Weathering

I was asked by a student what makes photography distinctly Canadian.  I don't experience a distinct style in Canadian photography.  I think that perhaps the winter orchard and the winter vineyard might be unique to a few places on earth. So I started to consider the variations of winter here in Niagara - at the lake, and in the orchards and vineyards. I went out yesterday to the shore of Lake Ontario in St. Catharines at the foot of Geneva Street.  This is a landmark spot where the Lakeshore Drive-in was located in the 50's.  It was turned into a subdivision in the late 70's - named Evangelista Court for our Canadian supermodel.  There's a retirement home in the spot of the drive-in. We used to drive our bicycles to the lake and play on the sandy shore. The shoreline has now been protected from erosion and the beautiful sandy beach is replaced with massive rocks as the erosion barrier.  There's a lakefront walkway for dogs and  walkers like Dezi and I.   There's a nice view of Port Dalhousie to the west with its double lighthouses on the pier.  The view of Toronto to the north revealed a black cloud covering the skyline -  it was having a great snow fall. To the east it was hard to distinguish the horizon in the smooth grey-green.  A little ice is forming out there. As I walked towards the west, the light came through over Port Dalhousie, adding a little yellow-pink to the scene to distinguish the water from the sky.  I found a suitable quote for winter: “The problem with winter sports is that – follow me closely here – they generally take place in winter.” » Dave Barry