Memories of Crystal Beach

Having grown up in Toronto I have fond memories of outings to far away places such as Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Dalhousie and Crystal Beach. This photo was taken at one of the Crystal Beach Festivals usually held in July each year.

Vintage Dog

I took this photo a few years ago inside a Jordan Antiques shop. The last time I was in the store I was told I couldn't photograph the "antiques". Did they think I was going to make counterfeit copies? Very bizarre!

Finally Summer

Summer arrived on Thursday and the deck chairs are waiting for the visitors to this Niagara-on-the-Lake bed and breakfast.

Elephant Island Winery

Elephant Island Winery is not on an Island and there aren't any elephants in sight! This winery in the Okanagan Valley produces mainly fruit wines and there is a story behind the name which makes for some interesting reading!

Okanagan Desert

Canada's only desert is in the southern part of British Columbia near the Washington border. This photo was converted to black and white with PhotoShop Elements to enhace the bleakness of this scene.

Quitessa Winery, Napa, California

Fountain at Andretti Winery

This photo was taken at the Andretti Winery in Napa Valley, California.

R.H. Phillips Winery, California

"Toasted Head" wine is made by R.H. Phillips Winery just north of Sacremento, California. R.H. Phillips is owned by Vincor USA which is now owned by Constellations Brands. This fountain is in the courtyard of the winery and tasting room.

Bell Tower, Sterling Vineyards, Napa Valley, California

For the last three years our vacations have been to wine regions - California - Long Island - New Zealand and the Okanagan Valley, BC. This photo was taken at Sterling Vineyards in California. This winery is unique since you have to take a gondola ride to get to it.

Another Goose Photo

In keeping with the theme of the last few days, here's another photo of a Canada Goose.

A Chatty Goose

This goose taken by the Welland Canal seemed to have a lot to say to his buddies!

Geese by the Welland Canal

While walking along the Welland Canal yestereday, we noticed these geese who seemed to be following one of the ships going through the Canal.

Marmalade Cat Cafe

We spotted this cafe while driving along Lakeshore Road in Kelowa, BC. Our oldest cat "Marmalade" will be 18 years old in July!

Pre-digital photo

I always thought this photo of a San Francisco cable car was a good one until I looked at it again after using a digital camera for three years! How things have changed! This was taken with an old APS (Advanced Photo System) Fuji camera. Not much of an "advance" compared with digital.

Tulips on Aberdeen

I've received some favourable comments about my tulips photo that was posted on the Niagara Region website (May 5th posting). The first photo was a fluke because I had my camera's white balance accidentally set to "tungsten" from something I was shooting the night before. It gave the photo a bluish tint and the tulips a sheen. The above photo was taken the same day with the white balance set to "sunshine" and is more true to the natural colours.

Canna Lily, Summerland, BC

This Canna Lily (Canna X generalis) was taken in the Ornamental Gardens in Summerand, BC.

Wine Capital of Canada????

Sue and I visited the Okanagan in May and saw this sign just before entering Oliver. After having visited about 50 wineries we wouldn't agree with this statement. Niagara has more quality wineries than BC. Nearly all Niagara wineries give the consumer a decent size pour so you can properly swirl and assess the wine. Some wineries' samples were so small that you couldn't even get a proper taste. There were, however, many great wines. It's a shame that there wasn't the same quality throughout the Okanagan. It may be that everyone wants to get on the bandwagon because of the shortage of BC wines.

British Airways

While in transit to Kelowna, BC we stopped in Calgary. This shot is of a British Airways aircraft from the waiting room at the airport.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

While on our way to the Hamilton "International" Airport, we noticed this plane just outside the Warplane Heritage Museum.