More on the upside to snow

A family enjoying the deep snow on the long, steep hill near Lookout Crt.

Families can often be found taking advantage of the steep neighbourhood hill running for hundreds of yards behind dozens of suburban homes in the Byron subdivision in the southwest of London, Ontario.

It's a bit of a climb back to the summit.

The hill is so long and steep because it is what remains of a very deep gravel pit that was closed and rehabilitated.more than a decade ago.

The runs are fast but the climb back to the top slow can be slow, especially when the snow is deep and fresh.

Although few wear helmets, they would be a good idea, especially here. When the snow gets shoved aside by all the sledding, sometimes a rock will jut out of from the slope.

If you're dressed for it, one can simply rest in the snow.

One thing we learned from the unfortunate death of actor Natasha Richardson was even small falls pose big dangers. Richardson died after taking a tumble on a beginner hill at Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

Every year thousands go to the hospital with injuries sustained playing on slopes. Helmets are a good idea, even if they're not popular.

It can be difficult seeing where you're going with the snow flying.

The upside, the upside downside, to snow

This boy knew just where to aim his sled. He took to the air on each descent.

I live in the suburb of Byron in southwest London, Ontario. At one time there was a gravel pit across the court from my home. Today the gravel pit is filled and there is now a park there. In the spring it's a great place to fly a kite and in the summer it has a well maintained diamond for baseball. But it is in the winter when the former pit really shines. It has a long, steep slope that is easy to reach and great for sledding, tobogganing, or even snow boarding, if you don't mind a short, fast run followed by a long, slow climb.

Glasses aren't much good when you have your eyes closed.

Today I noticed more than the usual number of cars in our court. This could mean only one thing: The slope is snow-covered and perfect for sledding. The word was out.

I grabbed my camera and headed into the snow. I followed the last group to arrive down the path behind a row of suburban homes until we reached the crest of the toboggan run.

. . . or when they are covered with snow.

The countryside surrounding London is quite flat. Oh, there is the occasional small hill but I do mean small hill.

The are only two ski hills in the area and one is quite close to where I live. Boler Mountain has a vertical height of a hundred feet. That's correct: A hundred feet. It is better known as the Byron Bump.

Now you understand why the small hill across from me is so popular. Heck, when I was a boy we took our toboggans to an overpass on 401 in order to find a slope.

Making it all the way to the bottom is a challenge.

Close to the ground is good. Less distance to fall.

More pictures to follow tomorrow!

Barrett Breaks Special Olympics World Record

Photo credit: Doug Brown, Special Olympics Photo Volunteer

London, Ont.: Saturday morning, power lifter Jackie Barrett broke a Special Olympics world record lift in squat at 265.5kg. The packed venue at the University of Western Ontario in London Ontario gave the mighty competitor a standing ovation.

 Barrett has been with the Special Olympics for 23 years and has been training in power lifting for the past 15 years.

About this impressive, record breaking accomplishment, Barrett said, "It felt great. I felt I almost didn't get it, but I did." When asked when he decided he'd go for the record-breaking lift Barrett explained, "I decided after my second attempt. I felt I had enough left in the tank and then I went for it."

Later Saturday, Barrett may attempt a new Special Olympics world record in the dead lift. That category of the competition takes place in the early afternoon.

Daniel Reid, a coach with Team Newfoundland, was ecstatic. "I think it's super. He was undecided if he would even try to do it because he would have to do it on his third attempt, but he did it, and he made it look easy. We're all very proud of him." 

About the 2010 Special Olympics Canada Special Games: The 12th national summer competition was held in London Ontario from July 11 to 17. More than 1,400 athletes, coaches, and mission staff representing all ten Canadian provinces plus the Yukon and Northwest Territories attended the seven-day sporting event. More than 1,000 volunteers and event officials worked to make the event a success.

Athletes competed in eight official sports, including athletics, five and ten pin bowling, power lifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, softball and swimming. This national competition serves as the qualifying event for athletes to become members of the national team that will compete at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

Good Morning Sun

Sunrise finds highway 401 at London still night-quiet. But 401, running 820 km from Windsor to the Quebec border, is one of the busiest highways in the world. In fact, the section running above Toronto is the busiest freeway in North America. London's location on 401 is a big plus for the southwestern Ontario city as it competes with other communities for business and industry. You see, over half the population of Canada lives along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor and 401 is the corridor's major roadway.

The picture is the view from the driver's seat of a Morgan Plus 4 roadster. For a take on Morgan motoring see: A Morgan in the Morning - or see a short Morgan video or slide show from Morgans Over America IV when about 45 Morgans from all over the world toured North America.

Heritage Victorian Apartments

These heritage apartments, converted into condominiums, are at the intersection of Queens Ave. and Wellington St. in downtown London. They are rumoured to have been built originally as residences for employees of London Life. This story has the ring of truth as the headquarters of London Life Insurance is right across the street. Only a small part of the complex is shown. It extends both north and east from the intersection. There are lessons to be learned from the study of these beautiful, dare I say welcoming, Victorian apartments.

Still the Forest City

James Reaney, a columnist for The London Free Press, called the dozens of colourful metal trees gracing downtown London "beautiful." These works of public art were created by Ingersoll artist Bill Hodgson and planted in numerous locations throughout the core.
To see more pictures of these unique pieces check out Flickr and Wikimedia. For another but less postive take on these trees see From My Bottom Step. The paper also did a short video looking at the tree installation.