Spadina Bus

This mural by the artist Dudeman pays tribute to the Spadina 77B bus which runs along Spadina Ave from Bloor St and then down to the lake and along Queen's Quay to Bay St. This garage is quite close to the Spadina station. 

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.  

Oriel Window

This lovely little window was spotted on the side of an Annex neighbourhood home. This type of bay window is called an oriel window and it looks as if this one may be on a stairway to provide some light on the stairs. When I took the pic there appeared to be a vase of white roses sitting in the window which must have been lovely from inside.

Thunderbird And Turtle

This is part of another mural from the same community centre as last week's mural. Done by Indigenous artist Philip Cote, this one shows a Thunderbird and Turtle. I have shown you some of his work in the past. I'm not expert enough to be able to accurately tell you the significance of these symbols in the culture so won't try. Next week I will show you the rest.   

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Cranes

I hadn't been by the old Honest Ed's site for a while so ventured down for a peek. There are several rental high-rises being built as part of the complex which results in a lot of cranes at work. I'm not quite sure how they avoid hitting each other. It would be fun to sit and watch them at work one day.

Dinnertime

 This Red-Tail Hawk had caught a pigeon and proceeded to land on a pole just about 20 ft from my roof deck. I didn't see the beginning of the episode but saw him as he enjoyed his dinner but if you look closely he was being dive-bombed by wasps and eventually he gave up and flew off leaving part of the carcass behind. Nature.  

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

An Urban Marker

This structure called an Inukshuk is found on the grounds of the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The Inukshuk is a traditional directional marker used by the Inuit in the Arctic regions to point the way to home or hunting grounds. Today they can be found all over Canada. This one has been given a lovely base of flowers to surround it.

Blue

 I was out for a walk and spotted this car and then noticed that all of the trim and even the chair on the front porch of this house had been painted to match the colour of the car. I wonder which came first?

Wetland

 Walking along the ravine that I showed you last week I spotted this sign, another one attempting to get dog owners to keep their dogs on leash. Hopefully the signs are helping a bit with some people.  

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Retro Flashback

These colourful chairs were a common sight outside motels across Canada in the 50s. I found some this week and they are still made in Canada by the same company. It was a hard decision as to which colours to get but I am pleased with these two. Now I can only hope that we get a few warm days this fall to use them!

The Lady

This is one of a group of murals painted around the property of a community centre on Bloor St W. There is a sign saying the murals were painted by the Red Urban Nation Artist Collective but this one had no individual signature unlike some of the others. I'll show you some more over the next few weeks. 
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunset

We haven't had very many beautiful sunsets lately but this one a few weeks ago made up for all of the dull ones. The sky look spectacular for just a little while and then all turned to grey!

The Girls

These female Mallards were having a pleasant float along the Humber River looking as if they had not a care in the world. They were not even bobbing for food!  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Laying Down Roots

While I was walking along the trail in yesterday's post I spotted these trees that had put out an extensive root system to keep themselves stable on the side of the ravine. Pretty impressive.

Along the Trail

This is the trail that runs through the ravine near Casa Loma and goes past the dog park which I showed yesterday. It is hard to believe that you are in the middle of the city when you walk (or run) along here.

Taking Max For A Walk

I spotted these signs with Max the Airedale Terrier at a newly installed dog park in the ravine near Casa Loma. The city has installed similar signs at most of the dog parks and I have seen large posters on bus shelters too as an attempt is made to get people to stoop & scoop and to keep their dogs on a leash unless they are in an off leash area. I'm not sure how successful they will be.
 Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Streetcar Maintenance

This pic was taken through the fence on Davenport Rd looking down into the Hillcrest Complex of our TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). This is the transit commission's largest facility and it is where the maintenance of most of its surface vehicles takes place. Here we are looking into the addition that was added to one of the shop buildings to accommodate the longer streetcars. You can see the pits that run under where the cars stop so that workers can get in to the bottom of them to do their work. It was break time for one guy!

Annex Mural

One block over from last week's Blue mural is this one which pays tribute to the Annex neighbourhood. Both of these murals are found in new small parkettes which the city had installed last summer. This one shows samples of typical Annex scenes and even includes the totem pole which is found on Spadina Ave. The artist for this one is Planta Muisca whose work can be found all over the city. 
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

The Piano

This is a tunnel leading from a laneway into a hotel along Bloor St W and a week ago when I walked by this piano looked as if it was a fixture there. I wonder if anyone ever plays it?

The Biker

I spotted this squirrel just off Bloor St W as she enjoyed her lunch while perched on the seat of one of the many abandoned bikes that you can find around the city. For some unknown reason people lock bikes to racks and then never return, leaving them to rust and also to take up the spaces for locking your bike. It is a mystery!  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

A Real Stunner

I spotted this 1959 Corvette out front of a garage last week and of course stopped for a few pics. It was in perfect condition, even the interior. I would love to cruise around in this one!

New Laneway House

I spotted this new house being constructed in a local laneway. Up until recently it has been very difficult to get a permit for such a home but the city has started to relax its requirements and more of them are appearing. I'll have to keep an eye on this one.

Fruit Market

Fruit markets on the corner are a common sight along Bloor St W especially in Koreatown where this one is located. They usually have a great assortment of really well displayed and priced vegetables for sale.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

A Wychwood Garden

While walking along the roadway in the Wychwood Park neighbourhood I had this view into the back garden of one of the homes. There are no fences in the area so you have a great view of the lush surroundings. This just past where I had spotted the turtle that I showed you on Saturday.

Blues Mural

This mural is to be found on Brunswick Ave at Bloor St W on the side of what had been the Brunswick House and is meant to pay homage to the Brunswick. The artist for this one is Komi Olaf and you can read more about the mural HERE.  
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

New Garden

This area at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was always a lost space with just a couple of trees and a few picnic tables until last summer. Gardeners spent the summer creating new plant beds and arranging a nice assortment of perennials and so this year it is a nice place to wander and tables are now scattered about along the pathway.

The Straggler

There is a log out in the middle of the pond in Wychwood Park that is a favourite spot for the turtles to catch some sun but last week on a coolish day the sun had gone in and so had all of the turtles except this one. I was zooming in to catch a pic of him but he really looked as if he was watching me too.  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Let's Play Ball!

This pic is taken right beside yesterday's photo of the skate board area at Christie Pits Park. Here we see one of the baseball diamonds that is open to the public and off to the left behind the fence is the diamond used by The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball team which is a semi-pro team that plays in the Intercounty Baseball league. That field is closed for the year but the public diamond can now be used although it doesn't look too busy here. And of course the CN Tower looks on at us.

Hockey Rink In Summer

The outdoor skating rink at Christie Pits Park is put to good use all summer. It is sometimes set up as a skateboard facility and when the jumps are moved aside there is space for basketball too. The CN Tower has peeked into the pic on the left.

Chambers

The hairdressers finally opened here and when going for my first cut in months I ended up parked on a street I had never gone down before and saw this doorway. It is down the side of a building and slightly below grade and yet felt quite distinguished to me. It could have been the sign itself saying Law Chambers which reminded me of the many British law shows I have seen where the lawyers are based in chambers. 
Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Last Theme Day: A Favourite Photo

This is the last theme day for the City Daily Photo Blog community and the topic chosen is a favourite pic that you have previously posted. I have chosen this one from 2016 for several reasons. I like the image of the woman herself and also the CN tower in the background sets the stage as being in Toronto. Also the location is at the top of the stairs leading up to Casa Loma which is a favourite place for me to wander. I will miss these theme days a lot! 
Taking part in the Favourite theme. Click HERE to see favourite pics from around the world.