Niagara Falls at sunrise: it is the last round of Summer Stock Sunday for the season, so I’m adding one of my favorite photos of the summer. This shows the Horseshoe Falls, photo taken from the Canadian side. You can see more water photos of Niagara Falls and some nature photos, too.
We are going apple picking later today – maybe I’ll get some nice photos to share from our trip.
What was your favorite part of this summer?
Water is the first of my three macros for this week. This is a detail of the waters of the American Falls of Niagara Falls.
Detail of Highland Park Farmer’s Market flowers.
The tail end of the shofar, the ram’s horn, that is sounded every day in the Jewish month of Elul. One does not blow into this larger end of the shofar but into the other, smaller end. It is not easy to do, but if I purse my lips together in a certain way, I can get the right sound.
For more macros, see:
The Jewish month of Elul started last week, and it is a special month in the Jewish calendar.
One does not have have to wait for Rosh Hashana to hear the shofar. Every morning (except on Shabbat) it is blown in the synagogue. If you are fortunate to attend a Jewish day school, you may hear it blown in school. In Elul shofar is an important reminder and symbol.
Elul is known as a month of repentance (in Hebrew: tshuva – more explanation of tshuva would require a whole book). Introspection and reconciliation are themes of this period. For example, I like how the family of Ima 2 Seven is using this as a time to be kind (one would hope the trait will continue beyond Elul).
What would a Jewish month be without some music to accompany the spirituality and preparation? Mrs. S. has some music for the soul. If you want to get ready for Rosh Hashana, enjoy Oked HaNe’kad. Rabbi Phyllis has a Debbie Friedman song and a Baal Shem Tov story as part of #BlogElul.
Psalm 27 is added to daily prayers, as written in Gear Up for Tishri: Read Psalm 27, Psalm 27: the Beginnning, Psalm 27 and Evil-Doers and Psalm 27 and Responsibility by Ilana-Davita.
Mrs. S. reminds us: “Sephardim begin reciting Slichot (the penitential prayers) at the start of the month. Ashkenazim wait until closer to Rosh Hashanah.”
Ah, finally, you say. Some are already prepping for the holidays ahead (see challot by G6). I’m trying to remember the simanim or symbolic foods to display on the Rosh Hashana table:
need a post on dates!
I see I am missing dates. Painting project for the upcoming weeks?
What do you think of as signifying Elul?
Rainbow Bridge spans the Niagara River, connecting the American and the Canadian side. We crossed over the bridge a few times; the above shot was taken by the American Falls.
And we did see a rainbow on Rainbow Bridge while waiting for Canadian customs. There used to be a bridge here called Honeymoon Bridge, but it collapsed in January 1938, related to a problematic ice floe.
In the above shot you can see more of the Canadian side, including a large red sign that says “inn.” There was a large variety of inns and hotels on the Canadian side. The green structure in the front of the bridge is an observatory on the United States side.
Update: I added one more photo of the Rainbow Bridge; this one is taken from the Canadian side, and you can see the whole bridge in the distance. The building in the foreground (one can see the roofs) is the Canadian visitor center for the Horseshoe Falls.
For more bridges, visit:
There is a special blessing for seeing a rainbow, about remembering the covenant. My sons said it as we waited for customs.
Back to the ordinary, the mundane, the daily: here is a shot of my kitchen shelf for September, emphasizing bananas. For more first of the month shots, visit:
Plans for future posts: more Niagara Falls photos and a look at Elul, the current Jewish month.
There are two large waterfalls at Niagara: the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. Right next to the American Falls is a thin waterfall called Bridal Veil Falls.
A great way to see the falls is to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat. You can get on one of these boat rides from either the American or the Canadian side. It is quite popular, and you wear a plastic rain coat and stand for the whole trip.
The Canadian side is the touristy side. There is plenty to do and movies about Niagara to see, but you might want to watch your credit card. If you want the less expensive tour, stay on the U.S. side.
From the top of the Ferris Wheel on the Canadian side, we could see the American Falls, the smaller Bridal Veil Falls to the right, and two Maid of the Mist boats.
And here you can see the whole horseshoe shape of Horseshoe Falls, taken from on top of the Ferris Wheel.
I’ll save my Cave of the Winds photos for another post: that was my favorite attraction at Niagara Falls. It was my daughter’s least favorite; I think she got scared of the powerful waters.
For more watery photos, visit:
We just came back from a visit to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. See photos of the falls.
This early evening shot of the Rainbow Bridge that crosses from the U.S. to Canada shows a piece of the urban gardens and nightlights of the Canadian shore in the foreground. The American side is more rustic, as it is preserved as a state forest. We really did see a rainbow on the bridge as we waited at customs on our first day.
As this is straight of my camera, it is perfect for:
Thursday Challenge theme is FRIENDS (Gatherings, Parties, Time Together, Sharing,…).
Thanks to cocobean35 for his help with this post.
Finally, we had a day without oppressive heat and humidity! It’s been raining almost all day, and in the morning I enjoyed photographing raindrops on my raspberries.
For more macro shots:
