This Cardinal was all puffed up to keep warm on a terribly cold day a couple of weeks ago. Lucky he has a lot of down feathers to keep him toasty.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
Someone at the Ice Fest had carved this huge depiction of the DeLorean time machine from Back To The Future. It looked ready to drive out of the park it was so large and so detailed.
I'm showing just a couple more posts of ice sculptures form the Bloor Yorkville Ice Fest which had the theme Awesome 80s. Remember when cell phones looked like this? It is hard to believe the changes that have taken place.
There were a few ice sculptures at the Bloor Yorkville Ice Fest that were not in the park with all of the rest. This one depicting Prince was found along Bloor St. Prince lived in Toronto during the early 2000s when he was married to a Canadian so it is suitable to have this here for the Awesome 80s theme.
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
It was not just the young kids who were enjoying the sculptures at the Ice Fest. These two ladies had each been studying this one which is a bit hard to make out but is a representation of a Keith Haring piece which showed 2 figures holding up a bright red heart. I love Haring's work so was pleased to see this one.
This week's mural is another one found high up on a building on Queen St W. It is impossible to see the whole thing from anywhere on the ground so I have no idea whether there is an artist signature. It does remind me of some of Birdo's creatures.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This young girl was looking at this ice Cassette tape as if she had no idea what it was supposed to be. She has probably never seen a cassette tape before!
This male Downy Woodpecker seemed to be enjoying his lunch of seeds and suet. These were one of the few birds that made their presence known all winter.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more critters from around the world.
The crowds were so large at the Ice Fest in Yorkville that a lot of people took a break in the park to relax and get some space. There are a few areas with heaters surrounded by blue chairs where everyone could take a rest although it seemed mostly kids were using the chairs.
With the theme of the Awesome 80s it wasn't surprising to see R2D2 turn up at the Ice Fest. It is so hard to take pics of these sculptures. I was wishing there was a dark background so the details would show more.
This ice sculpture was one of the award winners and it depicts Terry Fox who was a Canadian hero who set out to run across the country in 1980 to raise money for cancer research. He had lost a leg to cancer as a child and managed to run from Newfoundland to the western part of Ontario near Thunder Bay where he was forced to stop as the cancer had returned. He died a few months later. Today Terry Fox Runs take place all over Canada and many other places in the world to raise money for cancer research. Read more about him HERE. The sculpture was sponsored by the Colonnade, a retail and residential centre on Bloor St.
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
The Bloor Yorkville Ice Fest took place a week ago in the Yorkville neighbourhood and it was very crowded as you can see. The ice sculptures were set up along the edge of the park and the viewers were meant to walk along the roadway to see everything. I eventually went into the park for some pics the other way. The theme for the fest was the Awesome 80s and thus you see things like the Sony Walkman in ice. I'll show a few more pics for the next couple of days.
I spotted these hearts on the side of a building up above Queen St W and thought they were perfect for this week's mural. I'm not sure about the artist's name but I do like the work.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
Someone forgot abut winter drainage when this building was designed and the result is that icicles grow all around the perimeter including over the doors. Lucky we haven't had much snow this year.
I hadn't seen a lot of birds this winter until we finally got some snow and then more suddenly appeared like this Red-breasted Nuthatch who was enjoying the suet.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
I thought this mural was suitable for the day with its hearts. And doesn't it look as if the letters could be spelling out Loves. The artists could be Horus and Tuffytats.
Happy Valentines Day everyone!
This Sussex Spaniel by artist Stephan Cruise is one of a long series of sculpture installed along the Spadina Ave streetcar line. The sculptures are each placed on top of 20' poles and you can see in a pic from 2010 how that looks (HERE). It is quite interesting to see the different pieces as you travel along this route with most of them referencing their location. This one is at Sussex St and hence the Sussex Spaniel whereas others in China Town have Chinese themes.
Wanda's Pie in the Sky is a wonderful bakery found in the Kensington Market neighbourhhood. I have tried many pies and cakes from there and have never been disappointed! In summer there is a very nice patio outside of those French doors.
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is a continuation of yesterday's mural. If you follow the branches off to the left in yesterday's pic you turn the corner to this section of the mural. I love all of the details like the small moose down in the bottom right. Great work by Pam Lostracco.
This mural was found on the side of a building that is a rock shop - I haven't gone in so have no idea what kind of pieces they have. The artist is Pam Lostracco who has done a lot of corporate murals. I love her style! And this suggests lovely spring days to come. I'll show a bit more of it tomorrow.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I'm still posting a few things along the streetscape theme and thought I would show you what one of our laneways look like. Sometimes they can be intimidating places but I have never had anyone hassle me yet. This one has a few houses that are built along the laneway so there are more eyes on the surroundings - this one is called Croft St which you can see more of if you click the label below.
I caught this Cardinal just as he grabbed a mouthful of what is left of a cob of corn. The core of the cob must be tasty as he continued to pick away at it for a while.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
Sneaky Dees bar has been at the corner of Bathurst & College St since 1987 and has become an institution serving Tex-Mex & bar food and as a live music venue. For some reason I have never been in but I have the feeling it would be my local if I lived closer to it. All of those wires overhead are for the streetcars which run along both of these streets which makes for a complicated wiring system.
This is the No 8 Hose Station found on College St near Kensington Market. The original station was built in 1878 and the tower added in 1899 but the originals were destroyed in a fire in 1972 set by an arsonist while the firemen were out at a fire. The station was rebuilt as an exact replica of the original. I posted a pic from a different angle with blue sky in 2013 (HERE).
Finespun is a custom bakery specializing in wedding cakes. Judging by these sample cakes in their window their work is quite beautiful.
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This local florist has forced some Forsythia and together with some pretty orchids a very spring-like window resulted. I can hardly wait.
I'm continuing the streetscape theme with this mural I spotted on the side of a garage near U of Toronto. The houses reminded me a bit of Escher's work and I quite like them. The artist's name could be hidden down behind the bins.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
With the streetscape theme still on the mind this pic of a street from the Kensington Market neighbourhood seems like a good fit. The Market is an old area of the city full of people and shops from all over the world. This section of the street is full of vintage shops offering all kinds of retro treasures. The Market has been under threat from large scale chain stores but the community has pressured the city a lot and so far has been successful in protecting its character.
The theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Streetscape which posed a bit of a quandary as to what kind of streetscape should I show and then I was walking along and spotted these two kids playing street hockey and the problem was solved. It is quite a Canadian tradition for kids to pull a hockey net out into the street and play hockey with a ball. When a car comes everyone yells "car!" and moves to the side. It was good to see these kids continuing the tradition.
Taking part in the theme Streetscape. Click HERE to see more streets from around the world.
