West beach, Port Hope, at Lake Ontario. Out of frame: uranium refinery, railway tracks, water treatment plant, and a creek.

A skiff of snow is on the beach. It is quite cold. Beyond the shrubs is a creek that drains the ravine to the north of the tracks. The creek washes over the beach, spilling into the lake.

The surface of the lake is beginning to thicken from the air’s chill. But it isn’t freezing yet, and may not freeze at all. Off shore, steam rises; the lake is still much warmer.