I had shown you the stone wall at Spadina House back in February (HERE) and thought I would give you a hint of how it looks today. Each of the openings in the wall has a flower box full of flowers giving us a totally different visual flavour to enjoy!
I often go to James Gardens and sit and watch the ducks paddling about in their pond. A couple of weeks ago there were very few ducks in the water - they were all asleep on the grass - and when I looked down into the pond this is what I saw. The pond is only about 2 feet deep and the fish are probably at least a foot long! I have no idea what kind they are.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This fine looking building was a storage place for its large neighbour which I will show another time. It has been lovingly maintained for over 100 years now although I'm not sure what it is being used for these days. I thought it looked quite pretty all lit up at night.
I'm standing on the left bank of the Humber River just north of Lake Ontario looking across to the tennis courts on the east bank of the river. It would be a nice place to be playing tennis even in the heat we have been having lately!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
There are so many food trucks around and they all have catchy names and great graphics. This one is Rancho Relaxo which serves Mexican staples such as fish tacos, etc. They also have a restaurant which I must try!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is the other view of yesterday's utility box painted by Jen Bulthuis showing city animals. It is fun to see the white squirrel since there is a population of white squirrels that lives along Queen St W near Trinity Bellwoods Park but this guy is on St Clair Ave miles away from there!
I spotted this wonderfully painted utility box on St Clair Ave right beside a nice outdoor patio. The artist for this box is Jen Bulthuis and tomorrow I will show you the other two sides. Since these are all "City Animals", which is the title for this, they are all dressed nicely!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I showed you this church, Grace Church On-The-Hill last year from the other side (HERE) but like the view from this side too especially since I caught our flag unfurled.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
This grey squirrel was quite determined to get some food from me as I sat in local park but it was out of luck. One of its relatives has been stealing all of my strawberries so I think that is enough of a handout from me!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
There is something about waterlilies that makes me so thrilled to see them. It is like magic that they grow from the water!
There are some newer infill homes in the Yorkville neighborhood, all of them with lovely front gardens. Here you can see one of the gardens while looking across to two different entrances. Love the blue!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I love this little sign that points you around the corner to a store specializing in smoked fish & caviar but which also has take-out bagels with great toppings.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
The city installed several of these benches in a local park. I quite like the modern look of them as well as the construction style. Simple but elegant!
This mural on Bloor St in the Annex neighbourhood was just completed a couple of weeks ago. The artist is Nick Sweetman and he wanted to show "humanity's insignificance compared to the rest of the universe" and at the same time bring attention to the plight of bees. Wonderful, isn't it?
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from a round the world.
Yesterday I showed you the east wing of the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park and today I show you what was once its twin. There was a major fire in 1909 and the west wing was destroyed and was rebuilt using Italian marble rather than the dark wood of the original. An extra floor was also added at the time. Quite a different effect isn't it?
This is the east wing of the Ontario Legislative building located at Queen's Park. I've shown you the exterior a few times and thought it was time to see part of the inside. The building was finished in1893 and this wing shows the Victorian style with its dark wood. Tomorrow I'll show you the west wing which is quite different.
This wonderful Art Deco building was built downtown on York St in 1929 and was designed by architects Kaplan & Sprachman who were known for designing more than 80% of the cinemas in Canada during that era. It was originally known as the York Mercantile Building but is now called Prudential House. The whole building has beautiful deco details in its stonework.
I've always liked the look of these 2 semi-detached homes in the Yorkville/Annex neighbourhood. They were built in 1893 and have heritage protection since this whole area has been designated a heritage district. Both halves of the building are identical although the house on the left has nice fencing out front. This one is for sale and can be yours for a few million $$.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
So many people seem to have tattoos these days especially women and so you find tattoo shops everywhere. I do like the rose on the front of this shop but still will pass on the tattoo!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I spotted these old bikes at a vintage bike show in a local park a while ago. I love the look of them!
Linking to Tuesday's Treasures HERE.
This is the last section of the 80 ft long mural I have been showing you for the last few weeks titled "Our Community At Sunset". This part shows the Montgomery's Inn which was built in 1830 at Dundas & Islington Ave and which is now beautifully restored and is a museum for the city. To the right of the inn in the mural you can see the modern stores of Humbertown Plaza which is actually located right beside the mural on Royal York Rd. Both places are major players in the neighborhood.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is St Paul's Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church located up a hill on Davenport Rd but every 4th Sunday afternoon it is also St John's Polish Evangelical Lutheran Church. How is that for cooperation! I could find no info on the building other than it was built in 1954 and it was hard to tell looking through a lot of bushes along the side whether there were any stained glass windows. Simple but well cared for!
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
The Canada Geese in our parks are so fearless that they will walk right up to you looking for food handouts. They are big fierce birds so it is sometimes scary to say no to them!
Taking past in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is the Toronto Reference Library which is the largest public reference library in Canada. It was built on Yonge St in 1977 and designed by architect Raymond Moriyama. Most of the collection of books is non-circulating and the library also has special collections and gallery and event spaces! It was renovated in 2012 when that glassed in cube was added at the entrance.
It must be nice to live in a posh condo tower but be on the ground floor and have your own private entrance like this one in the Yorkville neighbourhood. It doesn't look like there is much space for a barbecue though!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I showed you the Kingsway Theatre in a mural on Monday and thought I should give you a pic of the real thing. It still operates a theatre and even though the sign could use a bit of a touch up the interior is said to be in good condition. Once again I have to make a point of heading out that way to get a night shot and see how many of those lights are working. I love the Art Deco details at the top.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I showed you the Old Mill Bridge as depicted in a mural a couple of weeks ago (HERE) so thought I should venture down to the banks of the Humber River to get a pic of the real bridge. The river is quite low now since we are badly in need of rain so I was able to get right down into the weeds along the shore. The bridge was built in 1916 and survived Hurricane Hazel in 1954 which washed out whole streets of homes while the people slept killing more than 80. There are no homes along the river's edge these days.
This is the next part of the mural I started to show you last week, titled "Our Community at Sunset". This section shows the venerable Kingsway movie theatre on Bloor St as it might have looked in days gone by. It was opened in 1939 and was renovated in 2009 and still shows movies! I will show you a pic of it as it looks today on Wednesday.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
Just a simple Marigold from a box of mixed ones but isn't it lovely? And a few little rain drops had fallen to give it a bit of a drink!
This was one of my candidates for the theme pic for 'Look Down'. It shows one of the courtyards at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on a hot and humid afternoon. Too hot for anyone to be out there but a nice view from an upper floor.
The July theme day for the City Daily Photo Blog community is 'Look Down'. We all tend to look up but might be missing a few things along the way. This is the view down from a roof into a small space between buildings with the stairs on the left making such a cool pattern.
To see more examples of Look Down from around the world, click HERE.
