These two baby robins (there are actually three in there) were born at the local garden centre where the parents built a nest in the supports of a canopy. It was a smart place with lots of water around and no predators. I took this pic about 2 weeks ago and last week they all flew out of the nest to start a new life!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This house was slightly visible behind the pinecone in yesterday's pic since it is the next door neighbour. I love that porch and can imagine sitting out there on a hot day drinking lemonade and watching the world pass by.
I spotted this giant pine cone on the lawn of a home just west of the U of Toronto. I really like it and I think it must look great in winter with some snow on it so I will have to remember to go back just after we get some white stuff. It is probably about 4 ft tall.
While wandering down the laneway behind the Annex Animal Hospital I was pleased to spot this mural on their back wall. I'm not sure if this is portrait of their resident cat but he definitely looks to be stalking some type of invader.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
Last week I showed a few views from the top of the Physics Building at U of Toronto but I didn't show the view due south because of the large chimney from the central steam plant of the university. I did want to show you the CN Tower and the edge of Lake Ontario behind the lakeshore condo towers so just try to ignore the chimney. In this view we are looking down past College St., Queen St W., and King St to the lake.
This mural on a utility box in the Parkdale neighbourhood is a tribute to the Grand Trunk Railway which ran on tracks through this area. The Grand Trunk Railway operated from 1852 to 1923 and connected the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and also ran into several of the American states along our border. The artist for this one is Lula Lumaj.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I've shown this greenhouse from the grounds of Spadina House before but not from the side. I love this greenhouse and was lucky to catch the side areas open since planting was going on in the grounds.
It would be hard to beat this chipmunk on the cuteness scale and he also seemed to be very tame since he sat and waited while I got my camera out and then posed for several pics before finally scurrying away.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is the last view from the top of the Physics Building taken during the Doors Open event. Here we are looking to the south-east and what a contrast to yesterday's pic it is. These are the highrise towers of the financial district with a few condos and hospitals thrown into the mix.
On Tuesday I showed you a view from the top of the Physics Building at U of Toronto while looking to the east over the historic campus. This is the view from the opposite side looking out over the west end of the city with some university buildings in the foreground and then the well treed residential areas of Harbord Village and the Annex before heading off to the horizon. The city has programs for increasing the tree canopy and there is always planting going on.
One of the demonstrations in the Physics Building during the Doors Open was this cute pig who was demonstrating centripetal acceleration. Physics was not my favourite subject at university so I will give no explanation today!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
During the Doors Open event a few weeks ago the Physics Department at U of Toronto opened their building and had a lot of great displays but the nicest part for me was that the observatory on the 14th floor was open as well as the rooftop walkway around it. This is the view form there looking east over the campus which basically runs over to the high-rise buildings in the distance at Bay St. The grassy area in the centre is King's College Circle and it is surrounded by the oldest historic part of the campus. The large building on the right is the new Forestry building which is currently under construction.
I think this garage door with its cheerful mural would be a pleasure to come home to on a dreary day. The wee bird looking out over the hills is a perfect touch. No artist name on this one.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I spotted this booth at the Saturday Farmers Market at the Wychwood Barns. I don't think that I have ever seen so many varieties of mushrooms before and I was lucky to get this pic when everyone had stepped away from the booth for a second as they were very busy!
I found this beautiful stained glass window in a stairway at the Faculty Club at U of Toronto during the Doors Open event. I love that sweet bluebird and the flowers.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is the main dining room at the Faculty Club which I showed you yesterday. Known as the Wedgewood Blue Room it is also a popular spot for wedding receptions and I was standing beneath a balcony which is the perfect place for the bride to stand and toss the bouquet. It is a very pretty room so wonderful for a wedding.
This is the Faculty Club at U of Toronto and as you can see from the signs it took part in the Doors Open event a couple of weeks ago. This Georgian Revival building was constructed in 1920 and was owned by various clubs in the city until being taken over by the faculty union and turned into the Faculty Club which is also open for membership to alumni and graduate students as well as community members. It was interesting to see the inside of it since it has several lovely event rooms as well as a lounge, pub & great patio. I'll show you one of the rooms tomorrow.
This is a pic taken along College St near U of Toronto back in April when it was still cold and the trees were still bare. I've not eaten in either of these restaurants but the idea of Tibetan & Nepalese foods sounds good to me as does noodles.
Taking past in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is a continuation of yesterday's mural by Shalak & Smoky. The bear was in the water yesterday and to the right of him up on the shore is this alligator with a wee top hat! The quality of the images that these two artists paint is wonderful.
I found yet another mural by the husband & wife team of Shalak & Smoky while wandering down a laneway off Harbord St. It is a really long mural on a narrow lane so I couldn't get it all in one pic so we will see a part today and another part tomorrow. I love the colourful bear with the cup of tea floating above its head but have no idea what it all means!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is yet another display from the graduate studio in the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design at U of Toronto. There didn't seem to be any explanation as to what the project was but I like the forms and assume they must be for some high-rise buildings.
While I was walking about during the Doors Open event I passed this couple having a good time in the front garden of a home near the U of Toronto. It was a really hot day and these robins were taking full advantage of this pond to cool themselves. I'll be back inside the buildings at the university tomorrow.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
If you continue up the stairs in yesterday's post you come up to this which is the graduate studio of the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design and is the top floor of the modern addition which I showed you HERE. The space is open to the north through a curtain of glass and also has the wonderful skylights you can see in this pic so the lighting in here is fabulous. Once again the students had set up displays here for the Doors Open event.
These stairs in the modern section of the Daniels building lead up to the graduate studio on the top floor and the high steps serve as a display area and also as seating for temporary sessions. During the Doors Open event they had set up a lot of displays of models the architecture students had made during the year.
I showed you a pic of the front of the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design a few weeks ago HERE. Well the building was open for our Doors Open event so I did a tour of the interior. This pic was taken looking out through the window above the door in the centre of the building giving us a view down Spadina Ave right down to Lake Ontario. You can see one of our red streetcars stopped if you look through the middle of the window. I'll have a few more pics of the interior over the next days.
At one time you could find little corner stores scattered all throughout the residential areas in the older parts of the city. Very few of these survive these days and you often see them converted into living spaces. This building near U of Toronto is being renovated and it is hard to tell if the old corner store on the ground floor will become a home or remain some type of commercial space. I really like what they have done upstairs so far. I'll keep an eye on this place.
I was walking along Queen St W in Parkdale and spotted part of this mural by Birdo painted high above the rooftops of antique stores in the area. I climbed up onto some stairs to get more of it into view but I think you need to be on the roof or in a high rise to see it all. Birdo's creatures are always so colourful and abstract. You can see more by clicking on the label below.
Taking part in Monday's Murals. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This pic is from the same park I showed you a couple of days ago but I wanted to show you the fellow who had hung a hammock between 2 trees and was chilling out. This was the second hammock I saw strung up in a park on that day. Is this a new trend?
I spotted this cheeky chipmunk this week at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. I was standing no more than 4 feet away from it as it continued to stuff its cheeks full of the seed from this bird feeder. It totally ignored me!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
The theme day for June for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "Me" and I'm sure there will be a lot of reflection pics on display. I like to play Hide & Seek so my pic is a reflection from a distance taken just after I had finished doing repeats up and down the stairs at Casa Loma. The windows at George Brown College provided a good mirror.
To see more examples of the theme "Me" from around the world click HERE.
