Niagara river walk?

Here's something that is not widely known: on this day in 1848, for the first time, water stopped flowing over Niagara Falls. An ice jam in the Niagara River behind the falls created a formidable barrier, shutting off the water flow. It must have been quite a sight, as people apparently explored the riverbed.

Some years later, in 1911, thick ice at the falls again attracted visitors. An amazing photograph exists that shows people standing on the falls. You can find it at this Niagara website. If you scroll down to the section entitled "Do the Falls Freeze over in the Winter?" near the end of the article, you will see the photograph. It's not known how authentic the image is (some sources say it's been altered), but it certainly seems to demonstrate what the scene may have looked like in 1848.

Humans, rather than nature, intervened instead in 1969, when the flow over a part of the falls was shut off by engineers to study the rock pile at the bottom of the American Falls. You can see what that looked like in the same article.

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Original sources: Infoplease.com, NiagaraFallslive.com

The days are getting longer

In the last week, I realize a lot of the posts in this blog have been somewhat gray and dark, reflecting the inclement weather we've been having.

So today let's change it up a little. Time for some sunshine and energy! Here we are at Toronto's Harbourfront skating rink on a crystal-clear day.

Spring is on the way. We still have snow on the ground, but the sun's rays are getting warmer.

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Thanks to D. David Zane for this shot he captured before we had our most recent storm. This morning looked much like this.

Digging out

We are still digging out from the snowstorm that hit the Great Lakes region yesterday, dropping more than 25 centimetres of snow and reducing visibility to near zero at times. The storm has now moved off into the Atlantic states and provinces, but in its wake it left a lot of people scrambling. The snow is beautiful when it lays such a thick blanket of white on everything. Unfortunately, it's horrible for drivers. Yesterday was a bad day to be on the roads without snow tires. We were among those who had to travel, and it was quite stressful. We saw many accidents and spin-outs. Overnight, I had ice build-up inside the wheel wells of the car and was surprised this morning when, in the acceleration lane of the highway, everything started vibrating as if I had four flat tires. I stopped and drove slowly to a repair shop. Fortunately, a mechanic was able to power-wash the ice away and it didn't cost me a penny.

The storm caused at least one death in the area. A woman was killed near London, Ontario, when her vehicle was clipped by a snowplow in an underpass. She had exited her vehicle to clear ice from her windshield wipers when the snowplow hit the corner of the car. She was thrown and pinned. Her two daughters were in the car and saw it happen. Unfortunately, there was nothing rescuers could do to save her. The snowplow driver had to be treated for shock.

Even though police reported many accidents, traffic was lighter than usual, as many people chose to stay home and wait out the bad weather.

Winter has arrived early this year. Looking on the bright side, children are happy and Christmas decorations look wonderful with the snow. For those who will are gathering with friends and family, the weather is perfect for traditional Christmas celebrations.

Commuting in winter and living on a schedule

Now that the days are shorter, the drive home at night gets lonely. As one leaves the city, the landscape seems bleaker. Commercial buildings, franchise outlets. Fewer lights and fewer pedestrians and everyone dependent on cars.

The life of a commuter in the winter months is composed of morning departures in the dark and arrivals home in the dark. If one spends the day in an office building, it's possible not to be exposed to daylight for the entire day. With growing obligations at work and with children involved in various activities, it's easy to fall into a predictable routine of fulfilling scheduled responsibilities, where one moves like an automaton from appointment to appointment and the calendar runs life.

I wonder how some of us allow ourselves to get to this point, where work and obligations rule our lives completely. I sometimes fantasize about being free of responsibilities, perhaps working only part-time, and having the freedom to live life at a different pace; to live in the city and feel its rhythm without necessarily being part of the rushing; to have long, natural conversations with friends without worrying about having to run off to an impending appointment; to have time to reflect and be creative; or to exercise regularly without needing to do it in the dark and the cold.

Then, I talk to my dad and see another perspective: he's retired and has lots of time. His mind is youthful and his outlook optimistic. He takes good care of himself. Because his time is plentiful, he fantasizes about being involved in the work force again, about doing something for others; using his talent and experience to make the world a better place. Always searching, always looking for new stimuli, he's more than willing to give up some of his free time to become more engaged. Somewhere, perhaps, he hears a clock ticking off the minutes.

When he can't make any progress, he seems a little lonely. Our lives are different, but on these solitary winter commutes, this I have in common with him.