Turtles on log

Cooper Marsh Conservation Area, turtles in pond by entrance

 

Sailing

1975 - I was taking sailing lessons at my mother's suggestion at the Stormont Yacht Club in Long Sault. I can remember sailing Albacores (akward), a Hobie Cat (fun) and something else that I can't remember. Clubhouse with Llanfair p.g. Yacht Club's flag on the wall, 'Dreamer' by Supertramp playing, beautiful black hair girl who snubbed me.

General Hospital

Edwardian era postcard of Cornwall General Hospital, opened in 1897 at the former residence of John Sandfield Macdonald, first Premier of Ontario. 

Cornwall Community Museum

I used to go after Cub scouts to the General where my mother worked. The General Hospital still had part of the Victorian building facing Second Street and a modern wing. The Victorian part had a lobby with a fountain in the middle that had large koi fish and an elevator that worked by a lever and manual closing doors. It was torn down and replaced by a modern section sometime in the 1970s. Mom was a volunteer in what she called the tuck shop, more of a British term for convenience store but there are still some places in Canada where it's used. It sold gifts, candy, magazines and comic books, which I liked reading.  She also worked in the psychiatric ward, which was scarier to visit. The people looked so sad. And one man from it came to knock on our door at home looking for mom.

 

National Fiddling Day Ceilidh 2024

 This is very typical Canadian folk music. Fiddles were the most common musical instrument in Canada.

Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame, Williamstown, Ontario

Happy Mother's Day, Werner Herzog!

 

I put artificial roses on my mother's grave today. I needed bolt cutters to cut the wire to fit the roses on the plaque but because I read Werner Herzog's dictum "Carry bolt cutters everywhere" I had them in the trunk. I told Krystal, who liked Herzog, about it the first time I used them to cut the wire. Now Krystal's another mother who's gone but I don't know exactly where, if anywhere, she's buried.

Aurora

 Not good results - It was overcast in the evening, but I went out at 4 am and saw them - very beautiful - I couldn't get a good focus though! It is the first time I've seen that purple colour. It was like being in a room hung with translucent silks that are slowly changing shape and lights were pulsing through them.

The lights converged into a bright patch at the zenith (point directly overhead):

Garter snake, Trillium

 

Anemones

Anemones