Posted on June 14, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge

Gravel Path Banked with Trees at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton

Walkway Flooded from the rising lake water at the Marina.

Y entrance into the naturalized park

Main Street closed for the Grill Cheese Festival in New Toronto

Pointing Skyward – June 5, 2019

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Judy Dykstra-Brown for hosting the To the Point Challenge

Slowly But Surely

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….the temperatures go up and then they go down but surely Spring is in the air

On the weekend we attended a soccer (football) game. The tickets were gifted to us by our daughter and daughter-in-law who had other plans and couldn’t use them. The forecast wasn’t very promising but we decided to bundle up and bring along a stadium blanket to keep us warm.

The seats are very high up in the stadium but the view is spectacular.

I wish I could say that the game was exciting and that we were victorious but TFC was off its game and we were quite disappointed in how they played. In the second half my husband wasn’t feeling well and just couldn’t get warm. We left when the game was tied 1-1 and made our way to warm restaurant for a meal. There were TV screens all through the place and by the time we got there the game was over and Toronto lost 2-1.

On Sunday, the temperatures were up slightly but the best part was the sun and no wind. I took a walk through Col. Sam Smith Park and took a lot of wonderful shots of the lake, the beach and the trees and plants that are getting ready to erupt with colours of green, pink and yellow. You know when the weather is good because everybody and their dogs are out walking.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….from isolation to a crowd

Last week I posted a story about people who live in a ‘bubble’ in their boats all winter long here in Toronto. This week when I walked by the bubbles were gone and the docks were overflowing with activity.

Last Week

Yesterday

Living in a Bubble

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…..it’s Good Friday and most places of business are closed today

As I sit here I wonder how many people are going to church today. It’s miserable outside, grey and raining. I suppose that’s fitting for Good Friday. It’s suppose to be the most important holiday on the Christian calendar but most people confuse it with Easter bunnies and eggs and forget why they have the day off. Perhaps people are living in a bubble today; happy to have the day off but not really knowing the significance of the day.

My writing this post, however, has nothing to do with Good Friday. Recently on one of my walks I was reminded how a few brave souls literally choose to live inside a ‘bubble’ all winter long. These people are called liveaboards and they actually live on their boats, moored in a marina, all year long. I call it living in a bubble because the boats are literally surrounded with a big bubble of plastic to keep the wind, cold and snow at bay. It requires having a special aerator going 24/7 to keep the ice from forming around the boat and of course they need generators to keep the lights on and heat the place.

I was surprised at the cost of doing this. It isn’t cheap. In fact it costs more in the winter to moor your boat than in the summer. To learn more about living on your boat year round you might find this article by the CBC of interest.

This is what the marina looks like during the winter after all the boats have been put ashore for the season…..

….and here are the brave souls who winter here

An Evening Walk

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…today was a beautifully warm day and before dinner I needed to make up some steps to reach my goal

No wind, the setting sun and temperatures hovering around 10 degrees Celsius were ideal conditions for an evening walk through the neighbourhood. I headed west and entered Col. Sam Smith Park where I opted to walk through the naturalized area and over to the marina. Here are a few of the sites I encountered along the way.

Can you guess what that lump in the pond is?