Sunday, March 23, 2014

Rust & Oliver

The temperature this morning was only -10 but felt like -20.  After suffering in the wind for too long I slipped in behind the barn for some shelter.  When I saw the pile of rust I thought of my niece Meaghan.  Then back in the barn I saw the tractor, an Oliver.  Meaghan runs a business named Oliver and Rust.  Google it.  You'll be amazed at what she can do with treasures from barns and basements.










 

Sunday, March 9, 2014

PORT BRUCE AGAIN

What can I say?  It's a quick drive from home and the view is stunning - well at least to me it is.  No I don't live minutes from the Arctic.  This is Lake Erie.  The lake froze over this winter.  It hadn't done that since 1998 (I think).  I was surprised this day when a couple decided to walk out on the ice.  The wind was bitingly cold.  The air temperature was probably no higher than -15 Celsius.  Wind chill = well nobody lasted more than 15 minutes before they went back to their vehicle to warm up.  The couple lasted... yep you guessed it, only 15 minutes and they made a beeline for their car.

I was enamoured of the day.  The bright blue sky.  The white snow.   The black and brown you see was created when we had a brief thaw.

I met a woman with about 3,000 kids.  Well it seemed like that to me.  You try waiting in the cold wind for all kids to get out your scene... Well it really was fun to watch one boy try to pick up huge chunks of ice that looked clearer than an ice cube from your home's freezer.  That ice was something special...and yes I do realize it came from Lake Erie.  That's what mad it so surprising.

I gave up and went to the car to warm up.  So after up the kids were gone, I went out shooting again.  I didn't see the woman (looking out over the water, in the image below) get out past me but I liked the effect.

The first image's vantage point I found unique because in the summer I would have been underwater by a few body lengths.  That day I walked out farther than I have ever been onto Lake Erie at Port Bruce.

I went back this week.  I took a two hour lunch and had the entire area all to myself.  However, a lot of the snow was dirtier and there were far more footprints everywhere.  Now, over the last couple of days, temperatures have risen.  We've seen zero degrees now twice.  While the ice is probably safe still, its pure colour would be gone.

Maybe spring will arrive before next winter.