A walk on the beach

Here's a little update in our ongoing quest to see and experience winter differently. We have made it through January! Today is sunny, and tomorrow is a workday, so really, the last two days don't not count. (That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.)

Next weekend would be a good time for a visit to the Mountain Equipment Co-op, to do a little research and maybe purchase snowshoeing equipment. There is enough snow now to make it worth it. I get the impression we have below average snowfall to date. We've certainly not been hit like many areas around us have.

We are just coming out of the first brutal cold snap of the winter, which lasted about a week. Windchill factors went to -39, but we got the beautiful cold weather sunshine to go with it. No clouds means what little heat there is, disappears. It cost us a new battery for the Smart, and when the photographer saw the heating bill he walked to the thermostat and promptly reprogrammed it. We have become much like our own parents, yelling "put on a sweater" (and actually doing it), and we weren't heating it that warm to begin with. Surprisingly it is not that hard to get used to one degree less. 

What else can you do to "survive" winter? How about a walk on the beach? The sand crunching under your feet, the lifeguard stations, the reeds at the water's edge, other people enjoying themselves.

The beach at Moony's Bay Park

OK, so not quite the what you were expecting. There is sand under the snow, but the sound of crunching is actually the snow. The lifeguard stations are not in use this time of year. The reeds are there more as a reminder where the water's edge usually is. The other people are definitely enjoying themselves cross country skiing though! We got a good workout descending and then climbing back up the slope from the parking lot to the water.

There were a group of kids tobogganing down the hill in the park. (This web-cam shows the park from the opposite shore of the bay, and you can see it is a substantial hill.) I observed that only a kid could have the energy and determination to spend at least three times as much time climbing back up the snow covered hill than it takes to go down. Hence the invention of the ski lift, or downhill skiing would not be the industry it is today.

Moony's bay is the point where the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal diverge in the city. On the other side of the dam at the north end of the bay is Hog's Back falls. I learned in the last few weeks that they are officially known as the Prince of Wales falls, but no one calls them that. We often stop by this place in April to see the sheer force and volume of the water that passes through there at that point, when the thaw has swollen the river significantly. We've never gone here at this time of year, and as you can see from the pictures, we should have done it sooner, especially since I am always bleating about going to Niagara Falls when they are frozen. (Yes, not the same, I know, but this is just 15 minutes instead of 6.5 hours by car.)

Hog's Back Falls from the east side. 

Detail of the sculpting job the water and spray have done.

Detail of the current: Still very much alive, even at this point.

After this outing we were pretty chilled, and there were groceries to be done, so there were no more pictures that day. But today was very sunny, (with a biting cold wind) so we made a little detour over some nearby country road when going out for another errand.

Rolls of hay that were not collected off the field in fall. Giant Kellog's mini wheats?

 Two rows of corn, left to act as a snow fence and keep the nearby road from getting covered with drifts.

  Running on it's own. Trying to keep warm perhaps?

Frozen beef?

While we were out, I picked up "the girl with the dragon tattoo" in the bookstore. I hear good things about it, and there are two more months of winter, so the gazillion pages do not scare me!

Oh, and to Julie: I am so sorry to hear that you are just baking in Australia. Imagine missing all this lovely crisp freshness. Oh well, it's only for a year. You'll be back. (Evil grin on face....)