Hostile Territory

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Glendale Golf and Country":

first of all, its a wonderful use of natural space,,not a waste,, and if you dont enjoy watching from behing the gates, (like you would at any private club),, then reach into your pocket book and join. you say rediculous?? i think your comments are rediculous, and yes you are breaking the law by trespassing onto private property, so please stay off the golf course property!!

I replied to this.....

Why so hostile?

It is a waste of natural space because only a select few get to enjoy it. I don't see what is wonderful about it.

Thanks for the trespassing tip.

Also, I'm being 'ridiculous' not, 'rediculous'.

This made me really mad. It's not that someone is being rude to me online, because a certain amount of that should be expected on the internet. Whenever you put something out there you should be prepared to have it judged.

It is the central message of this comment. The claim that to enjoy nature you should have to fork over the cash.

The notion that a well manicured natural space is for the privileged to enjoy is horrible.

Golf Courses are a complete waste of natural space. Nothing will ever change my mind about this.

Here is a direct link to this post .

Burlington Rib Fest

After a long summer hiatus Explore Hamilton is back. If anyone is still checking back - thank you(!) and I apologize for the absence.

The annual Burlington Rib Fest was calling my name this year, it was the first time I've been. Also, surprising to most people, this was the first time I've eaten "ribs" - prepared like this.



This was a silver jewlery stand. I really liked how fancy their tent was.









A one-stop-shop for all of your classy t-shirts.














Festival cover-bands are never good. These guys were no exception.















I decided to get my ribs from this place because they had the longest lines.



Not exactly appetizing.







..my fist rib fest experience was good. I can't see myself eating ribs like these on a regular basis because I found them to be really sweet and too rare for my tastes. The first piece or two were good, but it was a challenge to finish the "1/2 rack".

The weather was perfect that day.

I realize that the quality of these pictures isn't the greatest. It was a last minute decision to go there so I just grabbed my small digital camera. In hindsight, I should have brought my Cannon and taken some real pictures, but these are good enough to document the event.

The rib fest was a neat experience; I have never been to anything like it. It was a fun way to say goodbye to summer.

Abandoned Cities

Check out this amazing website I found today: Web Urbanist, they have this article about abandoned cities, that is amazing. The pictures featured in the article are really special.

That is something that I would like to explore in the nearer future, and abandoned, or nearly abandoned, city or town in Ontario.

Binbrook Conservation - Hiking Trail

My adventure this week took place at the Binbrook Conservation area. This is a very well kept park with long hiking trails and access to the lake, which I believe runs off the Grand River - but I could be wrong.

This is easy to get to, and is just a few turns off Centennial Parkway.





The mosquitoes that day were out in full force, and I was attacked in a big way. I still have red splotches all over my legs and arms.

Beautiful sky

Wild raspberry bush

..and a handful of beautiful wild raspberries which were delicious. This is my favourite picture of the bunch because I had to sit my camera on a ledge and position the camera to have proper focus and everything; it took a few shots to get it right. Tricky business.

My most favourite fruit in the world: wild strawberries.







Lady bug

This plant is very good for tea, I forget how to say it in english.











A random lookout platform. It is pretty high and it offers some great views of the park.

..like this one

...and this one

I had an awesome time at this park, it would be great to come back to it with a bike as all of the trails are maintained well. The wild berries were a really nice surprise, they inspired us to go strawberry picking at a farm near the park. The best part of summer in Hamilton are all of the "pick your own.." farms.

Vanishing Point

Do you know about Vanishing Point?

If not, you need to check it out right now. It is an amazing urban exploration website focusing on our part of Ontario. It is exceptionally done by a fellow Hamiltonian.

The quality of the pictures is outstanding, but what really gets me is the brilliant idea for this website. I wish I would have thought of that myself.

This is a website about exploring some of those spaces, about immersing oneself in stormwater sewers and utility tunnels and abandoned industry, about tapping into the worlds that are embedded in our urban environment yet are decidedly removed from the collective experience of civilized life. This is a website about spaces that exist at the boundaries of modern control, as concessions to the landscape, as the debris left by economic transition, as evidence of the transient nature of our place upon this earth.