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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 20, 2020: Bozeman’s Rusty
Situated on the grounds of the Museum of the Rockies, part of Montana State University, you’ll find this rather striking statue of a draft horse. It was created by artist Jim Dolan, a California native who moved to Montana, attended MSU, and is still a resident of the state.
Rusty is crafted of large iron chain links and is free for anyone to visit. I rather liked this work of art, the size of a real-life horse. True to his name, Rusty is indeed rusty.
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“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.
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“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 …
“Pic of the Week”, October 30, 2020: St. Clair Falls and Tea Plantation, Sri Lanka
A traditional stop when driving the road from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya is to see St. Clair’s Falls, one of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka. It was misty and cool in the mountains here at nearly a mile above sea level, as it often is.
The cascade of the Kotmale Oya river through the St. Clair tea plantation (from which the falls derive their name) is a pretty sight. I’d previously visited these falls about 20 years earlier and recalled a lot more water literally filling the river and pouring rather than trickling down the mountain. I asked my driver whether the water was so low because of dry weather? No that was not the case — apparently the flow …
“Pic of the Week”, October 23, 2020. Audience Hall, Red Fort, Delhi
The Diwan-i-Aam, or Audience Hall, is located in Delhi’s Red Fort. It was here that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (best known for building the Taj Mahal) and his successors meet with citizens to hear their grievances and requests.
The Audience Hall is covered with a roof but is open on three sides, with a back wall and weight-bearing pillars and arches made of red sandstone. The hall measures 100 x 60 feet. Apparently at one time its ceiling and columns were painted with gold — that would have been quite a sight.
It’s an impressive and beautifully constructed space, highlighted by place where the Emperor would sit — a magnificent elevated white marble throne inlaid with semi-precious stone (a technique later perfected in …
“Pic of the Week”, October 16, 2020: Statue of Jan Matejko, Krakow
Jan Matejko is a famous 19th century artist who was born in Krakow. He is best know for his oil canvases documenting famous 19th century Polish battles and persons of interest, like kings and politicians.
I thought this a rather clever piece. Situated in Krakow’s Planty Park — a circular 4 km long park that used to be the city’s moat — it shows the artist sitting in front of a large picture frame. There is no canvas and what you see framed is pleasing scene of the old wall and vegetation of the park itself. It was fall when we visited, so the colors stood out beautifully.
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“Pic of the Week”, October 9, 2020: Bow Falls, Banff
Bow Falls is a wide but relatively short waterfall (<9 meters) which, because of it’s location, is often visited. When the Bow River is filled with spring thaw it really roars, but in the drier summer months its flow is significantly reduced and the falls are less impressive.
Bow Falls is located less than a kilometer south of the Banff townsite, near the Banff Springs Hotel. You can access the falls from a parking lot immediately downriver from them or from Banff by following a trail adjoining the Bow River (there are trails on either side, but the best views are from the west side). If you continue further downriver, past Bow Falls, you’ll quickly hit the junction of the Spray River …
Oct 8, 2020
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