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“Pic of the Week”, November 27, 2020: Grain Elevators, Thunder Bay
There are eight massive grain elevators in the Port of Thunder Bay, situated on the western shore of Lake Superior. Trains bring much of the bounty from the Canadian prairies to Thunder Bay — wheat, durum, canola, feed grains, peas and other crops, as well as grain by-products (smaller amounts are also shipped to Churchill and Vancouver). These foods are temporarily stored in these enormous structures before being loaded onto ships that then make their way through the St. Lawrence Seaway, bound to countless ports around the world.
The Port of Thunder Bay has the largest grain storage capacity in North America, currently handling about 6 million tons of grain each year (though capable of more). Ship loading rates range from …
“Pic of the Week”, November 13, 2020: Lupins, Thunder Bay
In my travels I’ve come across three places where lupins were growing in abundance. 1) South Island of New Zealand, 2) Ushuaia, in southern Patagonia, and, 3) Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior’s western shore. I’m sure there are other places that love and grow lots of lupins, but these are my observations.
Many of the ditches and roadsides in Thunder Bay had a thick growth of these colorful flowers, as you can see in these photos.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
“Pic of the Week”, November 6, 2020: Old Burying Grounds, Halifax
As you walk down Barrington street in Halifax, you’ll pass the Old Burying Ground. I guess “burying ground” sounds a little better than cemetery. But it is old, especially by Canadian standards, with graves dating back more than 250 years. The Burying Ground was established the same year as Halifax was founded and the cemetery was closed to new graves in 1844.
There are some 12,000 people interred here, but only about 1200 headstones remain. Most of the names of those buried here are unfamiliar, but I bet there are many colorful stories about some of these residents. For example, General Robert Ross rests here — it was he who lead the successful raid of Washington DC in 1814 (War …
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Nova Scotia
There’s still something compelling about the tragic story of the Titanic that resonates with people, and which continues to draw them to museums and …
Fairview Cemetery, Halifax
Halifax might seem an odd place to find the graves of many of those who perished when the RMS Titanic sank more than a century ago, but it was from this city that most of the rescue efforts went forth into that infamous night, and it was here that many of the drowned and frozen bodies were delivered. There are at least 150 Titanic graves in Halifax which can be found in the following cemeteries: Fairview (121), Mount Olivet (19) and Baron de Hirsch (10). Each cemetery has informational plaques indicating the location of the grave sites.
Fairview Cemetery, Halifax
There’s still something compelling about the tragic story of the Titanic that resonates with people, and which continues to draw them to museums and …
Tagged Fairview Cemetery, graves, Halifax, Titanic
“Pic of the Week”, September 18, 2020: Halifax City Hall
A nice open space in Halifax is the grounds of this attractive Victorian building, City Hall.
City Hall was built between 1887 and 1890 and is one of the oldest public buildings in Nova Scotia. It’s built of sandstone and has a clock tower, with clocks facing north and south. Nova Scotians like to get full use of their real estate investments, and the building still functions as City Hall to this day. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
There were a number of these very comfortable looking Adirondack chairs on the grounds of City Hall. A pleasant place to sit on a warm summer day.
As you’d expect of a mature city, a War Memorial is nearby.
(Clock on thumbnails …
Sep 17, 2020
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Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
“Pic of the Week”, July 31, 2020: Centennial Flame, Ottawa
The Centennial Flame is located on a walkway leading to the Central Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. It was officially lite by then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson on January 1, 1967, to commemorate Canada’s 100th anniversary.
The Flame is fueled by natural gas. It’s surrounded by a ledge which contains the shields of the 12 provinces and territories that formed Canadian Confederation in 1967 (the shield for the Nunavut territory was added recently), and it in turn is surrounded by a fountain. Coins tossed into the fountain are used to fund a government Research Award.
Intended to be a temporary monument, the Centennial Flame proved popular with tourists and glows to this day.
(Clock on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Tagged Centennial, Centennial Flame, Flame, Ottawa
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
“Pic of the Week”, May 15, 2020: Reflections of Toronto
While I admire buildings made of stone and brick more than those made of cement and glass, there are features to be enjoyed in modern architecture. Toronto is filled with dozens of gleaming skyscrapers, many of which reflect the city.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Tagged architecture, Royal Bank Plaza Building, Toronto
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Nova Scotia
A Perfect Maritime Fishing Village — Peggy’s Cove
When one thinks of Canada’s East Coast, a pretty fishing village with its own lighthouse is certainly an image many people would have. And there may be no more picture-perfect Maritime fishing village than Peggy’s Cove (although I haven’t visited them all, so I could be wrong). The village was founded in 1811 and is the eastern point of the St. Margaret’s Bay (it’s thought the town’s name was derived from one of the common terms for Margaret — Peggy).
Peggy’s Cove is just a slow hour’s drive (43 km) from the provincial capital of Halifax, making it a very popular day trip destination. We visited in the fall and the town was still crowded with tourists — I can only …
Tagged fishing, Halifax, lighthouse, Maritime, Peggy's Cove
