Wetsuit Weather on Lake Ontario

Right now the water temperature of Lake Ontario is 10 degrees and the air temperature is 12 degrees.  So I guess we have to wait a while before considering swimming.  The perfect water temperature for swimming is between 18 and 24 degrees. It doesn't get to peak range in Lake Ontario until the middle of August.  I wondered what made that so.  There are a number of factors and one is how deep the water is - Lake Ontario has deep water.  So considering that there is very deep water,  why doesn't it freeze at the bottom in the winter? The answer is this:  It is because as the water gets close enough to freezing, the colder water is less dense and floats to the top.  So at the bottom of deep lakes the water can be cold without freezing into ice.  Right now - should I wear a wet suit to swim in the lake? I found out this result as an answer.  According to Surf Forecast,  it says that "surfers should use a 2mm long sleeve shorty or a 3/2mm spring wetsuit if the wind is up. The coldest sea water temperatures at Toronto Breaks mean that you will need a flexible 6/5/4mm wetsuit or a well fitting 5/4mm wetsuit with gloves and 5mm neoprene booties and a hood to surf here in the third week of February".  I can't imagine who would assess surfing conditions in Lake Ontario in February.  I would think that would bring out the life guard patrol.  There are five beaches listed in Grimsby - Casablanca,  Murray Park, Nelles Park, Grimsby Beach and Bal Harbour.  The water quality is monitored weekly and reported in theswimguide.org but not the temperatures.  Nelles Beach, in particular reminds me of ocean beaches the west coast, with those long expanses that disappear on the horizon.  Last year the water was so high that they were inaccessible all summer.  Charles Daley Park was fenced off.  Grimsby Beach pier was fenced off. This photo was taken in October last year - it is Sunrise Beach (formerly Municipal Beach) in St. Catharines.  This is one of those great long expanses that makes you realize that Lake Ontario has a 'coast'.

What Every Mother Wants

I often find funny jokes in Boys' Life Magazine.  They seem to get all the jokes.  Girls' Life Magazine is an American teen magazine similar to other magazines directed to women - advice about friends and familiars, stories on popular culture, fashion, and celebrities.  Boys' Life is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America for boys from 7 - 17. It began in 1911 and when it started was edited by 18-year-old Joe Lane.  Fast forward to today and Boys' Life is targeted towards older boys and features buying guides, video games, things to do, sports,  and still features scouting activities.  It still contains jokes in every issue.  I looked through the Boys' Life Mother's Day jokes.  And then I found this one - it is NOT in the Boys' Life Compendium of Mother's Day Jokes. Boys' Life Magazine remains a general interest and wholesome magazine - it describes its style as crisp, punchy writing in relatively short, straight-forward sentences.  So as you read this joke, it would clearly not appear in Boys' Life Magazine. Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.  The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."  The second said," I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."  The third smiled and said, "I've got you, both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000.00 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it."  Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton," she wrote the first son, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."  "Marvin," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"  "Dearest Melvin," she wrote to her third son, "You were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. That chicken was delicious." I stopped at Sunnybrook Winery on the Lakeshore in NOTL, and took this picture of the orchard on Lake Ontario. Our second picture is the Weeping Cherry tree on Niagara Street.

Grimsby Beach

Yesterday's rain got so intense that it stopped work for for today's plant sale.  I went down to Grimsby Beach to see the flooding, and the first picture is the parking lot, with water covering almost all of it.  The waves crashed against the shore rocks, overwhelming the pier.  The winds whipped up the water turning it brown with the sand.  As soon as I lifted the camera, it was plastered with water on the lens. Today's forecast looks similar to yesterday's.  My plant sale may be a 'wash out'.  I have posted a rain replacement date of Friday May 26th 3:00 - 6:00pm on the kijiji and craigslist ads.  I hope a few people brave the weather today besides me.

There in the Heart of Niagara

We continue on the Heart theme for February.  Is there a 'heart' of Niagara, as in: 'located in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula?' The West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce considers itself 'In the heart of Niagara' and is known as the "Hub of the Niagara Peninsula'.  West Lincoln consists of 'a number of hamlets and provides quaint settings for residential and small business development. The hamlets are Abingdon, Allen’s Corners, Attercliffe, Basingstoke, Bismarck, Boyle, Caistor Centre, Caistorville, Elcho, Fulton, Grassie, Kimbo, Port Davidson, Rosedene, Silverdale, Smithville, St. Ann’s, Vaughan Station, Warner, Wellandport, Wilcox Corners and Winslow'. That seems like a sprawling group to be a 'heart'.  We could consider a number of other claims for the 'heart of Niagara': Legends Winery - on the lake in Beamsville Foran's Marine - on the lake in Grimsby Ball's Falls - in the 'heart of Niagara's Greenbelt' - in Vineland off Victoria, with an historic village Peninsula Lakes Gold Courses - in the 'heart of the Niagara escarpment' - Pen Lakes is known as the 'jewel of Niagara' St. Catharines considers itself in the heart of Niagara Numerous airbnb listings in the 'Heart of Niagara' This seems like a common expression, and yet there doesn't seem to be a heart of Ontario, or heart of Quebec, or a heart of Canada (there is - but it's a poem).  One of our national heroes is listed as: 'Terry Fox:  Running to the Heart of Canada.' Or what about 'Discovering the heart of Canada in Ottawa', a sort of 'thought of heart.' Heart of America is a strong brand name for many things - movie title, charities, a beverage company, medical centres, etc.  The Boy Scouts of America are listed under the Heart of America Council.  The American Red Cross is listed that way as well. There is even a Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.  And where is the heart of America located?  Kansas City has made this claim. So our images today - the first shows the view of Hamilton from the Legends Winery.  The second shows the view of Toronto from the Mike Weir Winery (which claims the best view of Toronto).

The Colours of Water

"That cool, refreshing glass of water on a hot day may appear colorless, but water is actually a faint blue color. The blue color becomes visible when we look down into, or through, a large volume of water. We see water in a variety of ways. It may be colored by particles, the presence of bacteria, or by reflecting the world above its surface. Ice and snow may reveal a vivid internal blue. Water itself has an intrinsic blue color that is a result of its molecular structure and its behavior." We've got pictures of three bodies of water in Grimsby today.  The first is the Forty Creek, and we can see the muddy colour from sediment.  The second is recognizable as Grimsby Beach on the Lake with that blue tone. As these pictures were taken on the same day and within a half hour of each other, one can see how much the sky plays a part in creating the colour of water. And then we have the creek next to the Cemetery - it seems to be  black. Wikipedia says: "A few tens of meters of water will absorb all light, so without scattering, all bodies of water would appear black."   View this email in your browser

Winter's Infinity Pool

A return visit to Grimsby Beach yesterday revealed a winter landscape of ice on rocks.  The waves of the day before have frozen and formed icicles. The old Grimsby pier still stretches out into the water even though it is much smaller than the days when the steamer Turbinia docked there.  I've included an historical postcard so you can see what it was like then. Yesterday's sunny scene was a remarkable one - with the pier covered in ice.  It had the appearance of an infinity pool with the blue ice floating over the blue water.  The gulls standing at the end of the pier make a wonderful focal point.

How Big is Toronto?

We think of size by population - typically.  But today's views of Toronto show its size on the horizon.  These are from Grimsby area landmarks.  The first is Grimsby Beach, where the Peace Garden and Pump House are located.  It used to be a popular boat landing destination. The second is from Peninsula Ridge, the winery that marks the Beamsville/Grimsby line so is the east section of town. What a remarkable difference of the clarity of the Toronto skyline.  Some days it seems to be within walking distance, and other days seems to be far away.

The Lake View at Niagara with the Grinch's Trees

The count down to Christmas has a long tradition with the Advent Calendar's little numbered flaps so that one is opened each day. This is a 'famous German tradition', and the first known Advent Calendar dates from 1851.  There are also Advent candles and Advent wreaths. Today's image of Christmas decorations has its origins more recently - in the Grinch that Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.  If you go to Pinterest there are hilarious pictures of Green-stockinged back ends in the Christmas tree as part of the decorations.  Take a look HERE We also have a great view to Toronto with a freighter in the foreground - the CN Tower seems to be keeping the cloud line from descending on the city.

Port Dalhousie Views

This was a blustery day at Port Dalhousie.  You can see the fence line across the pier at the lighthouse:  both piers are permanently barred so that you can no longer walk to the end.   It still is a great walk, and there are always people there - walking and fishing. The views are panoramic at Port Dalhousie - the first is North to Toronto with a laker on the water in the distance.  The second image is west towards Grimsby, and the third is east across the Marina. I thought you might enjoy the last image of the floating restaurant.  It would have been busy and fun in the summer with the size of the marina.  Now everything is out of the water and shrink-wrapped for winter.

Four Geese and a Dog

Dezi made a brisk exit last week as we checked out the view across the lake.  The geese seemed to march up the hill in formation.

View From Above

I went out to see the Autumn colours yesterday.  I started at Beamer Park up on the escarpment.  The park is an example of a preserved Carolinian forest here in Ontario, and has excellent views out across the region.  The view in this picture is towards Niagara Falls, and one can see its high rises. The winds have been blowing the colours off the trees so there isn't the show that one might like for photographs.  And as the winds blew and blew, a storm blew in. The last picture is at Locust Lane, where the Hidden Bench barn is located, and looks out over the Lake. While the Lake is in this picture, there's no Toronto floating on the horizon today. Dezi and I arrived home just in time for the rain to start.

Traveling Waves

Wave Patterns are mesmerizing and Dezi and I discovered yesterday at Nelles Beach in Grimsby.  We're looking at the most common traveling wave - lake and ocean waves.  We see the wave moving through the water, looking for the crest that will give the interesting patterns on the rock.  That's where my interest lies.  However, the science of wave patterns is most interesting and the physics lesson is available at:  http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Tw-Z/Waves.html

Port Dalhousie Beach

The Port Dalhousie beach is a perfect summer spot.  I was struck by the pretty umbrellas and have highlighted them in this picture. It seemed there were so many stories in this waterside scene - my favourite is the man lying on his back in the foreground, with the dog looking my way.

Who's the Fairest Barn of All?

We drove down Locust Lane yesterday.  This is such a beautiful country road - it has three wineries on it - Fielding, Mike Weir, then Hidden Bench.  It winds up and down, and the locust trees in the Fall are a beautiful colour. I was looking for the Hidden Bench barn.  I've photographed this many times and had thought it must be the most photographed winery barn in Niagara.  The Flat Rock Cellars winery considers their Rusty Shed to be the most photographed. The internet answers the question of which barn in Niagara to have a wedding at, but nothing on historic barns in Niagara or winery historic barns, other than Hernder Winery's grand barn. The question of the most photographed barn in America seems clear enough:  it is considered to be Moulton Barn - located in the Grand Tenton National Park in Wyoming. Here's a link to see this famous barn: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/moultonbarn/interesting/ Back to Niagara, Locust Lane is a scenic spot. You can see the Lake from Fielding and Mike Weir wineries.  The third picture is at the Hidden Bench intersection at Locust Lane.  It has the remnants of an abandoned orchard overlooking Beamsville with the Lake in the distance.

Spring Lake Effects

Lake Ontario was a dreamy scene on the weekend.  We could not differentiate between the water and the sky, with clouds blurring the horizon.  The boats all seemed the same size whether far or close - there was no depth of field.  I think of this moisture in the air as a Spring Lake Effect.  What happens is that there is constant circulation of off-shore breezes between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment.  They moderate seasonal temperatures.  In spring this means they slow down spring warming, holding back the development of fruit buds until the danger of late spring frosts has passed. The VQA site says "these lake effects vary considerably with distance from the lakeshore and topography, giving rise to remarkable flavour distinctions between grapes of lakeshore sub-appellations nd those from further inland."

Charles Daley Park in Autumn

In the Air - Our Favourite Smells

In the Air I came across these Autumn images of Charles Daley Park's weeping willow that sits over the natural lagoon pond.  I realized that Winter doesn't have much mist or fog in the air.  There aren't the smells and scents that there are the rest of the year. Looking at these images I can smell that Autumn air - moist, peaty, full of fallen leaves. What are your favourite smells?  What are the nostalgic scents that make us the happiest?  It turns out to be the smells that remind us of home that bring us the most happiness. These are things like freshly washed sheets, cut grass and home baking. Bacon is a high-scorer too. What about melted chocolate, warm cookies, coffee, lavender, early misty morning, the sea, freshly baked pie, vanilla, rainy day, old books, burning wood, fruity shampoo, new car?  These are some of the top twenty. Now it is your turn to name your favourite smells.