The weather remains cold and snowy and we tend to hibernate at home. That all changed on the 25th when the temperature dropped and the sun came out to play. We joined Shawnessy and Brian and their munchkins for a great brunch and then some excitement on the hills of Riverdale Park in Toronto's Don Valley. Here are Ann and I together on a magic carpet starting our downhill run while Erin looks on. We made it to the bottom before we fell off.

At the end of the day we ask a kind stranger to take our picture. We gather at the edge of the valley, just beside the steep slope heading down in the valley. Beside the park is the Don Valley Parkway, the Don River, a railway, a roadway and another park on the opposite side of the valley. Even with all the work and fun it was still chilly.

What I consider to be Canada's worst month - February, fast approaches and we are expecting more cold and snow. I already have the February blahs. Hopefully we will find something fun to do both inside and out.

Tomorrow we go to Jersey Boys, the musical, somewhere in Toronto. We have also booked our vacation with the kids going to San Francisco this March break and we will attend a concert with both Billy Joel and Elton John later this spring. As always, if you have any suggestions for great (and economical) things to do in San Francisco please send us an email.

With spring comes the warmer tempatures and the melting of the snow. In anticipation of the changing of the seasons I present a taste of last years visit to the Band family cottage. Ready to launch the kids off a water trampoline floating in Kawagama Lake are several members of the extended Band family.

Here are some of the girls wearing visible thongs in public. You would think that they would be uncomfortable but they swear by them. Ann's pair is fuzzy.

While we did not have a January thaw the weather in February seems to be warming up a bit - the sun has come out a few times and the mercury has climbed above freezing a few times now. The shot above shows some nice colour in the heart of downtown Acton - the stores are tdi Dance Center and Activears.

Here we are against the facade of the new Roxy Cafe and Crossings Community Church building on Mill Street East looking east along Highway #7. The snow piles up on the sidewalk and after a few snowfalls the Town of Halton Hills removes the snowbanks along the side of the road - you should see the areas where they don't remove the snow.

There were quite a few people enjoying the beautiful weather and the frozen waterfalls of the Niagara Escarpment. Climbing the vertical faces of frozen ice looks like quite an adventure and great exercise. Here are three ladies taking turns climbing Borer's Falls.

No one is climbing the partially frozen Tew Falls in the Spencer Gorge (below).

While at Tiffany Falls in Ancaster there are quite a few climbers left late in the afternoon.