Burrr...

It was a cold day and this woman looked liked she was feeling it. She was sitting, huddled against the cold, watching and waiting patiently as her young daughter enjoyed some time in the park with her grandmother.

Bike paths and walking paths common in London

For all the talk of society facing an obesity crisis, there are certainly enough walkers and joggers filling  the pedestrian pathways around London. The yellow line delineates the area of the roadway dedicated to those on foot.

Many London roadways now sport separate bike lanes. I can walk or bike from my home in southwest London all the way to the city centre and hardly ever share the pavement with a car.

London PhotoWalk

You often read that the Internet is the wild west. Our local paper likes to make this claim. Maybe they're right; I don't know. But my experiences over the past year, living and playing on the Net, have been very good. All the people with whom I have come in contact have been good people, interesting people, and many have enriched my life.

For instance, there is the London PhotoWalk group. They post their planned walks on the Net and get a dozen or so photographers out to document some area of London. Saturday they toured Springbank Park.

I was lucky enough to catch one of their regular shooters, James Wilkinson, at a weekend seminar a couple of months ago. Listening to his talk and viewing his slides, I learned that he is one fine shooter. (Wilkinson is not the shooter shown stalking the Springbank Park geese.)

In the coming week I'm going to keep an eye on the PhotoWalk Flickr site and see what is submitted from the day's shoot. There should be a good mix of work as the site's administrator, Kevin van Lierop, is working to ensure that everyone has a chance to post their best images.

Cheers,
Rockinon - more pictures from Saturday's shoot to run in the next couple of days.

Bench Art

In the coming days the snow is going to take a real beating; Rain is forecast for Sunday. It is the January thaw in London, Ontario. But it is only January and there will be a lot of opportunities to take more snow pictures like this one.

Humpty Dumpty at Storybook

It is called Storybook Gardens for a reason. Originally it was a park with a strong children's storybook theme. The theme has been diluted over the passing years put there are reminders of its original approach throughout the park.

If you pay attention, you will see that kids still clearly enjoy the colourful characters such as Humpty Dumpty. I believe there is some talk of bringing back more of the storybook characters. Done correctly, it could be a fine idea.

Even a snowperson needs to sit down

Years ago when we were all making the switch from fishermen to fishers, from mailmen to mail carriers, from manhole cover to access cover, I handed a picture of a snowman in to the desk at The London Free Press. An argument ensued over what to call the snowman in the paper. Should he, it, be referred to as a snowperson?

I got snowman into the paper by assuring the desk that the snowperson pictured was truly a snowman. With today's picture, I am not so sure of sex, I'm not sure who wears the pants in snowperson culture, and so I am going with snowperson. I don't wan London Daily Photo to be a sexist blog.

Storybook Gardens skating

I'm one of those Londoners who still loves Storybook Gardens. I especially like the park in the winter with its skating trail making a curved loop about a quarter of a kilometre long through the trees and bushes, past the Storybook exhibits and the seal pool.

Illuminated by festive holiday lights, it really is the prettiest skating location this side of Ottawa. (One person with whom I chatted came from Ottawa and said that it really did remind them of skating on the Rideau Canal.)

You don't even have to own your own skates; There are rental hockey and figure skates available in the Storybook castle.

Note: Children under 5 years-of-age must wear a helmet. No hockey sticks, pucks or balls are permitted on the skate trail, nor are sleds or toboggans. Strollers and wheelchairs are permitted but people are asked to clean the wheels of any debris before heading onto the ice.

Yes, there are seals in London Ontario.

It may be cold in London Ontario at this time of year but for harbour seals the water's fine. In the wild they are commonly found in the cold coastal waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

There are seven harbour seals presently swimming about the Storybook Gardens pool.

According to the park's Website, if you come by the park any day at 2:00 p.m., you’ll find the staff feeding the seals their favourite dinner: Fish.

The site also states that the harbour seals Loki, Cricri and all the others were born in captivity and can’t live in the wild. They want their dinner hand delivered. Maybe it's a good life; I don't know.

Hooded Merganser

The little duck in the bottom centre of this picture is a hooded merganser. It was an uncommon visitor to the pond in Springbank Park and a gentleman with a big camera pointed this out to me. I thank him for the tip.

Hooded mergansers have a crest at the back of the head which can be expanded or contracted. In adult males, this crest has a large white patch. It can be quite an impressive display.

Hooded mergansers are short distance migrants and winter in the United States and southern Ontario wherever winter temperatures allow for ice free conditions on ponds, lakes and rivers.

Dominion Public Building

The two architecturally impressive Richmond St. entrances to the Dominion Public Building are both missing their original ornate doors. I think this picture tells the story.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Dominion Public Building

As promised, here is the exterior of the Dominion Public Building.

According to Canada's Historic Places, the DPB is classified as a Federal Heritage Building erected under the Public Works Construction Act of 1934. In an effort to alleviate the worst effects of the Great Depression the Federal Government allocated 40 million dollars to public works, generating employment and stimulating the economy. The Dominion Public Building is one of the more prominent of the 26 buildings erected under this Act.

An excellent example of modern classicism, a variant of the Art Deco style, the reinforced concrete building is both functional and beautiful.

The original ornate brass doors at the two front entries are gone; I was told they were too difficult to keep shiny, too labour intensive. As I said yesterday, the large art deco lamps inside are now replicas, with the original lamps being lost in storage. Some 1930s decorations are still in place, and the brass elevator doors are wonderful and probably irreplaceable today.

Dominion Public Building

It's called the Dominion Public Building and when I moved to London thirty some years ago it was the main downtown post office. Coming up we will have a look at the outside of this fine art deco structure but today we are seeing the replica art deco lighting. That's right, replica.

It seems that at one point in this building's life, it was decided to remove the original art deco ceiling lights. They were sent to Ottawa for storage. Years later it was decided to restore a bit of the building, bringing it back to its original elegance. Word went out to have the removed ceiling lights returned. But, the valuable lights were nowhere to be found.

The replicas are not bad but up close they look like what they are - replicas. As for the rest of the aging restoration, much of it has been allowed to deteriorate. The post office is gone, the counters removed and the space crudely divided and dedicated to other uses.

Marienbad Chimney Sweep

One of my favourite black and white foreign films is "L'Année dernière à Marienbad." I confess I fall more in line with those who find the film pretentious and even incomprehensible but it stars a young Delphine Seyrig. What's not to like?

It is a gorgeous film - beautifully shot and it does justice to the famous resort, to the classic gardens and to Seyrig. She went on to work with many famous directors such as François Truffaut and Luis Buñuel. Sadly, she was only 58-years-old when she died in Paris in 1990.

The Marienbad Restaurant in downtown London takes its name from the Czech spa made world famous for many by the award winning film.

Standing on the Marienbad chimney, high above the street, is an iron sculpture of a chimney sweep wearing the traditional top hat. The art work is by Jerry Vrabec who was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and apprenticed in the Czech capitol.

Vrabec's work appears in a number of locations in downtown London. In the windows of Garlic's on Richmond Street, at Bloomers in the Covent Garden Market and of course the chimney sweep above the Marienbad. (This links to some views of the restaurant - inside and out.)

Now kick it up a notch

This is the Thompson Recreation and Athletic Centre (TRAC) at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. It  features an NHL-size rink and a 200 metre track for jogging and track and field meets.

It could have been a neat building. Actually, I have to admit that I still find it kind of neat. The three tower structures support the roof. This keeps the inside of the structure open, free of columns. Should be cool, right?

Click here and have a 360-degree view of the inside. O.K. I admit it. Inside, it's boring. Such a neat idea and when you get inside - nothing. Oh, there a rink and a track and all so practical.

I bet there is still time to make this visually stunning. Come on UWO, turn some of your imaginative students loose on this problem. Maybe the fine arts students could come up with something creative and yet affordable.

The balls in your court.

Springbank Park in winter

A lot of people like to argue that the heart of London is the downtown. But for me, the heart of my community is Springbank Park. This large park, with a history going back well over a hundred years, is a beautiful place in every season.

As can be seen from the footprints in the snow, I am not alone. Actually, the city often has plowed the road through the park before they plowing my residential street. I guess joggers and walkers come first and I can't argue with their reasoning; I'm a walker (with a hint of jogger thrown in.) I appreciate the cleared roadways in the park.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Same trees, same day, same time but different picture.

It is interesting how one scene can yield almost unlimited pictures. The picture today shows the same trees as the picture which ran yesterday. Yet, it is not the same image.

The cold snap goes on.

Icy Trees

It is not uncommon for there to be rain during the winter in Canada. One year I recall skiing in the Eastern Townships of Quebec after a particularly severe ice storm. The ice on the slopes was almost an inch thick. I didn't think I'd be skiing that day; I thought I would have been better off with skates.

But the ski hill was prepared with giant grooming machines that chewed up the ice and left behind snow-like, skiable flakes of ice in slope-long, deep rows.

The ice storm that passed through London earlier in the week wasn't that bad but even today lots of trees are still sporting a sparkling coating of ice.

Winter in Canada

When I saw these two bikes locked and snow-covered at the University of Western Ontario, I thought picture. On closer inspection, I noticed the Canadian flag on the crossbar of the bike in foreground. Ah, a picture that clearly says, "This is winter in Canada."

Christmas lights still glowing in the downtown

The Christmas decorations along the main streets in downtown London, Ontario, are quite simple. Now that it is almost mid January, the lights will soon be gone until next year. You know, even though they are quite simple, I'll miss them.

Night Fun with Camera, Snow and Lights

Winter has finally come to London, Ontario, and snow now blankets the city. This homeowner is still turning on his Christmas lights despite it being well into the new year.

Below is a silly picture shot quickly through the windshield of my car. It shows a van moving by a home with a few Christmas lights. The circles are camera movement. I'm not as steady as I once was.

Let's call this one art.

A cool corridor

It was Wellington Square. Then it expanded to become Galleria London. Now, it is the Citi Plaza. Where once there were rows of stores crowded tightly together, there is now the University of Western Ontario continuing studies program.

The corridor is one of two spans linking the two halves of the giant development. At one time there was a Koala Blue store in the other span and one could look down on King Street from the store's large window. Today only a few recall Koala Blue, the dream of Olivia Newton-John. And few remember Galleria London was the dream of Canadian developer Robert Campeau. Both dreams are now badly faded.

Nice corridor, though . . .

Outside is cold; Inside is warm.

Ah, the beauty of central heat. When it is cold outside, just touch the thermostat. You have to love it.

The second decade of the century is now almost through the fourth day. The storm that dumped 50 cm of snow on my home has wrapped it up but it left some really cold temperatures. The kids at the school where my wife works didn't go outside today - too cold.

A perfect day for doing a jigsaw puzzle with grandma.

Best to stay off roads deep with snow

I guess this young man didn't hear that authorities were recommending staying off snow clogged roads. A winter storm Saturday continued all night and off and on Sunday, leaving many roads, especially in the suburbs, clogged with snow. My backyard had 50 cm. of snow with the depth deeper in the drifts.

1st snow storm of year and 50 cm plus buries my London home

Possibly as much as 20 cm of snow fell on parts of London Saturday. (I just checked the depth of snow in my backyard: 50 cm as of Sunday morning. It is deeper on my compost bin but I'm not fighting drifts to reach it and take an accurate measurement.)

The storm is expected to continue off and on through Sunday depending upon the strength of the lake effect snow squalls.

Hwy 402 west of London was closed because of white outs Saturday afternoon, as was the Bluewater Highway south of Bayfield. Strong snow streamers coming from both Lake Huron and Georgian Bay brought snow squalls, and winds gusting from 50 to 60 km/h, to large swathes of Southwestern Ontario.

Even trees are bundled up against the cold, and the snow

Finally, a real  snowfall. New Year's Eve was relatively snow-free but the first day of the new decade was a different story. There was a lot of snow. It is now early in the morning of January 2 and the snow is still falling. I'll be getting some exercise shoveling the driveway come daybreak.

And the trees, if you are not from a country with heavy snowfalls, are wrapped in burlap to protect them from snow damage. A heavy fall of the winter white stuff can bend and even break tree limbs.

Champion graders still plowing London streets

London finally has some snow. And when snow comes, the snowplows can't be far behind. (Actually they can be far behind; There have been times that two, or even three days, have past before a plow opened our suburban street. Oh heck, I confess. There have been times that the city has left it to the sun and time to clear our street.)

I mention the make of grader because this plow was made in Goderich, just a little more than an hour north of London. Sadly, it must be reported that the plant, after more than a century of operation, has been closed and the work moved to the States. To read the whole story check out Rockin' On: the Blog.

Mice Lights, Nice Lights

It finally snowed. Not a lot but enough to call out the snowplows and blanket the ground with maybe 100cm of light snow. It's a little late but it now looks like Christmas.

The Christmas lights decorating London homes are brighter when there is snow reflecting the light.

A Final Christmas Door

Our last Christmas door takes minimal seasonal decoration to the limit. One wreath is it. Yet, how I would love to have the home that goes with that wreath.

Another elegant, heritage London home

This is another in the continuing series featuring the entrances to elegant homes in London, Ontario — homes given annual, simple seasonal decoration.

I love this home. It reminds me of a Georgian mansion which I took care of while attending Ryerson back in the '70s. The home in Toronto was on Bloor St. near Avenue Road. Today an Intercontinental Hotel sits on the spot.

It is nice to see this home being well maintained.

Finally, Boxing Day and a Dusting of Snow

The temperature climbed above freezing Boxing Day in London, Ontario. It certainly was not a bitingly cold day, although the newspaper used that overworked term the other day to refer to the outside temperature.

But there was a dusting of snow and so it's beginning to look a bit like Christmas, but a day late.

Oh well, it was good weather for lining up in front of stores in the early morning hours for the Boxing Day sales. Some stores opened at 6 a.m. to cash in on the demand for sale items.

By the time the doors opened, the line-ups in front of some stores were hundreds of shoppers long.

London Club in downtown London, Ontario

The private London Club in downtown London, Ontario, was founded in 1880. 

Members are promised first class food, service, comfort and an atmosphere filled with timeless charm. Over the years, it has attracted a strong membership composed of local business leaders.

The club is located in the heart of the city, just blocks away from the Grand Theatre and the John Labatt Centre.

A green, wet and icy Christmas in London, Ontario

Those who had to travel one the roads Friday morning, Christmas morning, faced ice-slick, treacherous pavement. Most of the major roadways were salted and not a problem, but some of the suburban streets in the hills of Byron in southwest London were dangerous.

London Daily Photo, from London, Ontario, Canada, and not that other London across the pond, wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Olympic Flames Comes to London, Ontario

Thousands lined the route taken by the Olympic flame as it arrived at this southwestern Ontario city. Many more filled Victoria Park to cheer the flame's arrival, wave flags and loudly celebrate the event.

The Olympic torch will make a visit to a London children’s hospital with Santa Claus Friday, take the rest of Christmas and Boxing Day off, and then resume its 45,000-kilometre journey to Vancouver early Sunday.

For the whole story, check The London Free Press on the Web.

Red Double Doors and Large Gold Bows

As I wrote yesterday, great entrances don't need to be gussied up to the hilt to look good. This home, in the same neighbourhood as yesterday's post, doesn't have as spectacular an entry but it is quite beautiful nevertheless. The double front doors, painted a funky red, add to the look of this heritage home. We're certain that this is a heritage home as it has the circular, blue heritage plaque to the right of the doors.

It's just a door

It's just a door - but what a door. This is an entrance.

Located in one of the finest areas of London, Ontario, for historic, well-kept older homes, this residence on St. George St. just north of Oxford Street is a fine example of a mansion for the well-to-do.

Each Christmas the homes in the neighbourhood are decorated simply but well. It is amazing how much better a simple wreath looks on homes like this than on mine. In the coming days I'll post another entrance or two.

Cheers,
Rockinon

More Christmas lawn decorations

There is a new neighbourhood in the southwest end of London,Ontario, and I took a drive through there to find today's pictures. As you can see, just days before Christmas and London, Ontario, Canada - the cold north - is essentially snowless.

Christmas Lighting in Warbler Woods

Christmas lights are actually best when the ground is covered with snow. The white snow reflects the light, making for the traditional winter wonderland. But, the truth is that it is not uncommon for London, Ontario, to have a green Christmas. We usually get some snow before Christmas, maybe even a lot, but it is not unusual to have it all melt away by the 25th. There's a good reason why the small ski hill in London makes snow every night when possible.