A Different Sign of Spring

When I think of spring I generally follow the cliches related to flowers and birds, pretty birds, that is.

Grimsby, Ontario is in a a rather interesting geologic location. The Niagara Escarpment (all 120+ metres of it here) comes within 1.5 kilometers of Lake Ontario, the closest the escarpment approaches water south of the Bruce Peninsula. During the Spring and Fall, raptors migrate north and south and the narrow distance between the Niagara Escarpment and the Lake forces them to fly over Grimsby. Bird watchers spend a couple of months monitoring the migration in each season.

These Turkey Vultures were heading northward but needed to rest overnight. Usually they find trees in the area but instead a few decided the top of the elevator shaft/stair well of an apartment building in Grimsby was the ideal place. In the morning they were just warming up before heading onward.

For the record, the building is a senior citizens apartment building.

... and Green Cars (and Logos)

Continuing the theme of car elements by colour, today the colour is green.

I am not sure of the make of the first two images.
The third and fourth are of a mid-fifties Mercury Monarch.

The last three are from an mid fifties Cadillac.

Yellow Cars (and Logos)

Weather seems to be getting better but still not really spring. So today we have yellow cars.

White Cars (And Emblems)

Today, white Detroit flowers. All are classics of the ere when gasoline was cheap and pollution was something in Los Angeles.

Red Cars

Still waiting for flowers but in the meantime some red Detroit stuff from one of Grimsby's Cruise Nights.

While Waiting For Spring- Some Blue Detroit Flowers

Spring is being postponed again here. There is more snow in the forecast but this will come down as slop - neither rain nor snow - just messy. So in the meantime, here are some Detroit flowers: old cars lovingly restored and/or customized from a cruise night last summer here in Grimsby.

The first five are of Fords. The last two are of a Durant.

And the theme within the theme today is "blue".

Why I am Looking Forward to Spring - Part 1: The Awd Goose

Here in Grimsby, we live in an old town, at least by Canadian standards. Grimsby was settled about 250 years ago. Once the town was established, it's original name was “The Forty” which, for those of you unfamiliar with the history and geography of the area, may seem odd.

When Europeans moved into the area, travel was by boat on Lake Ontario. Landmarks used by the sailors were the mouths of streams feeding into Lake Ontario. The naming convention they adopted on the south shore was based on the distance in miles from the mouth of the Niagara River. If you look at a map of Ontario you can still find streams/rivers with these distance-based names. In Grimsby, the town name became that of a town in England but the stream that runs through Grimsby into Lake Ontario is still called “The Forty”.

My wife and I, encouraged by our dog, took one of our regular walks down to the mouth of The Forty to see how the snow and ice were melting. Much is gone but with the long, cold, snowy winter, there is still a large amount of snow and ice in that area. And of course there are seagulls, ducks and geese.

The First image is of a confused Canada Goose who seemed to think the block of ice with a stick frozen in it, was in actual fact a rival goose posing a challenge, This made for an amusing few minutes of entertainment for us.

The second image is of a group of seagulls trying to keep warm.

The last three images are interesting because of the goose with the white “cheeks” and orange legs. This appears to be a cross between a Canada Goose and some variety of domestic goose. This goose has been around for some time it seems. According to a gentleman we met there, he has seen it regularly for many years. In fact he has posted some information on the goose at his website http://marvejohn.ca/Nature/awdgoose/ so you may want to look at that if you are curious.