NEW Walmart PEN CENTRE, 221 Glendale Avenue, ST. CATHARINES (3 Photos)

So I checked out the new Walmart store which finally opened in St. Catharines at the Pen Centre. We've only been waiting for like what? 4 years? It has been so long that I've forgotten all about it until I read about its opening recently. As far as I can remember, it was a Zellers store, then a Target store and now the Walmart Supercentre store which I'm sure will have better success than its predecessors.

The sky was bright blue... the store facade was bright blue... there were not many cars in the parking lot - yet. It was a perfect day to check it out.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside, so I just took a few, outside.

I was loving the bright blue, yellow and orange colours on the outside.

The dedicated online pickup section was something new at this Walmart. After ordering your online groceries (at Walmart.ca), you can now pull up into any one of 8 (at least I think there were 8), brightly-painted-orange parking spots and have your purchase loaded in no time!

There's even a walk-in clinic opening soon too.

Having said all that, I was surprised to find there were not many 'deals' to be had or even new or more choices than the other Walmart stores. I remember heading straight to the Crafts section and was disappointed to find the one on Welland Ave., had more selections. Of course, being a supercentre, this one has a produce/grocery section which the other one doesn't.

Oh well, even though I live closer to the one on Welland Ave., and will still be heading there when needed, I'm sure many will be happy for this new Walmart that has finally opened at the Pen Centre.

Happy shopping!

SUNSET BEACH, St. Catharines (22 Photos)

Took a long overdue stroll down Sunset Beach - and took some photos while I was at it...

This hidden gem located in the Grantham Ward, along the shore of Lake Ontario on the Waterfront Trail, is in close proximity to the Welland Canals Parkway Trail.

The park has 365 metres (1,200 feet) of sandy beach to lay out your towels, chairs, umbrellas and tents for your enjoyment.

Beach amenities include parking, playground, a beautiful picnic area, public boat launch ramp (for small and personal watercrafts during the boating season within daylight hours), and washrooms.

So I Visited 4 WINERIES... No. Make that 5. Or was it 6? | Niagara-on-the-Lake... (50+ Photos)

Feel free to have a few glasses of wine before reading...

It's that time of year. You know, where we celebrate the harvest of grapes with our Grape and Wine Festivals and parades. It's also that time of year, more than ever, to sip and savour local wines at wineries across the Niagara Region. It was a gorgeous day so I thought I'd do the wine-tasting tour thing. I originally thought I visited 4 wineries but after looking through my pics, it appeared I visited 6 in one day - Konzelmann Estate Winery, Nomad at Hinterbrook Winery, Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery, Trius Winery, Stratus Vineyards Winery and Reif Estate Winery, all located in Niagara-on-the-lake.

It seemed the picture-taking got less and less too the more I visited each one.
As the day went on, I also found myself wanting more food than wine but anyhoo, let's get on with it.


KONZELMANN Estate Winery (17 Photos)

I drove by this place a million times and have never stopped in. It was time to check it out. It was fairly busy here when we arrived around 1:30pm.

I have to admit I'm not an oenophile (a connoisseur of wines). Hell, I'm not even a drinker but so? That doesn't mean I can't taste some fine homegrown wine.

Lucky for me, I had a few wine connoisseurs with me.

Port Dalhousie PIER MARINA, ST. CATHARINES (26 Photos)

We visited the marina a few weeks ago and the water levels were still high - but slowly receding.

Located approximately 9 miles west of the Niagara River and adjacent to the beautiful old town of Port Dalhousie in St. Catharines, Ontario, Port Dalhousie Pier Marina is considered one of the premier and most popular marinas on the south shore of Lake Ontario and is always filled with boats from ports all over the great lakes.

I searched Google Maps to find images of what the marina looked like on better days... 

Google image by Paul Chak

Notice the benches?

Capturing the 'Sea Keeper' Mural on the CSL St-Laurent Bulk Carrier | Welland Canal, ST. CATHARINES

Talk about perfect timing! On a gorgeous sunny day, before entering one of my favourite spots - the Welland Canal, I noticed a cargo ship moving amongst the trees in the distance. 

 As I got closer, I realized it was not just any cargo ship but the Trillium Class* bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent - the one with that 'famous' mural of a colourful Canadian icon, the goose, painted on it. 

The Canada goose with its powerful wings spread in flight, in a forward motion is a tribute to Montreal and to Canada.

I've read about the mural earlier in the year and knew it was special, and the last time I visited the canal was over a year ago. What were the chances?! I was thrilled! Good thing I had my camera with me! 
At the end, I've included my not-so-professional video of my capture as well as 2 additional videos (professionally done) by CSL, of the artists behind the mural and viewing the finish creation from sea...

Port Dalhousie Under Water...

We compared a photo from The St. Catharines Standard that was taken recently of Lakeside Park Beach - with one we took a few years ago...

We were actually standing behind the trees when we took this next photo but the lighthouse can still be seen in the background...

Winter Series | Falling-Snow-Effect on a Few Photos I Took... (11 Photos)

I discovered some old photos I took back in 2013-14 in St. Catharines that Google animated with the falling snow effect. I think we all have some of those. Some turned out good, others I didn't care for but all I am sharing with you in this Winter series - gify style...

18 Fall Photos Taken Along the Niagara River Recreational Trail (Near Niagara Parks Floral Clock Area), NIAGARA FALLS

It was an unseasonably warm Autumn day when we revisited the Niagara Parks Floral Clock (near the Sir Adam Beck One Power Plant), to take some updated photos of the latest Floral Clock design. We couldn't help but notice the amazing Fall colours around us and decided to take a stroll...

2016 Annual Downtown Classic Car Show in St. Catharines… in PHOTOS

Were you there? The skies were sunny at times then cloudy the next but overall it was a great day to check out some classic cars at the 14th annual Downtown Classic Car Show in St. Catharines.

CAPTURED: An Early Morning Sunrise

Captured this beautiful sunrise this morning around 6:15 AM in northern St. Catharines. The leaves will be coming out soon. Springtime is upon us...

The Welland Canal - Drained (10+ Photos)

We took a walk down by the Welland Canal one Sunday and discovered it was drained. I was like, “OMG! It’s empty!” (Well not quite), but it was the first time I’ve actually seen it drained. They do this every winter to perform any kind of maintenance work on the canal. (Check out some old 2012 photos we discovered from The Globe and Mail, in a slide gallery further down below.)

The Welland Ship Canal is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean where ships, (carrying cargo or passengers), go through to by-pass Niagara Falls.

We’re used to seeing it in the summer time like this:

A Visit to LAKESIDE PARK, Port Dalhousie – ST. CATHARINES (30+ Photos)

A popular park with the locals and the likes is Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie, a 1,500 feet of sandy beach, picnic area, concession stands, a carousel, playground equipment, dressing rooms, washrooms and parking area, pavilion, Waterfront Trail and the Port Dalhousie Harbour Walkway.

It’s been awhile since we’ve visited the old Harbour and Park. The weather was fine, around 24 °C on a bright, sunny day.

Jaycee Park - Port Dalhousie, ST. CATHARINES (50+ Photos)

Jaycee park is one of St.Catharine’s largest parks located in Port Dalhousie, with about 8 hectares of landscapes consisting of many different flowers, trees and lush green grass.

It’s one of many parks in the St. Catharines region within the Niagara Area, which allows you to escape the city even though you’re still IN the city.

An ALL DAY Visit to Clifton Hill – NIAGARA FALLS (40+ Photos)

Next up on my continuing exploration of the Niagara Region is Clifton Hill – “The Fun At the Falls” street.  It’s the most exciting stretch of street and one of the most famous in the Niagara Region, (and possibly the world), which I rarely get a chance to visit but when I do, I always get all giddy and excited like a child heading to an amusement park for the first time. It’s always so busy and bustling with tourists and attractions ANY time of the year and once there, I always feel like I’ve just entered another dimension.

SPOTTED: A ‘WALMART’ Vehicle?...

You have your Walmart People.. We have our Walmart Vehicles…

Check out this cool truck we spotted while shopping at Walmart the other day.  On our way out, lo and behold, what did we see… this awesome truck we call – “The Vehicle from Hell”.  Well almost.

The 24-Hour Challenge – Canadian Style, Dodgeball Charity Event (PHOTO Gallery)

The 24-hour Challenge for Matt Risi.

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. These guys pulled off the impossible for almost an hour in chilly temps – and all for a great cause!

NEW POLICE CAR DESIGN – Love it, Hate it…? (PHOTOS + Poll)

In keeping up with modern times, logo rebranding is just one of the ways the Niagara Regional Police will be updating their cruisers. They are going black and white.

The old, familiar blue and white cruisers have been around for over 40 years according the Niagara Falls Review, so we guess that means it’s time for an ‘upgrade’!

Winter Series | Recently Fallen Snow, ST. CATHARINES (11 Photos)

Winter Photos taken around the northern parts of St. Catharines during the months of November and December 2013.

This collection consists of recently fallen snow captured on trees…

COLOURFUL FRUIT DISPLAY at NO FRILLS Supermarket

Colours, colours everywhere! Took some photos of the colourful fruits and veggies displayed over at NO FRILLS supermarket on Welland Ave., St. Catharines...

SPOTTED: IT'S A BIKE, IT'S A QUAD... Around St. Catharines

Back in April, we were heading to the Canadian Tire store when we came upon something… some sort of bike we’ve never seen before and we just had to take a pic.  We’re not sure exactly what it is called. Do you know?

All we knew was it was unique looking...