The Windmills, Sancho!

Part Deux:

We took a trip down Hwy 21 (along the Ontario coast of Lake Huron) in search of Don Quixote's Windmills. Several new huge windmills are dotting the fields along the coastline. Many people have argued against having these giants in the area. "They're an eye-sore!" Well, we found them just the opposite. We were curiously attracted to them. I wanted to see one up close, and attack it! Okay, "La Mancha" wasn't playing on the car stereo…but that would've been appropriate.

We turned on a side-road past Kincardine and pulled off onto the shoulder. The blades of this monster were swooping almost directly over-head. The top of the blade reaches over 100 meters high! That's more yardage than the Lions gain in a game… The box where the "fan" connects is big enough for someone to stand inside, walk around and work comfortably. (Am I getting across the impression that these are big?)

The sound was impressive too. You had to get up pretty close, but there was a definite "swooshing" sound as each blade went by.

Anyway, we then knocked on the door of the near-by nuclear facility. Okay, not really. Before we got anywhere close, we were greeted by an armed guard wearing a bullet-proof vest telling us to back away. We chatted for a minute and then backed away when she started getting an itchy trigger finger.

The rest of the trip was spent at the family Farm, visiting with Uncle Joe and Auntie Beth and a friend of theirs. It was relaxing, except for the discovery by the kids of a cat's skull. (No, not the Catskills, an actual skull.) There was some discussion of this being from a family pet, which spurred comments like, "Alas, poor Sam, I knew him Horatio!" They figured it might be from a dinosaur, but more likely the designation was "feline-domesticus". Liam found an old golf ball and I assured him it was from the same age - "Titleist-asaurus".