Thursday, October 31, 2019

It's Here!

Halloween is finally here and all of the wee goblins will be out looking for treats. I spotted these skeletons in a shop window a couple of weeks ago and have gone back several times trying to get a pic without a lot of reflections and this is the best I could do with very low lighting in the window itself. I assume the skeletons are looking into the future and let's hope it is good times ahead!

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Danger, Zombies Around!

This ghost seems to be the guard for this zombie research facility. I for one would not attempt to enter without permission!  
Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Oops!

I thought this was a cute Halloween decoration that wouldn't scare the kids too much. I assume the feet belong to some sort of creature trying to escape for the evening!

Monday, October 28, 2019

Batty

I found this mural in Feel Good Lane quite a while ago and saved it for Halloween week. The artist for this one is Desko Zima and I think it would be fun to come back to this garage at the end of day!  
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

More Ghouls

I'm thinking that there may be a few kids who are hesitant to go through this entrance to get some treats. I saw a dog today who refused to walk past a Halloween display just down the street from this one - he went out onto the road!

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Rockclimber

I spotted this wee chipmunk jumping around on the rocks by one of the waterfalls at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and then he spotted me and we had a bit of a staring contest. Then he scurried away!  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Colourful Ghouls

The ghouls and clowns seem to be coming in all different colours this year as more and more decorations appear around town. There seem to be a lot of Minions around but they aren't scary like these guys.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

It's Coming

The decorations are all coming out for Halloween and there have been several sightings of this Minion and its clones. I think this is meant to be the Minion named Kevin and here he looks quite happy with his backup group of ghosts!

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Tour Of Horrors

It is that time of year for the Legends of Horror event at Casa Loma. It consists of a 2 km self-guided tour starting in the gardens and continuing through the castle's tunnels and dark spaces some of which are not usually open to the public. During the tour legends of the horror world will be encountered! A bit too scary for me!
Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Recyling

Our Nuit Blanche event took place a few weeks ago which involves a myriad of free art installations set up all over the city and runs from sunset to sunrise. One of the locations was the large garden at Spadina House which had illuminated structures made from recycled things suspended from the trees. This large oak tree had these blue orbs which were made from blue bottles and during the night event were lit from within. They were still hanging there a week ago when I passed through.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Player

It isn't often that you find a mural with an accordion player as the feature element but I found this one on College St. It looks as if someone had tagged it at some point in the past but I still like it. The artists for this one are Jerry Silverberg & Eleanor Berenson.  
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Copycats

I spotted this wonderful tree that had turned such a beautiful shade of yellow that I felt I needed to take its pic. It is located just down the hill from Casa Loma so there are a lot of tourists going by. While I was taking my pic two people went by and were looking to see what I was shooting and then they decided to take a shot too. Then two more people came along, saw us all taking pics and then they started to photograph it too. I then left!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

A 'Herd' Of Sparrows

Last Saturday I showed a pic of a squirrel doing its fall foraging and this week if you look closely among the vegetation in the pic you can see a flock of House Sparrows in their autumn activity. They seem to gather in groups and peck about for seeds until a person walks by and then they all scramble for cover. These guys all flew up into a nearby bush just after I took this pic.  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Laneway Living

This laneway house was built several years ago on the footprint of a small bungalow. It seems to have been nicely maintained over the years unlike some of the houses I have seen in laneways. The far side is mostly glass and there is a deck up at the top of the other side but this seemed like the most interesting view to me.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Late Afternoon in the Autumn

The late afternoon sun really sets the leaves aglow in October. The mystery man on the deck wishes that a bit of the sun's warmth was on him!

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Cinnamon

I was stuck in traffic on the Danforth last Sunday when I looked over and saw this shop selling cinnamon rolls. There was no parking available anywhere nearby or I would have pulled over to get some. A place to explore one day!  
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Contrast

I always like this view found on the U of Toronto campus with the 1890s Newman Centre out front and the 2000s Rotman School of Management behind it. The Newman Centre was built as a private home and was until being purchased in 1922 by the Catholic Church to become the Catholic centre on campus. It is just a beautiful inside as out but I have no interior pics.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Fierce Fish

I was wandering along a laneway way out along Dundas St W when I spotted this fierce fish visible over the top of a high fence. I'm not sure if he was meant to be a warning sign to keep out but he sure looked mean!  
Taking part in Monday's Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

"Notre Place"

This installation, titled Notre Place, was completed in 2018 on the U of Toronto campus across the road from Queen's Park which is the seat of our provincial legislature. The gathering space with reflective pillars engraved with fleur de lis is meant to pay tribute to Ontario's Francophonie. And as you can see it also provides seating for students and passersby.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Being Watched

It is a busy time of year for squirrels with lots of supplies needing to be gathered and hidden away for winter. This black squirrel was hunting around in the grass while at the same time keeping an eye on me.  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Friday, October 11, 2019

A Blast From The Past

I spotted these old roller skates in a display case at the Bata Shoe Museum. It is pretty weird to see something from your childhood on display in a glass case! My main memory of these things was the key used to tighten them to your sneakers which you kept needing to use as they loosened and fell off giving you skinned shins! It was still great fun though.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Mary Pickford

This sculpture of Mary Pickford stands beside yesterday's historical plaque about her. It was done in 1983 by artist Eino Gira and now sits in front of Sick Kids Hospital on University Ave near where she was born.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Sweetheart

This the typical sign that our province puts up to mark historical sights. I spotted this one on University Ave near where Mary Pickford was born in 1893. She became a famous actress known as "America's Sweetheart" despite being a Canadian. The houses are long gone from this area which is now a site for several major hospitals.  
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Dr Norman Bethune

This sculpture of Dr Norman Bethune is found outside of the Medical Science building at U of Toronto and is inspired by his legacy of bringing modern medicine to rural China many  years ago. The artist for this sculpture is David Pellettier and there are many sculpture of Bethune throughout China. You can read a bit more information HERE.

Monday, October 7, 2019

Urban Skyline

It is starting to feel as if a majority of our utility boxes are decorated with murals. I particularly like the graphic style of the skyline painted on this one found in the Annex neighbourhood. I think the artist is Moodini.  
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Protest

I spotted these two 'people' in a store window recently. Everyone seems to be concerned so let's hope something gets done about our climate crisis.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

A Happy Bee

On a warm sunny day a week ago I spotted a succulent that was being visited by several of these chubby bees. The bees were happily moving about on the blossoms having their fill of nectar. I have no idea what type of bees they were.  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Friday, October 4, 2019

Gothic Beauty

This is the interior of the chapel at Trinity College at U of Toronto. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott who designed the Liverpool Cathedral and was constructed in 1955. I think it is one of the loveliest spaces at U of T.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Trinity College

This is the main entrance to Trinity College, one of the colleges that make up U of Toronto. This oldest part of the college was built in 1925 in the collegiate Gothic style. I spent a bit of time wandering its halls a few weeks ago and tomorrow will show you a pic of the grand chapel.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Studio Theatre

This pretty little building was built in 1914 as a Lutheran church and continued to be a church until 1966 when it was sold to U of Toronto and turned into a theatre in 1968. Now named the Luella Massey Studio Theatre it is used as a teaching facility and is also rented out for private events.  
Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

October Theme: Orange.

The October theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "Orange" and this orange lion found in the window of a print shop is my submission. The scenery consists of prints done in the shop and the lion itself is made from folded paper. There was a whole variety of animals in different colours in the window which is what caught my eye. I had been called for jury duty on University Ave but the accused had pleaded guilty the day before so we were all excused giving me the chance for a bit of a wander and then I spotted this great creature! 
Taking part in the theme "Orange". Click HERE to see more examples of Orange from around the world.