HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!

What an amazing country to live in!

Sultry Summer Evening

A hot and hazy evening in Niagara-on-the-Lake...

the town is busy, but silent...

 everyone hanging their heads...

searching for places 

and empty spaces...

to catch lake breezes.

finding different ways to cool off...

as the sun goes down...

 and we prepare for a busy weekend of celebration...

Food For Thought...

...just saying...

Strange How Things Come Together

For lots of unrelated reasons,

I've been thinking about organized Christian religions lately.

The most difficult issue I have,

is the juxtaposition of the opulence of the church versus the poverty of many of their congregations. 

Then I started thinking about the movie

"The Shoes of the Fisherman"

and I began a quest to try and find it. 

I don't remember much about the movie, but I do remember how it ended, and I was eager to watch it again.  Nowhere to be found on Netflix, my cable on-demand station, or even the local library.

I'd pretty much give up on the search when this past Saturday, Rudy and I were attending our local Strawberry Festival.

After buying my lovely pots of locally-made jam,

 I was rummaging through the used book stall (just cannot pass by a tableful of books) and I found the novel

"The Shoes of The Fisherman", by Australian writer Morris L. West.

Until that moment, I didn't even know the book existed.

I'm eager to read it because I believe the Universe has a message in it for me.

I'll let you know when I've finished reading it, and I've figured out just what that message is.

My Man...

Happy Father's Day Daddyo

I love you more than you can ever know.

Wildflowers, Vineyards, Memories, Garden Flowers and The War of 1812

Out and about today on my bicycle,camera in hand.

It was a rather overcast morning, wet after the storms that raged through the night, but warm and the light and air were soft.

Always my favourite place...I began in the woods.

I guess childhood memories of spending all day in places like this with my sister Victoria draw me to vistas like these.  Nothing quite smells like the wet earth of southern England, but still this pleases my soul.

On now to the water's edge...

and the vineyards...

I hear tell the mild winter, followed by early spring, has played havoc with the vines.

I don't think this is going to be a stellar year for wine,

but the vinyards look beautiful none the less.

As I meandered my way along, these darling little wildflowers framed the edges of my journey.

Heading across the Common, I stopped at these memorials to lives and events gone by...

"on the railroad here...I remember the day they loaded to go away...those tracks are gone now...These were our loyal boys, going off to make their contribution...I don't think I realized at the time how long he would be gone, or any of them would be gone...

...He was overseas for about four and a half years.  We got married in 1946."  Mrs. Kay Toye, NOTL, Ontario

"These pillars recognize their contributions and courage."

On my way back into town, I stopped to photograph some of the exotic-looking (to me) garden flowers that grow in abundance here.

So, wildflowers or garden flowers?  Which is your preference?

I know where my heart lies.

I don't know if you have heard, but this year is the bi-centennial anniversary of The War Of 1812.  

A very big thing in our little town, as a lot of the fighting went on here.

Town has numerous events planned to celebrate the anniversary and there are a lot of shopfront 'decorations' up too.  Some good, some not so good!

the local variety store...

the local bakery...

the Scottish Shop

(not sure what the baseball caps have to do with anything!)

Starbucks

our celebratory flag...a little disney-esque for me.


We even have 1812 wines...

and things are only just getting started!

Oh yes...and this Friday, Nik Wallenda is set to cross Niagara Falls on a high wire!