lake superior

this name is from the French le lac supérieur meaning "upper lake" because it is  higher and upstream from Lake Huron.  the Ojibwe name is Gitchegami (or gitche gumee) which means "big water'' or ''great sea"

lake huron

This one is named for the indigenous Wendat people whom the French called 'Huron' (They are now referred as Huron-Wendat)

I skipped over Lake Erie, but I posted a picture on Friday.  I haven't found another that has the name on the front of the card, which was part of my criteria for this Great Lakes series.  Lake Erie got its name for the indigenous people known as Erie, an Iroquoian speaking nation who lived on the south shore (so, in the U.S.)

crossing the border

There used to be only two ways to get across the Detroit River between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan

A bridge 

               or a tunnel

for some reason, all the cards of this international border line in the tunnel (and I have several) show buses - or, as this card prefers 'busses'

*there is now a second bridge

fresh water island

 

swans, again

A cygnet from the Abbotsbury Swannery.  This time presented as a postcard, not a stamp

Some royal curves...

We have our own Stratford swans.  Many of these are descendants of of a pair of mute swans gifted by Queen Elizabeth in 1973, but the origins go back to 1918.

queen's park

Here is a bird's eye view of Queen's Park with the Ontario Legislative Assembly building, which is always known also as Queen's Park (as is the government)

The statue is of Sir John A MacDonald, Canada's first Prime Minister.  It has only recently been free of the hoarding that covered it in 2020 after it was vandalized in the wave of protests over the residential schools history.

You will have noticed that all of my parliament building postcards are vintage, some more so than others.  These next two are more recent.  It is not the most popular Toronto landmark to feature on a postcard, which is a shame.

I find it a beautiful old building (and the one I am most familiar with) and the asymmetry is pleasing to my eye. It is a Richardsonian Romanesque style (my favourite) built between 1886 and 1909.

What you can't tell from these, is that there are hundreds of gargoyles and grotesques and other faces (some, even, of the stonemasons who carved them!)

And so ends this tour of the parliament buildings since I don't have any from the three territories, and seem to be missing two provinces: Nova Scotia and Alberta. 

Tomorrow, I'll show what is the most popular building on a Toronto postcard.

10th Street

 

I'm not usually a fan of 'clear-cut' looking roads, but there is something about arriving in Owen Sound on Hwy 21 and seeing this expansive view...

market

So, a little introduction may be in order for the newer visitors (hi NaBloPoMo people).  Postcard and stamp collecting has become an almost all consuming hobby since I joined Postcrossing - gasp! - 17 years ago. It has its own wikipedia page. I collect a lot of cards from across Canada to send out (found at postcard shows) but the others, I say I accumulate rather than collect.  A couple of local stamp dealers help with getting older Canadian stamps, which saves money in the long run, and, to me at least, is a fun and interesting addition to the backs of the postcards.

Although this particular Farmer's Market (in St Jacob's, celebrating 50 years!) isn't one of them, where I live, we are fortunate enough to have a farmer's market somewhere within a 20 minute drive every day of the week.  Most of them are only open from June until October.  I am already missing them.  Supporting local growers is important, though expensive. So often my support might only be visiting and conversing with the vendors.

NaBloPoMo 

falling water

 where I live, there are many waterfalls - these are perhaps the most picturesque

but, there has been so little rain lately, that at least two of these have no flow (Tews and Tiffany) and the other two are more like a trickle.

water

For all of my life, I have always lived near water - in many cases within walking distance of a lake, a creek, canal, river, or a pond.  I cannot imagine living somewhere without a body of water,  but I also cannot imagine going through some of the cataclysmic flooding such water can bring.  Any floods near me have been, well, not devastating.

I am fortunate to live near Niagara Falls.  And it's fortunate that I really like it there.  Sure, there is a bit of tacky touristy hell there, but the falls themselves are magnificent and I will happily drive past them at any time of the year.  Especially in winter.

Oceans are okay, though with the latest tsunami threats in the Pacific, I'd be happier on a calm cruise in Estonia.

maybe add a few islands

or a waterfall

Rivers in a city are especially attractive as they provide an opportunity for bridges.  I have been known to go miles out of my way for a waterfall or bridge.  (I've been to Milford Sound, but not Prague)

sometimes, you can't really escape water, and that's fine with me

my happy place: anywhere near water

touring canada

from the French charm of Quebec City to the turquoise, crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay (with some of the best scuba diving for shipwrecks)

 

 

 

 

to the wilds of the far north in Yukon 

early bloomers

we are having a bit of an ice storm at the moment... so seeing spring flowers will have to wait

Trillium, provincial flower of Ontario, blooms late May, early June.  It is always exciting to see them in the woods, but it is illegal to pick them.

Daffodils, one of the very early bloomers.  Unlike the trillium, these are not native to North America, but aren't considered invasive.

autumn splendour

Agawa Canyon in Northern Ontario

"Remember Your Friends - Send Post Cards"

 

Nature's woods tinted in autumn colours thrill the passengers on  the canyon tour as the train passes over one of the high trestles on the run

arches

The Huron Street Bridge

One of the most photographed spots in Stratford, this bridge was built in 1885.  It was meant to be a triple arch, but the river (Avon) was too narrow, and now it is the only double arched aqueduct road bridge still in use for road traffic in North America.

Below is the Stone Arch Bridge, built 1847.  It has a 90 foot span and a 60 foot arch at its centre making it "the largest stone arch in New England".  It is now part of the Cheshire Rail Trail.

more houses of learning

two quite different styles of libraries from the early 1900s

house of learning

 it's back to school for many students

It is unusual to have a classroom with a bay window.  I once went to an open house of a school conversion to condos, and I am imagining that this building would lend itself to some lovely apartments

monuments

 Minsk is a city of monuments and sculptures

In Tallinn there is a memorial to the Russian warship Russalka that sank (in 1893) somewhere in the direction this angel is facing.  Estonia was part of Russia at the time, though this was the first statue in the country made by an Estonian.  

The sculptor's housekeeper was the model for the angel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here in Canada, overlooking the Niagara River, is a tall monument to Sir Isaac Brock who died in the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812 (the only war fought in the country)

 some monuments to history

on the water

 

from China

and a ferry from Hong Kong

or, for something a little more away from it all, a boat in cottage country

or, even more bucolic, an early sunrise in a canoe

groundhog day

 

our local groundhog prognosticator is known as Wiarton Willie

winter

So many people want to escape the winter - and a part of me doesn't blame them. Shovelling snow is the worst after a snow storm. And unless you live way out in the country, the snow does not stay "postcard pretty" for long. Slush and ice make walking brutal and hazardous. But, skiing, snowboarding, skating are exciting activities that totally depend on snow and cold.

Back in the summer post, I showed a postcard of Little Tub Harbour in summer. Here is the same view in winter. No boat tours at this time.

Winter can be a natural wonderland (with fewer tourists!)

Or, it can be just plain nasty (I believe this is Lake Huron)

If you like outdoor activities, you might want to go skiing and have a view like this

for Thursday Postcard Hunt