Just down the street from yesterday's post this nice couple is ready for greeting the trick & treaters tonight. In behind the fence there is more of a display - I think this must be a popular stop for the kids in the neighbourhood.
All kinds of creepy things have been turning up around town this week and the display at the Forest Hill home was one of the largest. This is just a section of the whole with more scary things running along the block at either side. The fellow in the blue coat seemed to be setting up lights or possibly speakers for some creepy sound effects.
I thought I would show you another pic of one of our black squirrels which are actually Eastern Grey Squirrels just showing a different colour. You can have a litter of baby squirrels with both grey & black ones. There are some small pockets in the city of white squirrels which are also Eastern Grey Squirrels. It seems to me that Toronto has more of the black ones these days and after our mild winter last year the population numbers are huge!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This building is found on Bloor St in the most expensive commercial block in town. The site had been the location of the University Theatre from 1949 to 1986 and the theatre held 1,300 seats and showed on a single huge screen. Despite efforts to save it in the 80s, developers took over the site and were required to retain the unusual curved facade of the building while construction continued behind. Unfortunately the real estate market crashed at that time and the facade sat untended for more than 10 years and had to be torn down. This is an exact reproduction of the original facade!
This little house always does a big job decorating for Halloween and this year is no different. I haven't been by after dark but I do wonder if any of the props light up. The top of each picket on the fence has an evil-looking bat sitting there.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
The wall in yesterday's post is named after Harry Taylor who was the Director of Facilities Services at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for many years until he died in a car accident in 2008. He had worked hard to make the hospital energy efficient so it is a nice tribute. The wall contains 8,400 photovoltaic cells and has a display to show how much electricity is being generated at any moment.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from a round the world.
I've approached this parking garage many times from the other end but finally came at it from the south side and was amazed to see all the solar panels installed on it. I'll give you some info tomorrow.
I found this newly sprouted garden on the side of a garage. The artist is Colin Bloom - appropriate don't you think?
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
Weston is a neighbourhood in the north-west part of Toronto and was a small town that became engulfed by the big city. You can still find many of the old large homes from the original town such as this, most have been restored. For some reason it is still a relatively affordable area in our crazy real estate market.
I spotted this black squirrel up near Casa Loma having a bite of lunch. He had finished the apple and was having a bit of chocolate milk to finish the meal!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
We have had some really warm weather this month and these Morning Glories were still thriving last week on the back wall of Spadina House. This is my favourite colour of them so I could't resist a pic!
This is the entry point into one of the many ravines that run through Toronto. This path had been closed for most of the summer while work was done to provide drainage and to fix the fencing along the side of the ravine where the land becomes quite swampy - the dogs all love that part! It is open again now and I was surprised last Saturday that the leaves haven't started to turn yet - will keep my eyes open for the autumn colours.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I spotted this sign recently and at first glance it looks like a ghost sign but it is actually a new sign painted on a canvas of painted-on faded bricks. So it is like a painting of a sign. Moosehead Brewery is the oldest independent brewery in Canada, started in 1867 by the Oland family and now owned by the 6th generation of the family.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
There are so many beautiful chrysanthemums around town at this time of year and their rich colours are perfect with the autumn light. This is a small section of one of the gardens at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
This is the other side of the utility box that I showed you last Monday, done by the artists Insect Cabaret aka Aisha & Andalah Ali. Another friendly creature ready for winter with gloves on and also a cute kitty to curl up with. I like the bird on the antlers.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
Most of the homes in the Wychwood Park neighborhood are Arts & Crafts style and they fit so well into the treed environment of the area. Love that dappled autumn sunlight!
This little guy scampered across the roadway in Wychwood Park and headed up the tree but not before stopping to give me a good looking over. There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of these raccoons living in Toronto getting into all kinds of trouble - eating garbage, ripping their way into people's homes, etc. They are cute though! That is a large trampolines in a Wychwood back garden behind him.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is one of the well hidden homes found in the Wychwood Park neighbourhood of the city that makes you think you are out in the countryside rather than the centre of town. I will have to go back for a winter pic when the leaves are gone and we can see bit more of it.
Last week I went down to the Humber River to see if I could see any of the salmon run which involves a lot of high flying by these big fish as they attempt to pass the small dams along the river. When they approach each dam they seem to circle around and then take a run at the small waterfall sections and try to hit the top edge and then swim upstream to the next dam and continue the journey up to their spawning grounds. You will have to take my word for it that there is a salmon visible in this pic - that dark streak in the lower right of the waterfall is a fish just starting to jump. I found out that it takes a lot of time to catch a pic of one in mid air and a fast finger on the camera. I wasn't successful!
I've seen bits of this sign for years but on the other side of that new fence there are railway tracks and there were lines of scrub and bushes growing all along so you couldn't see the whole thing. Just recently work has been done that included the new fence, gravel work and the cutting down of the vegetation so the sign is now visible. Beatty Electric Washers had a factory in Fergus Ontario and I think this could have been the back wall of an office.
This was the location just several weeks ago of a derailment that fortunately caused no damage to any of the buildings around the tracks and caused no dangerous substances to leak. This is the middle of the city so it could have been horrendous.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
Also taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
We have had some nice sunny autumn days and it is hard to resist taking a pic of those flowers which are loving the season. I shot this one about a week ago showing the lovely entrance at Spadina House.
I'm not sure if this a deer or not but it rather looks like one to me. It looks friendly with its flowers and is ready for winter with mitts! The artist for this utility box is Insect Cabaret which is two sisters, Aisha & Andalah Ali. Quite cute don't you think?
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I showed you the grand entrance to the back garden of this Forest Hill home back in August (HERE) and thought I should show you the house itself so went by for a nice autumn pic. I love the long shadows at this time of year. This is a beautiful neighbourhood with so many large trees that its name is quite suitable.
Despite the signs posted around James Gardens asking people not to feed the animals, tossing bread to the ducks and geese is a very popular activity at the park. This gentleman was very popular with all the creatures.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
The shadows are so long at this time of year that it is hard to get yourself out of the pic. Our bikeshare system has recently expanded its area and the new ones seem to be well used most of the time. You can see from all the cyclists in the bike lane along the upper right in this pic that the bicycle has become a major mode of transportation in the city, at least downtown.
Touring through Casa Loma can make you hungry and I spotted this person having a little snack in a perfect spot for a pic. The flowers seem to be at their peak in the wonderful autumn light!
Casa Loma has a special event going on through the month of October called "Legends of Horror" which involves a self-guided tour through the 5 acre gardens and then into dark chambers beneath the castle itself. Looking through these gates I could see various ghoulish vignettes which had been set up along the path. I don't think I will be taking the tour!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
The Goodyear Blimp was in town last week for the first time in 10 years. It was here to provide coverage of the World Cup of Hockey tournament and also the crucial baseball games that took place last week. Our ball park is right beside the CN Tower so the blimp spent a lot of time circling around the tower. This pic was taken from about 5 miles away so pardon the wires and traffic lights.
I found this bird down a laneway along the side of a restaurant. The bird looks like one of our robins but the town behind it definitely doesn't look like Toronto. I don't remember what kind of food they served but I'm thinking the town references the food. I couldn't find an artist name on this one.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
Casa Loma must be one of the most popular places in Toronto for tourists to have their picture taken. Anytime you go by you will see people posing with the wonderful building as a background. It is particularly nice now in the autumn light.
The October theme day for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "Abandoned" and for it I offer this pic of a wee little shoe that lay abandoned for several days before finally disappearing. It would be nice if the little owner recovered it.
Taking part in the theme day. Click HERE to see more examples of Abandoned.
