This past weekend the beautiful city of Stratford, located in south-western Ontario, Canada, enjoyed a unique celebration. Each spring, the lovely swans which float the picturesque river and Victoria Lake, are ceremoniously paraded from their winter home back to the waters they love.
Despite the miserable cold weather, my daughters and I decided to brave the elements and take their kiddies to see these majestic birds.
A crowd lined the street and the view for the wee ones was limited to what happened right in front of them. Hearing the pipe band gave them a heads up that something was happening and they delighted in the drums and bagpipes, until suddenly before their very eyes strutted a flock of swans. Large and close enough to be just out of reach, they brought wide eyes to, and delighted squeals from, my three beautiful grandbabies.
After they passed, the three-year-old could barely wait to get to the river to catch another glance of them at their elegant best. The damp chill was no deterrent, the biting wind was barely noticed, as we watched them fly over and glide through the still water.
Though we had joked about the swans dipping one webbed foot into the chilly river and turning back to the warmth from which they had come, we knew it wouldn’t happen. While we might have been quite unhappy with the turn spring had taken, it is within the comfort zone for these birds and easily overlooked to return to the element they love.
Crossing the bridge to the island, we were treated to three swans soaring over the patch of grass before settling gracefully on the water. Returning home along the river’s edge, we watched a dozen of them floating picturesquely beside us until the nip in the air sent us to shelter.
Now, as I reflect on special time with my family and think about the return of these majestic creatures to Stratford’s beautiful landscape, scoping out some swan illustrations for today’s message seemed appropriate. Here are three terrific collections:
iCLIPART.com Swan Illustrations
