I spotted this stainless steel fence in Yorkville set up between a hotel and the old Yorkville firehall. I've never seen anything like it before!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
Just south of James Gardens but before you get to the location I showed you yesterday you will find this sign that shows the Toronto Carrying Place which is a portage route that joined Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe to the north during the years from 1619 to 1793. Most of the route ran along the Humber River and some of its tributaries. James Gardens and the other parts of the Humber I have shown you are down towards the bottom where you see the Lambton Mills label.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
The Humber River also runs through James Gardens as it makes its way south to Lake Ontario but it wasn't shown in yesterday's mural so I am showing you a pic of the river just downstream from the gardens. It looks quite peaceful here but like all rivers can be dangerous at times so all along the shore of the river is now floodplains and parks.
This is the mural on the west side of Royal York Rd opposite to the one I have been showing the last few weeks. It was done by the same artist, Emilia Jajus, in 2015 and shows some of the historically significant landmarks in the neighborhood. This first section of the 80 ft long mural shows James Gardens as it might have looked in 1908 when it was the garden of "Red Gables", the summer house of Frederick and Margaret James. I have shown you a lot of pics of James gardens which you can see by clicking the label below but this pic (HERE) from last year shows you a view looking up from the pond along the feeder stream that you can see in the mural. The gardens have been a public park since 1955 and are very popular for photo sessions.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I love lupines but have never had any luck growing them. I spotted these in the gardens at Spadina House.
This is a creature you don't see in the city very often. It is a North American Red Squirrel and isn't it sweet? They are tiny ones, bigger than a chipmunk but a lot smaller than our grey and black squirrels. This wee guy was spotted near a well-treed ravine so not too far from their preferred forest habitat.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
There is a short street just north of Casa Loma that is lined with small apartment buildings - probably four units in each one. Each building has a unique style and all the entrances are different. I particularly like this one with all the plants and even someone's barbecue. I don't know if they are all condos or rentals but they all look so nice!
I first showed you this church conversion in March of 2012 (HERE) and have shown a few detail shots since then. Last week I was passing by the entrance of the front unit and thought how beautiful it looked. This is the largest of the 4 units in the church at 10,000 sq ft! And this has to be one of the best restoration projects I have seen in the city.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I found this 3-dimensional version of the Canadian Coat Of Arms to be quite striking in the sunshine. This had been the official coat of arms since 1921 and references many aspects of our country's history.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I showed you a winter shot of this whole Yorkville house in 2014 (HERE) but it is one of my favorites especially the sun room and the round structures that I think are additions. It looks like such a welcoming space with all the trees around.
This is the last bit of the Royal York Rd mural on the east side. Next week I will show you the mural on the west side. I really like this section which wraps around the corner of the bridge - it is brilliant how she has the kids peeking around the tree trunk! The man in the oval is Robert Home Smith who was the developer for this whole area in the early 1900s and who wanted this 'bit of England'.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I pass by this stone church in the west end of the city all the time and finally stopped for a pic. It is York Memorial Presbyterian Church but unfortunately I could not find any info about its history. And of course it was locked!
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I usually only see one chipmunk at a time but last week I spotted these two enjoying a little snack together. They were getting along quite well until a slightly larger chipmunk came along and chased them both away after a bit of a tussle!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more critters from around the world.
It often feels like we don't get nice big views of the sky in the city since there are buildings and trees in the way most of the time so when I spotted this view I couldn't resist a shot!
Taking part in Skywatch Friday. Click HERE to see more sky shots from around the world.
This large home in the Annex neighbourhood is hidden away behind the trees most of the year but if you look closely over the middle peak of the roof you can see a wonderful little tower. I wonder if there is a wee room inside it? I could find no info about this house but I think it has been divided into condos. I do like the walls out front.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I spotted this sign in a city maintained garden recently. There is a push on here to plant more milkweed in order to help the Monarch Butterflies that depend on it for food but it is sometimes difficult to find it at the garden centres so it seems that some of the city plants must have been disappearing!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
Actually this home is in the Annex neighbourhood of the city but don't you think you would feel like you were in the tropics while sitting on the balcony that is hidden up behind that Wisteria? It is such a beautiful plant when flowering. Lemonade anyone?
This is the next really long section of the mural I showed you last week, found on Royal York Rd showing a bit of the Kingsway/Humber Valley scenery. This stone bridge was built in 1916 and still stands today and is known as the Old Mill bridge since it crosses the Humber River at the site of the Old Mill. The bridge fits in so well with the surrounding Tudor Revival homes.
Taking part in MondayMurals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is St Mary's Polish Roman Catholic Church which is located right in the midst of a residential neighborhood in the west end of the city. The original church was founded and built in 1915 and was expanded to this present size in 1938. The large crucifix was installed in 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the congregation.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I caught this little Downy Woodpecker with a mouth full off suet. They are quite common sights in the city and make quite a noise when they hammer away on trees despite their small size!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is one of the waterfalls in the gardens at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The water plants are just starting to grow up again and in a few weeks it will be quite lush I'm sure.
The door from yesterday leads up to a pool hall, pub and this intriguing patio. I like how it is cut out of the building and since it faces south it would be toasty up there even on a cool day! I'm saying that the glass barricade is a fence.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I happened upon this cool sign on Bloor St in the Kingsway neighborhood and love the deco look of the stonework. I would like to see the neon lit up but am never out that way after dark - it may be worth a trip!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
These are the doors from the church I showed you on Sunday, Our Lady Of Sorrows. The original oak doors were replaced with these bronze ones a couple of years ago at great expense apparently. The figures show St Michael the Archangel slaying Satan and there are words on the right hand door, "Quis Ut Deus" which is a translation of Michael. I've never seen doors like this before.
This is the first section of an 80 ft x 15 ft mural that was painted in an underpass along Royal York Rd in the Kingsway/Humber Valley Village neighbourhood in 2015. The artist is Emilia Jajus and in the mural she is attempting to show the development that took place in this area in the early 1900s. The developer was Robert Home Smith and he built mostly Tudor Revival homes set in a park-like setting in order to create a little bit of England in Toronto. It is a beautiful treed area now with the houses all still standing. I will show more sections over the next few Mondays.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is Our lady Of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church which is located on Bloor St W in the Kingsway neighbourhood. It was constructed in 1940 and as you can tell by the fencing around the front, it is undergoing some renovations.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I found these gorgeous flowers on the grounds of the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. They are Japanese Tree Peonies and I think the heat we had a week ago brought them to bloom quite quickly. The regular peonies are still not near flowering.
I have shown you a few of the moose sculptures that are still scattered about the city since the "Moose In the City" event in 2000. Most of them have disappeared and they almost all lost their antlers in the first few weeks after installation. This fine guy is stationed above the drive-through of a cleaners store on Dundas St W so he is safe from vandals and still looks quite dapper!
This lovely home in the lower Forest Hill neighborhood will all but disappear under all that ivy soon. It looks like it should be on a huge lot out in a rural area but it is right in the middle of the city with a neighbouring home on the other side of that fence.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
The theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community for June is "Shadow And Highlight" and I thought this bronze sculpture of Winston Churchill was a great example. The piece was done by artist Ernest Raab and was installed at the Veteran's Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in 1994. The deep shadows make the sculpture looks so dramatic!
Taking part in the theme day. Click HERE to see more examples of Shadows and Highlights from around the world.
