Were freeways necessary?

 

It's been said that the German Autobahn system, with its four land divided highway and limited access, was the inspiration for the freeways that today criss-cross farmland around the world. The first Autobahn motorway was, opened in the early 1930's. It was the world's first freeway but it was far from the last.

Canada's busiest freeway is 401 passing over Toronto. Its first section opened in 1947. Since then it has grown in length and width with the passing years. My father had been a farmer. He understood the need

for highways but he had reservations about 401. He saw it as a land hog.

The King's Highways, as the older, two lane roadways were called, seemed adequate to my dad for hauling goods over long distances. He believed a well designed rail network would be more efficient than the growing freeway system.

In some ways my dad's fears have come to pass.

A well visited cemetery

 

Leaving small rocks on the tops of a headstones is apparently a common practice. But, until the other day, I had never noticed the  stones and when I did I was left to wonder about the significance. After asking about I found the most frequent explanation, and there were a number, was that this is based on what was originally a Jewish tradition. The small stone indicated that someone had visited the grave. Someone had shown respect for the deceased.

Look closely at the headstones marking the graves of soldiers who died in the Second World War and you will notice that many of the headstones have a small rock on the top of headstone. Clearly, this is a well visited cemetery.

Turkey vultures common in SW Ontario

 

 

Turkey vultures are common in Ontario and very easy to spot, even in silhouette, thanks to the very distinctive head and beak. These are large birds that are often spotted soaring in large circles high above the ground. Turkey vultures take advantage of warm air rising off dark fields and even dark pavement to soar and move about in the sky.

There were about a half a dozen vultures perched in this bare tree sitting on the edge of the City of London landfill. Vultures are very opportunistic. These migratory birds head south when it gets too cold for comfort in Ontario.

Turkey vultures keep our natural world clean. They eat carrion. Ugh! Thanks to their dietary habits, these birds have developed incredible immune systems; they can eat carrion without getting botulism, anthrax, cholera, salmonella and even rabies. Amazing.

Is this a teen wearing a hair mask?

 

Little known fact: when it's not the Christmas season, Santa keeps himself fit rollerblading in Springbank Park in London, at least that was my take on this photo. My granddaughter, Eloise, thought that this was a teenager wearing a hair mask out rollerblading. I'm sticking with my Santa story.

I posted this yesterday but neglected to click the post button. Oops! 

Some craftsmanship is still to be found

It seems that folk love to complain. All too often I read how this or that is not as good as it was when . . .  And I admit that I am guilty of doing this as well. Oops!

Well, let's score one point for the optimists. Exterior doors used to be solid wood. Nice to look at when new but they aged, often poorly, and the old doors were not always good at keeping the heat in in the winter. 

Today there are dozen of choices when it comes to exterior doors. Fiberglass and metal are very popular and if you insist there are still solid wooden doors to be had. But these wooden doors are actually an improvement over many of the wooden doors from the past.

This home has a new door. Neither the door nor the trim will ever need painting. The glass in the door and the sidelights is a double glazed design with a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired leaded glass look. It wasn't all that expensive and the entire affair was installed in less than a morning. And it was made in Ontario, not all that far from London.

Energy efficient windows and doors are now common. Windows no longer need painting, nor do windows require storms during the winter months as all are either double or triple glazed. Yes, somethings are better today.

Go easy on the air

The mix of intense heat and drought is causing wildfires in Western Canada to generate their own weather systems. The phenomenon, known as a pyrocumulonimbus firestorm, has been noted in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.

But not tonight. At least not in London, Ontario. London got haze, thick haze, as it has for the past few days. The sun does not so much set as fade away into a smokey haze so thick that we no longer even see a glowing orb.

People with breathing difficulties are finding the poor air quality a problem. The health department is recommending that on hazy days, folks with health issues should remain indoors. Adding to the misery, today there was a heat advisory. So, drink lots of liquids but go easy on the air.

Ruby meadowhawk

 

Dragonfly or damselfly? Until I took a picture of this ruby meadowhawk and hit the Web seeking to learn more about my subject, I had thought that dragonflies and damselflies were simply different names for the same flying insect. I was wrong.

Dragonfly adults have robust bodies, and perch with wings held out to the side. The eyes are huge and may meet at the top of the head. The bodies of damselfly adults, on the other hand, are slender, and most damselflies fold the wings together over the abdomen when resting. 

Damselfly eyes are very large and are set to the side of the head rather than dominating the front as with dragonflies. The two even look different when in flight. Dragonflies have a smooth flight path while damselflies flutter.

The meadowhawks are skimmers. Why these dragonflies are called skimmers is a good question. It certainly is not because of how they catch their prey. Meadowhawks perch on twig and rocks, sit quietly and scan the immediate area for flying insects. The ruby meadowhawk in my photo is seeking a meal on the wing.

Efficient helicopter cropdusting

When I first saw the helicopter it was twisting about just a short distance from the highway. I feared I was about to see a crash. But the helicopter completed the twisting manoeuvre, flattened out and disappeared in a white cloud. It was a crop duster.

I've learned that the small fields in the area, filled with obstacles and surrounded by busy highways and suburban home are best served by helicopter crop dusters. For dusting big, open fields, the airplane excels but not here.

Helicopters are more expensive to operate and maintain than airplanes. Helicopters carry smaller payloads and fly at slower airspeeds than the fixed wind competition. But an experienced helicopter pilot can completely dust a small field very efficiently. One of the efficiencies is the the pilot's skill at smartly flipping his aircraft around at the end of field and making the next pass almost immediately.

The pilot I saw seemed to be  very efficient.

Round bales superior to rectangular

 

Hay bales were rectangular and much, much smaller when I was a boy. I've often wondered what the advantages the big, cylindrical bales offer over the older, smaller rectangular bales. It turns out that a lot of city folk ask this question.

• More hay is stored in a cylindrical bale. Cylindrical bales can weigh up to 1500 lbs. The older, smaller, rectangular bales topped out at about fifty or sixty lbs.
• Because of the great difference in weight, it can much longer to transport, stack and store the smaller rectangular bales.
• Large bales are not as prone to mold and rot. This makes them a healthier food choice for a farmer's animals.
• Hay is dried alfalfa and assorted grasses that is fed to cattle and horse during the winter. A big operation, with a large herd of cattle, can feed far more animals with one bale when it is a large, cylindrical one and not one of the older rectangular bales.

And there you have it. The technology making the large, cylindrical bales possible is a big improvement over the older system. Storing bales used to be a job for three or four people. Today, it is a one-person job.

Wild turkeys moving into town

 

Decades ago over-hunting eliminated (extirpated - made locally extinct) the wild turkey in Ontario. Reintroduced to southern Ontario in 1984, wild turkeys are now found everywhere, even in the city. This one was sighted strolling about the court on which I live in London, Ontario.

Coneflowers are native to North America

 

 

Coneflowers originated in North America. Then the English discovered these wild-growing New World flowers and took them back to England where the coneflower fared very nicely in English gardens. After a little over a century on the island, Lewis and Clark sent specimens back to the United States to the attention of President Jefferson.

But it was the Germans during the flower power era of the 1960s who finally gave the coneflower the attention it deserves. The German plant breeders cross bred various coneflower species to create an improved range of colours, forms and growing habits. By the 1980s American plant breeders had picked up the work. Today there are possibly 100 hybrids and cultivated varieties of coneflower available.

Bootleg fire in Oregon cause of red sun in London

 

The Bootleg fire in Oregon in the American northwest is the largest fire burning in the U.S. at present and it is immense. It has burned nearly 400,000 acres. The smoke from the Oregon fire is drifting right across the continent resulting in hazy red sunsets in London, Ontario, Canada, 2500 miles away.

The New York Times reported that New York City residents are now awakening to a hazy red sun thanks to the smoke from the west coast forest fire. Some experts estimate that the Bootleg fire, which at this point is still growing, may not be under control until sometime in November!

Yard Sail: not my spelling

Is this homemade poster advertising a yard sale really a child's work? Why do I wonder? The spelling of yard sale as "yard sail". It seems a little too cute. It is posted in a good location. A location where it should get lots of attention. It is stuck to the children's playground monkey bars installation.

 

Cities have global connections

 

The company delivering gas to homes and businesses in London, Ontario, is Enbridge. A Canadian company, as far as I know, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The biggest name in natural gas heating and electric cooling equipment in London is Reliance Home Comfort. Many of its customers believe that it too is a Canadian operation. It was but it isn't today.

Originally, Reliance was owned by Union Gas. Today Union Gas is no more having been taken over by Enbridge. And Reliance, its connection to Union Gas severed years ago, is now controlled by the family of Hong Kong-based Chinese-Canadian businessman Victor Li.

Have these changes been good for London? Have they been good for Ontario? On the surface, it would seem a larger share of the money generated by this residential and commercial gas business may have once circulated throughout the city and province, for the most part. Now, with the Hong Kong and Bermuda connections, a lot of the profits may be leaving the country.

I am not a financial wizard. I cannot say if the present set-up is better or worse for Londoners, for Canadians. But one thing seems certain, it is better for the governments of Hong Kong and Bermuda.