I spotted this mural on a garage door in a laneway just off Dundas St W and at first though it was an official sign. But no, it is a mural by the artist Random, aka Spencer Harrington, who has done many murals around town. I like the childish hand and the coloured crayons. Not sure what is supposed to mean though.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is St Peter's Catholic Church located on Bathurst St at Bloor St west and it has been here since 1925 when it replaced a smaller church on the site. Unfortunately after all those years, in 2012 the bell tower was in danger of collapse and so the congregation raised over $400,000 to fix it and save the church.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I still have a few pics from autumn which I like and this one was taken as I wandered through Queen's Park a couple of weeks ago when I took the pic of Edward Vll on his horse. It was a glorious sunny day and the trees were casting such wonderful shadows onto the leaf-coverd grass. This park is basically a circle with lots of vehicular traffic moving around the outside of it but you tend to forget that when you are there among the trees. And interestingly it seems that all the trees have been tagged with small identity cards which made it fun to explore.
This pic was taken by sticking the camera lens between the bars in yesterday's fence. I like the way the blue track leads the eye towards the CN Tower visible in the distance. I assume the track is blue in honour of the Varsity Blues teams that play at the stadium.
I was wandering along Bloor St past Varsity Stadium which is home to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of U of Toronto, and I just liked this view of the bleachers with the lights against the sky. Varsity Arena is accessed through here and the building behind the bleachers is part of the Royal Conservatory of Music. This is a busy section of Bloor St!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
This is the info sign included as part of the murals I have shown over the last two days. The murals' purpose is to promote the Green Line which is a proposed 5 km long linear park which will run along a Hydro corridor just north of the railway tracks that run through the city south of Davenport Road. There are already several small parks that are established but more need to be formed as well as some access to established parking lots is needed to connect the green spaces. For more info you can check out the Green line site HERE. I took a walk with the group in the spring and it will be super thing when and if it is ever finished.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is the second half of the mural I showed you yesterday - it is across the road from yesterday's. A bit of a homage to Johnny Cash and also to a project I will tell you about tomorrow. Unfortunately there is still a railing in the way!
Sometimes there is nothing you can do about an obstruction in the way of your pic and this is one of those times. I spotted this mural leading into a railway underpass on Dovercourt Rd, under the hydro corridor that runs along beside the tracks. The artist is the well-known Montreal artist, Roadsworth, aka Peter Gibson. I will show you the other side tomorrow and give you the background story on Wednesday.
Taking part in monday murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I still have a few autumn pics saved up but I wanted to make sure I post this one. This Japanese Maple lives in the gardens at Spadina House and it looks lovely all year but particularly in the fall!
This is a shot of the restaurant, Via Vai, whose seats and tables I showed you yesterday. I love the tilt of the whole place and all the glass which enables you to see the wonderful artwork inside. The large fresco as well as other smaller pieces were done by Italian artist Sandro Martini and were part of the public art component required by the city in new large developments. I will have to go inside one day to get some pics!
I shot this pic about a week ago on a cool but sunny day when no one wanted to attempt sitting on these stainless steel seats. They look great though don't you think? I'll show you a pic of the front of the restaurant tomorrow.
Taking part in Weekend Reflections. Click HERE to see more reflections from around the world.
This statue is found right in the centre of Queen's Park where our provincial legislature building is located. The subject is Edward VII and the piece was designed by English artist Thomas Brock and was installed in New Delhi, India in 1919. After becoming a republic India was ridding itself of signs of British imperialism and the sculpture was removed and was eventually bought by a wealthy Toronto businessman who felt that our city lacked a good sculpture of a man on a horse. It was installed here in 1969 and is passed daily by hundreds of U of Toronto students as they pass from one side of the campus to the other.
I have showed you the inside of the Sea Witch Fish & Chips shop before (click HERE) but just recently noticed their sign/mural on the wall of the shop. I quite like it! And their fish & chips are great.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I have shown you the greenhouse on the grounds of Spadina House before (click HERE to see it in spring) but not in Autumn's wonderful light. It was late afternoon so the shadows were long especially on the converted stable behind it.
This mural has been recently painted over another one which I liked but it is so good that I won't complain. The artist is Jimmy Chiale and he has done several other good murals around town and I think he has also opened a gallery showing contemporary art. He has put a message on this one that it took 3 days and 30 hours which must mean that he works quickly to put all that detail into it!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This century old building had been a Baptist church until the 1970s and then had other uses until finally being purchased by a developer who seems to have done a nice job of dividing it into 5 lofts each of which is quite large. It is located just off Yonge St in the toney Rosedale neighbourhood so the lofts sell for a lot of money when they become available.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I watched a flock of Canada Geese slowly walk across the road in James Gardens a couple of weeks ago. They stayed on the other side for about 10 minutes and then they all walked back to their original place!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is a shot of the Princes' Gates which mark the eastern entrance to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds downtown by the lakeshore. It was taken at 2:30 am on Halloween night in a gentle rain and there were still lots of people out and about in costumes. For more info about the gates and to see a shot I took in daylight back in 2013 click HERE. The banner towards the top is advertising the Royal Winter Fair which takes place at the CNE and which ends this weekend.
This fence and gate protects a lovely courtyard that belongs to a private residence on Yonge St in the Rosedale neighbourhood, probably the most expensive area in the city. Yonge is Toronto's main street and most of the it is occupied by commercial buildings and this building itself had housed stores and some apartments before being totally restored and a large part of it turned into a luxury dwelling. I'd love to see the inside!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
The little parkette on Avenue Rd at Dupont St has been renamed the Jay Macpherson Green in honour of a long-time resident. I really like this idea and it is nice that her neighbours were able to get the city to come onboard with the renaming.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I don't really understand the whole fascination with rat rods but I did think this 1964 Bel Air station wagon was cool to see. It would look better with a nice paint job instead of being made to look rusted don't you think?
I spotted these two guys working on this mural two weeks ago along Harbord St and then the week after there was an article in the newspaper about it. They had been commissioned to do the mural and had to do it in one day to have it ready for the release of Justin Beiber's new album. Apparently he had 18 murals of the titles of the songs on the album painted in cities all over the world. The artists for this one are Kyle Howard and Max Sawka who had also done the mural on this wall that they painted over.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I spotted this wonderful sculpture of St Michael on the front of St Michael & All Angels Anglican Church on St Clair Ave W and thought it was quite beautifully done. The congregation began in 1909 and the present building was finished in 1916 and it is a lovely church but unfortunately there is a lot of street furniture and traffic surrounding it so it is difficult to get a good shot of the whole church.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
This black squirrel had found a great piece of food and seemed to be trying to decide whether to eat it now or store it for later. I wonder how many of their little stored treats ever get found again?
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
I was walking by Harbord Collegiate Institute late in the afternoon and really liked the shadows and the trees surrounding one of the entrances to the school. Located in downtown Toronto the school was established in 1892 but this is not the original building. It is known for its tradition of academic excellence and has many notable alumni including the architect Frank Gehry.
I took this shot of the CN Tower from the hill surrounding Christie Pits Park which is about 3 miles from the tower. I just like the way the tower stood out against the sky and the trees which a week ago still had not all turned colour for fall. The 2 fences visible towards the bottom surround the skating rink and the ball park and the lights are for evening sports.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
If you win the lottery or you are James Bond this is the place to go to pick out you new car. It is interesting that the windows are quite darkened as if they don't worry about you being able to see their product from the street!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is the Old Mill Inn which is a restaurant, conference centre, hotel and spa located on the Humber River just down a bit from the guy fishing in the river that I showed you a week ago. It has been the site of various mills over the years but the last one burned in 1881 and the Old Mill Tea Garden opened here in 1914. There have been various additions since and the structure was given heritage protection a few years ago. I've never been inside but it is said to be quite nice.
I found this pair lurking in a laneway off Dundas St W. They thought they were hidden and were surprised to be spotted!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
The theme for November for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "Ephemeral" and I chose these Morning Glories as my contribution. I plant these "Heavenly Blue" beauties every year and look forward to the sunny mornings when the flowers open but then within a couple of hours they wilt and I have to wait until the next day. Worth the wait though!
Taking part in the theme Ephemeral. Click HERE to see more examples of it from around the world.
