Oct 31 2023 - Down the Rabbit Hole

 

Down the Rabbit Hole - that was Lewis Carroll in 1865 and it was Alice falling down a rabbit hole to find herself in Wonderland.  The idiom is often used to describe a person who is researching a topic on the internet or exploring new things on the web. Many websites are designed to keep users engaged and those that are most successful at keeping a user's attention are described as "rabbit holes".  That makes Carroll's Down the Rabbit Hole a "dead metaphor"  - it is a figure of speech which has lost the original imagery of its meaning - typically by extensive, repetitive, popular usage or by an obsolete technology or forgotten custom.  Take something like the expression deadline - its original usage referred to lines that do not move, or a boundary in a prison which prisoners must not cross (or else).  Much later the sense of a due date came along - it resurfaced in 1917 as a printing industry time limit.  It is curious and interesting to read about the long past dead metaphors.  But then, technology changes so fast that we can see a few from our own generation:   Roll up the window Glove compartment Sound like a stuck record Hang up the phone Carbon copy Stay tuned Video footage All good fun. It is the windy lake season coming up.  November turns into Snowvember as the Lake Effects take  "effect".  Is there snow in our forecast this week? Maybe even tonight after the children have finished trick or treating.

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Jan 3 2022 - Flat Earthers and Fogo Island Inn

 

I had no idea that the owners of the Fogo Island Inn were Flat Earthers. It is particularly funny for this photo of the day.  "Find yourself at one of the four corners of the Earth. Fogo Island Inn sits on an island, off an island, at one of the four corners of the Earth. Every one of our 29 one-of-a-kind guest rooms and suites has dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the wildest and most powerful ocean on the planet. A stimulating relief from the numbing uniformity of modern times, the award-winning Inn is built on the principles of sustainability and respect for nature and culture. The Inn is a community asset, and 100% of operating surpluses are reinvested into the community to help secure a sustainable and resilient future for Fogo Island, Newfoundland." I see beautiful landscape images of the Inn situated on the rocky shore.   Fogo Island Inn boasts that there are seven seasons on the Island.  They are listed HERE. This exclusive and expensive inn is a worldwide destination, so I am curious about all the ads that I see for it.  Here's the National Post article from 2016 on the Inn and its luxury status.    Here's my version of a vacation experience. This is the east beach at Charles Daley Park and I was lucky to have a couple and their dog walk across it while I was taking pictures.  I thought the original straight line horizon picture was a little boring even with the Laker in the background. But now our image expresses the delights of walking on the Shores of Lake Ontario - the Inland Ocean. And proves the Earth is round.

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Nov 5 2021 - McDonald's vs My World

 

I've been in a world of my own that excluded McDonald's my entire life.  In fact, I could say we are worlds apart.  But somehow McDonald's has popped up as a topic.  It turns out I now have the best of both worlds with all these crazy stories about McDonalds.  So today is a short trip through the mashed.com archives of McDonalds rumours, stories, and false facts, and true lies. What made McDonald's get rid of Ronald McDonald? McDonald's announced its mascot Ronald McDonald would be taking a hiatus in 2016. It followed a disturbing craze which saw pranksters jump out at people dressed as spooky clowns. Some wielded weapons to spread terror and the trend travelled across the globe.  This doesn't mean that Ronald McDonald has been 100 percent erased from the brand - Ronald McDonald represents the Golden Arches at least one day out of the year - Thanksgiving and his appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Remember the hot coffee lawsuit that put a "fast" million dollars in Stella Liebeck's hands.   "But the reality is actually quite different. Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in Liebeck vs. McDonald's Restaurants, was not driving, nor was she a scammer. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a stopped car when she attempted to remove the lid off of a cup of coffee she had just ordered. The cup slipped, spilling scalding coffee (around 190 degrees Fahrenheit!) all over her, causing third-degree burns on her lap, buttocks, and genital area. Lieback was hospitalized for eight days, during which she had skin grafts and debridement treatments. She was permanently disfigured as a result of the accident.  Initially she only asked McDonald's for $90,000, but McDonald's countered with a paltry $800, so Liebeck rightfully sued. In the end, she was awarded an undisclosed amount (under $600,000) for her pain and suffering." There is a famous story that their french fries are only one ingredient. "McDonald's sells approximately nine million pounds of french fries every day at its locations all over the world. But contrary to popular belief, McDonald's  fries are not a one-ingredient wonder. And while spuds are the main ingredient, there are actually a total of 19 ingredients in their fries, including vegetable oil (comprised of canola, corn, soybean, and hydrogenated soybean oils, as well as milk- and wheat-derived natural beef flavoring), dextrose (for that golden, yellow color), sodium acid pyrophosphate (to prevent color changes when frozen), citric acid (for freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane (to reduce foaming), and salt (for flavor)." There are dozens of stories about the various rumours of beef and chicken ingredients, many are rumours or false facts about pink slime ingredients, non-dairy milkshakes, non-beef burgers and various strange tales.  Find many of them HERE.   Here's a view across Lake Ontario from Beamsville.  There's a McDonald's in Beamsville with a very tall sign that one can see while driving along the QEW.

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April 18 2021 - Beautiful Towns with Beautiful Beaches

The 25 most beautiful towns/villages in the world sort of articles have Spain, Greece, Italy, and various mountainous sea towns on display.  Their houses are perched on cliffs that descend to the ocean. Without doubt, Niagara-on-the-Lake is a pretty town too.  It is perched at the fork of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, so there's much water scenery. And the houses are heritage and historic, like those seaside buildings on Mediterranean cliffs with matching red roofs. I realize that Ontario has lots of seaside and lakeside towns that overlook expanses of water. So which ones are at the top of the list? Perhaps it would be Wasago Beach - as it is the longest freshwater beach in the world.  It is 90 minutes north of Toronto so accessible to millions.  It has warm and shallow water - this sounds ideal.  Quieter and more natural areas are considered perfect for settling down in the sun with a good book.  Really? Why would you put your head down in a book rather than looking out to the vast blue waves? I suggest moving on to the part where you bring your dog with you and head to section 3 where they can "frolic in the waves".  Wasaga Beach's beautiful beach means beautiful sand, and that's what made it remain undeveloped.  The land was too poor for farming in the 1800s. But the Lake's beautiful sand also means lots of maintenance as Lake Ontario water levels that have been rising.  And sand shifts in  the big November storms each year causing damage.  But still all that sand and water is a delight to the human eye. As we consider this summer, we might not get to Wasago with COVID, but we can know it is close-by for future visits. I couldn't resist showing you aerial images of the vast curve of beach along with the splendid river beside it.   Here's a happy collage of lilies. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

 

Feb 18 2021 - About February

 

I've missed a lot of dates in February already.   We can catch up on all the monthly long "unique holidays".  What are they? American Heart Month An Affair to Remember Month Black History Month Canned Food Month Creative Romance Month Great American Pie Month National Bird Feeding Month National Cherry Month National Children’s Dental Health Month National Grapefruit Month National Weddings Month Spunky Old Broads Month Did you know that Valentine's Day and National Organ Donor Day are celebrated on the same day?  We haven't missed the next chocolate holiday after Valentine's Day - it is today National Chocolate Mint Day.  Is this a month we make fun of?  It seems to be that way. What month is the best month to tell a lie? …. Fib -ruary What is a ghost’s favorite month?… Feb – BOO – uary. What month is the Jake Paul’s favorite? …. Feb – BRO – ary! I can't wait for Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (2/22/22.  We can call it... 2's day Two images I worked on yesterday are from Charles Daley Park a few years ago - overlooking the lake, and looking into Charles Daley Park through rain on the windshield. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Oct 22 2020 - More Along Moyer Road

 

I went through the photo archives yesterday looking for more pictures of Moyer Road.  It is on the lower escarpment, and starts at Victoria Ave in Vineland, runs west and then ends at a bend that turns south and becomes Spence Road which itself ends at Fly Road in Camden.  I find this conclusion disappointing. Fly Road is a  rural highway - one of the regional roads where everyone is driving very fast to get somewhere.  Along Moyer Road is Vineland Estates Winery and restaurant, Mark Picone, notable chef's residence and culinary studio on the road.  Crossing over it is the Bruce Trail, which as you know goes on and on until it gets to Tobermory. It has beautiful views north to Toronto across the Lake, and then to the west to Megalomaniac Winery on the top of the escarpment edge. This is a good place for both the hawks flying overhead during migration and the Hamilton Lancaster bomber which flies quite low over the escarpment here during its tourist summertime flights.   I seem to pick Autumn for pictures on Moyer Road, perhaps its most colourful and scenic time of year. Here are two Autumn leaves jokes for us today: What do you call a large colorful pile of leaves? The Great Barrier Leaf. Did you hear about the tree that had to take time off of work in autumn? It was on paid leaf.

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Sep 19 2020 - Snake Cake vs Travel

 

There are people who think travel will open up soon.  I think there's a better chance of all of us making a snake cake. The travel writer jury's out on travel.  Yes, you can travel, but should you travel?  FODORS.com took up the question this past week and let us know that there are countries that have had zero COVID cases. Fodor says: "The Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. North Korea and Turkmenistan were also on the list with caveats that both countries are known to be secretive." That's most helpful to consider  travelling to countries that are secretive.  And what about this tourist news?  Would you travel to India right now to see the Taj Mahal?  The Taj Mahal, closed since March, is set to reopen on September 21, despite India having the world’s highest numbers of daily new COVID cases.  Book a hotel in Japan now?  The International Olympic Committee announced September 7 that the Tokyo Olympics, postponed to summer 2021, will go ahead regardless of the state of the pandemic. I suggest we return to our kitchens instead to make a Slinky the Snake Cake.  We won't need a test or insurance.   There are lots of snake cakes.  I see posts since 2016, so they've been around for a while.  That explains the abundance and variety:  some are life-size pythons extending the entire length of the table.  There's a python cake in the grass. Cobras rising up cakes, snakes making their way up tiers of cakes.  In comparison frog and slug cakes are cute and appear more edible.  That excludes the Jabba the Hutt Cake.  To indicate a slug has visited your cake?  There are slime cakes. These have cups of slime above the cake, pouring the slime icing over the cake. Our picture today:  swans on the shore of Lake Ontario!  Makes me think about the Whistling Swans who will be flying south soon.

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Aug 7 2020 - Johnny Appleseed from China

 

What about the mysterious seeds sent from China to North America? They showed up spontaneously.  The Globe and Mail Says: While Canadian authorities have not provided a theory, the United States Department of Agriculture has said there’s no reason to believe it’s anything other than brushing, “where sellers send unsolicited items to unsuspecting consumers and then post false reviews to boost sales.” What about this couple in Acton, Mass in 2018 who were the subject of months of deliveries from Amazon - a phone charging hand warmer, and a humidifier, a flashlight, a Bluetooth speaker, a computer vacuum cleaner and some LED lights joined soon after.   Here's a list of categories - and you can check out the scams, they are HERE.  Phishing email scams The Nigerian scam Greeting card scams Bank loan or credit card scam Lottery scam Hitman scam Romance scams Fake antivirus software Facebook impersonation scam (hijacked profile scam) Make money fast scams (Economic scams) Travel scams Bitcoin scams Fake news scam Fake shopping websites Loyalty points phishing scam Job offer scams SMS Scaming(Smshing) Overpayment Online Scam Tech Support Online Scams Here's a scammer joke: I often get asked what it's like to work as both a writer and a scammer... I just say that it has its own Prose and Cons Here's another view of the dawn across Lake Ontario yesterday.

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November's Witches and Big Blows

The month of November is the stormiest on the Great Lakes.  The Witch of November is the name given to the strong winds that blow across the vast waters in Autumn.  It came yesterday night for Halloween and it howled across the Grimsby landscape.  The winds across the lakes can reach hurricane levels.  This accounts for ships sinking in Lake Ontario in November. Waves of up to 30 feet have swamped and overturned ships in the biggest storms. On the west coast the winds are known as Big Blows.  They form as cyclonic windstorms.  Cyclonic sounds ominous, doesn't it?  These storms have caused bridges to fail as well as ships to sink.  So many that it is named the graveyard of the Pacific.  More than 2,000 vessels have sunk since 1800. What made me think of this?  Port Dover on Lake Erie is flooded at record levels. There's video of a truck driving through water that covers the normally long stretch of sandy beach.  I don't think anyone is going to use the telephone booth stranded out there.  You can see the video HERE.  Something I notice is that it is typically a truck driving through the flood waters with its engine just above the water level. It is normal for water levels oscillate back and forth in the lake - and one and a half feet is a typical level. But there this is something called isostatic rebound.   What is this?  Here's the answer from the International's Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board: Overall, isostatic rebound, which is the process whereby the earth’s crust is slowly adjusting to the lack of the weight of the glaciers from the last ice age, affects the north shore as well as the south shore of Lake Ontario. In general, the west end of the lake is sinking relative to the outlet, the St Lawrence River. Isostatic rebound means slightly deeper water for the northwest shore (15 cm) and for the southeast shore (4 cm) for the same given water level compared to 100 years ago. So on the water theme, here is the Folly Waterfalls at Villa Eyrie.  I felt it was mismatched with the path in front and bistro table and chairs.  However, the moody picture with just the building waterfall shows off its eccentric style which is most creative and interesting.

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