Santa's All Done

Pictures of Christmas Day from around the world are a revelation of the diversity of our climates -  Australia's beach images are the funniest - there's Santa on the beach, reindeer on the beach, Christmas trees on the beach - it is all about the beach.   Following Santa on the Santa Tracker, he was on his way through Hawaii, having delivered 7,056,276,203 gifts.  Now he's "locked" on Google, and the Norad site has gifts delivered as static information, so maybe he's finished his trip this year.   How much does it cost to be Santa Claus?  The Huffington Post has the answers.  It says something like $24.3 billion to make the toys, plus $683 million to deliver them. Some of the cute facts about Santa include that he was born in 270 AD and it is the magic of Christmas that keeps him alive and well. And it is his Christmas magic that makes the reindeer fly.  So what does Santa do when Christmas is over?  First he takes a short vacation with Mrs. Claus at the North Pole then he gets right back to work.  Preparing his good boys and girls list and his naughty girls and boys list.  He also starts getting toys ready for next Christmas.  So remember to always be good because you never know when Santa’s watching.

Lake Ontario South Shoreline

You saw the beautiful stretch of sandy beach at Port Dalhousie yesterday. Today we see the shoreline just west of Jordan.  We're facing west in these pictures - you can see the Hamilton escarpment in the background.  It's an expansive view that showcases the Lake and the shoreline.

The shoreline is very similar all along this area - from Martin Road to Tufford Road - the corresponding numbers on yesterday's map would be in the 10 to 14 range.  It is called low shoreline.  The road is right against the shoreline with houses scattered along the north side.  Some of the houses are old cottages from days gone by, and others are modern houses with the lake view, but not the shoreline mansions further west.  The road starts and stops.  It is not continuous along the lake.  I expect this is due to erosion and property ownership. There are small stretches of private lanes and roads and property that doesn't have public access of any kind.   

I've explored this area in the past - looking for orchards overlooking the water.  However, that's not the normal situation - the winds are too strong at the water's edge.  It will be blustery out there today.

Niagara's Crab Apple Allee - Spring and Winter

I found some old pictures from 2006.  That was the year I decided to take a picture a day as a project.  By the end of the year, I decided to become a photographer, and within the next year had transitioned from my Management Consulting work, and was taking photography courses at Ryerson and online. It's a few years later, and I am enjoying gardening and photography as my major activities.  I still do some contract consulting work for the income.  

So, I found a 2006 image of the Niagara Crab Apple Allee, and want to show you the spring and winter comparison. It's that such a show when they are in bloom!  

Something I noticed was the difference in where I took the picture from then.  I missed out on capturing the infinity view.  This past winter you can see how extensive the Allee is and how far that view goes.  The giant urns - and they are giant - draw your eye all the way through the garden, and right to the end.  It is a masterful technique that we can consider using in our own little gardens - placing pots at regular intervals to draw the eye through the garden scape.