VIDEO: Nature Sounds Captured at MALCOLMSON ECO PARK - St. Catharines

We visited the Malcolsom Eco Park in St. Catharines back in May 2015 – what a treat! We captured these actual background noises while filming by this small pond in the park.

(Scenery was ‘enhanced’ using YouTube special effects.)

Malcolmson Park is located on the north side of Lakeshore Road at Niagara Street. It is adjacent to the Welland Canal at Lock One. This unique park offers residents with an opportunity to explore and learn about our native flora and fauna. It contains the Malcolmson Eco Park and nature trails. The Welland Canal Parkway Trail and the Waterfront Trail both travel through this park. The park is located in the Grantham Ward. This park is 14.4 hectares.

Actual photos:

OFF-LEASH Dog Parks of Niagara

There are many parks to walk your dog in the Niagara area yet there are hardly any actual Dog Parks – places where our four-legged friends can run free and play off-leash in a controlled environment, (under the supervision of their owners, of course). In fact, currently there are only two leash-free dog areas in St. Catharines: Burgoyne Woods and Carol Disher Leash Free Dog Park at Catherine Street Park (see more photos below), and one in Niagara Falls.

We can thank former city councillor Carol Disher, for this.

Disher passed away in August 2015 but she realized the need for off-leash parks in the region and fought passionately for them.

“Of all the areas that she participated in and volunteered, one of the greatest accomplishments was initiating leash-free dog parks in the city,” Port Dalhousie Coun. Carlos Garcia said.

As a result, a leash-free park at Burgoyne Woods was opened in December 2006 and more recently, in honour of Carol, The Carol Disher Leash Free Dog Park located at Catherine Street Park...

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.

DeCew Falls/Morning Star Mill/The Miller’s House – ST. CATHARINES

Summer came and went so fast and now that I have a moment to go through my summer pictures from last year, I came across some photos of our visit to Decew Falls and the Morning Star Mill.

Source: thecityofstcatharines

Upon our arrival at the mill, it almost felt like we had stepped back in time, and rightfully so. The mill, a heritage site, and a fully restored nineteenth-century gristmill gave us a rare glimpse back in time when moving water was used to mechanically grind grain into flour.

On the Mill’s sign it reads partially: ‘flour and feed – always on hand’.

The Falls along with the sign were two of the main things that initially caught our attention.

Immediately, I started to picture what it must have been like back then.

Niagara Parks FLORAL CLOCK – NIAGARA FALLS (+ Photo Gallery)

It is said to be the most photographed attraction - next to the famous Falls…

It wasn’t the greatest of days in terms of weather when we arrived at the Floral Clock. It was an overcast day, but we were nevertheless excited to be there. Upon arrival, they were maintaining the grounds. The gardeners were busy looking after the rows of tulips that greeted you on your way to the clock and the lawns were being mowed. A bus had just departed, loaded with tourists and another would eventually arrive 30 mins later- something that has been probably going on for over 60+ years.

We were thrilled to finally get a view of this much talked about attraction and were even more excited when we discovered what was behind the clock itself.

The Floral Clock, a free attraction, was built in 1950 and is one of the largest floral clock in the world at 12.2 metres (40 feet) in diameter.

The hands of the clock are stainless steel tubing: the hour hand is 14.5 ft, the minute hand 17.5 ft and the second hand 21 ft long. Their combined weight is 1,250 pounds. An ivy-clad, louvered stone tower stands 24 feet tall and contains speakers that every quarter hour broadcast Westminster chimes. Under the clock, accessed by a door at the rear of the tower, the concrete foundation includes three small rooms – one for the clock mechanism and its driving motor, one contains switches to supply the electrical power, and one stores the tools required for maintaining the floral face. The clock mechanism runs in a bath of oil. The mechanical workings are driven by a 5 HP DC motor supplied from a DC drive. A tachometer is mounted on the motor shaft and provides feedback to the drive to control its accuracy. 

The Westminster chimes are controlled by a programmable logic controller. The sounds are simulated and are broadcast through 2-25 watt co-axial speakers mounted in the bell tower.