This is the last section of the mural on Lawrence Ave that I have been showing for the last several weeks. The artists Shalak, Smoky & Fiya did such a wonderful job on it even though it was hard to interpret some of the sections. I think there is one bit that I missed so I will have to go back on a nice day to catch it!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I took this shot on one of our rare days with snow on the ground this winter. It was all gone the next day but it certainly made a nice surrounding for the Blythwood Road Baptist Church. It was built in 1956 and is a heritage property since its whole neighborhood has been deemed a heritage area.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
The Eastern Grey Squirrel comes in two colours - grey like this one and black like most of the squirrels I have shown you before. They are the same species and even within one litter there can be a mixture of colours. In Toronto it seems that the black ones outnumber the grey but that is just my personal observation.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is one of two lions who guard the entrance to a lovely garden at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre but I have the feeling that he is a lot happier in summer than he was last week in the snow!
I showed you a section of this gatehouse previously (HERE) and when we got a bit of snow last week I decided it was time for a pic of the whole thing. Although its setting was originally rural only the width of the sidewalk separates it from the very busy Bayview ave now.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I spotted this food truck while it was loading up on propane for a day of work! I like the cityscape on its side. There are so many different food trucks around these days.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
In 2000 Toronto had a "Moose In the City" event where over 300 moose were painted by artists and were placed around the city. They all had antlers which tended to disappear within days unless the moose was in a secure location. You can still spot some of the moose around town. This one is located outside St Clement's School, an Anglican private school for girls in mid-town. This moose is even painted to look as if she is wearing the school uniform!
I am still working on showing you the extremely long mural on Lawrence Ave W and there is one more part to see after this. I could find no info on the artists' reasoning for the pyramids and the interesting assortment of animals around them but I quite like the effect and it is interesting to see the buildings up above the piece.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I showed you St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on the U of Toronto campus back in 2013 (HERE) and one day I happened to be wandering along the lane way behind the church and just liked the way the sky was framed in that wonderful arched opening. And the crosses stood out so well against the clouds!
This is what most of our winter has been like this year - very little snow and any that we have had has melted in a couple of days. Very strange. This is one of the many paths that run through High Park which is one of the largest parks in the city and has lots of amenities - skating rinks, tennis courts, pool, restaurant, gardens, off-lesh dog areas, etc.
If you turn right around from where I shot yesterday's pic at Spadina House you see the apple orchard and since it is winter you can see the lovely house that is hidden by leaves all summer. I assume it must have been for the groundskeeper or gardener to live in when Spadina House was still used as a home rather than a museum as it is today.
Last week I showed you the stone wall that surrounds the grounds at Spadina House and this week I am showing the wall/fence that separates the front entrance of the mansion from the orchard and greenhouse. In summer it is hard to see through those openings since they hang flowers in them and ivy covers the whole wall so I present a winter shot instead.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I assume the wildlife they are talking about is squirrels since not too many people actively feed raccoons and those are our 2 major species of wildlife in the city. Love the birdhouse!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This Little Library is a recent addition to this small street which already has two other Little Libraries just a block away. I stopped for a pic of the cute library and then realized that these people also have a bench at the front of their yard so you can rest a bit while you decide on a book. Don't you think that they must be great neighbours?
This is the last scary bit from the Lawrence Ave mural that I have been showing you for the last several Mondays. The artists say that it is meant to represent the animals that have passed away due to the mining and fossil fuel industries. Next week we will be on to the last few sections that are quite positive. I liked the juxtaposition of the apartment building up above the mural with the scene below.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This clock tower belongs to Upper Canada College which is an exclusive private school for boys located just north of St Clair Ave. When driving up Avenue Road which ends at the school you get a wonderful view of the school and its tower. The original Romanesque Revival building on the property was built in 1891 but was is such a state of disrepair that it was torn down in the 50s and this Georgian structure was constructed and opened in 1960. There were a few flakes of snow coming down when I took this pic. I will try to go back one day and get a shot of the view looking up from Avenue Road.
Everyone loves corn on the cob including this little guy but I don't think those cobs have been put out there for him. He was eating the kernels very efficiently so there won't be much left for any birds!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
These are the grounds with no snow which is so unusual for us in winter. Yesterday I showed you the front of Spadina House and this pic was taken from the back side of the building as I wandered about enjoying the sunshine. If that bench had been in the sun I could have sat for a while but it was chilly in the shade!
This is just one small section of the wonderful stone wall that borders part of the property belonging to Spadina House. There are several of those stone urns balanced along the length of it and in summer with flowers it is quite beautiful to see. We finally had a sunny day and it was warm so I was out for a nice long walk!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I spotted this sign outside a cafe and couldn't resist! Enough said.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I've passed by this wee red bird house several times and finally stopped for a pic on a sunny day. I really like the tone of red. And in the background you can see one of the ever present goal nets which are moved out into the streets for a game of street hockey although this one looks as if it may have been involved in a soccer game.
The Lawrence Ave mural moves into the scary parts as we go along to the left. We have left the peace of the sea and entered the city which then becomes industrialized and produces air pollution and finally the city seems to be tilting and falling into disrepair. I wonder if the people in the house visible above this section were some of the ones who complained about the mural?
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is another of the soapstone sculptures from the collection at the Vets Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. It was carved in 1970 by the artist Shorby. Nice isn't it?
There seem to more and more of these Downy Woodpeckers in the city especially this winter since it hasn't been very cold yet. I hear them in the trees even in the centre of town and they are very frequent visitors to any suet feeders that are about. This girl was busy looking for insects on a fairly warm day last week so it was hard to catch her being still and I shot the pic through a window so it is a bit fuzzy. They are quite nice birds and will sit really close to your head while you fill a feeder for them - just a wee bit impatient.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
I was driving along and spotted this Little Free Library with the nice red door and pulled over for a shot. Only when I got close did I see that it has been painted with a Toronto skyline theme including the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre where our Toronto Blue Jays baseball team plays. And I picked up a book!
This is another section of the fence that runs along Bayview Ave and which surrounds the Glendon College campus of York University. You can see the W in the centre of the gate signifying that this had been the estate belonging to E. R. Wood when the fence was built in the 1920s.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
Yet another of the WWI posters from the Vet's Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre this one really puts across the message that more soldiers are needed to help in the fight. There is a little damage on this one but considering it is from 1914 it is in good shape.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I was driving along and spotted this blue sculpture in front of a home and immediately pulled over for a pic. I turned out to not be the only creature interested in the piece - the grey squirrel sat there for a few minutes while I shot my pics! i really like this piece.
We are just past half way along this mural on Lawrence Ave by Shalak, Smoky, & Fiya and we still haven't reached the parts that some people found to be a bit scary. Here we are under the sea with a wonderful whale swimming past to lead us further along the wall.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
