How much per kilo???

A quick math lesson. Calculate the cost, then decide who is worth the value of each morsel of what is obviously the same price as gold.

Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice - June 21, 2007. This photograph was taken at Brescia Hall, part of Western Ontario University. I thought it would give me a quality view in which to capture what is the official beginning of summer. As I was walking from my car, I noticed a lady planting annuals around a statue of Jesus. But what really drew my attention was her Miniature Daschund named Lucy. She must have had legs no longer than 7cm in length, and I'm sure her belly was scraping the ground. She's bound to have issues when it snows. Anyway, I hope I have given you a moment to experience what is an ever growing appreciation of the northern hemisphere weather.

How Far?

Check this out. With Canada almost directly situated on the opposite side of the world, it is no wonder that some days I feel disorientated. The distance from Canada to Australia is like driving from my home to school (back home) 5189 times.

Animal Signs - Canada Style

Here you can see the silhouette images of three canadian fauna. Have yet to come across two of them, hopefully in the future! And I won't be 'crossing' them!
Quick trivia: What is the plural for moose? 'Moose'.
P.S Where are the signs for Canda's national symbol the Beaver. I have not seen one yet! Maybe I'm not hanging out at the right places. Dam!

The Big Apple

Every Aussie kid must surely remember the summer holiday road trips and the 'stops' at the Big Pineapple, Giant Merino, Big Banana...etc,etc. So how could we resist passing by the Big Apple @ Colbourne. Is it a Pink Lady or a Delicious??? Not sure - but inside were many an apple pie, toffee apple, apple juice, apple jam, just anything really. Anyway, Trena, Ange and I all did the tourist thing, and am trying to push the 'big apple' down the hill.

Waiting @ the Playhouse

Saturday night we attended a performance at the Gananoque Playhouse. Here I am with Trena and Martin, both exchange teachers. We were just enjoying the view whilst waiting for the play to begin. It was such a beautiful night that we even walked back to our hotel.

Kingston Town Hall

Whilst visiting Kingston we noticed that it was 'open day' for many of the public buildings. So we managed to view Kingston City Hall which is an example of Classical architecture, built of limestone and dates back to 1843. It has many features, including the politicians who occupy this structure, but more impressive are the stained glass windows (commemorating the many wars of the past), the fine woodwork and some very over the top council chambers,

Kingston

Kingston is situated east of Toronto, and at the edge of Lake Ontario (which then flows into the St Lawrence River). It has a population of approximately 113,000 and was briefly the capital of Canada. It is also well known for Queens University (est. 1841) and obviously its' water front previously used as a fur trading depot. One of the other appeals of Kingston is it red-brick Victorian homes and 19th century greystone buildings.
Angela, Trena, Martin and I travelled to Kingston after our day trip cruise of the Thousand Islands. We also discovered the shopping, plus Martin and I had time for coffee - of course! What a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. For those at home, it has a similiar feel to Bathurst, Keppel St. etc.

Darn, who painted the barn - Red!?

Driving the 35km between Gananoque and Kingston I noticed that a feature of the local environment were the barns. So I decided to try to document the many different examples on my trip. As you notice there are the typical 'barn' style, painted in a burnt red - not sure why, maybe it's to help the cows locate their way home. Anyway, the remainder of the barns reminded me of our 'sheds'. Built of corrugated iron, with a raised floor - so there is ventilation and the 'droppings' drop away - any one of these images could be of rural Australia ( with the exception of the greeness of the paddocks...). P.S We don't need to paint our sheds red! We just wait until the rust sets in and wait for the desired tone.

Views: Part II

The first image was taken from the verandah of the Playhouse Gananoque. The house beside has a jetty leading out into the water where this seat is strategically placed on the corner edge. The view from the back of the boat showing a bridge situated on the US side of Thousand Islands. Finally, prime real estate. A bird's nest built for convenience. Enjoy!

'1000' Spectacular Views

A snapshot of the many sights experienced on our three hour cruise of the Thousand Islands. It would be an interesting contrast to visit this area in the winter. I'm sure many of the cottages would be closed up, and the colourful seating areas removed for protection during the winter weather. But what a way to spend your day! Sitting by the dock...

Boldt Castle II

This is the boat house. What else can I say?

Boldt Castle

Boldt Castle is the setting of a most romantic gesture. George C. Boldt set out to build a rheinland style castle for his wife Louise on Heart Island, overlooking Alexandria Bay. It took 300 workers, including stonemasons, carpenters and artists to build the 120 room castle - including tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drwbridge, and a doce cote. But wait, tragedy struck. Lousie suddenly died. So broken hearted was Boldt that he ordered all work to cease, leaving behind the structure as a monument to the love of his life. It was not until 1977 that the property was sold to the Authorities, then preserved to it's current condition.

1000 Island Architecture

As you can see, many of the homes situated along this stretch of water are quite elaborate. Some you would describe as mansions, others literally look like castles. Many of the homes were built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, obvioulsy as statements of wealth. On our cruise, many of us were 'real estate' tycoons 'buying' up many of the homes as our weekend cottages. Some of the most common features of the homes were the decorative fret work, plus the addition of bold colours either on the house itself, the boat house or the deck chairs perched on the jetties.(see photo in '1000' spectacular views).

1000 Islands

This weekend we travelled to Gananoque (gan-an-awk-way), which is situated in Eastern Ontario. One of the main attractions is the Thousand Islands, actually there 1885 islands to be exact! Plus, one man made island. We cruised the waters for three hours, soaking up the sun, feeding the seagulls, and taking note of the 'dream' houses situated along the shore line and islands. The islands are located between the Canadian and US boarders, which is an imaginary line within the water. Many houses or mansions identify their homes with either the Canadian or US flags, giving you an idea of who's side you are on.

Oz Dog

Standing waiting for the 1000 Island cruise I didn't expect to see a Blue Heeler walking by. So off I was chatting to the owner as to how an Oz Dog ends up in Canada. Anyway, this was not expected, but what a delightful sight!

Test Strips 401

As if driving on the 401 was not difficult enough! They put test strips on the road investigating the most successful line markings.