Dufferin Islands Park and Niagara on the Lake

 Well, here it is Thursday, and I'm finally getting around to writing about what we did last weekend.  Alex, Emily and I just decided to take Saturday and go visit Niagara Falls.  I discovered a secret strategy the last time I visited (when I went to pick up my Sister and her two in Buffalo), and Alex and I wanted to try it out this time.  The strategy:  Avoid paying the $20+ in parking fees and the crowded visitor's center at Table Rock by instead driving a little further up-river and parking for free at the Dufferin Islands Natural Area, and walk the mile or so to to see the Falls instead.  Well, it worked a treat!  In fact, it was so nice exploring the Park, that we spent more time there than viewing the Falls. (The summer-time crowds are so huge that struggling through them to get to the spots opposite for a good view leaves Alex and Emily grouchy - and me with an vague feeling of hatred for all of humanity.  Better to go admire that particular wonder of Nature when everyone else isn't there too.)

Dufferin Islands were formed in an off-shoot of the Niagara River

Lots and lots of duckweed in the water

Shot of  Part of the Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Side of the Falls)

After we wore ourselves out walking around, and visited the free-admission greenhouse that was on the way back from the Falls to Dufferin Islands, we decided to check out Niagara on the Lake - maybe find a nice place for lunch there.

Through the magic of 3G, Alex found an Irish Pub

One of the rare times Alex gets to be in a photo, instead of behind the camera.

Nice Pub

Skilled Bartender

After Lunch, we waddled over to the Queens Park, on the banks of Lake Ontario, and noticed that two lots of Wedding photos were being taken on that day.  Niagara on the Lake reminds me of lots of other boutique-y village-y places, filled with B&B's, where well-heeled folks come for a week or weekend and then spend tons of money wining the dining themselves, filling the rest of their time with golfing and/or shopping for art and cute little ensembles for their toy poodles.  But there was a notable difference in the crowd attracted to this particular quaint vacation town:  Lots more people (including both brides) had cigarettes in their hands.  I guess lots of the wealthy here aren't from white-bread, U.S.A. country-club stock; but more European?  That was my guess.  Just an impression from a raised-in-a-lot-of-small-town-American-South gal; so take it as it comes.

The Lakeside was lovely; The temperature was lovely.

Emily loves Dufferin Islands as an idea location for building Fairy Houses.

High Park in Toronto & Downtown Mississauga

Another day (July 24th) with the cousins visiting us in Mississauga was spent at High Park in Toronto (not far, according to my Mom, from where my family lived when I was little).  We drove to the nearest train station and took the subway into the city ( . . .  well, took a bus to the nearest station with running trains, then took a subway train in to the city - maintenance was being done on the tracks that Sunday).  So we wandered into the park and explored a trail or two by Grenadier Pond, stopping to admire various baby duck families and pretty plants, etc.

View back towards Grenadier Pond

An Emu, resident of the small zoo at High Park (he likes green leaves and carrots).

Girls investigating a possible site for a Fairy House 

Next day  (July 25th) , we stayed closer to home, as we had to pack and prepare for an early start in order to catch the early flight back at Buffalo airport.  So we took a walk into downtown Mississauga, stopping at a little creek just around the corner.  Emily, Laurel and Averi found quite a few snails, as it had rained earlier.

Girls enjoyed splashing about in the new reflecting pool at the new "Celebration Square."

During the Winter, the pool will be frozen for ice skating.

The building with the greenish pointed roof is the Central Library

View over the reflecting pool towards the outdoorAmphitheatre

Girls posing by our favorite Bison sculpture

Heading back towards home, passing by the City Hall

Ontario Science Center with the Girls

What do you do when it's too hot to hang out outside and you have a bunch of giggly, inquisitive, energetic little girls?  Drive out to the Ontario Science Center in Toronto!!  We had a great time, and the girls seemed to pick up a lot of neat bits of first-hand knowledge about various things AND they all enjoyed themselves too much to realize that they were doing something educational!  :-)

Adults and Kids alike are mesmerized by this fantastic contraption/sculpture called "Having A Ball II."  You can reach in and feed balls back into the action at several points around it.

Averi's making the hot air balloon rise by turning up the flame!

The girls LOVED making bubble "window panes" and then passing their hands through them.

By this point, we're in need of calories.  They look a little pooped, don't they?

Niagara Falls and Dufferin Island Park - Laurel & Averi's First Visit to Canada

 Carol and the nieces (Laurel & Averi) came to visit us for a week in Mississauga.  Our family strategy for saving $$ on flights has been for me to drive over the border and pick 'em up in Buffalo, so that's what we did this time too.

To break up the journey back to Mississauga, we stopped in Niagara (Canadian side).  It would have been a shame to just drive by without stopping to take a look!  On this trip, I did a little research and discovered how to avoid paying the $20 parking fee that they charge for the lots right by Table Rock:  Just drive another mile further South, and you can take advantage of the free parking at Dufferin Islands Park!  It's only about a mile's pleasant walk from the park to the Horseshoe Falls - really easy and you don't have to spend a lot of time walking by a busy road either.  It would have been perfect, had it not been the first day of a rather unusual heat wave.  But, the less than ideal temperatures was greatly ameliorated by the shady peacefulness of the park . . . and also the incredible spray from the Falls, when we got up to 'em.

The Rapids across the road from Dufferin Islands Park

We are approaching the Falls.  See the spray?

The wreckage of an old scow in the upper Niagara Rapids

Everybody's getting well misted.  A welcome relief from the heat of the day

On the way back to the car, we stopped at a lovely little greenhouse

Little oranges!

A very weird plant with incredible roots that appear to have exploded out of its pot

Maybe not fractals quite, but reminds me of 'em!

At first, we thought the plant on the right was someone's discarded silk scarf!

Back in Dufferin Islands Park - anyone know what this plant is?

Lovely cattails!

Emily and Averi and Laurel worked hard on several  Fairy houses along the way.