High Noon

The sun shone today for four wonderful hours. This fall, the prevailing westerly winds have pumped cloud and rain from the Great Lakes over southern Ontario in a most persistent pattern. I went out for my usual noon hour walk today and found it very difficult to return to the hospital. As I stood on the little patio pictured here outside the chapel, one of our doctors joined me in soaking up a few rays of sunshine before we had to go in for rounds. He and his young family moved here recently from Thunder Bay, Ontario which is located on the northwest shore of Lake Superior. He found the air there clearer and drier, albeit considerably colder in the winter time, as the weather is not influenced by the Great Lakes as it is here.
The birds and squirrels were out enjoying the fine day as well. With the leaves off the trees, I had a clear view of the branches and saw two downy woodpeckers and four cardinals in the bush behind the buildings. I managed to capture a photo of one cardinal, certainly not of Audubon quality, but really the first bird picture I have taken that is recognizable as such. (The only creature I can reliably photograph is our dog). Every spot of colour, from the red of the cardinals and the berries on the trees, to the warm glow of the sun was a feast for the senses.
The sun is low in the sky. The patio photo was taken at “high” noon, but the rays of light are similar to those on a summer evening. The Tundra PA mentioned in a recent post that they will have four hours of daylight on winter solstice where she lives in Alaska. But, she also said that going out at noon for a few minutes of sun on the hands and face is enough to prevent her from suffering from SAD.
It is raining again now, but I will use one of today’s photos as a desktop on my computer and remember a beautiful day.