Joiner's Musings

We had a chance to visit Niagara Falls this past summer. It has been 30 years since I last visited and I can truthfully say that after having spent four very relaxing days while we were there I doubt that I will be returning anytime soon. The city is commercialized beyond recognition. Thirty years ago there was certainly a touristy feel and the start of a honky tonk town but today, it is unbelievably  geared towards tourism with casinos, restaurants, high rise hotels and so on. The first photo is of the falls itself, the Canadian side. There were literally hundreds of people on the boardwalk that day so it was hard to get scenic views plus the weather was overcast and slightly misty but warm. We stayed a place in Niagara Falls called Accoomodations Niagara and it proved to be the highlight of our stay. Lee was wonderful and the guests staying at the time were facinating folks. Downtown Niagara Falls is a busy place and if you have kids it is probably a great place to ...

 This past summer we decided at our summer cottage in central Canada that we needed a new woodshed. The old one had been torn down a number of years ago but we need one now as a result of the installation of a brand new wood stove. Storing wood outside is not ideal as anyone with experience with a wood stove will tell you. It never really dries properly unless you cover it or store it out of the elements. I decided to go real simple and functional. I wanted a woodshed but I also wanted a place to store a ladder, yard tools and our portable generator. I decided that patio blocks were sufficient and I build a box frame out of 2 X 8's over the blocks. In retrospect I could have screwed the boards down instead of nailing them but it is strong enough and should last a long time. I bolted (using lag bolts) pressure treated 4 X 4 posts to the box frame which slip into the patio blocks. The posts also support the roof structure and I used a simple shed roof design. You can see ...

 My son took these three photos on his trip out to western Canada. The first two are from Vancouver Island and the third is on the way out west in Thunder Bay Ontario. The waterfall is unique as the the water was a jade colour as depicted in the shot. Very unusual and probably because of the high copper or iron in the water. The lake shot is nicely framed and shows the untouched beauty of a secluded lake. With his Panasonic G3 he has captured the light  and shadows of an unused grain elevator in the late evening sun.

 Although I have only been collecting clocks for a year my modest collection is growing. We had an opportunity to visit the Canadian Clock Museum this summer and I must say that despite the fact that it is tucked away in the middle of nowhere in Deep River Ontario it is well worth the visit. It has the best collection of Arthur Pequegnat and Snider clocks in the country or the world for that matter. It gave me a chance to look at the various models from Canadian manufacturers and appreciate the workmanship and heritage of those companies none of which are operating this day. The first photo is of the exterior of the museum. It is actually a converted church though you would never really know it unless you asked. The last shows the hours of operation. The clock shown on the sign is an Arthur Pequegnat Moncton, though at first glance it resembles the #1 Regulator. The third shows clocks from the Canada Clock Company which produced wall and mantel clocks of which Forestvi...

The first clock pictured here is an Arthur Pequegnat Regulator #1. I would love to have this clock but the price of admission is high at around $5000. Not something I can afford at this point in time. This clock is remarkably similar to the Seth Thomas #2 Regulator of which thousands were made and which can be had for much cheaper, even a well preserved copy. I am on the hunt! The second photo is  a Forestville clock. I do not know the model number as there is no label on the clock. My guess is that the clock was made around the late sixties or early seventies. We located this clock in Gananoque Ontario. It is excellent condition though minus the label and is often referred to as a "Bim-Bam" clock because is has three chime rods and two hammers. We have added the Forestville to our collection at home and we are happy with our purchase.

We just came back from spending the entire summer at our cottage in central Canada. What a great summer! Swimming and boating, campfires at night, connecting with friends and family all added to the experience. Here you can see our cottage lit up at night. I am standing on the shore while taking this photo. A little fern sticking out of the ground captured my attention but really I just wanted to see how the bokeh is on my Olympus 40-150 lens. The middle photo is the shoreline. The water remains fairly cold in the summer because it is actually part of a river system and flows very quickly but the swimming is very refreshing particularly on those boiling summer days in July.

I am updating my photos over the summer and will add them to the blog in the next few days, so stay tuned.