Here are a couple of shots taken today. The first is a log in the snow that had a surprising amount of colour in it. The snow is granular now and adds a nice contrast in texture.
The next shot is pretty desolate – the old bleachers set against some ominous clouds, the trees of the park and the patterns of foot traffic in the snow
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After a couple of days of deep powder snow, a mild spell has turned pathways into slushy quagmires. This will freeze solid overnight and become a tough slog indeed.
Snow + rain + mild + freeze = 1 bumpy ride.
On the plus side, Mugsey prefers this to the powder which was too deep for him.
This is the Humber footbridge from the other side of the river.
The old bridge abutment is on the left centre of the photo.
More people were in the park today as the path has been beaten down by the pioneers! A nice sunny day with some interesting shadows on the snow.
A couple of Siberian Elms cast their shadows.
There’s nothing like a good old dumping of snow to hide imperfections; especially when the next day is sunny and calm. We had close to 30cm (a foot in old speak). Let’s get started with the bench – the ‘before‘ was drab and dismal compared to views from other times of year. Today, it’s a postcard.
Notice the lines in the snow caused by strong winds overnight.
The bridge has many flattering angles. Photograph it from one side and you’d swear it was miles from anywhere. Here’s the other side set against condos in Weston. I like that the bridge and its shadow seem to form a loop over the Humber.
Nature and the works of humanity together.
Next is a couple combining trees and snow – one of my favourite combos – especially on a sunny day and when the snow is fresh and deep as it is today.
Fallen trees litter the woods.
A large log looks as if it’s being hugged by a coat of snow.
Lastly, I was able to clamber down to the Humber Creek in my snowshoes. The view did not disappoint.
Looking up Humber Creek towards Scarlett Road.
This morning snow was coming down thickly in the park. Over breakfast I watched a squirrel unerringly locate and then enjoy a treat it had stored last fall. This was a timely reminder of a show I watched on CBC this week demonstrating that squirrels don’t randomly bury food and forget about it. They can actually remember its location.
I experimented with the multiple shot feature of the Sony RX100 this morning. Normally when you take a photo during a snowstorm, the shutter speed isn’t fast enough to capture the flakes without blurring and you get a series of streaks. The multi-shot feature is designed to cut down on noise in night photography and the camera does this by shooting several images at high shutter speeds and combining them in camera. Here is one of the combination shots taken from the refuge of some spruce trees.
Looking south towards Eglinton.
The snow was deep enough for snowshoes today and so they were dusted off. It took a few minutes to adjust all the straps make sure they were firmly attached to my feet and off we went. Wearing snowshoes takes a bit of getting used to as it’s quite easy to tread on your own feet. The good thing is that if you fall, it’s a soft landing.
Paging Ronald McDonald.
Since your body weight is spread out over a larger surface, the idea is that you don’t sink as far as you might otherwise. Another advantage is that they help keep snow from getting into your boots. I used to imagine that snow shoes allowed you to walk on top of the snow. Not so; you’d be surprised how far you sink. What they do provide is stability and perhaps a slight reduction in effort. Even so, deep snow gives you a good workout and I was very warm after a short time.
A stand of sumac sticks out in the snow.
As you can see, I was not the first to walk through the park today. Since the construction of the footbridge over the Humber in 1995, the park path has provided a vital short cut for many people making their way to and from stores in Weston and has probably saved many a car trip. The GO train now operates from Weston Road south of Lawrence and is also an easy walk. Maybe one day, Toronto City Council will recognize this and clear these important pathways after a snowstorm.
There comes a time in winter when the sheer length of it starts to become a burden. Day after day of cold weather is an unrelenting nightmare for some.
There is a bench in the park that was placed there in 2002 because of a bequest from the family of James Hyland who had enjoyed walking in Raymore Park. It is a quiet place to sit and reflect; a nice focal point and the location can be very photogenic at certain times of year.
This is the second version of the bench. The original one was of wood; this one is of composite materials.
The bench as it looked today.
Looking at some older shots of the bench I was reminded of the difference in vibrancy and colour that the growing season brings.
A couple of old boys share the bench on a cold day last spring (April 2012).
The bench in October 2011 (complete with blown highlights).
We are expecting a major winter storm over the next couple of days. Perhaps a good dumping of snow followed by sunshine will make the place look a bit less depressing – we can only hope.
Now that the snow has stopped, here are some clearer pictures of the latest ice encroachment.
Trees have had a tough time here since the weir was installed and raised water levels.
The Humber is narrow yet deep here and ice dams form regularly at this point and beyond. If you look at the right of the above image, it’s possible to see where water floods in occasionally and has carved a depression that will one day create an island here.
Ice covers the footpath – but wait, there’s more…
The ice continues from the footpath at least 100m from the river.
New ice begins to form.
We’re in for a few days of cold weather so the process is likely to start all over again.
Every year it’s the same old whine – “I wish I could be there when the ice breaks up on the river”. Well, I could have been there and I wasn’t. While I was home, the rest of the ice decided to move off without anyone to witness it. I took some shots today while a streamer from Lake Huron was busy dumping a surprising amount of snow onto the park.
Some comparisons are in order to show the changes:
January 29, 2013
January 31, 2013 the grass has been demolished by ice moving ashore.
January 29, 2013; track through the wild area. Houses once occupied land to the right of this photograph.
January 31, 2013; track is buried.
Until 1954 and the Hurricane Hazel disaster, more than a few homes were quite near this location by the Humber. I wonder how regular incursions of ice affected them and their properties. Residents at the time must have had some pretty close calls.This is a fairly average depth of ice to float ashore but the extent of it is quite surprising – further along, the ice actually covers the bike path.
Hard to see where it is but ice now covers the bike path.
Today is a grey and misty day as the latest warm front has arrived dumping snow, freezing rain and now plain old rain. Mugsey decided he would scratch himself on a tree and he posed nicely for the camera.
Mugsey loves the snow – can you tell?
As we were passing by the bridge, a pair of young white-tailed deer moved silently past on the other side and cautiously crossed over the ice into Raymore Park. Even though the zoom on the RX100 is only 3.6, the sheer number of pixels (5472 x 3080) allows for some zooming at home – especially in this medium.
Apologies for the pole in the middle of the picture.
There is lots of feed above the shallow layer of snow to keep them going – we’ve had a pretty easy winter so far with rain and mild temperatures predicted for tomorrow and especially Wednesday (13°C).
With no wind, powder snow balances precariously on last year’s growth.
It was -21°C this morning. Luckily there was no wind but the park was empty of wildlife.
Ice is thickening rapidly by the weir and seems to have formed in record time. Apparently this week, it’s colder over the middle of the continent than over the North Pole.
Friends of Raymore Park 