An adventure destination as a young boy

 

Check out the linked post on St. Louis Daily Photo: Castles in the Air. It shows a couple of  abandoned water pumping stations in the Mississippi River. These once served the city of St. Louis.

I  immediately thought of an abandoned structure in the Detroit River. It was once a pumping station, I believe, for the city of Windsor which is in Canada across from the city of Detroit. 

 

When I was a boy the building was open and we used to prowl about it thinking it was quite the adventure.

The February 1st theme: smile

I've had this picture in my files since crossing the States and Canada with my wife in our heritage English roadster: a Morgan Plus Four. Sadly, after about 45 years of ownership, I no longer own the car.

This young lady was selling ice cream cones from a small stand in Fort Frances. No one should have as much fun flogging to tourists ice cream as this girl. 

She gave out a generous scooping of ice cream accompanied by an even more generous helping of giggles and big smiles.

BBQ season is officially over

 

When the BBQ looks like this I always smile. Judy loves a BBQ. Me? Not so much. I see this and have an ah-hah moment. Ah-hah, BBQ season is over!

Deep, oh-so-recently-fallen snow always makes a picture

 

No caption necessary.

Neighbours are important

I'm in my 70s. Everyone knows I have a failing heart. Yesterday my snowblower failed. A failing heart and a failed snowblower. Not a good combination.

 

Last night it snowed. This morning my next door neighbour plowed my drive. It snowed more today. This afternoon my neighbour from down the street plowed my driveway.

 

I love neighbours. Don't believe the stories you read about the coldness of the suburbs in Canada and the States. Trust me, suburbs are not always cold, not even in the winter. My wife and I find our suburb a very warm, and welcoming, place. Even in the winter.

For these boys the threat is sledding and not covid-19.

 

For these five boys, covid-19 was the last thing on their minds. Surviving a long slide down the Byron tobogganing hill took their total concentration. They managed to keep their sleds linked for more than half the distance down the long, somewhat steep slope. 

Watching all these people doing dangerous stuff as they were sliding down the crowded slope, made me recall the movie On The Beach. Out-of-control covid-19 isn't exactly the same as nuclear war but both seem to encourage folk to take chances they previously wouldn't have taken.

Winter scene recalls well-loved paintings

Not quite enough folk to make a modern day Currier and Ives but it still recalls many paintings of people out enjoying winter. 

My neighbourhood hill has never attracted so many folk and on a Tuesday no less. I'm sure it's not only the attraction of the hill but also the promise of a brief escape by families desperate to get out of the house. The province is in shutdown and cabin fever is beginning to take hold.