The morning mist over these trees caught my eye during one of my lone early morning explorations somewhere in Niagara as I watched the world awaken. I love the subtle colours, the way the mist interacts with the distant trees, and the contrast between the sun and the tree cradling it in it’s arms.
Call me romantic. The simple low key composition really draws my eyes. I find it hypnotically pleasing. It reflects closely how I felt when I was there in that moment. It works for me, especially at full size.
Available for digital download, prints, gallery wraps and assorted wall art, starting at $3.
While playing with the new version of Blender 3D this evening I was monitoring and enjoying feedback from my post about the Robin Hood Mill in Port Colborne. Close to two hundred people and counting have so far shared it across various social media platforms. Between them and their legions of friends hitting the site all at the same time, I had to double the monthly bandwidth allowance on the server – twice in 48 hours. That’s a factor of 4. It’s a problem every site owner wants to have.
I run my own servers so I was able to manage easily. I’m happy. I’m also very happy this post was so popular. Thanks to all those that shared and enjoyed!
This of course made me wonder about a follow up. It seems I struck a vein with RobinHood, so what, I thought, should I write about next? That’s where I’m hoping to get your help with suggestions, dear readers. What in Port Colborne would you like to read about? And who should I approach?
Your suggestion may become my next personal project. Or the next word added to the Port Colborne Cube, below. Either way, please, let me know.
The Port Colborne Cube
It was while noodling that I doodled with 3D, making a short list of some places of interest. That list swiftly became this design, the Port Colborne Cube. I can add or change everything, and probably will as I continue to play. The words I chose show only a fraction of the things this fine city has to offer.
Words, lighting, camera angles, colours. I may animate it. Everything is up for grabs. I did nothing for the last two hours but play with lighting setups. Being a photographer and having unlimited lighting options? Priceless. I’m like a kid in a candy store. This may take over my weekend. I kid you not. Really.
By the way, if you might like your own Cube, get in touch. This design can easily be customized to your brand, colour scheme, placement, backdrop. On a wall it would be a great way to present a wine list, menu, or a welcome board on an easel at a wedding. Even a billboard. Just a couple of thoughts. I am the Design Guy, after all. It’s what I do. Spoiler alert, there will be a fee. Hey, I have bills to pay too. 🙂
Geek Stuff
OK enough of that, let’s quickly get some tech stuff out of the way. Skip this section if you have no tech inclinations. The LTS 2.83.1 version of Blender 3D is available for download. This amazing software can now do even more, even faster, and for even less money. Well, that’s not strictly true: It’s always been free.
The interface and speed improvements alone make it worth the cost of the upgrade (free). I created all these images in one evening and found myself exploring some of the more arcane features simply because the time overhead between click and finished render has all but disappeared. I found myself throwing stuff around just for fun to see if I could crash it. Which I did. Bad idea. Bad Carl.
New features galore for me to explore (happiness rhymes). The Eevee rendering engine is such a delight. Creating and spinning models around in real time, seeing them draw instantly is, frankly, hypnotic. It gives the creative mind a chance to quickly try ideas that previously took hours of fine tuning. Click. Done. Happy dance! I’m going to continue refining this. These are effectively roughs and this Cube and I are both far from finished.
Port Colborne Cube
Port Colborne Cube
Port Colborne Cube
Port Colborne Cube
Port Colborne Cube
Port Colborne Cube with magic butterflies
Click images for full screen
Suggestions Please
OK, geek stuff done, I once more wish to thank everyone for the response to the Robin Hood article.
As I say I hope to write similar items of just as much interest. Could be fun for us all. Please reply to this post, comment on social media, or email me through the contact form on the site. I’m open to ideas. All printable suggestions for topics will be considered and all will be greatly appreciated.
Standing like a behemoth on the Northern skyline of Port Colborne is the imposing edifice of the Robin Hood Flour Mill. This magnificent building has dominated the local landscape for decades.
Loved by some, loathed by others, the once thriving mill employed around seventy at it’s peak in the 1960’s and was a significant force in the local economy and beyond, as flour was processed and sent to all corners of Canada and America. The world changed. Those glory days have passed.
Robin Hood Locker Room
Behind almost every door in the old locker room are written names long since forgotten. Many doors are inscribed with combinations to neighbouring lockers – this was back when you and your workmates trusted each other. Simpler times. Some would say better.
The flour mill went through a series of changes before finally being closed for good in 2007. During the next two years it changed hands several times. In 2009 the site was acquired by Ceres Global Ag Corp., a Minnesota based grain company that saw the potential in both the building and its location on the Welland Canal.
During the next three years work commenced on re-purposing the mill from flour to grain distribution, removing much of the unneeded milling equipment and adding rail, truck, and boat loading infrastructure. Now a central part of Canada’s grain economy and distribution network and fully covered under the Grain Act of 1987, Robin Hood is ready willing and able to deliver high quality grain throughout Canada.
A Promising Future
The storage capacity is impressive. Robin Hood has 129 grain bins which can store 2.3 million bushels. These cylinders give the building it’s unique look and height. As someone that has walked on the roof of these bins I find it hard to convey their sheer size. From a distance they are imposing. Looking into them through a grill at the top, they are phenomenally huge. Let me put it this way. You could easily drop the contents of a small car dealership forecourt into each without filling it to the top.
129 storage bins
Routing the grain
Drying system
View of Sugarloaf Hill
Grain conveyors
Up on the roof
More grain conveyors
Warehouse Art Gallery
Warehouse
Endless stairs
Endless corridors
Inside the Robin Hood mill. Click for larger images.
The high speed conveyor system and pipework required to channel fast moving grain into 129 bins is equally staggering. The biggest grain elevators (there are half a dozen or so) can each move 1000 tons of grain per hour. These lift the grain up to the appropriate conveyor, which carries it to the correct bin. I found it interesting that the system used to position the outpouring grain above the correct bin is, surprisingly, manual. I like that in this automated age the human touch is still required.
The newest addition to the grain management operation, installed earlier this year, is the drying system. Grain tends to absorb moisture and this can cause problems with quality control. Previously, grain had to be shipped onward to specialist drying facilities, which of course incurred cost to farmers and producers. This addition makes Robin Hood a much more appealing venue as drying can be done on site, saving both time and money for the customer, and getting the product to market faster.
New Horizons
The facility looks from the outside to be in a state of disrepair, abandoned. This is not so. The redirection of purpose in recent years has given the facility new life. Most of that is not visible from the outside. Repairs continue to be made, additions added, updates installed. It will take time, but it will be done.
In 2019 Ceres signed an agreement with London Agricultural Commodities (LAC), Ontario’s leading distribution network, for storage and handling at the site. This agreement will see the opening of new markets in 2020 coming in to Port Colborne by rail, truck, and boat, boosting the local economy. This venerable facility will be around for a long time to come. And that makes me smile.
To close, I wanted to show one more aspect of the Robin Hood: The view.
It is quite simply breathtaking. A quick trip to the roof provides uninterrupted 360 degree views across the whole Niagara peninsula and beyond. Talk about new horizons.
Life is full of surprises. Some good. Some, not so much. Rolling with the ups and downs only gets you so far. If you really want something, you have to make it happen. You have to chase your dreams.
Your dream may be big: Marriage, family, a home, a career. It could be as simple as getting your driving license. Going on vacation. Passing an exam. Finishing a home improvement project. Learning to knit. Everything involves a degree or two of commitment. No surprises there. Dreams take work.
What might surprise you is how short a time you have in which to make those dreams a reality.
Case in point, so far this summer five people I know have died. Three unexpectedly, two after illness. All left life with unfulfilled dreams. Dreams they kept putting off, for various reasons, until later. Sometimes there is no later. Which begs the question, why put off your dreams?
I am within a decade of retirement. I have plans. For one, going on an epic road trip around Canada, travel blogging and taking photos to help pay for the trip. Open to discussions on sponsorship. 🙂
This trip will be open ended. It may take years to complete. There will be no rush to come home. With a camper van full of our down-sized lives, my long-suffering wife and I will head off into every sunset to see what’s over the next hill. And there’s a lot to see in Canada.
Tick Tock, Watch That Clock
This year’s events make me ponder bringing our plans forward. I’m not getting any younger. None of us are. Some won’t get any older. Whether you are sixteen or sixty six, whatever your circumstances, we all have dreams of one size or another. The one thing we should all remember is this: Tomorrow never comes. So chase your dreams today. Delay no more. Before you know it the clock has ticked on and the opportunity has gone, forever. Too old. Too young. Too busy. Don’t do that.
Start making plans. Chase your dreams. If you (nice segue, Carl) want to help me chase mine, and maybe inspire yourself or others, consider buying something from my store. This design features my wife taking in sunset at our lakeside cabin in Muskoka. A happy memory. A dream fulfilled.
Available products include T-shirts, badges, mugs, pillows, coasters, window stickers and prints. Click the image to go to the shop and see all the products on offer. You choose.
Here’s some background on this dream of ours. In my previous life in the UK I lived on the road as a sales manager for many years. I set my own route and schedule, spending four nights per week in hotels (expense accounts are awesome) schmoozing clients from one end of that sceptered isle to the other. Logistics are second nature. The road holds no fear. The stories I could tell…
I averaged 1500 km per week, which in the UK is quite a feat. This was in the days before Google maps. I kept a box of maps under the seat. After the first year I rarely opened it. I didn’t need to. Just climbed in and drove. But I was always racing the sun. Never had time to slow down. To enjoy. That’s where this is coming from.
It will be fun to take the scenic route for a change. Take time to smell the roses, go at our own speed. Onwards, into the sunset. Or a new sunrise. Either way. We aim to live our dream.
This water tower was part of the Port Colborne skyline for a very long time. Iconic. Before it was demolished I made time to get some shots and video of it.
I love my flying camera. Of course, I’m not actually up there. I would have liked that. Spending an hour on that walkway enjoying the scene would have made me very happy. I added myself later.
The thing about being the guy behind the camera is, you are never in front of it. But you can fake it.
This weekend should have seen over a hundred bikes roaring around the Niagara region partaking in the annual Peewee memorial ride, one of many charity fundraising events run by the NBS Riders. This Summer, like most other social events, the event was cancelled due to… well, we all know why. Pretty much every event has been cancelled this year. 2020 is a complete bust, event wise.
We lost Peewee in 2013. We have lost many others since. This year we have been unable, in many cases, to mark their losses with a memorial. Some, we could not attend a celebration of life. Even their funerals.
That does not mean we forget.
For every loss there are those that mourn. Those that want to pay their respects. That remember.
What we must also remember is that this, too, shall pass. One day we will gather again. Enjoy the sun. Listen to music. Drink beer. Eat pizza. And at that time, we shall remember those we lost. And smile.
The power of community, of friendship, of family by blood or otherwise, unites us all. Regardless of distance. Or time. Or race. Religion. Politics. We will survive. Because together, we are strong. Though far apart we are only a thought away. Reach out to a friend. Make a call. Put a smile on a face. Lighten their day as well as your own. Do it today.
When the time is right our friends and families will celebrate again. And mourn and laugh and cry and dance and sing. We will remember. Above all, we will remember this.
