Wednesday, April 29, 2009

SkyWatch Friday #42

I have spent my last five days in Ontario in "cottage country" with my sister and nephew and it has been a mixed bag of beautiful weather, thunderous storms and memories.


(click on photo to appreciate the detail)

I have forgotten how beautiful the rock of the Canadian Shield can be....


and what it is like to walk in a deciduous forest at sunset.


Last night as I walked around the lake at dusk I remembered to look up....

and I was not disappointed!

Ontario has treated me well over the last two months.

I leave with wonderful memories of family and many new friends and experiences.

For more beautiful skies from around the world why not join us at
SkyWatch Friday.


Thursday, April 23, 2009

SkyWatch Friday #41- On the Road Again

April 21st was my last day in Prince Edward County and my last walk in Sandbanks Provincial Park for now as I start my journey back to the west coast.

So with the dogs we decided to challenge the mother of all dunes, the Everest of Sandbanks at 160 feet! This is looking west towards Toronto.

All I can say is that if you live anywhere near this remarkable Provincial Park give it a visit. From the top we could see the whole area - looking north to the town of Wellington.

Looking northwest towards Trenton, Ontario.

Looking southwest towards Niagara Falls.


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Thursday, April 16, 2009

SkyWatch Friday #40

Last Monday I went out for an evening walk and was witness to this Sun Dog. For whatever reason the other sundog was extremely faint so I focused on this one. I don't know a lot about sun dogs except that they have to do with refraction/reflection of sunlight through ice crystals associated with cirrus clouds and they generally preceed bad weather. I was going to quote Wikipedia however there are some fabulous sundog photos on their page so I have linked it above.

I was not wrong about the bad weather, winter got its last kick in with two days of snow...

which seams like a pretty distant memory today!

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Monday, April 13, 2009

MyWorld Tuesday - Easter Weekend

I spent the weekend in Ottawa, Ontario with my daughter and son-in-law.

They are training for a half marathon, so I went with them on Saturday morning
along with a few friends on a 16 km run.

I road my bike and took photos.....I did about 20 kms!

This hill was fine coming down but we had to go back up

and up....I walked!

After such a hard workout, it was Starbucks and the Ottawa Byward Market for what has become known as the Obama cookie.





And these are the cookies President Obama brought for his daughters. The staff in this place could not make enough cookies to keep up with the demand for weeks following President Obama's visit and customers were not happy. As the owner said "...it's the law, I have to give my staff time off! "




AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
MacLeans.ca

Easter Saturday and the place was packed, it was so much fun!


This is where President Obama bought his key chain.
The owner, Adnan Ustun (who sold it to him) was
such a lovely man and still wears the glow of President
Obama's visit! (See Obama peeking over his shoulder!)
He says "Before the Obama purchase he sold maybe
five key chains a day. Now he’s selling 20!"

Photo/Charles Dharapak~MacLeans.ca

The flowers and weather were wonderful.

And I can't help but show this beautiful Christmas cactus blooming for Easter!

To visit more wonderful places from around the world join us at MyWorld Tuesday



Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter Everyone

May your weekend be full of joy and love and blessings.


Thursday, April 09, 2009

SkyWatch Friday #39

I was trying to see which was bluer....the sky or the blue bells!

I think the blue bells won! These are the first spring flowers I have seen so I wanted to get up close and personal. Have a wonderful long weekend everyone.

For more great skies from around the world why not join us at SkyWatch Friday.




Monday, April 06, 2009

My World Tuesday - High Flight

I was sitting reading and having my morning coffee on Sunday when my quiet was disrupted by a hard working small plane engine. After several passes I finally got up to see what was "up"! I immediately recognized a small aircraft towing a glider. I had heard about the old remains at the Picton Airport, today was a good day to go check it out.

During World War II, the United Kingdom was under siege and required training facilities outside the British Isles for the thousands of pilots needed for defense. Britian signed an agreement with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. A 130 training facilities were built in Canada with the other three countries supplying aircraft and men.
Because of geographical similarities to Great Britain, sparsely populated Prince Edward County was considered an ideal location for an RAF Bombing and Gunnery School. In the summer of 1940, an aerodrome was rapidly constructed and in November 1940 the RCAF moved in and began small arms training at the facility. In April 1941, the RAF took over the base as No. 31 Bombing and Gunnery School and used it to train many of the aviators needed to help defend Britain as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.


Following the end of the war, the Canadian Army maintained a training facility at the old aerodrome. It was renamed Camp Picton in 1960 when it became a fully operational Army base. In 1966, it was renamed Canadian Forces Base Picton, but this was shortlived - in 1969 the base was closed down and sold as part of the consolidation and downsizing of the Canadian military. Portions of the base have been divided up and have served many functions, including conversion of one of the newer barracks sections into a hospital (now defunct) and much of the old base housing is currently occupied as rental homes. The airfield is now known as Picton Airport.


The original aerodrome facilities were built using different construction methods than most bases built by the Canadian military. The rapid construction meant that the hangars and other buildings were not designed for longevity, although most still remain standing today. The former Camp Picton now serves many diverse functions but the unique appearance of the base makes it a significant, if obscure, historical landmark.

Picton Airport is a general aviation airport used primarily for recreational flying. It is also used regularly in the summer season for Canadian Air Cadet flight training using Schweizer SGS 2-33A glider sailplanes and Bellanca Scout 8GCBC aircraft.


Due to its distinctive appearance, the dilapidated airport has been used as a filming location for several productions. External scenes for the made-for-TV film Haven,starring Natasha Richardson, Colm Feore and Martin Landau were filmed there. It also served as a backdrop for the 1993 CBC production Dieppe, and was the filming location of Bomber Boys and the 2005 reality-TV show Canada's Worst Driver.


Many businesses use the facilities, including a hammock outlet, an auction house, and (since the late 1970s) the local Air Cadet squadron, 851 RC(Air)CS, Prince Edward which left that location in 2004.

A little bit of trivia...windsocks are used to determine wind direction and relative wind speed. An airport windsock must, as per FAA Standards fully extend the sock in a 15 knot(17 mph, 28 kph)wind and orient the windsock to wind direction with a 3 knot (3.5 mph, 5.6 kph)breeze and withstand windspeeds up to 75 knots(86 mph, 140 kph) and ambient temperature between -67°F (-55°C) and 131°F (+55°C.)! To learn about more great places from around the world go to MY WORLD TUESDAY.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

SkyWatch Friday #38








These photos were taken within a half hour of each other last night. The sky was absolutely chaotic and so beautiful.
(Click on photos for full impact)

For more beautiful skies from around the world go to SkyWatch Friday.



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