The Old Oak Tree

I always admire this oak tree that grows along Davenport Rd and looks like it has been there for a long time. I love its weirdly shaped branches and thought that it was looking especially good now with the leaves turned to such a lovely burnished colour.

A Surprising Couple.

I first spotted the wonderful butterfly on this garage door and then the wonderful Snowy, the Wire-haired Fox Terrier from the Tintin comic books. They make for a cheerful welcome home for someone. This was painted by Nick Sweetman.

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

Tall Ones

A while ago I showed you the small building whose owner did not sell to the developer doing the former Honest Ed's site. This is the view fro around the corner on Bloor St of a few of the tall towers under construction. There are more of them to come on the property and they certainly loom over the rest of the streetscape.

A Tough Butterfly

We don't see many butterflies in November but a couple of weeks ago on a sunny day this beauty spent the afternoon fluttering around on the Marigolds on my south facing deck. I was out there too enjoying the unusual late autumn warmth along with tens of bees who were buzzing around my large Chrysanthemum. I am pretty sure this was a Painted Lady butterfly.

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

Cool Car

I spotted this gorgeous Austin-Healey 3000 parked on a local street while I was out for a walk. They were made from 1959 to 1967 and with a 3 litre engine are fast. This one was in perfect condition.

A Place To Rest

I spotted this gentleman having a nice rest in the autumn sun at James Gardens. He is on a bench that my mother liked to sit on as it gives you a good view of the duck pond and the gardens.

Beauty

I spotted this rather unusual sign on a factory building in the Liberty Village neighbourhood. It turns out that the company sells skin care and make-up products of a variety of different brands. Not sure why it is abnormal.

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

Heading West

 These are the tracks behind the building where yesterday's mural was found. It is hard to believe that this is in the middle of the city and that it is a very busy line.  Some of the trains that pass here take a good 5 minutes to go through carrying all kinds of goods.

A Spy

I spotted this creature lurking on a backstair of a building along some railway tracks. Apparently he is one of the Spy characters that appeared in a cartoon that ran in Mad Magazine, one dressed in black & one dressed in white. He has a big smile and seems to be happy with whatever he found inside there!

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

What A Difference A Week Makes

I thought that I would show you a shot of the Horse Chestnut tree at Spadina House that I had shown you on Thursday and Friday. This shot was taken a week after the first ones and the difference is incredible. We are to get cold weather this week and a lot of those leaves will probably fall now.

"I Know It Is Here Somewhere"

This black squirrel was rummaging madly through the leaves as if it had last something. Probably looking for a treasure that someone else had hidden. The squirrels are all looking a bit chubby and have beautiful coats of fur as they prepare for the winter ahead.

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

From The Other Side

The other side of yesterday's Horse Chestnut tree gives a bit of an idea of the extensive grounds of Spadina House. I went by yesterday which was a week after I took this shot and I will show you that pic on Sunday.

A Grand Entrance

I always like to see this wonderful entrance into Spadina House. The metal work is so beautiful and that large Horse Chestnut tree Sets it off nicely.

There Is An Alternative

Alternative Thinking is the lone surviving building that stood on the entire city block that was the Honest Ed's  property. It was the lone building not owned by the Mirvish family and its owner decided to stay put. Construction continues around it of several high rises and other smaller buildings. It is nice that the architects put some lower buildings near it so that it is not totally overshadowed.

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

Finally Some Colour

It hasn't been a great autumn for colourful leaves but there have finally been a few trees giving us a visual treat.

Blues

I spotted this mural by Chris Perez on a shipping container that has been installed out in front of a building along Geary Ave. It looks to be a permanent thing so it will be nice to see these abstract blue  flowers when passing along the street. 

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

Born Again

I bought this Chrysanthemum  last year and when winter came I just cut off the stalks and left the pot to be cleaned out in the spring. By the time I got around to checking the pot in April there were green sprouts coming up so I moved it onto the deck and watched as it grew & grew all summer. Buds formed and this fall the flowers opened and it is an even bigger display than last year. I am going to see if it winters over again.

Naptime

 I do like visiting the ducks that live at the pond in James Gardens and one afternoon I went by and found that they were all having a nap. Some were in the water, some on the ground and even one standing on one foot but all with their eyes closed except for one near the upper left that was looking at me through partially opened eyes. I stayed very quiet so as not to disturb them.

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

Memories Again

This is the view from yesterday's building which was my studio and is now a restaurant. You can see the larger buildings of the Toronto Carpet Factory which once housed huge looms for weaving carpets and then became artist studios. Now it is design studios and offices and this parking lot has become a patio of sorts. You can't go back to the old days - everything looks so different and yet the same.

Memories

I mentioned a while ago that I had a studio in Liberty Village many moons ago before gentrification took the area over. This is a recent shot of the entrance to my studio. This small self-enclosed building had been the payroll office for the Toronto Carpet factory. The Factory occupied a whole city block and was made up of several large buildings enclosing an inner courtyard with smaller buildings including this one. I was there in a great time when the whole place was full of artists. Now entering this door takes you into a restaurant. I'll show you more tomorrow. 

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada when we remember the sacrifices of the many veterans who served for us. 

Client

I spotted this sign along Dufferin St and of course had to stop for a shot. It turns out the Client From Hell is a boutique interior design supplier of what looks like high end furnishings. Love the name. 

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

A Wonderful Surprise

 I was driving along Geary Ave when I spotted this fabulous art atop a building. Of course I pulled over and went back for a shot. I love it! There was a fellow in the doorway of the building but he was talking to someone who seemed to be a client so I didn't want to bother him but he did call over to me that the piece was coming down that week. I have no artist info at all. Geary Ave is a street with a mixture of mechanics, brew pubs, artist studios, and industrial spaces with a lot of little restaurants starting to turn up. I fear that gentrification will happen but right now it is a fun street.

Boldly Go

It seemed timely that I came upon this mural on a garage door just after Captain Kirk (aka William Shatner) finally got into orbit. At 90 years of age Shatner became the oldest earthling to go into orbit even if it was for a short while.

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

One More Monster From Halloween

I know the day is gone but I spotted this  monster from the Beetlejuice movie after I had already taken my Halloween pics. He looks like a happy sandworm here and not too scary at all. I'm not a fan of horror films but I did love Beetlejuice.

Peek-a-Boo

This squirrel wanted to be where I was sitting and it kept going up and down the tree peeking around to see if I was still there. I eventually left and let him have the bench! 

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

A Door To Somewhere?

While wandering around my old stomping grounds of the Liberty Village neighbourhood I spotted this odd little door between two large buildings. I have no idea what it could lead to. Possibly there is a walkway behind it which leads to another small building. I would love to know what is behind it wouldn't you?

Another Conversion In Liberty Village

This building was a major commercial bakery for many many years until the company moved out into the suburbs in order to expand. The building has been saved and divided up into offices and design studios and this is the main entrance. Liberty Village is right downtown so it is a convenient spot for companies to have a location well served by transportation. This shot was taken through a door early on a Sunday so all was quiet.

Balloons

This display of balloons was spotted on the front of a newly opened cannabis shop along Bathurst St. Some of the balloons have popped or deflated but I think it still looks fabulous. Ever since pot was legalized here these shops have been turning up all over the city often with a few in each block in some busy areas. It will be interesting to see how many survive. This one looks quite posh when you peek through the window. 

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

Conversion

I'm back in the Liberty Village neighbourhood to show an interior shot of one of the factories that have been converted into offices and design studios. The old beams are almost all that is left inside to remind us of the old days of manufacturing. This building has been divided up into smaller spaces all served by this lovely common area plus a boardroom & a kitchen area. A friend has moved into one of the design studios so I got a tour of the place. It is quite a place!

November Theme : "Great Big Mess"

The November theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Great Big Mess and I thought this guy was a perfect example of that. He had a rough Halloween and it will be a while till he is feeling normal again. 

Taking part in the theme Great Big Mess. Click HERE to see more examples from around the world.