Edit: Went to hospital with severe symptoms. After a barrage of tests, confirmed it's just flu and nothing else more serious. This is great but I'm still sick as a dog. It appears that we originally caught one flu and now this is a second one, rather than a single 7-week flu. Will update as health permits.
Edit: 6 weeks now of flu, ugh! But word is that this is the bug going around, all over North America. Anyway, chipping away at this again. Hopefully will get caught up in the next few days.
Edit: Have been sick for the last month, yes a month, with what must be one of the nastiest flu bugs to hit the planet. And I'm still fighting it. Because of this long delay, my memory of the exact dates and locations will no doubt be a bit hazy. But thanks to the wonderful invention called a cell phone bill, I have a great point of reference and will be adding the appropriate posts to help track our progress. That'll help jog my memory as I post more pics.
As usual I'll be backposting them on the dates they were taken instead of today's date so that they make chronological sense. There's quite a bit to share so I'll continue to backpost as time allows. Enjoy!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Eastern Standard Time
Switching blog and camera to Eastern time (+3 hours), from original Pacific time.
Peterborough, Ontario - Sunrise
Our driveway and adjoining streets. Someone made a peace sign on the sidewalk.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Peterborough, Ontario - It's snowing harder!
Lots and lots of big puffy things falling from the sky!
It started really coming down! It's hard to capture how much there actually was because of the light conditions, but in the area around the street lamps it's easier to see. I never knew snowflakes looked quite like this, and that they could get so huge! They were about the size of quarters, and then there were long narrow ones over an inch long. I always thought they were just hexagonal, but actually it looked more like popcorn.
It started really coming down! It's hard to capture how much there actually was because of the light conditions, but in the area around the street lamps it's easier to see. I never knew snowflakes looked quite like this, and that they could get so huge! They were about the size of quarters, and then there were long narrow ones over an inch long. I always thought they were just hexagonal, but actually it looked more like popcorn.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Peterborough, Ontario - It's snowing!
It's the first snow of the season. It's all sparkly and makes graceful swirls as it comes down. It's so beautiful!
This is our first snow since moving to our new home. We looked out the window and hugged and giggled like little girls. We know we're living in Canada now, of course, but gazing outside and watching the snow fall in lazy swoops with each breeze somehow cemented the fact that yes, we're really here!
I've seen it snow in the daytime a couple of times but I've never seen it snow at night before. It looks totally different. This is also the first time I've had the opportunity to really enjoy it and take it all in, in my own time. This time, I wasn't expected somewhere else; no one was ahead of me expecting me to keep up; no one was waiting for me. I was free to devote my full attention to savouring this moment. So I stopped everything and went outside. The air was so crisp and refreshing that I silently wished it would stay like this forever. I walked out on our balcony and reached out to feel the snow on my hands. Each flake makes a little pat into your hand, then melts. Pat, melt. Pat, melt. Some of the snowflakes landed on my sleeves and didn't melt right away. I studied them closely, holding them up against the streetlamps below... and for the first time in my life, I saw what people mean when they say that the crystals are different in each snowflake. Tiny, impossibly intricate lattices and fractal patterns glistened back at me, revealing still more detail even as they slowly, slowly began melting away. It's amazing! I feel like a little kid, all awestruck and full of wonder.
This is our first snow since moving to our new home. We looked out the window and hugged and giggled like little girls. We know we're living in Canada now, of course, but gazing outside and watching the snow fall in lazy swoops with each breeze somehow cemented the fact that yes, we're really here!
I've seen it snow in the daytime a couple of times but I've never seen it snow at night before. It looks totally different. This is also the first time I've had the opportunity to really enjoy it and take it all in, in my own time. This time, I wasn't expected somewhere else; no one was ahead of me expecting me to keep up; no one was waiting for me. I was free to devote my full attention to savouring this moment. So I stopped everything and went outside. The air was so crisp and refreshing that I silently wished it would stay like this forever. I walked out on our balcony and reached out to feel the snow on my hands. Each flake makes a little pat into your hand, then melts. Pat, melt. Pat, melt. Some of the snowflakes landed on my sleeves and didn't melt right away. I studied them closely, holding them up against the streetlamps below... and for the first time in my life, I saw what people mean when they say that the crystals are different in each snowflake. Tiny, impossibly intricate lattices and fractal patterns glistened back at me, revealing still more detail even as they slowly, slowly began melting away. It's amazing! I feel like a little kid, all awestruck and full of wonder.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Peterborough, Ontario
We made it!!!
We arrived around 2:00 p.m. local time, hooked up with a buddy of ours up here and tooled around town and the surrounding areas for a few hours. It is just breathtakingly gorgeous and it quickly became apparent that we've made the right choice. The population is around 74,000, and everything you need is right in town, but conspicuously absent is the "strip malls and condos" look that's become all too common these days... it looks very small town even though it's not. There are trees everywhere, lakes and rivers all around, beautiful old architecture, clean streets, and really delicious food. The Trent-Severn Waterway runs right through town. There are tons of cabins and cottages right on its shores. Many houses and apartments are tucked away so you'd never know there were homes back there, except for a mailbox in front or a small break in the trees revealing a gorgeous tree-lined dirt road leading back to somewhere, and frequently they too are on the shore of the waterway or one of the lakes.
This place is so amazing! It's like a storybook fantasy. Honestly, I didn't know places like this existed anywhere other than books. When our friend told me about this place, a part of me wondered if he might be a little biased, or remembering things a bit better than they were. This is not the case. We were astounded by the sheer beauty of this place. It felt surreal to drive around and take it all in... our immigration process complete, our long drive at its end, and marveling at this place that was well worth every penny, every mile, and every moment of time expended to get here.
Tonight was the last night of the Peterborough Festival of Lights, a series of free outdoor concerts followed by fireworks, held twice a week all summer long. After dropping off our friend, passing the park on the way to our hotel, we heard the strains of "O Canada" for the first time since crossing the border... and knew that we were home.
We arrived around 2:00 p.m. local time, hooked up with a buddy of ours up here and tooled around town and the surrounding areas for a few hours. It is just breathtakingly gorgeous and it quickly became apparent that we've made the right choice. The population is around 74,000, and everything you need is right in town, but conspicuously absent is the "strip malls and condos" look that's become all too common these days... it looks very small town even though it's not. There are trees everywhere, lakes and rivers all around, beautiful old architecture, clean streets, and really delicious food. The Trent-Severn Waterway runs right through town. There are tons of cabins and cottages right on its shores. Many houses and apartments are tucked away so you'd never know there were homes back there, except for a mailbox in front or a small break in the trees revealing a gorgeous tree-lined dirt road leading back to somewhere, and frequently they too are on the shore of the waterway or one of the lakes.
This place is so amazing! It's like a storybook fantasy. Honestly, I didn't know places like this existed anywhere other than books. When our friend told me about this place, a part of me wondered if he might be a little biased, or remembering things a bit better than they were. This is not the case. We were astounded by the sheer beauty of this place. It felt surreal to drive around and take it all in... our immigration process complete, our long drive at its end, and marveling at this place that was well worth every penny, every mile, and every moment of time expended to get here.
Tonight was the last night of the Peterborough Festival of Lights, a series of free outdoor concerts followed by fireworks, held twice a week all summer long. After dropping off our friend, passing the park on the way to our hotel, we heard the strains of "O Canada" for the first time since crossing the border... and knew that we were home.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
This is right at the Canada-U.S. border and there is also a Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan across the river. The two cities are connected by the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge. The name comes from archaic French for "Saint Mary's Falls," but the pronunciation has been anglicised to "Sue sent Marie."
BACKPOSTING POINT
This is the start of some backposting, the point where I left off when I started feeling too sick to sort and post the rest of the photos. We've been sick for over a year now but are slowly recovering. It is now Oct 2008 and I hope to get everything caught up. I'll leave this message here as a reference point for you to know roughly where the old old pics end and the new old pics begin.
Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario - Trapper's Trail
When we got here there were two rangers from Parks Canada hacking at a beaver dam with axes. I got curious and asked them why. They informed me that they normally leave them alone, but this particular dam had caused some flooding on a trail back there. It was only after 10 minutes of heading down a trail in a different direction, as it got slushier and slushier, that I realized that this trail and that trail were one and the same. (It follows the shore of Rustle Lake.) Oooops.
This dam thing is broken
A dam shame
Rustle Lake
More of Rustle Lake
This is about how the trail looked when we decided, hmm, maybe we'd better turn back.
This dam thing is broken
A dam shame
Rustle Lake
More of Rustle Lake
This is about how the trail looked when we decided, hmm, maybe we'd better turn back.
Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario - Old Woman Bay
Two chipmunks chased each other in circles all around the parking lot, then found a sandwich and took off with it. I managed to snap this before they disappeared. (lower right corner)
The cliffs that give Old Woman Bay its name
The cliffs that give Old Woman Bay its name
Wawa, Ontario
The name Wawa came from "wawagonk," an Ojibway name for a local lake, meaning "place of clear water." Wawa is said to have then been mistranslated to wild goose instead of "wewe," meaning "snow goose."
Wawa is in fact on a major migratory flyway from southeastern North America to Hudson's Bay and the Arctic. Each spring and fall, the familiar V-shaped flocks of Canada geese return to their traditional feeding grounds.
Wawa has Canada geese symbols everywhere:
Neon ones all along the main drive
On a restaurant
Marking local stores
And a big huge one, as you enter Wawa from the Trans Canada Highway. This monument was dedicated to commemorate the opening of the last link of the Trans-Canada Highway, as it was finally completed in 1960, linking Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie and Western Canada.
Nickie became startled by this large goose and made a run for the border. (She came back after I explained to her that she will not be in Mexico if she does this.)
A nice view of the aforementioned Trans Canada Highway, and Lake Superior to the left
Wawa is in fact on a major migratory flyway from southeastern North America to Hudson's Bay and the Arctic. Each spring and fall, the familiar V-shaped flocks of Canada geese return to their traditional feeding grounds.
Wawa has Canada geese symbols everywhere:
Neon ones all along the main drive
On a restaurant
Marking local stores
And a big huge one, as you enter Wawa from the Trans Canada Highway. This monument was dedicated to commemorate the opening of the last link of the Trans-Canada Highway, as it was finally completed in 1960, linking Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie and Western Canada.
Nickie became startled by this large goose and made a run for the border. (She came back after I explained to her that she will not be in Mexico if she does this.)
A nice view of the aforementioned Trans Canada Highway, and Lake Superior to the left
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Lake Superior, Ontario
A bird soars over the clifftop. Layers of colours streak across the rock formations, contrasted against the bushy trees and a lacy veil of clouds making its way across a smooth blue sky. I just love the textures and shapes in this pic! So I was really disappointed to find some odd pixellating along the lower left side. Data loss? Ah well...
This pic really doesn't do justice to the beautiful red, orange, yellow, white and tan layers of rock that can be seen out here.
Nickie looking out over Lake Superior
This pic really doesn't do justice to the beautiful red, orange, yellow, white and tan layers of rock that can be seen out here.
Nickie looking out over Lake Superior
Thunder Bay, Ontario - Terry Fox Monument
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox (1958-1981) was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer treatment activist. He is considered a true Canadian hero. After losing his right leg to bone cancer, he began training with a prosthetic leg and decided to raise money for cancer research by running a Marathon of Hope across the country. His goal was to raise $1 for every Canadian man, woman, and child (about 22 million at the time) for cancer research.
He planned to run about 42 kilometres (26.2 miles) per day, the distance of a typical marathon, for a total of 5,300 miles. He dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland and planned to dip it into the Pacific Ocean in Victoria, British Columbia. He stopped at points along the way to talk to people and spread a message of hope. He ran 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles, or about 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and part of Ontario, past the halfway mark. But just northeast of Thunder Bay, he was forced to stop due to chest pains and breathing problems. The cancer had spread to his lungs. The fundraising continued, however, and his goal was surpassed as $24.17 million was raised. Isadore Sharp, president of the Four Seasons Hotel, wrote Terry saying his dream would continue with an annual fundraising marathon, to be called the Terry Fox Run. This noncompetitive run is conducted all over the world every September, and it is the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.
To Canadians, Terry Fox is an inspiring example of courage, determination, selflessness, strength of the human spirit, striving to make things better, and the difference one person can make. He has been honoured with a whole slew of awards, both before and after his death in 1981, and tens of millions of dollars have been raised in his name for research to improve cancer detection and find a cure.
He planned to run about 42 kilometres (26.2 miles) per day, the distance of a typical marathon, for a total of 5,300 miles. He dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland and planned to dip it into the Pacific Ocean in Victoria, British Columbia. He stopped at points along the way to talk to people and spread a message of hope. He ran 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles, or about 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and part of Ontario, past the halfway mark. But just northeast of Thunder Bay, he was forced to stop due to chest pains and breathing problems. The cancer had spread to his lungs. The fundraising continued, however, and his goal was surpassed as $24.17 million was raised. Isadore Sharp, president of the Four Seasons Hotel, wrote Terry saying his dream would continue with an annual fundraising marathon, to be called the Terry Fox Run. This noncompetitive run is conducted all over the world every September, and it is the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.
To Canadians, Terry Fox is an inspiring example of courage, determination, selflessness, strength of the human spirit, striving to make things better, and the difference one person can make. He has been honoured with a whole slew of awards, both before and after his death in 1981, and tens of millions of dollars have been raised in his name for research to improve cancer detection and find a cure.
Ignace, Ontario - cool cloud cover
I couldn't resist taking these. The clouds made the sun look so dramatic, and little snippets of brilliant blue sky peeked through from behind them.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Guess the rest of the blog catching-up will likely end up being done when we reach our destination of Peterborough. There is just too much to squeeze into each day! We'll see how I feel in the morning. Well, it's 12:27 AM now but you know what I mean.
Ontario is a huge province, especially if you're heading east or west across it (which the majority of people are). If you thought we must be close to our destination because we're already in Ontario, you'd be wrong. I reminded Nickie that when we hit the Ontario border we'd only be about 2/3 of the way through our trip.
Ontario is a huge province, especially if you're heading east or west across it (which the majority of people are). If you thought we must be close to our destination because we're already in Ontario, you'd be wrong. I reminded Nickie that when we hit the Ontario border we'd only be about 2/3 of the way through our trip.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Kakabeka Falls, Ontario
The name Kakabeka comes from an Ojibway word meaning "thundering water." The Falls are 69 metres (225 feet) wide and plunge 39 metres (128 feet) into a Precambrian Shield gorge. In Ontario, Kakabeka Falls are second only to Niagara Falls, and are often considered the Niagara Falls of the north.
Ontario
The name Ontario is derived from an Iroquoian word, although exactly which word and which meaning it came from is of some debate:
kanadario - sparkling or beautiful water
onitariio - beautiful lake
skanadario - very pretty lake
one of the above, but meaning only "a large body of water"
Manitoba-Ontario border. Almost there - not! hehe
It's amazing that there are so many trees in this part of the continent. As you can see by this cutaway next to the highway, there's only a very thin layer of soil covering endless miles of bedrock.
kanadario - sparkling or beautiful water
onitariio - beautiful lake
skanadario - very pretty lake
one of the above, but meaning only "a large body of water"
Manitoba-Ontario border. Almost there - not! hehe
It's amazing that there are so many trees in this part of the continent. As you can see by this cutaway next to the highway, there's only a very thin layer of soil covering endless miles of bedrock.
Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba
Maple syrup. Maple cream cookies. Maple taffy. Maple candies. Yummm!!
Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba
Campin' out
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast outside on this quiet, peaceful, cool and crisp morning. Ahhhhhhh.
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast outside on this quiet, peaceful, cool and crisp morning. Ahhhhhhh.
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