University of Guelph Arboretum (Monday evening special)

[vaneramos]

This is the first of two instalments of photos taken Saturday afternoon when I went out with Danny. This first set was taken at the Arboretum. With fall colour at its peak here, we took time out from the Studio Tour for a walk. The weather was particularly autumnal: blustery and unpredictable, rainy deluges giving way to gashes of sunlight and racing clouds. We were told it hailed, too, probably while we were in Wimpy's eating lunch. Finally we saw a rainbow from the windows of the Trafalgar Building, a site of many artist studios. djjo's shots of that were more interesting than mine. My set of downtown photos will follow tomorrow.

















The final photo shows what used to be the largest stand of mature white pines in this part of Ontario. It was decimated by a tornado about 15 years ago. About half of the large trees still visible here are spruce.

A year ago August a tornado struck a nature reserve near our cottage, on the border of Algonquin Park, and decimated the most significant remaining stand of old growth white pines in the area. Their location was quite remote, so I had never seen them, although my Dad and I canoed and hiked within a few kilometres of them several years ago.

Mother Nature is perverse.