A walk in the woods

I had heard that there was a walk scheduled for the Sifton Bog Saturday morning. I went but found no one. Maybe I was a little late; I don't know. (Now, I believe I was early --- a day early. I think there is a walk at the Oxford West bog tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 25th.)

Oh well, I still got a picture when these wild flowers, purple asters, caught my eye.

Holy Roller

The Holy Roller is a Second World War Sherman tank sitting in the northern end of Victoria Park in central London, Ontario. It sits as an everlasting memorial to the soldiers of the 1st Hussars who, together with other Canadian and allied servicemen, liberated The Netherlands. A plaque notes that many lost their lives liberating France, Belgium and Holland following the allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

For a trivia quiz on the tank, click here.

It's all how you look at it.

There's a decades old office building in downtown London that I have heard criticized at times. I admit, it has a very dated look but I still like it.

It reminds me of the late '50s and '60s. And it is in very good condition for its age. Oh heck, I confess --- I really like this building.

When I tried to take a picture of this turquoise coloured structure, it just didn't work. The magic was gone. So, whispering, "Work with me baby," under my breath, I set to work.

I think today's picture captures the cool look. And notice this is an office building with windows that open. Amazing! Maybe even avant garde.

Jumbo the elephant

High on a cliff, a sculpture of Jumbo graces the western entrance to St. Thomas.

It is just past the anniversary of the untimely death of Jumbo the elephant. The star of the Barnum and Bailey Circus was struck and killed by a Grand Trunk locomotive on September 15, 1885, in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Today the giant elephant is memorialized by more than a brand of popcorn. A massive monument to the famous beast was erected more than a dozen years ago at the western entrance to the Southwestern Ontario city just a few kilometres to the south of London.

The sculpture was designed and constructed in Sussex, New Brunswick, by the late artist Winston Bronnum.

For more information on Jumbo, read the recent piece by James Reaney of The London Free Press.

Rafting up

One of the nicest things about London Ontario is it location. It is less than an hour from London to either Lake Erie or to Lake Huron. Both lakes are fine spots for boating, deep and incredibly huge. I once kept a sailboat docked in Bayfield on Lake Huron. On a hot summer afternoon a fine thing was to rafting up to one or more other sailboats to enjoy a cool pop and a dive off the stern of the boats.

It is almost fall and diving off the stern is not as inviting as it was a few weeks ago. But, these boats were spotted rafting up off Port Stanley on Lake Erie this weekend. It is still a fun, social thing to do.

Fiona likes duckies, rubber duckies

In Canada there is a type of shoe called a rubber duckie. It is made in rubber, often black or dark, navy blue, with thick soles and long laces. Fiona loves grandma's rubber duckies. They aren't as much fun as Fiona's yellow, floating duckies but these duckies have laces. A nice touch.

Watching how Fiona gets into everything within her reach --- who'd have thought that so much was within the reach of a small baby --- I'm glad all our electrical outlets are child proofed and our lower cabinets cleared of anything potentially dangerous.

Colourful homes exceptional

When I have traveled outside Canada, I have visited many towns and villages where colourful homes are the rule and not the exception. This home in London North is an exception and it is exceptional.