A LONE SEAGULL HEADS ACROSS GODERICH’S FOG SHROUDED HARBOR THIS MORNING
Our overnight rain ushered in warmer weather this morning & both those elements are welcome this time of year. Farmers are particularly happy to to get those dry dusty fields moistened up for planting & it was obvious this morning on my way to Goderich farmers have been on the land.
QUIETLY WAITING IN THE HALL FOR MY DOPPLER ULTRA-SOUND >>>
Nothing really exciting about my double Hospital appointment at 8 a.m.. Lower back, leg & knee X-rays took about 5 minutes & my 'Doppler' ultra-sound lasted about 20 minutes. At least that one had some sound to it. I could periodically hear a swish like beating sound coming from the operators computer just off to the right. I assumed that to be my blood flow pulsating through my legs with ‘every beat of my heart’. Say, I think that was the title of a Rod Stewart song.
TORNADO DAMAGED DOWNTOWN GODERICH CONTINUES TO REBUILD
Checking my watch on the way out of the Hospital I was surprised to see it saying 11:15. Either I had been time warped or the battery had died. Turned out to be the latter. Kind of wished it had been the former. Now, wouldn’t that give a fella something exciting to think about for a change. A quick stop at a local jewellery store downtown Goderich solved the dead watch battery problem for $5.50. From there it was a drive down to the fog shrouded north side of the Goderich harbor to see if I could find me a photo or two. I did, & headed back uptown.
A heavy fog had set in giving tornado ravaged downtown Goderich an eerie look. Once a place of many tall old stately trees, the center of Goderich looks sullenly bare, stripped of all it's foliage & greenery. Gaping holes tell the tale of where buildings once stood. A tall crane lifts materials to a work crew on a damaged roof. Scaffolding up the sides of other buildings in various states of repair. Brown paper still covers some windows & the sounds of hammers & saws inside tell of the repairs & renovations going on. Some new trees have been planted. The tornado happened in late August last year but the repairs & rebuilding in Goderich will be going on for some time to come. As well, some new trees have been planted around Goderich’s court house where every tree & shrub was torn out or flattened. It's kind of uncanny driving around an area that once was so familiar & now looks so eerily different & hauntingly strange.
A YEAR AGO STANDING HERE, THE THE TOP TWO THIRDS OF THE GODERICH COURT HOUSE WOULD HAVE BEEN OBSCURED BY TALL MAPLE TREES…ALL GONE NOW BUT NEW TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED TO THE LEFT
NOT SURE, BUT THESE WOOD CARVINGS MAY HAVE BEEN DONE FROM THE TRUNKS OF BLOWN DOWN TREES
A LARGE GAZEBO FOR OUTDOOR CONCERTS ONCE STOOD ON THIS OCTAGON CEMENT PLATFORM
Forgot to bring the bird feeders in last night so you can guess what happened. Well, l like me, you might would have guessed wrong. Amazingly enough, all feeders were still hanging in place & not smashed up on the ground. Have also determined Mr. Rocky Raccoon (remember that from the Beatles white album I think) has not breeched my stovepipe defence on the bird station. Seed on the platform in the mornings tell me the Coon has not climbed there to vacuum them up. Will I bring the feeder’s in tonight….Yep!!
THE COLOR OF THIS VIBRANT BLUE FISH & CHIP PLACE NEAR THE GODERICH HARBOR REMINDS ME OF MANY COLORFUL BUILDINGS IN FISHING VILLAGES I HAVE SEEN ON CANADA’S EAST COAST, NAMELY NOVA SCOTIA
Kelly took some photos with her Canon PowerShot A430 while in Cambridge the past few days & I'm happy to say she did all the Picasa photo editing herself. Cropping, lighting, sharpening, etc. She's getting pretty comfortable with my Nikons as well. This Gal can do anything:))
KELLY WITH SON JASON & DAUGHTER SABRA
KELLY’S MOM, KELLY HOLDING JASON’S SON REEVE…KELLY, HER MOM, LANGDON, KEENAN & THEIR MOM, KELLY’S DAUGHTER, SABRA
KELLY’S BROTHER PETER…KELLY & SABRA…KELLY’S SON BEN
Recent rains & warmer weather really have our plant life greening up & leafing out quickly right now. Next month about this time our property will be looking full & lush. We will once again be happily enclosed in our ever growing jungle of garden greenery. I will probably be out in the bush again shortly digging up more Pine & Cedar trees too. Now that my legs are feeling much better I can resume some more landscaping. Finished up our day in sunshine so Pheebs & I headed out for a walk in the forest. Momma Goose is still sitting on her nest but any day now I expect to see some fuzzy little yellow fellows paddling around on the pond between a couple of proud parents.
LOCAL FISHERMEN GATHER AROUND THE STERN OF A GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER
Noticed we have 2 new Blog Followers today so Kelly, Pheebs & I welcome aboard HAPPY MOM & TAMMY MAHONEY. Nice to have you folks join our travels whether they be near or far. More near than far for right now but we still try to keep things interesting from day to day until we get the big wheels rolling again in October.
A LARGE GRAIN ELEVATOR EMERGES OUT OF THE HARBOR FOG
THE LAST PARAGRAPH: Ever wonder why someone would continue to read a blog they didn't like, day after day. What does it say about that reader's personality. What is their reasoning, their motive? What would a readers purpose be for doing that? What kind of thought processes go on in a person's mind to make them think the way they do? I wonder……………………..
GROANER’S CORNER:(( Hey, how about a Pun night……
- When chemists die, they barium
- Jokes about German sausage are the wurst
- I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid, but says he can stop any time.
- How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.
- I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.
- This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I could swear I'd never met herbivore.
- I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.
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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Really enjoyed those foggy pictures, Al. You can make any day look good!
ReplyDeleteAl, its like talk radio, people call in all the time and say how they hate the program, but of course they could just change the channel. dont know if they just like punishing themselves or makes them feel superior by listening/reading something they think is beneath them. then again some people just like to be cranky and criticize everyone else because of a huge ego.
ReplyDeleteAlways have a hard time picking Kelly out from the kids/nieces etc. she looks more like a contemporary than a mother/aunt.
said it before will say it again, love your pictures. Could look at a book full of yours and Judy's all day.
Donna W
That photo of the seagull reminds me of the one I saw down by Hanksville the other day, way out in the desert. Had to get a second look.
ReplyDeleteKelly looks like she's one of the kids. She has a beautiful family, her included. :)
Seeing those fishermen looking at the freighter reminds of what a different world it is up there from here in Moab. If we saw one of those here, there would sure be a lot more people looking at it! :)
Had some trouble loading your pictures tonight, but I'm sure it was due to my Hughesnet, not your photos...Yeah, maybe you and Judy should collaborate on a photo book...just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteglad to hear the ultrasound visit went well!..nice to see the town of Goderich has come up from the damage of the tornado..as for the last paragraph, I wonder too!
ReplyDeleteYou are sounding pretty chipper today...hope the med stuff will go well!! We had to go give blood today...neither of us feel optimistic about some of the results, but we shall see...ah getting old tain't much fun.
ReplyDeleteYour question about why people who do not like a blog will continue coming...might be for some of the helpful links provided maybe?
Elizabeth in NC
Would it be called "stalking" if you didn't like a blog and continued to follow it? Kelly...looks like you have a fun loving family! Photos are great as usual...
ReplyDeleteLove the fog pictures, how nice that Kelly was able to visit with her family. I don't understand a person always reading a blog they don't like. Some of them even blog about the blogs they don't like.
ReplyDeleteI too love the fog photos. There's always something so mysterious about fog in a harbour.
ReplyDeleteI really can’t say I’ve wondered about any of those questions about folks who read my blog and I sure wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep over someone who didn’t like it. How would I even know anyway? Why would it even matter?
ReplyDeleteOnce I publish it to the WWW it’s in the public domain and anyone can read it for any reason they like, they sure don’t need my permission! I’m o.k. with them reading it, even if they don’t like what I write.
Those freighter shots in the fog are superb.
ReplyDeleteGlad your doctor visits were painless and that the legs are feeling better.
Kelly looks so happy - glad she had a good visit. It's nice to see the progress in Gooderich.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog, no matter what you have to say, some days it keeps me going and some days it just plain puts a smile on my face.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs to you and Kelly.
- Mary Ann
Between you and Bea: It sure was a double appointment day at the hospital. Double-Double! They say that at Tim Hortons when ordering their coffee.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have those tests over with - when will the doctors give you the final results?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comments on Kelly's beautiful family.
Goderich was such a beautiful town before the tornado, we were there just one week before the devastation. Glad we could get some of the last pictures before it happened. I am sure it will get back to its former glory in a few years.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work.Love your pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhen I find a new to me blog I usually go back in the Archives and start reading from the beginning. A quite a few times I have reached the point where I say to myself "Self I don't like this blog much". However, I'll keep reading with the hope that I will like future posting better. Alas, that almost never happens and I'll then cast it aside and move on.
ReplyDeleteToo much fuss in blogland about rules and numbers and readers and comments and on and on.
ReplyDeleteWeather conditions often stop some photographers from taking pictures, but you have just shown that weather conditions can draw a good photographer to some excellent shots! And of course, the shot up the hawsers was a winner!
Interesting that your legs are feeling better after only having had the xrays and ultrasound. Maybe they know something's up! :-)
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see happy mothers, children and grandchildren. Nice bunch Kelly!
Why I read a blog? - I think it is another form of socializing. I guess people are
ReplyDeletemissing the "chat over the fence" in our modern lives. Having a peek into other people's daily adventures. Sharing a laugh about their booboos and shedding tears with them over their losses.
Getting more familiar, but keeping a distance. And, so easy if you don't like a blog. Check it out, drop it, the person will never know. Like it, than follow and enjoy.
Family, you cannot change. No offence given.