# Niagara-on-the-Lake; Ontario Wine Country!



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Now, waiting for more photos


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## sergio-m (May 9, 2007)

my pics 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=931490


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

A few photos from this past weekend in Niagara on the Lake. I was there a few weeks ago, and will soon post those photos, too!!




























I had a pleasant wander about the graveyard of St Mark's Anglican Church, which dates back to 1791. The church itself was rebuilt in 1822 and stands as one of the oldest Anglican Churches in Canada (behind one in Halifax and one in Quebec City):


















































































Must have been many hardships settling in this new land two centuries ago:


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## canadiancreed (Nov 10, 2010)

Some great pictures in this thread, and reminds me an awful lot of home (I'm not from this town, but it mirrors what the area that I'm from was when I was younger). Thanks for sharing these folks!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Amazing and very nice new photos :cheers:


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## vanboy2 (Nov 19, 2008)

Those cemetery photos kind off scary but in general its beautiful TB.


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## MissyC (Aug 19, 2009)

Ahhhhhh .... lovely pics TB ... brings back memories for sure ... I see us, you, Stingu & I walking around the village and having fun, also enjoying the bright automn colours of vinyards and all along the way, the beautiful sunset and oh, those Chachka's I bought for my Mom! She got them here now and each time I see them, It reminds me of our day out on Niagara on the Lake.



Should buy a Chackka for myself too next time I visit. 

hey: I see a very handsome guy in one of those pics! what a yummy


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, Charlotte! Glad you liked the pictures! I look forward to visiting the region again this summer! :cheers:


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## Ashok (Jul 17, 2004)

That was a beautiful tour! Thank you! I will try to visit Niagra on the Lake next time I go down there.


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## skylark (Jan 27, 2010)

wow! nice shots of a lovely city.
liking those old cemetery shots.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, guys! A few from this past Easter Weekend. Late Spring this year, so it is still early for flowers and blossoms, I am afraid. One or two weekends from now will be gorgeous. Excuse me if I have taken duplicate shots of the same sites as before!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Again, the oldest inhabited pub in Ontario, if not Canada...from the late 1700's and rebuilt in 1816 after the Americans burned it in 1812:










an old car parked out front:










You can practically envision it looking quite comfortable parked there a century ago!!










inside this very cosy old pub:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

looking across the lake to the American fort in Youngstown, New York:



















Weeping Willows coming out!



















Outdoor dinner for Easter, as it was a balmy 22c!










a Cardinal in the distance. Sorry I could not get a clear shot, as he flew away:





































There was a dried out Sturgeon on the shore that looked like it was made of leather:










St Mark's Anglican Church, one of the oldest parishes in Ontario (1792), and this church built in 1805:










I went back in the evening to photograph this pretty church. First the stained glass windows from the outside:



















The Reverend kindly invited us in for a look round:




























There is a theory that this is the first window made by the Toronto Stained Glass firm
Robert McCausland Limited, which is the oldest stained glass manufacturers in North America:














































Thanks for joining me for this Easter weekend photo trip!


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## MissyC (Aug 19, 2009)

Hey I see the table at which we sat with L!


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Looks like you had a nice Easter in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Angel Inn looks like a great place for a drink.


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## balthazar (Jul 19, 2007)

Really nice pictures!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, all! Charlotte, Stingu and myself all sat there having a meal and a pint of beer a year ago! :yes:


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## ikops (Jun 12, 2008)

I am having a good day. I just discovered one of my favourite photo-threads.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Great updates.....thanks for sharing your pics.


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## mariocesare (Jul 19, 2006)

Hey Taller, the places are fantastic, and very beautiful pictures!!

I literally love the old America things, in my house in Langhe / Italy I hung at the wall some metal pictures representig advertising of old agricultural tools shops, the old tractors of John Deere, and the advertising of an old flowers shop in NY in 1800... they give a touch of original country style.

If anyone want to see some pictures of italian wine zone called Langhe, please have a look on the site in my signature, I'd be very happy if someone would comment then


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, Mario! Your photo threads are beautiful! :yes:


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## brazilteen (Mar 20, 2010)

I went to Niagra Falls on January and going back to Toronto we stopped there...I'll be sincere that I enjoyed more Niagra-On-The-Lake than Niagra falls


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

nice thread, would love to see more pics of Niagara-on-the-Lake...


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Is possible for more updates?


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

Quite an interesting town.


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## Don31 (Jun 21, 2010)

BIG difference between this place and Niagara Falls, USA


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I was in Niagara on the Lake for a couple of days, and was shocked to see how different our skyline looks now compared to then:

A telephoto picture I took in 2008, looking across the lake to Toronto:



Taller said:


> from this spot, you can see Toronto across Lake Ontario:


The skyline has changed so much in just 6 years; I took these pics this past weekend:










Without the telephoto it looks like this:










With telephoto you can see it better:










and the American fort, too:



















It was the 200th anniversary of the burning of Niagara-on-the-Lake during the War of 
1812/13, so there were plenty of activities going on including a re-enactment of the tragic and unnecessary event. Here are some pics I took! Forgive me if they are of the same building I always take photos of when I am in Niagara on the Lake! 



















































































^^ That Scottish Shop always drags me in like a magnet! hehe...


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

This is the oldest Catholic Church still in use in Ontario, having been built in 1835. It is completely unrecognisable to its original form, for they did a rather ruthless "renovation" in the mid '60's, that turned it Space Age:





































However, one big bonus was that for the first time I got inside this church, which is 
called St Vincent de Paul and had a good look around:

this part seems to be from the original church:




























While we are on the topic of churches, here is another one.. St Andrew's Presbyterian from 1831. It looks very much like many of the older New England Churches, and is of course inspired by churches in England that were designed by John Nash (the architect of King George IV). I was on such a roll that I thought I'd be able to get inside this one to, but alas that was not to be:




























No trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake is complete without drinks in the 1816 pub "The Angel Inn":


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

there are Calèches everywhere, because Niagara-on-the-Lake is unmistakeably a tourist
town:














































and, I always visit St Mark's Anglican Church when I am in town. Built in 1803-5 it is the oldest extant Anglican Church in Ontario:


















































































I found this rather primitive 1782 gravestone to be the most poignant of all; it looks to me like it was carved by a grieving father who sadly had to bury his five year old boy:










the old throne:










and the needlework shows it is in the diocese of the Niagara region:










and finally, some photos I took at the Saturday night Anniversary celebration, re-enacting the burning of Niagara:





































I hope you enjoyed this little tour; I had a wonderful weekend!


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Nice pictures. It's crazy how many firsts/oldests Niagara-on-the-Lake has for Canada. It's definitely a wonderful and historic town.

Where is the snow? I thought that you would have at least a coating for the Christmas season.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really very nice new photos


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Hey guys! Thanks for noticing my photos. No snow yet in Niagara on the Lake, but it is sooooooo pretty when the snow arrives! :yes:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Yeah!!! I'm going back this weekend!!

:dance:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Spent a couple of days in beautiful Niagara on the Lake and nearby Queenston Heights. As mentioned earlier, we visited McFarland House which was made with handmade bricks back in 1799, and one of the few buildings not to be burned after the War of 1812-13.



















the hitching post to tie up your horse:




























beds of the time did not have springs, but rather the mattresses were 
supported by ropes:










You always had to constantly keep tightening the ropes as they stretched 
over time and your bed became saggy. Hence the origin of the expression:
_"Sleep tight"_!



















the walls are three layers thick of bricks:










you would strap blades to your boots for ice skates:



















Spinning wheels to wind woolen yarn, called "Weasels" (referred to in the
nursery rhyme_ "Round and round the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel". _ The "weasel" had a mechanism to count rounds of yarn, and made a "POP" sound at every specified interval. Hence:_"Pop! goes the weasel"_ in that same nursery rhyme:





































The old Scottish couple who built it (Mr and Mrs McFarland), didn't have long to enjoy their handsome farmhouse. She died in 1809. He refused to turn over his house to the American army in 1812, so he and his son were arrested and taken across the border to be held as prisoners. The conditions for prisoners were bleak, and he came back after the war a sick and broken man. His house was one of the few that had not been burned by the American troops when they pulled out of what was then called Newark, in 1813... but it had been used by both Military sides and much damage was done to his beloved home. He died soon after with a broken heart, but he and his wife were reunited in St Mark's graveyard:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

And a smattering of the many beautiful pre-Victorian Georgian/Greek Revival houses built in Niagara after the War of 1812 to mid 1830's:





































beautiful "Willowbank" on the banks of the Niagara river:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Magnolias just about finished:










all sorts of flowering blossoms everywhere:





































an old spring fed horse watering trough from the 1840's:


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## Jaborandi (Nov 19, 2006)

Another excellent set of photos TB. Sounds like someone paid extra special attention to their guide's patter. Thanks for passing on the info. The origin of old expressions is usually quite fascinating and your's certainly don't disappoint!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Often those tour guides are students with a summer job, but this one was actually a true historian, so she made the tour much more interesting! Here are some more images I took from this past weekend. The first Masonic Hall in Upper Canada was built here in 1791:










Like most buildings, it was burned at the end of the war of 1812/13 and a new hall was 
built over the site in 1816:










It still stands:



















St Mark's Anglican Church:










and its Rectory:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Lovely, rolling countryside:



















Local wine that we had with dinner:










All in all, a very enjoyable weekend! For anyone who comes to visit Toronto, I highly recommend a day trip to visit this charming old town!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice updates :cheers:


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

Wow, so nice. Thats the true America.


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## kalabaw (Apr 19, 2005)

Love the pictures and love your commentaries too!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, guys!



goschio said:


> Wow, so nice. Thats the true America.


Well, its in Canada actually; but America was involved in a war with us there during 1812-1813! :yes:


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## luckee (May 4, 2010)

Perhaps I missed it but there is a cemetery right in the heart of town; the names on the "stones" reflect the character of the town as to its early settlers, some U.E.L. with some well known familiar names...
Laura Secord homestead is an interesting venue as are Brock's monument and Queenston Heights...


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ There are a few old cemeteries in the heart of the town; the one I am most familiar with is from St Marks, the old Anglican Church. Beautiful old graveyard.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Well, it has been almost one year since I updated this thread, so I'll post some nice Spring photos I took in Niagara-on-the-Lake this past weekend; I'll apologize in advance that of course many scenes I have already photographed and posted elsewhere in this thread. What gorgeous weather we had! Suddenly we were into summer, with hot weather. Firstly, that's the old American Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York across the water. They used to fire cannon balls across the water at our Niagara-on-the-Lake (then called Newark), and my friend found one buried in his garden. This Fort Niagara was first built in 1678 by the French, and then rebuilt in 1726. It was expanded to its current size in 1755. It fell to the British in 1759, and then in turn was lost to the Americans due to the Treaty of Versailles in 1783:












































The Whale Inn, built in 1835 was one of 30 such Inns in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area. It catered mostly to the sailors, of course, being right on the lake:
































Queen Street, which is the high street of the town:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The Owl and the Pussycat, at "The Sign of the Pineapple"























The old court house, built in 1846 between King and Regent Streets, is now the Town Hall. 












Niagara-on-the-Lake is the only town in Canada to officially call its mayor the Lord Mayor, and this title was bestowed many years ago during a visit by King George the Fifth. He stayed at a local hotel called the Queen's Royal Hotel, and signed the guest registry here:












I always take pictures of St Mark's Anglican when I am in Niagara on the Lake because I like it so much. It's congregation formed in 1792, making it the oldest in Ontario.


































7 young sailors died in the 1870's when their schooner was sunk late one 
night on a bad crossing from Toronto to Niagara on the Lake, 
and they are buried in this graveyard:

































this old sundial was pretty accurate:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The Catholic Church is the oldest in Ontario, but unfortunately an extensive "modernisation" a generation or so has left it pretty much unrecognisable:












This was "Victoria Day" long weekend here, so there were throngs of visitors having fun in the parks when we were there. (In fact, even though I am back home in Toronto tonight, I can hear the traditional fireworks downtown that we have every Victoria Day weekend as I post these photos):










































wandering around the town:














The first school, which is now a museum:



































































The Olde Angel Inn, first built in the 1770's and rebuilt after burning down in the War of 1812:



































Beautiful Wisteria:













the side streets are treelined and shady in Niagara on the Lake:













Well, every time I go to Niagara on the Lake I have a big feast with my
friends, and this one was no exception. We celebrated a friend's birthday:























































The weather was sunny and hot so we dined outside:












mmmm.... Ginger Beer:













A young raccoon looked longingly at our feast:











I hope you enjoyed this little Victoria Day tour nearly as much as I enjoyed
doing it!


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Nice pictures!

NOTL is one of those places where they have date markers on the facades of just about every house, so you can track development of the town really well. For someone like me who is into the built environment, it's almost an overload. I have pictures of NOTL that I have not gotten around to posting because there's so much information readily available, that I don't want to post them with nothing to say (and besides, I only covered half of the town).

I noticed some editing missed the mark in one of your St. Mark's pictures. Your program forgot about the bottom of one picture!

Some drink comments. First, what kind of Canada Dry is that? Wikipedia indicates that Canada Dry makes some local sodas. I found that out after looking up information on the origins of Black Cherry Wisniak, which is apparently a type of soda that Canada Dry only releases in the Delaware Valley vicinity (Delaware, Philadelphia, South Jersey, and barely beyond that). Also, I've had Crabbie's before. It was sold in bottles at one of the little bars on Main Street in Newark. I asked about it and checked if it was alcoholic, and was actually kind of surprised to hear that it was. It won't give you a buzz, but that's fine. Maybe that's a strength, where you get the best of both worlds with a soda and a beer. It was pretty good; it tasted just like regular ginger ale.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, xzmattzx! What did I forget in editing my St Mark's photos? Sorry I don't understand... 
Shame what they did to the St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church with that awful modernisation. Looks like it was built in the '60's.
Some of the original is left in the interior, but not a lot.

That Canada Dry is just tonic water for the gin, but you are looking at the French side which is Soda Tonique! 
Crabbies also makes an orange ginger beer which I really want to try. I like Ginger beer a lot; Crabbie's does taste a lot
like the non-alcoholic Ginger Beer as the alcohol level is low.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Very nice. Those clapboard cottages remind me of the small towns and villages of Essex and Kent coasts. kay:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Yes, me too. The style was brought over to North America from Britain by the Quakers who settled in New England. It is a Georgian style of house, but out of wood instead of stone or brick, and adapted to the new region. After the Americans had their Revolution of 1776, those who remained loyal to the Crown had to rather quickly leave for Canada. They were the early settlers of towns like Niagara-on-the-Lake and continued on with the style of houses they had had back home in places like Connecticut.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed great, very nice spring photos :cheers:


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Taller said:


> Thanks, xzmattzx! What did I forget in editing my St Mark's photos? Sorry I don't understand...
> Shame what they did to the St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church with that awful modernisation. Looks like it was built in the '60's.
> Some of the original is left in the interior, but not a lot.
> 
> ...


The picture must've been loading or something, because I'm not seeing any editing line any more.


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## jjmlawa (Aug 29, 2014)

Great pictures


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Spent the weekend in lovely Niagara-on-the-Lake. Colours are at their peak and the weather was gorgeous! 















































































































































































My friends cooked me a meal fit for a King!!















I brought the same delicious Ontario wine as I took to Thanksgiving:













40 garlic clove chicken:














roasted Autumn veggies:














Yummmmm......














Apple crisp for dessert!


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## Bodhi1111 (Oct 27, 2015)

*Nice Zoom in photo of Toronto 40 miles as the crow flies.*

Such a beautiful little town and wine country so close to Toronto. Love the photo of the zoomed in shot of Toronto city skyline from Niagara as it makes me wonder about how this would be impossible given our ball earth model curvature formulas. Apparently this is only possible if we live on a Flat Earth!

This will sound silly unless you dig a little deeper than just the surfacce and the massive conditioning we've been subjected to our entire lives. 

Google Flat Earth and/or ifers.boards.net


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Great pictures! You should've gone for a hike on the escarpment. There's some places in St. Catharines where there are trails and waterfalls and stuff. Some views of Toronto here and there, too. This is the time of year for nature hikes!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Indeed it would have been lovely! But I only had 24 hours for the visit, so it was spent socializing, eating and taking lots of photos! 





Bodhi1111 said:


> Such a beautiful little town and wine country so close to Toronto. Love the photo of the zoomed in shot of Toronto city skyline from Niagara as it makes me wonder about how this would be impossible given our ball earth model curvature formulas. Apparently this is only possible if we live on a Flat Earth!
> 
> This will sound silly unless you dig a little deeper than just the surfacce and the massive conditioning we've been subjected to our entire lives.
> 
> Google Flat Earth and/or ifers.boards.net



I would say that those photos prove there is curvature of the earth because you cannot see the bottoms of the buildings. They all look shorter than they are because the bottom part is 
not visible due to the curvature of the earth! But I thank you for your kind comments and for taking the time to see my photos!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really lovely, amazing and very nice updates; well done :cheers:


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## Jonas_97 (Oct 28, 2015)

Awesome pictures!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks!!  I was in Niagara-on-the-Lake this week, and took some shots across the lake toward Toronto. First without telephoto, then using it:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Amazing, very nice! Well done :cheers:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Beautiful lake shots!


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Very nice update full of tranquility! kay:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^^ Thanks everyone!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks to all who participated in my photo threads, but I am winding them up now. Photobucket wants hundreds of dollars to support old posted photos and I'm not going to be pushed into it by them. Perhaps I'll start some new threads!


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