Wednesday, October 21, 2015

water, wind, and flying leaves

On Monday, October 19th, Mary Stewart and I went to take pictures of the Niagara River and of the sights at Beaver Island State Park. It was a lovely, though windy, autumn day. The trees don't look spectacular, but it still looked delightfully autumnal.

This is the Niagara River. Grand Island is one of the largest of the islands in the Niagara River. Maybe it is the largest. I'm not sure. Across the river, you can see Canada.

The waves are strong and beat against the shore. It is a wild river. There is an even stronger undertow, so swimming is probably not the best choice on a day like this.

This tree stump looks like some sort of critter having a Really Bad Hair Day.


At Beaver Island State Park, it was delightful to see dogs walking their humans on the beach. 

This is a view from the beach.



There are many shelters at Beaver Island State Park for picnics, gatherings, and other events.


Beaver Island has a small boardwalk. It is a good place to walk and view the river.



This is the back of the clubhouse at Beaver Island State Park. It is what you see from the beach.

Beaver Island State Park has an excellent gardener, named Lori. Some of the lush vegetation that she cares for is still blooming in mid-October.


This is a closeup view of the round window at the Clubhouse.

This is the upstairs balcony at Beaver Island State Park.

These are River Lea's original gates. River Lea is a farmhouse that was designed by Lewis F. Allen, a prominent Buffalo citizen in the mid-nineteenth century. Allentown in Buffalo is named for him. He was a farmer and Allen Street in Buffalo was, in his time, a trail for his cows. He purchased land on the southern tip of Grand Island and established an experimental farm, called Allenton Farms. There, he raised cattle and he had orchards. One of his accomplishments was to introduce the northern spy apple to Grand Island.

This is the upper balcony of River Lea. River Lea is now divided in two. The back portion of the house is the residence of the caretaker of the Beaver Island golf course. The front portion is the headquarters of the Grand Island Historical Society.
This is another view of River Lea.

This is the dock near River Lea. It does not extend to the land.




View from the dock.

2 comments:

emilia.m said...

beautiful... I have yet to visit your side of the Niagara River :D (love the Niagara Falls...)

Cerebrations.biz said...

Been to the Niagara region often- but never ventured onto Grand Island. Thanks for the virtual tour. I guess it should be on my itinerary the next time I come.