Trying to Cool Off

It has been a hot summer in Ontario. Toronto was sweltering. Even by the lake in the Scarborough Bluffs we thought we might melt. So we packed up the van trying not to sweat on our stuff too much and got out of town a day early. We ended up camped at Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park in Pointe au Baril on Georgian Bay. It was a couple of degrees cooler by Lake Huron and of course we could swim.

Sturgeon Bay, ON

By 5:30 the next morning we were off again to Manitoulin Island. There we would spend a few days with my 92-year-old mother and attend her art show.

Of course Ron always finds photo subjects on the Island.

Misery Bay Provincial Park, ON

Female Goldenrod Crab Spider

Hoping for Spring!

Muskoka Chairs in Winter

It's been a real winter - even here in Toronto. Although December and January temperatures varied we had record lows and lots of snow for the entire month of February. It was cold with a dusting of snow when we were in Ottawa in December:

Parliament Hill & Ottawa River

It was just above 0C and no snow at all in Rouge Park in Toronto in late January but just a few days later Toronto's inner harbour would freeze over and there would be some snow.

Rouge Park, ON in Winter

Toronto Skyline in Winter

I'm a firm believer that to cope with or even enjoy winter you have to get out into it like this person windsurfing on the ice:

Windsurfing on Ice

Certainly we tried to get out to "enjoy" the winter often (see Ron's blog posting "Working in the Cold"). But even this hardy Gray Jay looked like it was praying winter would soon be over:

Gray Jay

Personally I was hoping that Wiarton Willie was correct in his Groundhog Day prediction of an early spring rather than what the other groundhogs found.

Groundhog

I also hoped that March would come in like a lamb. March 1st it did get up to the single minus digits - a balmy -4C! However March 3rd's +1C was cruel with freezing rain and a widespread power outage in Toronto including into the sub-zero overnight hours. So what should we expect for the end of March? Was that lion or lamb?

Lamb

Today however there is hope!

Rainbow - a sign of Hope

We are to have sunshine and a high of +7C.

Lake Ontario Morning

I just hope it doesn't turn us from this:

Little Rouge Creek, ON

to this:

Burleigh Falls, Ontario

Let's hope not!

Skylines

It is amazing how in just a few days we have gone from seeing this city skyline:

Toronto, Ontario - Click for larger

to this one:

Vancouver, British Columbia - Click for larger

and then to this one:

Auckland, New Zealand - Click for larger

All are picturesque waterfront cities. I may be biased but I think I prefer the Toronto Skyline. Which do you prefer?