Ross Robinson, Author at Niagara Now

Ross’s Ramblings: Queen Street queries and weather observations

Monday morning at 9:50, I arrived at the Court House to lead my daily “Free Walking Tour of our Town,” for the 74th straight day. Imagine how my heart soared, as there were

Ross’s Ramblings: Open? Closed? Family Day needs clarification and commitment

Monday, Feb. 20 was a lovely day for families to be outside enjoying fresh air in our lovely spa-like town, where the Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario. Six people arrived on the

Ross’s Ramblings: Mrs. Dove should be in Teachers Hall of Fame. But that culvert …

‘Twas a joy to read the heartwarming and very personal story by NOTL athlete Wallace Wiens regarding the lifelong contribution that Mrs. Dove made to her quiet and humble life. She writes so

Ross’s Ramblings: Picking-up businesses are busy picking up all around NOTL

Now that I am downtown every morning for two hours, leading my Free Walking Tours around Queen Street and Queen’s Royal Park and St. Mark’s cemetery, it amazes me how much effort is

Ross’s Ramblings: NOTL Scots and wannabe Scots devour haggis at Robbie Burns Night

Often, haggis is a hard sell, but not last Friday evening in our town. The stars must have aligned, because many of us, fans of Robbie Burns, asked for seconds and thirds of

Ross’s Ramblings: Will private roads lead to gated communities in our town?

Many thoughts that get into my head lead me to ramble. Only a few encourage me to think deeply. While walking around town last weekend, two signs told me I wasn’t really welcome

Ross’s Ramblings: Are the people or their pets the top dog in NOTL?

Thank goodness for pet dogs or many locals would get no real exercise outdoors in the fresh air – especially in the winter, when dog owners take their pets out two or three

Ross’s Ramblings: As NOTLers age gracefully, our language changes

Time to reflect on the past year and to tentatively look forward to the new year. Interestingly, as we age at our individual paces, the meaning of the words we choose changes subtly.

Ross’s Ramblings: Come along on my new free walking tours of NOTL

Free walking tours are popular around the world. Jerusalem, Boston, Sydney, Vancouver, Paris, Auschwitz, Nashville, Athens. And yes, Lunenburg. Niagara-on-the-Lake stands ready. Aye, ready! Last Saturday afternoon, a hardy group of locals got

Ross’s Ramblings: Soccer, hockey, tennis, whatever – our kids need to play more

There are just under 3 million citizens in Qatar. Some 74 per cent are male. Go figger. The FIFA World Cup is being staged in this sovereign and independent state in the Middle

Ross’s Ramblings: For important occasions, let’s avoid the sounds of silence

Time after time it happens, here and elsewhere. People gather to celebrate an occasion, to hear a speech, to enjoy a concert or to celebrate the life of a loved one. Or, to

Ross’s Ramblings: Hockey people, let ‘Paul for the Hall’ ring out across NOTL

Yes, neighbours it’s our chance to get the right thing done. Hockey people are not philosophers, but are always eager to speak their minds quickly and clearly. Even when they don’t agree, they

Ross’s Ramblings: Closed car wash creates an unsightly conundrum

Since the days of the horseless carriage arrived here in Niagara, residents have proudly kept their vehicles clean and shiny. It has been a mystery to me how even the most macho half-ton

Ross’s Ramblings: Walk near Brock clears the electoral mind. But that apostrophe?

During the exhaustingly long municipal election campaign, now thankfully and democratically over, I tried to keep my rambling mind focused on important issues. I fought the urge to spend time worried about xenophobic,

Ross’s Ramblings: NOTL election signs could use a jolt of imagination

There has got to be a better way. Let’s think about options to lawn signs, which most of our municipal candidates obviously love. Are they really the most cost-effective and efficient way to

Ross’s Ramblings: Changing from Queen to King and where will it stop?

Our much loved Queen has died and I have come to realize the ubiquity of the word Queen. Yes, that word is everywhere, in so many areas of our Canadian lives. I have

Ross’s Ramblings: Using hockey stars to promote gambling is offensive

Am I the only one, or is the sight of Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews and other hockey celebrities encouraging me to gamble on professional sports games offensive? In our lifetimes, will Niagara IceDogs

Ross’s Ramblings: Ubiquitous NOTL signs are dumbing down our lives

Is it just me, or has there been a recent proliferation of signs here in our pretty and horticulturally rich wee town, and in our beautiful Niagara region? Some are helpful, but others

Ross’s Ramblings: Will new diverging diamond road ‘improve’ confusion at Glendale?

It was surely a slow news weekend, despite the 50th anniversary stories reminding us of the society-altering 1972 Munich Olympic tragedy and the Canada-altering rough and tumble, hooliganistic hockey win over Russia. The

Ross’s Ramblings: The characters of NOTL give town its character

We regularly hear well-meaning local people pontificating about protecting the character of our charming wee town. Zoning density, lot coverage, square footage and more details. Can we agree that bricks and mortar and

Ross’s Ramblings: Canada Summer Games coast to a noisy ending with fireworks in gorge

My pal Dave Boyes and I attended the closing ceremony of the Canada Summer Games in Niagara Falls. It was a nostalgic trip for both of us, as we had both been part

Ross’s Ramblings: Tennis final thrills spectators at Canada Games

It was a fun and raucous Saturday evening at the tennis courts in Memorial Park, as the final match unfolded between the two mixed doubles teams from Quebec and British Columbia. It was

Ross’s Ramblings: Sh-h-h! The Canada Games tennis tournament is at Memorial Park

Do you think athletes prefer to play in front of quiet, empty bleachers? No, they don’t. I spent five hours in the furnace-like heat on Sunday and, as well as being treated to great

Ross’s Ramblings: As society slowly changes, so does our language

How do we manage to stay abreast of the changes in our world and the evolution of our words? Long ago, in the days before computers and mobile phones, life must have moved

Ross’s Ramblings: Music Niagara understands sound, technically

As an event organizer, I learned long ago to “always overspend on sound.” How many times have we been to concerts or speeches or weddings or sports events where the organizer has cheaped

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