Anniversary Escape to Niagara Falls

My desire to see Niagara Falls came on rather suddenly. For most of my life, I hadn’t given this natural beauty more than a passing thought. Then one day we talked about it, and I decided I really did want to experience the falls in person.

So for our anniversary we road tripped up to the border, on into Ontario, Canada, and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Like any grand spectacle, there is no substitute for standing there next to Niagara’s Horseshoe Falls. It’s loud and churning and endless.

Everyone was a little wet from the mist but charged enough by some unseen powers that our loose hairs were standing on end, like they’d been rubbed by a balloon. We read that these are the negative ions that are said to alleviate stress and depression. It worked for us… go see for yourself! 😉

It was a broody day and the color of the sky and water changed throughout.

This goofball did this. I’m happy to report that we both survived the day. I may worry too much.

This was one of my favorite vantage points, seeing the water picking up momentum.

After the falls we visited Niagara’s Botanical Gardens. These beds pictured are full of edibles like thyme, mint and lavender. A School of Horticulture building is off to the left, along with beds of kale, artichoke, cabbage and brussels sprouts. I looked for potential jewelry bits and pieces but the end of the growing season is arriving and things were pretty ragged up close. As a garden though, we were so impressed with the care and variety within.

On the grounds of the garden is a beautiful Butterfly Conservatory. We settled on this as part of our weekend after reading reviews, and it actually was so fun. There are 45 species of butterflies, clearly well cared for, in a pleasantly landscaped tropical environment with a pond and a waterfall. I chased them with my camera (gracefully and delicately) and managed a few close-ups.

And I nearly forgot to mention our friend. I’m not sure why I was so excited that this guy wanted to stay and hang out, but I insisted on photos. Must have been the ions.

Happy anniversary to my sweet, supportive, kind and generous honey!