Sunday, February 16, 2025

Guess What!?

If you guessed right we got another snowstorm!  It never stops, and just builds up and up and up!  I watched the guys who came to shovel our front sidewalk, the snow was a foot deep again!  We're missing a lot of care-giving shifts because of the poor visibility for driving caused by the blowing snow.

Yes the snowstick is buried deeply down below that drift in the lower left!

When I look out the front window all I see is snow, I'm guessing 3-5 feet deep over our entire front yard and 7 feet deep beside the driveway.  This morning the fire hydrant finally disappeared from view.

Now I'm going to go back 10 years and see what other interesting photos I can find from past winters for your amusement.

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Flag Day in Canada

Today is National Flag of Canada Day.  The familiar red and white Canadian flag was introduced in 1965 after contentious debate in the House of Commons.  It replaced the Red Ensign, a flag featuring the British Union Jack in the corner, and the coat of arms of Canada.  It's a widely recognized flag today.

This was taken at Big Bay, on one of our excursions ten years ago.  I just really liked the flag flapping in the wind over Georgian Bay.  It was at the end of the Big Bay dock, on the famous Big Bay beach.

Yes, Big Bay is indeed the stone skipping capital of Canada.  That beach is not sand, but shingle, all round flat stones, perfect for skipping, which of course we did.

It's hard to be unaware of how directly Donald Trump is insulting Canada with his threats of tariffs and making us the 51st state.  Trump has pissed off so many Canadians that there are more patriotic flag posts on Facebook here than anything else.  I fear that many Canadians will no longer feel friendly to the U.S., which is a shame.

But the unintended result has been a wave of patriotism sweeping the country.  Like most other Canadians I'm proud of our great country and a little frightened that Trump will not in fact back off.






Friday, February 14, 2025

As If That Wasn't Enough!

As if we haven't had enough snow yet, we had another foot on Wednesday night.  It has really piled up now and the forecast shows no warmer temperatures for the next two weeks.  The street didn't get plowed out until late morning, long after our caregiver would have been here if she could get down the street!

How the snow goes over that planter and hangs down like it does I have no idea, but it does.  However, the drift below has grown as well so from my vantage point the gap between them has shrunk to very little.  Compare that to the last photo of my last post.

Mrs. F.G. took the camera and tried to get a picture of the giant snow cap on our planter, to show how it curves over toward the east.  Our prevailing breezes are from the west, so it pushes the snow to the east forming this giant one-sided mushroom cap..

The town plow and our own snowblower guy got here in late morning and blew out the drive.  The two plows timed it well, for the town plow came by a few moments after the other, leaving a big ridge across the front of our driveway, but this guy was still on the street, so he came back and blew that away too.

The pile beside the drive has crept above six feet now, and our small Tulip tree on the far left is half-buried!  I hibernate from first snow til it melts in March, except for getting out in a vehicle to physio, lunch and sometimes church. 


Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Winter Continues Here!

Winter continues here without letting up.  It just snows and snows and snows.  It never melts, so it just piles up here.  I don't remember so much snow in recent decades!  The snowbanks are 4-5 feet high, though I'm sure out in the country where it drifts the plows have cut 10 foot walls of snow.  There's even a four foot pile right outside my window just from having the front sidewalk shoveled.

We haven't had many sunny days, though we certainly have longer daylight.  I wish for the return of the sun even more than the disappearance of the snow.

Look at the sky in that photo!

It's mostly dry snow that just piles up, but every now and then we get a day of wetter snow that sticks to all the twigs of the birch out front.  At any rate, THERE IS LOTS OF SNOW!

Here's a view from our front sidewalk where it's been shoveled to across the street.  
A person pretty well disappears briefly behind that snowbank when they're walking past.

And I made reference to our snowstick earlier this winter; I even posted a picture or two.  Well, it's been out of sight beneath this drift for at least six weeks now.  We hope he returns soon!




Monday, February 10, 2025

Imbolc/St. Brigid's Day/Candlemas/Groundhog Day - All at Once!

Ten days ago ago we hit Feb. 1st on the calendar.   The first few days of February are dates worth remembering, for we are now halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, some would call it the first day of spring.  This is one of the ancient 'cross-quarter' days in Celtic culture, dividing each of the four seasons at their mid-points and celebrated as the first day of spring, at least in Ireland.

The four cross-quarter days all had agricultural significance, representing the days when cattle were driven out to summer pastures, when harvest began, and when harvest was finished for the winter.  This awareness of the seasons and their implications for local communities was important in all ancient civilizations.

The name Imbolc dates from that ancient Celtic tradition and refers to the beginning of lambing season (picture those rolling green hills of Ireland dotted with sheep).  The coming of spring has always been a very important time, following the months of darkness and sometimes starvation.  Plans for planting were made, and for some it was about the return of longer days and more light.

Here on the shores of Georgian bay, buried in 2 feet of snow this year, it's hard to relate!  But we are definitely getting more light as the days get longer.

At some point Imbolc got tied to the ancient goddess Brigid, and as Ireland was Christianized in the 5th century by St. Patrick, the ancient goddess morphed into a saint, St. Brigid.  In turn St. Brigid's cross became a widely used symbol in Ireland.

Imbolc coincides with Candlemas in the Christian church, the Festival of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.  This is also a celebration of the return of the light and the final end of the Christmas season.

An ancient tradition in Europe was that if the weather was cloudy on Candlemas, there would be an early spring, while if the weather was sunny there would be six more weeks of winter.  In the European context this superstition became linked to hibernating mammals like the bear or badger.  It's easy to see how this was transferred to the groundhog in North America.

Today there are numerous groundhogs (and a lobster) that are said to have mythical weather-forecasting abilities.  The most famous is Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, followed by Wiarton Willie and Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia.  Not wanting to be left out of the game we can add Fred la Marmotte in Quebec, Balzac Billy in Alberta, and don't forget Lucy the Lobster!

I doubt that many people in the audiences waiting for these groundhogs to appear and make their prognostications realize the ancient religious origins of the celebration.  The 4th century tradition of Candlemas has led us directly to the modern festival of light as spring returns.  If you can't treat the groundhog seriously, at least watch the date and celebrate the first day of spring as the light returns.












Saturday, February 8, 2025

One More Special Waterfall!

They're not many people who have a waterfall named after themselves, but I do - by accident!  A little more than 10 years ago the Bruce Trail Conservancy purchased a large property where the trail went past a trickling stream and up over a high lookout.  It was my job as a volunteer to check out the property and find the corner stakes (easier said than done!).

Thus it was me who donned snowshoes one winter and clambered down a VERY steep slope to see this small waterfall.  I was blown away by what I found, a beautiful curtain of ice.  This is the first picture I originally took of the falls.  Credit to my sister for the remaining pictures below, except for the last one.

In contrast, this is the tiny trickle that you find in the summer.  But it's the slow trickle that builds up the beautiful ice curtain in the winter.  You can also see the geology here.  The top half of the waterfall is the Manitoulin Formation, thin layers of dolostone; the bottom half is the reddish or bluish Queenston shale.

Eventually I recommended and flagged a side trail, because the main trail did not give you a view of the falls, going on up the slope above.  I have to give credit to Cathy Little who suggested the idea, and Bob Hann who suggested the name.  Then I ended up in the hospital for half a year and when I returned they had built the side trail.  And they named the side trail after me!

This is the surprisingly large group that gathered to declare the side trail open.  I'm gratified that many of these were friends who really came to be there for me.  That's me in the centre of the picture in my wheelchair with my favourite brown hat on at the opening ceremony.

The trail goes through a beautiful hardwood forest before coming to the waterfall.  Though I had designed the trail originally, I of course could not go on the hike to see the waterfalls in my wheelchair.

My sister went for me, and here she is posing beside the new sign for the 'Stew Hilts Side Trail'.  Maybe I should have persuaded them to name it the 'Furry Gnome Side Trail', but now you know who I am.

At any rate, people started hiking this new side trail, and posting pictures of the waterfalls on Facebook.  The regional tourist brochure on waterfalls added it to their list.  And in all this, since it was at the end of the Stew Hilts Side Trail, it became known by default as Hilts Falls.  There you go, my very own waterfalls, best visited in winter if you want to see the curtain of ice.



Thursday, February 6, 2025

Yet More Waterfalls!

Ok, yet one more picture of frozen waterfalls; hope you're not getting sick of them.  As you can tell, back in my able-bodied days visiting waterfalls was one of my favourite photographic pastimes.  I really enjoyed the challenge of getting a good picture.

This first one is Walters Falls, at the site of the old Walter Falls Sawmill.  That burned down years ago, so the only features left are the straight channel above the falls and the big pipe that carried water to the mill.  The falls is now split into two streams by a large piece of the escarpment bedrock.
 
And this is the falls in the summer.  On one visit with our little photo group, we had a member who knew their way to the bottom of the falls.  It turned out to be quite easy, and we got some interesting pictures down there, looking up at the falls..

This is the smaller Webwood Falls, on a property donated to the Bruce Trail Conservancy, and also the site of an old mill, though little remains of it today.

And this is the same falls in the summer, a beautiful little waterfalls viewed through the trees.

Finally, how's this for a tumbling waterfall?  And yes, the water does flow right underneath that ski chalet before tumbling down this long slope.  You'd never get permission for that today!  

Sorry to go on about waterfalls so much, but I really loved my times chasing them for pictures.  The pictures I've shown you represent at least 15 different excursions with my camera for me.






Monday, February 3, 2025

More Waterfalls

The next two waterfalls are in the bottom end of the Beaver Valley and I visited them frequently when we lived in our previous home.  It's not easy to get to the bottom of either waterfalls, but it can be done.  I have the second photo below printed and hung on our wall someplace.

Hogg's Falls is another old mill site, originally owned by a Mr. Hogg.  It's a spot where the Boyne River drops straight down over a dolostone edge.  The Bruce Trail passes right beside it.  In the winter the sides are encrusted with ice like this.

In the summer it's possible to climb down to get a view from below.  Someone has tied a rope in just the right spot and as long as you're a little nimble it's just a short cliff.  This is one of my favourite waterfall photos.

Eugenia Falls, not too far away, is named after the village of Eugenia, where it's located.  There have been mills here, an attempted power station, and a gold rush!  The latter was in 1853 and lasted about 3 weeks until they realized the bright minerals they were chipping away at were pyrite, or 'Fool's gold', not real gold!

I love how the frozen ice shows a slightly blue colour.  There's no water in sight here at all, just ice.

And this is the summer view.  Because of the tall vertical cliff there's no other viewpoint that really gives good photos.  Above the falls a ways is a dam holding back Lake Eugenia, a hydro reservoir.  Water is piped from the lake to the edge of the escarpment where it drops to a power plant down in the valley.  Apparently it's the largest vertical drop into a power plant east of the Rockies.

One spring about 10 years ago the lower Beaver Valley experienced a serious flood, fed by days of continuous heavy rain.  As water rose in Lake Eugenia, Ontario Hydro decided they had to open the gates of the dam to avoid serious damage, and this is the falls that resulted.  It was spectacular!






Saturday, February 1, 2025

More Waterfalls

Here are two more waterfalls for your enjoyment.  It was back in March of 2015 that Indian Falls just north of Owen Sound froze over.  Apparently it became quite an attraction, drawing crowds on weekends.  The second falls is the last of four around Owen Sound and the smallest.  It's Weaver Creek Falls, right in Harrison Park.  I bet 90% of visitors to the park don't even know it's there.

At Indian Falls the river itself mostly froze over, making it quite easy for people to walk up to the falls.  It's up a narrow valley about a kilometre from the parking lot.  The huge mound of yellowy-ice on the left is the main falls, but the bluish icicles on the right were most beautiful.  After seeing a photo showing 40 or 50 people admiring the falls, we decided to go too.

We walked right up to it; that's Mrs. F.G. in the long green coat (her Yukon coat).  You can see that the ice on the right has formed not with water flowing over the top, but by water flowing through layers of the bedrock.  I think this is the most amazing winter waterfall sight I've seen!

This is Indian Falls in the summer for comparison.  The bedrock here is just as interesting as the falls.

This is Weaver Creek Falls in  Harrison Park.  It's up a very narrow valley behind the swimming pool, with part of the short trail being boardwalk over the creek, the valley is so narrow.  It's also on private land, so this is as close as you can get.


And this is Weaver Creek in the fall, a telephoto view bringing us a little closer.  If I could I'd go back and get a lot more waterfall pictures, but I'm limited to reminiscing!

I should add that my wheelchair got fixed; it was new batteries that did it.  I guess my forceful request made a difference.  In fact, one of the service technicians mentioned that most people with wheelchairs are elderly and never leave home.  In comparison, going out to physio, lunch and church every week as I do, I'm 'young' and active!  So my wheelchair is important for me.




Thursday, January 30, 2025

Winter Waterfalls

As I continue my winter reminiscing, I'm going to talk about waterfalls next.  One of my favourite photographic pastimes in days gone by was to chase down waterfalls and get photos, especially in the winter.  This region is known for its waterfalls, because of the Niagara Escarpment, which runs along a very up and down course from the southern Beaver Valley to north of Owen Sound.  So I've pulled out some old photos of the best known falls, and paired a winter and summer or fall picture where I could.

   It's worth pointing out that I once prepared a presentation on the 'Waterfalls of the Beaver Valley Area' which was later posted on YouTube.  Look it up if you want.

The best known waterfall around here is Inglis Falls, just at the southern end of Owen Sound.  And in 2014 it froze over completely.  There's plenty of water running down there, but all under an outer shell of ice.  I've only seen that the once.

Here's a spring photo when water levels are high, and the water is just charging over the falls.  There's a mill pond just above the falls which helps moderate the flow.  This was an important mill site, the Peter Inglis Mill; my great-grandfather brought his grain here to be milled into flour.

And another in late summer when water levels are low.  As I recall this was on a visit with our little photography group from the Grey Highlands Probus Club.  It's worth noting that you only get a good understanding of a waterfall if you can go back in all seasons.

One of the other easily accessible waterfalls in Owen Sound is Jones Falls.  If you knw where to park you can literally walk 100 yards and see it.  If you're a little more adventurous you can walk another 100 yards and crawl down through a wide crevice to come out at the bottom of the falls, where this photo was taken in the winter.
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In not-a-very-good comparison this photo was taken in spring, but from the top of the falls and from the other side.

I spent considerable time in those days as an innocent amateur photographer learning how to achieve these 'misty' shots of waterfalls.  If you took your picture at a high speed you could 'stop' the water, but if you took it at a slow speed as these two, you could get the misty look.  Of course then you had to have a tripod.  The last two photos above show the 'misty' look of the falls; here's one where I tried to `stop` the water.  Didn`t quite succeed, but it`s a very different photo.



Tuesday, January 28, 2025

A Little Snow!

It's turning into a very snowy winter here; the snow just continues to accumulate.  Temperatures remain well below freezing, and snow continues to fall.  It's like a good old fashioned winter.  The snow squalls are so frequent that our evening caregiver has only been here about half-time.

This was our back yard yesterday, the snow still falling.  You'll note that there's no sign of our 'snow stick'; it's been totally out of sight for nearly three weeks..

Both the nearby spruce and the distant maple are snow-covered.

Mrs. F.G. took the camera into the den where she gets a different view of our shed and the railing on our ramp.

This is the half-buried track of a rabbit that apparently has a shelter under the ramp.

Just a nice picture, don't you think?

But we can't get over that huge pile of snow, about two feet deep on top of the planter.  If you need some snow where you are, I could try to ship you some!