Fragments of Time and Place

The season brings with it comfort in the form of messages from around the world. - season’s greetings from those whom the Time Traveller has met during many random gyrations around the planet.

Here a flock of Ravens are startled from a backyard in northwest Canada.



From eslewhere in British Columbia comes a summer memory of Slocan Lake where the Time Traveller’s grandparents lived in retirement for almost 40 years.



In the streets of Montpellier in southern France, the festive season was celebrated with costumes and musical instruments.



The mountain towns of south Lebanon celebrated Christmas as the sound of church bells echoed into the valley. . . .



. . . . where remnants of Lebanon’s ancient cedar forests still grow.



Closer to home, in Toronto, a Christmas Eve celebration came to a close and the guests headed home once more.



And, back in a small Ontario town, a stone angel was deep in snow at the End of Days of 2010.

Baywatch

A short-time ago the waterscape of Long Point Bay on Lake Erie was swept into waves by autumn winds.

Now, the view across the bay reveals a gray-blue surface . . .

. . . ready for high speed ice boats.

The regular floating type boats are hauled out of the water and suspended inside boat houses lining the frozen waterways.

A blue heron has adapted to the new landscape with a new hunting location - closer to the fish.

Over most of the north shore of Lake Erie, the wind and waves are eroding the shores – but in a few locations the currents have deposited the sands to form long beaches, protected bays, and natural habitat for boaters and water birds.

Long Point Provincial Park Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Point_Provincial_Park

A tourism website

http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/longpoint_ca.htm

Time Stream

A long time ago an Engineering student on his first job on a new career path applied to join the American Water Works Association.



To a Time Traveller, it seems like yesterday.

Urban Migration

As the first snow hits the ground, a cast of characters returns to the stage for the seasonal show of urban household bird-feeding in the backyards of this small Ontario town.

Numerous bird species (and squirrels, chipmunks, etc) have come to rely upon the generosity of humans in the form of sunflower seeds, grains, and suet to make it through the cold days ahead.

In one hour on a Spring day in one small backyard a total of 22 species appeared. And now the first of them – a female cardinal, has returned.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cardinal

Shift to the White

“When the Gales of November come early” . . . is a line from the Gordon Lightfoot song about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgI8bta-7aw

These days, winds sweeping out of Northwest Canada meet the still-warm autumn waters of the Great Lakes. What starts as a cold dry breeze can accelerate into a “Hurricane Westwind” as the latent energy of warm water vapour surges from the waves like steam from a boiling pot of water - as shown in this satellite photo of the Great Lakes.


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041130.html

In addition to occasionally sinking ships, the winds carry heat inland – where vapour condenses and then freezes into snow - releasing Gigajoules of energy and moderating the Southern Ontario climate - as explained at the link below:
http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/chap10/lake_effect_snow.html

A consequence of all this moderation can be extreme snowfall – and lots of it. In a small Ontario town many inches of snow can fall every hour.



The snow brings the Christmas decorations to life.


And, on a morning walk – a winter wonderland is revealed.


The "Lake Effect" is a journalistic challenge - leading to invention of the term “Streamers” of snow-laden wind – dropping heavy snow along one path – but leaving bare land a few kilometres to either side.



Newscasters may even film the traditional residential "clearing of the driveway" for their shows.




Further reading . . . .at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake-effect_snow

Season's Twilights

Winter winds may threaten
With a frigid bite
But against the season’s body
Are held daggers of light



A pastoral daytime scene of residential caribou



Is transformed into a glowing herd

Of magical sleigh-ready reindeer



An innovation of agnostic Chinese manufacturers

Has given life to an army

Of inflatable santas . . .



who rise at nigiht to lead a retail crusade . . .



Along city streets and paths . . . A thousand points of light . . .



. . . lead faith in volunteerism



. . . and community traditions.

Just in Time

Before the snow arrives and temperatures drop to unknown levels, some contractors are finishing work around this small town. A new bridge in three sections is lowered into place on new concrete foundations in the town’s memorial park.



Thoughtful advice from a passing citizen ensured that poured concrete ramps would smooth the way for cyclists on their way to a community gym.



Railway maintenance beside a church reflects the continuum of work, faith and progress in this town with many Scottish protestant foundations. . .



. . as reflected in the towns coat of arms.

Journeys

What was once vapour,

And then rain,

And then a companion of small fish,

Has now stuck in place beside a bike path

It too may wait months before

finding again its journey through time.