Credit and thanks to the Haliburton Highlands Visitors Centre!!
I was born in Canada and despite moving to the United States as a kid, I will always be a Canadian (have the passport to prove it). Part of the reason, probably a big part, is that I was raised by Canadians. My mother especially, was pretty hardcore Canadian. I’ll offer an example. I’d come home from elementary school after being taught American History. Mother would always remind me that there were two sides to the ‘history’ I was learning and I was being taught the ‘wrong’ side! Example phrasing: “It’s all lies.” A bit confusing, pretty much a guarantee that I wouldn’t exactly excel in my history classes but her intent was pure–to help me stay true to my Canadian roots. I have to state that 1. It worked and two, in a slightly less adamant way (having struggled with American History, I wanted them to at least pass it!) I told both my kids the same thing– to at least to remember you should make up your own mind about what is true and what is not.
Second thing that kept me true to Canada was Maple Lake, Ontario. Spending years, over time, on Maple Lake immersed in cottage country beauty, I knew that a little piece of heaven exsisted north of the border–one that I continue to savour to this day and plan to savour to my last.
Free Guided Tours through the Amazing Haliburton Sculpture Forest:
My family trekked through the Haliburton Sculpture Forest and it truly was the most beautiful setting for public art that I’ve ever seen. Surrounded by the gorgeousness of the Haliburton Highlands, strolling through you soak in the unique beauty of the outdoor collection of sculptures by Canadian and international artists. Because all the sculpture is situated outdoors just off the trails in the Sculpture Forest, you experience changing perspectives of the forest and the sculptures in each of the seasons. Visit often and enjoy a unique experience each time.
Also, depending on your preference, you can walking and bike ride in the spring, summer and fall and ski during the winter!
Get more info about the delightful permanent public art installation in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest (CLICK!).
Haliburton Highlands This July and August the Haliburton Sculpture Forest will be offering free guided tours! The tours will take place every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. Meet at the trail kiosk in the Fleming College parking lot.
I’m short on sleep and time but I wanted to mention that this weekend in the Haliburton Highlands looks perfect! You’ve got mild temperatures on both Saturday and Sunday. There’s no precipitation in the forecast and night time tempertures are perfect for sleeping. Enjoy the webcam photos I took just now–proof positive that it is well worth going outside to play!
Make it a great one!
Life magazine photo of sailor and nurse celebrating V-J Day in the streets of New York.
All time best ‘erotic’ photo taken in the midst of chaotic celebration of a big event:
World War II sailor Carl Muscarello and nurse Edith Shain kiss on a New York City street on V-J Day, a joyful moment captured by Life magazine photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt.
Welcome to the second weekend of June, 2011. It is amazing how quickly time is passing by as we move into the summer months. The very active weather has been a distinct reminder that we are not quite into summertime yet, rather as we transition we are getting, as Ontario knows only too well, some very strong reminders of when warm fronts meet cold.
So what kind of weather is in store for this week? In a word I’d say ‘calm.’ Though not exactly beach weather, for most of the week temperatures should be about 20-21°C with almost no precipitation at all. A bit of a break to give everything (and one) time to dry out.
Haliburton Highlands Weekend Weather June 10 - 11
If you happen to look up into the sky right now you’ll notice variable clouds. The temperature is chilly at 52°F. The 24-hour precipitation outlook is for 0.8 inches from Friday overnight through Saturday overnight.
Saturday morning should be mainly cloudy with temperatures rising to 55°F, though by Saturday afternoon rain moves in with a high of 61°F. Saturday evening you should expect scattered showers and a high of 57°F. Overnight on Saturday look for cloudiness with clear breaks and a temperature of 50°F.
Haliburton Highlands Long-Term Forecast
Sunday’s forecast calls for variable cloudiness with a high temperature of 61°F, and a low of 50°F overnight. There is no rain in the forecast.
Monday will be sunny with a high of 64°F and an overnight low of 48°F. There is again, no rain in the forecast.
Tuesday will be sunny with a very pleasant high of 72°F. Nighttime temperatures fall to 50°F and there is no rain in the forecast.
Wednesday, expect cloudy periods, a high temperature of 73°F and a low overnight of 54°F. You should not expect rain.
The forecast for Thursday is for sunny skies, a high temperature of 66°F and a warm-ish temperature overnight of 59°F.
The week closes out on Friday with isolated showers, a high of 68°F and a low overnight of 57°F. There may be up to 0.1 inches of precipitation accumulation on Friday.
So, What About the Bugs?:
Haliburton Highlands Bug Report through June 15
The bugs in cottage country right now are as we say, ‘thick.” What that means specifically is that the Black Flies will eat you up and the the Deer Flies will finish what’s left–UNLESS you wear long sleeved shirts, full-length pants and douse yourself in DEET. To state the obvious, the heavy rains have not helped the bug situation.
So all-in-all a good week for hiking, camping, biking, boating–whatever your pleasure. Just dress accordingly and you’ll have a grand time.
Kawagama Lake, Dorset
Kawagama Lake, Dorset
Niagara Falls, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Niagara Falls, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Pentangore Channel to Lake Huron, Ontario – June 10, 2011
kincardine Harbour, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Chapleau River, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Lagoon City, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Limerick Lake, Gilmour, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Montreal River Harbour, Ontario – June 10, 2011
Prince Arthur’s Landing, Thunder Bay, Ontario – June 10, 2011
NOW is the time to give to The Fresh Air Fund—in any way you can:
Summer '94
Literally, all my life I’ve had a beautiful summer place to go.
Thanks to my grandparents, I grew up sometimes spending months on a crystal-clear lake in the breathtakingly beautiful Haliburton Highlands in Ontario, Canada. At the time however, my nuclear family had emigrated to Connecticut–just a stone’s throw from the great state of New York and where I spent the rest of my year. My dad kept the radio on especially in the morning and I’d hear PSA’s for The Fresh Air Fund. It was hard as a child to imagine what it would be like stuck in the suburbs all summer long–never mind the inner city! Later, TV adverts made an even more indelible impression on me that I was exceptionally fortunate as there were many kids who were not.
After over 130 years of giving inner-city children the joy of a summer vacation with volunteer host families and at Fund camps, ‘creating unforgettable memories and fresh possibilities,’ no one needs to remind the not-for-profit The Fresh Air Fund of what a fantastic difference spending some of the summer away from the city can make for children.
Read an excerpt from a recent news story on how summer resources for city youth are going to be even more scarce in summer 2011:
NEW YORK — A rising number of children can look forward to excruciatingly boring school breaks this year as budget crises in places such as New York, Washington, D.C., Houston and Detroit rob them of the activities and programs that have long defined summer in the city for urban youngsters.
Swimming pools are being closed. Recreation centers are locking their doors. Library summer reading programs are suffering. Openings for short-term jobs have evaporated.
Yet, with a shift in perspective, do the kids have to be on the losing end?
‘We can’t afford to have children who don’t have positive places to be during the summer’
In New Orleans, Mayor Mitchell Landrieu this year fulfilled a campaign promise to boost city funding for children’s recreation facilities and summer programs, despite the city’s economic difficulties. While last summer, about 700 children participated in sports and literacy activities through the city’s summer camps for children ages 5 to 18, this year the city is expecting to serve 5,000 campers with the help of local organizations, private partnerships and doubled city funds, said Gina Warner, the executive director of the city’s Partnership for Youth Development.
The city – where nine out of 10 recreation sites were damaged by Hurricane Katrina – will be opening 12 pools this year, up from seven the year before and three the year before that. And libraries will be coordinating with the city summer camps to keep children reading, Warner said.
Warner said that while her city faces the same economic struggles as its counterparts around the country, elected officials see the New Orleans summer programs as not only an investment in children, but also a crime-prevention tool.
“We’re a very tourism-dependent city, and so we can’t afford to have children who don’t have positive places to be during the summer,” she said.
Sunset in beautiful downtown Barrie, Ontario, June 3, 2011:
Barrie - Sunset June 3, 2011
Since I never quite got to bed last night (long story) I was able to grab some awesome morning shots of southeastern Ontario at 9 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Central). And, since I’m just getting the weather-cast done now, I’ve grabbed a couple more shots of sunsets in beautiful southeastern Ontario, Canada. Something for everyone.
I hear that Ontarians have had record rainfall in the month of May. I sympathize as though you might not expect it, weather here in the Chicago area is not too different. We’ve had the record rainy May, the zig-zagging temperatures, mostly on the cold side–but then excruciatingly hot and humid for a day or so as well. Just nutty.
So, what do we dare expect for this week? You may be pleasantly surprised!
First, in a big change, there will be almost no rainfall in southeastern Ontario for the next week. That is very welcome coming on the heels of such a wet May. Temperatures in general will be rather moderate with daytime highs about 21 or 22 °C during the day. Here are the details:
Haliburton Highlands Weekend Weather June 3 - 4 2011
Expect variable cloudiness overnight on Friday with temperatures dipping down to 50°F. You could get up to 0.1 inches of rain from Friday evening through Saturday evening.
You’ll wake on Saturday to isolated showers and a temperature of 57°F. Isolated showers continue through Saturday afternoon with a high of 70°F. Saturday evening will be cloudy with showers and a temperature of 66°F. Saturday’s overnight low will be 50°F.
Haliburton Highlands Long Term Forecast (F)
Haliburton Highlands Long Term Forecast (C)
Sunday will have cloudy periods, a high of 73°F and an overnight low of 54°F. There is no precipitation forecast for Sunday.
Monday will again feature cloudy periods but with a high of 66°F, will be somewhat cooler. The overnight low of 54°F on Monday however, will mimic Sunday’s low. You could get close to 0.1 inch of rain.
Tuesday, June 7, expect cloudy periods, a high of 68°F and an overnight low of 54°F. There is no precipitation forecast for Tuesday.
Wednesday, June 8, isolated showers are again in the forecast. The high is expected to be 72°F and the overnight low, 50°F. You may get close to 0.1 inch of precipitation accumulation.
Thursday, June 9, will be a mainly sunny day with a high expected to be 72°F and the overnight low, 57°F. There is no precipitation forecast for Thursday.
