Getting Clear on an Overcast Day

There is just something about the beach, some sort of unexplainable connection that I love. I don’t know if it is the water, the rhythm of the waves or the open space but it draws us, and holds us there as though hypnotized.

Being the only person there, a lone soul on a deserted shore, just intensifies those feelings and that sense of connection.

This morning I walked the beach alone, a light drizzle falling. This beautiful section of Burlington, Ontario's South Beach is gorgeous and has become a recent favorite of mine. The only sound competing with the waves was a few seagulls going about their business. I followed a group of nervous sandpipers, lost in my thoughts, the rainy surroundings invoking in me a very weird and difficult to explain sense of both melancholy and joy.

It definitely feels like fall today, I thought and with that, the fading of yet another summer that has gone by much too quickly. Is this the way it’s meant to be? The perception at least, that time speeds up as we age, that our youth is replaced by responsibilities and commitments and sunrises become a luxury to be enjoyed only sporadically?

Heading further up the beach, I came across two older gentleman, clad in shiny black wetsuits, returning to shore from an open water swim. An admirable pursuit, I thought and maybe a way to hang on to summer as well as to vitality just a little bit longer.

I turned back and started walking in the direction from where I came. I noticed my footprints in the sand, the only ones on the beach. An interesting metaphor I thought. Life, a journey, spent interacting and intertwined with others, but ultimately travelled alone. Perhaps this was the source of my mixed emotion, each step representing an exciting step forward but also one less step to look forward to.

I veered away from the beach, but paused to look back one more time. Soon my footsteps would be washed away by the rain and the water, all signs of my visit erased.

Maybe this is also a part of our connection to the water, I thought. Clarity and a cleansing of the mind. Feeling now more joy than melancholy, I walked away, perhaps a little wiser, and I smiled.

Bayfront Park – Hamilton Ontario

Usually when I think of a local weekend outdoor destination, my travels take me into the Dundas Valley or along a remote trail in search of a waterfall or some other natural feature of this area.

On a recent weekend, with the weather being conducive to outdoor activity, my sons inquired about a visit to Bayfront Park in Hamilton. So off we went, our sons and friends looking to explore the rolling wide paved trail by long board and roller blade, and Sally and I in search of local wildlife and views of the bay.
Waterfront development is something that the city has done an excellent job with in comparison to other cities and Bayfront Park is a good example.Built in the early 1990’s, this 16-hectare (40-acre) park found in the West-end of Hamilton Harbour is a great destination for the whole family.
Bayfront Park boasts a number of features perfectly suited to a waterfront setting, including an extensive asphalt pathway; a lower shoreline walk; naturalized areas of shrubs, trees, and wildflowers; a public boat launch; numerous benches and picnic tables; and a natural grass amphitheatre. The park's upper plateau, an expansive lawn area, makes it an ideal location for special events. It is linked to Pier 4 Park by Macassa Bay Walkway.
On this day, we walked the trails along the water edge viewing swans, various species of waterfowl and numerous songbirds. We were impressed by how well kept the park was and it is easy to forget while walking here that you are moments away from the city core.
The highlight was spotting a pair of nesting swans and watching as the mother carefully rotated the four eggs in her care.With rowing teams on the water, people fishing and lots of other activities going on, Bayfront Park is an ideal spot for relaxing and people watching. Additional features include naturalized areas of shrubs, trees and wildflowers; park lighting for evening enjoyment and accessible public washroom facilities across a gravel parking lot (limited hours). Bayfront Park's upper plateau plays host at various times of year to various special events such as Aquafest, Festitalia, and Canada Day festivities, which bring thousands of people to the park every year. Parking is available on-site. The park is fully accessible and is located on Bay Street North at Harbourfront Drive / Simcoe Street West.

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