All articles, tagged with “autumn”

Greg, our two traveling cats and I spent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (2nd weekend in October) on the Canadian side of the Thousand Islands in Ontario. We were enthralled by the quiet beauty and uniqueness of the area.

There are around 1865 islands in a 50 mile span of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario that vary greatly in size. Some smaller ones have a charming house or two on them with small bridges connecting a couple tiny islands. Imagine living on your own private island! The Iroquois referred to this area as “Garden of the Great Spirit”. And this IS where Thousand Island dressing was created.

We accessed the Thousand Islands from Gananoque, ON, a lovely little town (pop. 5285) about midway between Toronto and Montreal. We were so impressed by the friendliness of the people. The optimal time to see Fall colors is generally the 3rd weekend in October. Here are some of our trip highlights and links for more info:

In order to see the islands, it’s best to take a boat cruise. The Gananoque Boat Line offers journeys of various lengths including a 5-hour Boldt Castle Stopover Cruise. The 1-hour cruise ($20 per person) was a perfect length for us. We happened upon the boat just as it was departing and since we missed the ticket counter, the dockhand trustingly let us on without tickets. We did buy them afterwards, and it saved us a 1.5 hr. wait for the next boat. The Gan Boat Line gift shop was offering 40% off most items for the holiday, and the cashier was very informative about the area.

For lunch, the gift shop cashier recommended the Ganonoque Inn and Spa for their waterfront view and wi-fi. We tried one of the Inn’s restaurants, Muskie Jake’s, which features delicious casual fare and generous portions. Try the lemon beer-battered fish and chips or veggie wrap. For Thanksgiving weekend, they serve a special all-inclusive turkey dinner for $20 on Sunday night by reservation only. Good deal!

Only 25 minutes away, Kingston sports a pretty waterfront reminiscent of Vancouver’s marina with some nice pubs along the river.

Visit 1000 Islands Gananoque for places to stay, like the picturesque Athlone Inn, and more activities. For campers, there are many nice resorts, including 1000 Islands Camping Resort which is quiet, pretty and has full hook-ups. The 1000 Islands/Ivy Lea KOA has Thanksgiving dinner and Trick or Treat this weekend, but it books up early.

If you want to access this area from upstate New York, click on Visit 1000 Islands.

Happy travels!

You may be thinking, a Water Film from New York City?

You bet. Because Central Park is an oasis of calm in the middle of fast paced urban living. As you watch, it might be hard to imagine that there were thousands of people just outside of the camera’s eye. Many city dwellers were enjoying the day in nature.

We’ve been pondering this spot ever since our visit because it’s amazing that this rectangular slice of nature seems to bring an entire urban metropolis into balance.

If you desire a ten minute break today, sink into your chair and become transformed by the beauty of Central Park.

The soundtrack for this film is called “November Day,” a piano solo inspired by that warm autumn afternoon. You can download it here.

Press play to refresh your mind and body.

You can also watch it on YouTube.

Also, the video link is appearing on a site of our new friends at HawaiianLife.com. They are always kind enough to share Water Films with their community. This cool site features a blog, photos, music, links and a community of people who are dedicated to “getting in touch with the true Hawaiian spirit.” Check them out!

In early 2011, we will be releasing a DVD of these Water Films so people can take them wherever they like and watch the videos in full HD.

If you’d like to take a break from the holiday bustle and feel peaceful, check out these images from the Cuyahoga River Valley in fall. Here’s the newest relaxing Water Film, “Autumn River.”

Flowing water images are accompanied by a new composition entitled, “Autumn River.” This tranquil piece blends strings, piano and light chimes.

You can watch the new movie here:

Watch it in HD on the full screen on YouTube!

Or you can go to our Water Films website to watch this movie or any of the other relaxing Water Films.

If you like the music, “Autumn River,” you can download it here.

Take some time for yourself to recharge and relax.

The last two weeks of October have been incredibly beautiful with the trees showing off their colors. Inspired by images of fall, I present to you a new relaxing Water Film, “Autumn Spirit.”

This short film features images from right outside my front door to the Metroparks around Cleveland to the Cuyahoga River Valley. The visual treat is accompanied by my brand new recording of Debussy’s piano Prelude, “Danseuses de Delphes.”

You can watch this new movie here:

Watch it in HD on the full screen on Youtube!

Or you can go to our Water Films website.

If you like the brand new recording of Debussy’s piano music, “Danseuses de Delphes,” you can download it here.

Kick back and relax!