Matthew Murphy to the rescue

This is the Brock monument looking over Niagara. Apparently for $4.50 you can climb up the stairs and look out the port holes. I'm hoping those are lightning rods and not some sort of cell phone boost but the cool thing is when I tried to google it I learned about a young man named Matthew Murphy, who after the monument was bombed in 1840, climbed all the way up a dangling lightning rod to replace the British flag. 

They had contracted a guy from the states with fancy climbing gear to do it but Matthew thought it was a shame to pay an American to do it and just scooted up barehanded with some twine tied to his pants to send the flag up once he got to the top. I have some nephews and possibly a brother who would totally do this. 

Afterward he had this to say:

“I had to swing by my arms, a hundred and fifty feet from the ground, and move hand over hand on the rod till I reached the edge of the gallery. Many of the fastenings pulled out leaving the rod quite loose, but I dragged myself over the side of the gallery the best way I could. Having tied the string to the banister, I slowly hoisted the standard up onto the gallery and then carried it to the top of the monument. 

“The staff would not stand erect in the stone socket and I called down for chips to wedge it with, and a small bundle was sent up by the string; with those I made the flag-staff stand upright. On my descent a few more of the fastenings pulled out, but I reached the ground in safety.”

Why didn't I know this?

We saw where they generate power. 

This is what we see when we go Olive-Gardening and shopping as we go over the Queenston Lewiston bridge. Like I said the other day dams and the like freak me out a bit so this was some good exposure therapy. 

You couldn't pay me enough to be riding in this little white boat going backwards down the river though. 

I  took some video of the boat that I'll post another day. 

I found this view of Lake Ontario from just outside Niagara on the Lake to be much more calming. 

Being very poor at geography I was shocked to notice that you could see the Toronto skyline from here!

A quick trip back into town to the really great Niagara on the Lake town washrooms was suddenly necessary and I was ever so pleased not to be on a bus when this happened. So glad we drove. 

Lots of beautiful vineyards to see on the way home and we stopped at one of the fruit stands. I bought some lemon-pear jam and it's really good. Not too sweet. Mind you today I have no sense of taste or smell with this cold. 

I was as excited to get up close to some sunflowers as anything at the falls. 

A familiar sight on the way home:

I don't know who the person in our area is that makes happy faces with grass and daffodils but I love them. 

I did not feel up to going for a walk today but Harry insisted. Do you know what you don't want to put on when you have a fever? A warm bug suit. But Bat Cat and I headed out for a bit. 

No. I do not want to go home. But thank you for asking. 

&

This seems like a really great idea today: