My sister had never been to Canada but came for a visit last April. I picked her up at the airport in Toronto and drove her through the traffic and multilane highways, past the grape vines and peach trees to Niagara Falls, where I live. She was very tired from the flight and soon slept. The first day we walked to see the Falls. The spray from the Falls drifts high into the air and across the people standing to watch. There are people from all over the world watching the water and using their cameras. Because it was April there was still ice beside the water, huge chunks of ice that looked like white rocks. In the river there were floating pieces of ice moving downstream. The next day we went to the town where the Niagara River joins Lake Ontario. The weather was warm. We walked a long way and our feet were hot, so we went down to the edge of the water to put our feet in. One toe in was enough! The water was so cold it made our feet ache! A piece of ice drifted beside our feet. I put one foot in for a second then out, as the pain of the cold went right through me! My sister could not understand how it could be so warm, but there was still ice. Another day we went to see my daughter; she is living on a farm an hour's drive away. We walked through her trees; the buds were starting to turn into leaves. We stopped and looked at the spring wildflowers. We climbed across a creek by walking over a fallen tree. We saw the footprints of raccoons by the water. There was fresh air and sunshine and blue sky. On the way home we stopped for hamburgers and fries at a drive-through restaurant. She had never been to a drive-through restaurant before. Then we went to a donut shop. There are no donut shops where she lives. There was a choice of 20 different types of donut: some round, some with holes, some with frosting, some with jam inside--each was different. The days passed quickly, and soon it was time to take her back to the airport. Some of the trees now had leaves; some of the tulips were now blooming. It was hard to say goodbye to my sister. I hope we can visit again soon.
