Wednesday is an enjoyable day of the week for me. I deliver/service folks and their pets throughout the southern and western half of Ontario. About 90% of the people I see are elderly; and for a lot of them, their furball is the only companionship they have. I deliver food, toys and the like and yes, even sometimes clean up. It is what it is and I enjoy it all. I'm paid well and appreciated by the company and customers and the furballs themselves; what more can you ask for?
Today is the day I do western Ontario's "Tri-city" area; Cambridge, Kitchen and Waterloo. I also go to Elmira, Fergus and Conestogo. Then the one and a half hour drive home... I put about 400K (250 miles) in today. I really like the area out here; moving is an option....
I'm up at 3:30AM on Wednesdays. Coffee, food, the
One hour later, I hit the road. I turned the heat on; at 60F (15C) is was a bit chilly. I went west to Highway 400, south on that, and then west on the 401 (Trans-Canada highway) to exit 286 which is Townline Road. As I was driving west on the 401 passing by Campbellville I could see the horizon getting brighter, and Venus shining like a headlight in my rearviews. It was stunning; good thing traffic is light at that hour... Pay attention to the road, Mark! I also noticed what looked like a reflection to the left and a bit below; I wondered if that was the Moon?
The Moon this morning for me was a waxing 2% illuminated. No, it can't be that.... I turned off at Townline Road and headed north, and got a red light. I rolled down the passenger side window, and using my iPhone 12 took some shots. It actually is the Moon near Venus; I was surprised it was visible!
I got to my first call at 5:45, got out of the truck, and even though it was brighter out, I could still see Venus in the pink clouds. No sign of the Moon; at 2% I'm not surprised with the glare from the rising Sun:
After that I headed south to another stop, and from there headed west on Blair Rd alongside the Grand River. It's really not that grand... then east and north along Fountain St. That's when I noticed the Sun dog. I turned right on Eagle Rd (heading east), and I crossed over the bridge for the river; I just pointed my phone out the drivers side window, kept my eyes on the road and hoped for the best. Next time I'll roll the window down first! The bird in the upper left is either a hawk or an osprey.
I took this at 6:55AM:
One thing I've noticed about Sun dogs; at least for me... I've seen quite a few in the past few years, and this was my 5th pic. I've noticed that for most observers, there's usually a "dog" on either side of the Sun. Never for me. If I'm north of lake Ontario, the Sun dog is to the north, and if I'm west, the dog is to the west also. Lake effect maybe?
After that, it got brighter and yet cloudier out, with the humidity kicking in around 8AM, and my astronomical endeavours came to a grinding halt
But, there was still one "bright spot" left in my day. I rolled into the blink-and-you'll miss-it town of Elmira, where traffic either consists of John Deere equipment or Amish folk in horse and buggy. Farm country.
I don't eat fast food usually, and if I do, it's an A&W. And this is the one day of the week I don't take a lunch.
I was born in Montreal and moved to Ontario half my lifetime ago (I'm 56). The absolute best A&W I've ever found in two provinces is located at the end of Highway 85 where it becomes Arthur Rd leading through Elmira.
I don't know how they do it; in the two years+ I've been going there they nail it every time. I usually order a Teen burger and a large double-double coffee, but anything I've had there has been done to perfection!
Plus they all know me, so often I get fries or onion rings along with my order for free. Pays to be nice; goes around, comes around
On that note, I wish you all the best; time for a BBQ, a couple of beers and then bed. I'm off to Guelph tomorrow AM; much the same type of day!
Have a great day/night all!
