Mr 14 2023 - How Thick

 

How thick...does ice have to be for cars to race on it?  The CBC had video of two cars sinking on the raceway made of ice.   The St. Lawrence River turned out to be a river and not a road. There was footage from a dash camera inside one of the cars that went under the ice.   "Partway through the competition, two cars are seen driving behind two other cars when they started to sink through the cracked ice. The drivers of the vehicle that captured the footage quickly got out of the sinking car. The driver, Patrick Renaud, was captured on video walking on top of the hood of the car to get to safety. Vincent Noel was the second driver who plunged into the river."  He got out too. Here's the footage.  It turns into  a big hole.   How thick should ice be? Destination Ontario tells us that for driving on the ice, you're looking for a minimum of 30 centimetres (12 inches) or more for a light vehicle, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. They have this caution: remember this is 30 centimetres of blue ice, so double that thickness if the ice is white or opaque. There were many cars racing so I expect there would be a few calculations to know the needed depth. Articles talk about the speed of the vehicle - the formula explained in Wikipedia is the Gold Formula.  The Grimsby pier was extensive in the 1800-1900s, but got washed awaywith various lake events over time, and then  boats got replaced by road travel. This last little part of the Grimsby pier got washed away a few years ago so there won't be any more pictures like this - into the infinity of the lake.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwel.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 25 2022 - Poorly Timed Weather Gets Undue Attention

 

Do you know that the Weather Network has determined that the snow today is "POORLY timed".  I am not accustomed to the "Weather" being subordinate to "Humans" when it comes to actions and events.  Is there a name for this kind of expression?  It must relate to Oxymoron.  In his book "Man vs. Weather"  Dennis Diclaudio exclaims that humans have the right to bear instruments.  He includes the thermometer, hygrometer, barometer, anemometer, the wind vase and a rain gauge. He goes on to explain how to set up your personal weather station.  The following chapter is titled:  "The difference between a meteorologist and a monkey in a blazer".  I expect that is the chapter that applies to whoever created today's forecast headline above.   In fact, poorly timed turns out to be a common turn of phrase in weather.  We had a poorly timed system on December 24 2021.  Another Southern Ontario forecast in February 2020 was labelled "poorly timed".  And a poorly timed storm dumped rain on Washington in November 2014.   Most poorly timed weather events involve snow. Poorly timed is equated to "unseasonable", that is: not suitable to or appropriate for the season or characteristic of the time of year.  However, I argue that  winter to be a seasonable time for snow storms.   If we combine poorly timed with undue attention (an excellent oxymoron), we can more fully enjoy one of last week's headlines. It had three men attempting to swim in New Brighton in Merseyside.  They were joined by the coastguards search and rescue team dressed in full survival gear urging them to leave.  Storm Eunice was getting started with gusts of up to 90mph expected.  It was a serious storm with death and property damage. Our expression of poorly timed definitely applies to their swimming adventure on several counts. New Brighton Beach water temperature is around 6 degrees C.  Perhaps the trio of swimmers was seeking "undue attention" as experienced in primary classrooms to describe children's disruptive behaviour. The underlying assertion is:  I belong only when you pay constant attention to me, and/or give me special service.   A search and rescue team and the national news turned out to be a lot of attention and special service for the swimmers.  Here's our version of Lake Ontario on a winter snowstorm day.

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Fenn 12 2022 - Rogue Waves on the Radar

 

Waves are definitely on the brain - Waves of COVID, waves to truck convoys, waves of democracy.  It is waves in nature that got my attention yesterday.    A rogue wave in B.C. was covered by the weather network news.  It is a record-breaking wave that was measured November 17 2020 and has since been determined to be the biggest rogue wave ever measured on the Canadian west coast.  It was 17.6 m tall  - that's a four story building. You can see the spike on the chart below.  This is a once in 1300 years occurrence.   The same article said that on the other side of Canada, waves produced during 2004's Hurricane Ivan rose to more than 28 metres tall and one in particular was 30 m. That's an 8 storey building.  Here's the chart of the BC rogue wave.   This famous painting - the Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusi is considered to be an example of a large rogue wave. I went looking for the biggest wave in recorded history - it is a tsunami wave. That is different than a rogue wave.  It was recorded July 9 1958 in Alaska and reached 1,720 feet high - the comparison given in the article is the Empire State Building which is 1,250 feet tall. The wave was caused by an earthquake - it is known as the Lituya Bay Tsunami.  "As the giant mountain of water started traveling across the entire length of the T-shaped Lituya Bay, it reached a peak height of 1,720 feet (524 meters) near the Gilbert Inlet and destroyed everything around.  Soil, plants, and trees were snapped off, and the shorelines were completely obliterated." While the Alaska wave was caused by a tsunami,  the 2020 BC wave was a rogue wave.  Rogue waves are considered sneaker waves.  They don't seem to have a single distinct cause, but occur where physical factors such as high winds and strong currents cause waves to merge and then create a single exceptionally large wave.   Here are my little waves on the Lake Ontario Shore.

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July 25 2021 - Sun Fish or Sculpins

 

The deepest water in Lake Superior is 1,332 feet.  Fish are found at the 600 foot level in  Lake Superior. The Siscowet Lake Trout lives in the deepwater region of the lake.  Two more live in the deeper waters. They are the Sculpin and the Kiyi.  The Sculpin is a type of  Lake Trout as well.  The Kiyi is a Lake Whitefish. Other lake trouts live at depths up to 300 feet. In contrast, Sunfish, are common to the Great Lakes in slow streams and rivers, as well as warm lakes and ponds.  Children are the fishers of Sunfish. There are a lot of varieties and in our area, they are Northern Sunfish.  I don't remember seeing Sunfish in Lake Ontario - I expect it is because they like to be near aquatic vegetation, and Lake Ontario shores are sandy.  In Georgian Bay lakes they were a common fish in the 1960s.  I expect they are still there. Perhaps Dan Cooper could check at his cottage and give us the latest Sun Fish update. Kids love fish, so we can expect a lot of cute fish jokes - the list I found had 85 jokes.  Here are a few: What did a shark eat with its peanut butter sandwich? A jellyfish. How do shellfish get to the hospital? In a clambulance. What did the shark say after eating a clownfish? That tasted a little bit funny! What do whales have for dinner? They eat fish and ships. What does every fisherman want? A gillfriend. How did the oyster manage to hide from the fish? Clamouflage! What did one fish say to the other? Keep your mouth shut and you won’t get caught. How do you talk to a fish? You drop it a line. Two parrots are sitting on a perch. One bird asks the other one “Does something smell a little fishy to you?”   My fish pictures seem to focus on Koi.  These are readily seen at botanic gardens.

Mar 7 2021 - Lake on a Mountain

 

I don't think of us having any mountains nearby.  Prince Edward County is on the other side of the Lake and on the Bay of Quinte, close to Belleville is a lake that is 200 feet (60 metres) above the water of the Bay of Quinte.  That's high enough for me to justify the name Lake on the Mountain.  Think of Niagara Falls - it is 167 feet tall.  Of course, it isn't the height of Niagara, but the expanse of it and the speed of the water as it hurls along at whiplash speed.  That's what makes it so spectacular an experience. Lake on the Mountain, being on the other side of Lake Ontario at Glenora, has Northern Ontario terrain and northern forests.  The lake is deep - it is 37 metres deep and just over one square kilometre in size.  Stories of how the lake was created include volcanoes, meteorites, and glacial whirlpools.  The most accepted theory is a collapsed doline - a limestone rock feature in areas with limestone foundations. Another way of thinking of it is that it is a type of sinkhole. So we have our own mysterious lake on a mountain very close by.  Here's a youtube video showing where it is located HERE. The ground view youtube video is HERE.  It is most amusing as the comments from Tavel Canada indicate a boring drive along the 401 to get to the destination.  That does describe the 401 east of Toronto for me.   This is a Niagara lakeside picture the southern side of Lake Ontario and below it, near Kingston on the north side. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

June 1 2020 - Name that Joke

Here we are in June - the wedding month.  As I look out, there are three shrubs blooming white - the largest is the Bridalwreath Spirea, named appropriately. But I was actually thinking about how we turn names intojokes and how amusing they can be, so I went and found a few.  What do you call a man with no shins? Neil. What do you call a woman with a frog on her head? Lilly. What do you call a man with no arms and no legs on your front door step? Matt What do you call someone hanging on a wall? Art. What do you call someone under a pile of leaves? Russell. What do you call a girl with one leg short than the other? Eileen What do you call a guy who falls overboard and can't swim? Bob. What do you call a man on the barbershop floor? Harry. What do you call a man with a car on his head? Jack. What do you call a scientist that makes up everything? Adam (atom). What do you call an American drawing? Yankee Doodle. What do you call a lady in a Roman dress? Sara-toga. Rosewood Winery is the location of our pictures today. This is the comparison between yesterday's view and the winter storm view on December 1st.  I got to stopping because there is a wisteria in full bloom at the water's edge.  The Lake view was extensive and the Toronto skyline easily seen.

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There's a Yes In There

The song "Here's to Life" is written by Phyllis Molinary and became Shirley Horn's signature song.  JazzFM plays it regularly, and the station played it as a dedication to Jack Layton when he died.  In it are the lyrics "there's no yes in yesterday". There are many words with yes in them, but finding the yes in there seems illusive to me compared to these lyrics.   As a scrabble player, you are visualizing the words and not pronouncing them. So finding all the yeses would be much easier.  Scrabble sites that let us know all of the yeses to be found.  And interestingly, so many of them contain 'eyes' as in pinkeyes and shuteyes and frogeyes.    So we're back to the famous music composed by Johnny Mandel, released in 1992, with Winton Marsalis as the trumpet soloist.   Here is the verse: There is no yes in yesterday And who knows what tomorrow brings or takes away As long as I'm still in the game I want to play For last, for life, for love

There in the Heart of Niagara

We continue on the Heart theme for February.  Is there a 'heart' of Niagara, as in: 'located in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula?' The West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce considers itself 'In the heart of Niagara' and is known as the "Hub of the Niagara Peninsula'.  West Lincoln consists of 'a number of hamlets and provides quaint settings for residential and small business development. The hamlets are Abingdon, Allen’s Corners, Attercliffe, Basingstoke, Bismarck, Boyle, Caistor Centre, Caistorville, Elcho, Fulton, Grassie, Kimbo, Port Davidson, Rosedene, Silverdale, Smithville, St. Ann’s, Vaughan Station, Warner, Wellandport, Wilcox Corners and Winslow'. That seems like a sprawling group to be a 'heart'.  We could consider a number of other claims for the 'heart of Niagara': Legends Winery - on the lake in Beamsville Foran's Marine - on the lake in Grimsby Ball's Falls - in the 'heart of Niagara's Greenbelt' - in Vineland off Victoria, with an historic village Peninsula Lakes Gold Courses - in the 'heart of the Niagara escarpment' - Pen Lakes is known as the 'jewel of Niagara' St. Catharines considers itself in the heart of Niagara Numerous airbnb listings in the 'Heart of Niagara' This seems like a common expression, and yet there doesn't seem to be a heart of Ontario, or heart of Quebec, or a heart of Canada (there is - but it's a poem).  One of our national heroes is listed as: 'Terry Fox:  Running to the Heart of Canada.' Or what about 'Discovering the heart of Canada in Ottawa', a sort of 'thought of heart.' Heart of America is a strong brand name for many things - movie title, charities, a beverage company, medical centres, etc.  The Boy Scouts of America are listed under the Heart of America Council.  The American Red Cross is listed that way as well. There is even a Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.  And where is the heart of America located?  Kansas City has made this claim. So our images today - the first shows the view of Hamilton from the Legends Winery.  The second shows the view of Toronto from the Mike Weir Winery (which claims the best view of Toronto).

Winter's Infinity Pool

A return visit to Grimsby Beach yesterday revealed a winter landscape of ice on rocks.  The waves of the day before have frozen and formed icicles. The old Grimsby pier still stretches out into the water even though it is much smaller than the days when the steamer Turbinia docked there.  I've included an historical postcard so you can see what it was like then. Yesterday's sunny scene was a remarkable one - with the pier covered in ice.  It had the appearance of an infinity pool with the blue ice floating over the blue water.  The gulls standing at the end of the pier make a wonderful focal point.

Seiches and Surges

The Lake at Grimsby Beach is the subject of our pictures today.  This is the point where Forty Creek empties, and there is a walking path that follows the creek and joins up with the Bruce Trail.  There are usually bird here in the inlet, even though there are some sizeable waves that come in.  Lake Ontario's largest waves have been higher than 20 feet, usually in spring and fall. Twenty-five feet is considered the upper limit. The Wikipedia entry tells me this information about waves: Lake Ontario has a natural seiche rhythm of eleven minutes. The seiche effect normally is only about 3⁄4 inches (2 cm) but can be greatly amplified by earth movement, winds, and atmospheric pressure changes. (A seiche (/ˈseɪʃ/ saysh) is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes,reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbours and seas. The key requirement for formation of a seiche is that the body of water is at least partially bounded, allowing the formation of the standing wave.) A storm can produce both surges and seiches - I found this explanation here "Storm surges may cause seiches. The word seiche is French for “to sway back and forth.” After a storm moves past the lake, and the wind and pressure are no longer pushing the water, the piled up water moves toward the opposite end of the lake. The water sloshes from one end of the lake to the other a few times until the water level is returned to normal. This sloshing back and forth is called a seiche. Often a seiche can be spotted because the water level will be high along the shore and within a relatively short period of time, the water level will then drop, sometimes leaving bottomlands exposed. Seiches may “slosh” back and forth like this several times before reaching equilibrium."

The Lake View from the Grinch's Point of View

The count down to Christmas has a long tradition with the Advent Calendar's little numbered flaps so that one is opened each day. This is a 'famous German tradition', and the first known Advent Calendar dates from 1851.  There are also Advent candles and Advent wreaths. Today's image of Christmas decorations has its origins more recently - in the Grinch that Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.  If you go to Pinterest there are hilarious pictures of Green-stockinged back ends in the Christmas tree as part of the decorations.  Take a look HERE We also have a great view to Toronto with a freighter in the foreground - the CN Tower seems to be keeping the cloud line from descending on the city.

Four Geese and a Dog

Dezi made a brisk exit last week as we checked out the view across the lake.  The geese seemed to march up the hill in formation.

Living on the Lake

Do you have a favourite Lake Ontario view?  I checked out a few this week.


This one is in Pickering Ontario.  You can see the nuclear generating station and the wind turbine on the landscape.

Here's a view of Port Credit's pier a little later in the week.  Both share beautiful big blue skies and sparkling water.

Let me know if you have a favourite view to share.
Marilyn