp; Bulloch\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54583286362_e615676908_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"Paramenter &amp; Bulloch\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Of course I had to get a lonely chair shot, and I&#8217;m proud that I did this without going in (although I was sorely tempted).<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AI-S Nikkor 200mm 1:4<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54595579204\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Xerox&#x27;d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54595579204_3600483659_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" alt=\"Xerox&#x27;d\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The 1000 Islands History Museum, I immidiately saw the railway station, turns out it is a reconstructed copy of the Thousand Island Railway Waterfront station, the original burned in the 1990s.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N &#8211; Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-200 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (1+2) 11:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54584340349\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"Light &amp; Power\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54584340349_9c2a134bbd_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"Light &amp; Power\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Another potentially abandoned spot on the other side of the river, a former hydro-electric station.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54595693660\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"V.R.\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54595693660_bfe216986f_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"758\" alt=\"V.R.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Gananoque is still an official port of entry, this is the 1883 Customs House, today it&#8217;s the offices for the City Cruise branch.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N &#8211; Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-200 &#8211; Kodak D-76 (1+2) 11:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Our final full day took us out of Kingston about a half-hour east to the town of Gananoque. The reason is that in our planning for this trip, we wanted to take a 1000 Islands Cruise. We did not want a long cruise or one that included a stop at Hart Island. The cruises were limited out of Kingston, but the cruise out of Gananoque offered a simple one-hour tour. The tour took us through two main island groups: the Navy Islands, located around the 1000 Islands Bridge, and the Admiralty Islands, closer to Gananoque. We arrived in Gananoque a few hours before the boat was due to leave, which gave us some downtime. I took the chance and wandered around a bit near the docks; I didn&#8217;t have the time to explore the downtown area on this trip (but it gave us a reason to return). I did find a cool, abandoned factory. I was expecting a lot more people on the boat and having to jockey for positions, but there weren&#8217;t many people. And those mainly stayed on the upper decks, and I had the bow section to myself. I had planned to use either the 35mm or 50mm lens but ended up using the 60mm macro lens. Despite being a macro lens, the 60mm was wonderful for landscape work through the island chains.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54584340219\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"A One Hour Tour\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54584340219_490d96d275_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"A One Hour Tour\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>One of the larger cottages on the island, this one looks like an old country home!<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54583286442\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"A One Hour Tour\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54583286442_3f42a4041a_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"A One Hour Tour\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Getting some serious Group of Seven vibes from this one.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54583286302\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"A One Hour Tour\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54583286302_ee1807dc79_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"A One Hour Tour\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>This one looks all closed up.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54584340174\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"A One Hour Tour\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54584340174_590a6cce9d_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"A One Hour Tour\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>A simple modified A-Frame on a small island.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54584376018\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"A One Hour Tour\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54584376018_f93f5b534b_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"A One Hour Tour\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>This one this whole island is the cottage.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54583286272\/in\/album-72177720326827799\" title=\"A One Hour Tour\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54583286272_8a28340be5_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"A One Hour Tour\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Another favourite of mine.<br \/>\nNikon D750 &#8211; AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>It was a lot of fun to go on vacation earlier in the year. And more importantly, I was able to explore a city in Canada that I have not visited in any real way in several years. The last time I passed through was a short stop on my way home <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/albums\/72157622642631774\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">from Ottawa back in 2009<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/13\/foma52-week-40-stone-city\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">weather was terrible that day also<\/a>! And on the other couple of occasions, the weather didn&#8217;t cooperate much either. If you are looking for a fun spot to explore with a tonne of history that might not be on your radar, then Kingston might be a good spot to check out. You can check out all my photos from the trip <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/collections\/72157723865850597\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">over on Flickr<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We wanted to stay close to home this year for our main summer vacation. The one place my wife and I had been talking about visiting is Kingston, Ontario. As a city, it is one of the older urban centres in Ontario. It is home to numerous historic sites, not to mention some stunning architecture and natural landscapes. We only spent three full days in the city, but we got to see a lot in that time. We visited Old Fort Henry, took a river cruise on the St. Lawrence through the 1000 Islands, and explored the Pumphouse Museum. We then spent some time in<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/24\/summer-vacation-kingston-adventures\/\"><span>Read More &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[1988,22,107,1560,1566,665,102,1989,1180,78,448,104,822,111,29,793,1282,1283],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7830"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7830"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8351,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7830\/revisions\/8351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}