BEES!

So my parents are hippies.

Not necessarily the tie-die wearing, peace sign throwing, vegan diet type, but they've definitely got some crunchy tendencies.

Although maybe they'd be better labelled as hipsters? Or rednecks? I can't decide.

They'e all about making their own bread, and growing their own vegetables. They prefer to make their own preserves, whether it's dill beans, salsa, or canned peaches, they're all into it. There was a solid year growing up where we didn't eat beef, because we were instead living off of the spoils from one of Dad's moose-hunting expeditions. Mom's all into making different beauty products and the like out of various organic oils, and the past couple of years, Dad has gotten into raising bees.

I think the bees are what really tipped me over the edge with the hippie theory, but they are pretty damn cool little creatures. Plus, I can't complain about the awesome honey that I now always have on hand to add to my tea.

So last night, while tornadoes tore through parts of Windsor and Lasalle, I was out obliviously snapping photos of bees, plants, and the steel-coloured waves of Lake Erie.

The annual honey-harvest will be taking place in a couple of weeks, so it was a great time to grab some shots of Dad opening up the busy hives.

The smoke helps them to, you know, chill out.

This guy didn't like getting his photo taken.

For tonight I'll just leave it at the bees, but coming up soon I'll have the rest of the shots from that night.