One year later, a very different Niagara Falls

 February of last year, Rick and I decided to take a road trip to Niagara Falls. We really weren't intending to do much more than drive around but when we got there it was a ghost town. Nothing was open, there were few cars on the streets and no pedestrians. We ended up parking and walking beside the river and the falls and had it to ourselves.

This year.... much different.

Last year I got some wonderful, ice encrusted, pictures,but our recent days of rain

have cleared any ice off the surrounding trees, You can see some on the trees are iced on the U.S. side.

No ice meant that I just had the Falls to play with when taking pictures

Luckily

they are very photogenic

as was a very co-operative rainbow

that I took tons of pictures of.

Usually a large cloud of mist obscures most of the rim but this day the mist stayed low, perhaps because of the cold or the strong wind.

The rapids in the river break the ice into smaller chunks that, once over the falls, form gently swirling whirlpools that look like cobblestones.

We walked

until opposite the American Falls

I played around with forcing focus

The ferris wheel was operating (Clifton Hill had some activity) as was the zip line down into the gorge (would have been a very cold ride)

Rick said when he worked for Otis, he serviced the elevators on the outside of the Skylon.

It was not "pre-pandemic crowded" and many people wore masks but it did feel strange to see the crowds and to dodge around a bit to keep a distance.

After paying for parking ($20 this time, we found a free spot last year) we drove down river, stopped to look at the Whirlpool Rapids (Rick worked on the cable car here too) and got on the highway at Lewiston.

Same old - walks, birds and a sunset.

I had noticed this sign and a small parking lot, just off Hwy 6, near my place, so Rick and I decided to check it out.

 

It's a pretty woodlot

but quite a short walk. So we also walked at Hays Conservation area where we watched a huge flock of Tundra swans, flying in a vee, overhead.

So we drove down to Long Point to see if they had started to gather there. At times there are thousands and so noisy I could hear them, on the Bay, from the cottage. But there were just a few right now and there was no open water for them yet. Still 100s of ice fishing huts out on the ice.

A few days later I was at Port Rowan harbour and noticed one by the boat houses

and a few more mixed in with the ducks and Canada geese beside a small patch of open water. Probably a couple more weeks until there will be large numbers of them but always a sight worth seeing.

I'm not a fan of being outside on a cold windy night, at dusk,

but Rick was out "at the Edge" taking sunset shots

so I decided to join him.

The low angle of the light made the ground golden

and the pine cones glow.

It didn't take long to sink

and just leave an orange sky.

Then nothing

but a bit of colour on the solitary cloud.

This was the challenge for one painting class.

We were to use only a large brush and create just an impression of the still life.

Loose and impressionistic just isn't my style but the technique was very useful in terms of a painted sketch before trying for more detail. It forces you to look at the main shapes, the shadows and the highlights.

The following week was about textures. All of us struggled with the denim jacket,

but I am getting more comfortable with how to tackle a painting, where to start and how to proceed.

Fun, fibre, friends and 1 relative

 As covid restrictions begin to ease and there are hints of a return to normalcy, my life has become more social, most of it with an art or craft focus.

A walk around Silver Lake and then dinner out with Rick, Mark and Angie. Lovely!

I don't think anyone is using that door, with it's spring wreath and winter icicles.

Second watercolour class still life.

In greyscale to help see the shadows and highlights without the distraction of colour.

At the end of class.

After and additional afternoon of messing with it.

Brit came to teach Nicola and I another hand quilting technique. Nic had already sewn the top and I quilted circles inside the squares and a scallop around the edges.

We again ran out of time and Nicola took them home to complete the cushion sewing. Mine on the left, hers on the right.

Brit stayed over as the next day was the start of the "hooking weekend" (which was not held on a weekend anymore) and Rasta helped her knit.

We each took responsibility for a meal. This is Pam's squash and pear soup with salad. So nice to eat something someone else has cooked. (and to have some  varied leftovers)

Heather was hooking a Santa with a cat.

Sue was crocheting a multi coloured throw. We each got to choose a colour combination for a square.

Pam was knitting a sweater.

Brit was knitting a sweater and socks and we missed Pat, who had to cancel at the last minute.

I got a lot of the background done on the trapunta pansies.

Rasta enjoyed the various yarns and bags but it exhausted him.

 

Now for some random photos since my last blog post:

Finished the headband.

Cigi's first snow angel.

Lines of diamonds on the lake

caused by afternoon sun on the ice shards.

Strange runways on the ice.

Nearly sunset pictures taken

when I went to get perch for one "hooking weekend" dinner.

Finally, photo by Rick. He went looking for birds but just came back with a nest.