Heading Off Into A New Year

Another archive shot as we have no snow here now but I thought this was a perfect way to end this year. Let us all hope we are heading into a better year. Happy New Year's Eve to everyone!

Dark Skies

I've always liked this school building and as I went past it a few days ago the skies were so dramatic that I had to stop for a shot. The sun was at my back and came out for a few seconds to highlight the building which was a great coincidence. The school is now called Central Toronto Academy but for years was known as Central Commerce Collegiate and it was built in 1916 and is still going strong.

New Barber Shop

This is a fairly new barber shop that has opened in a space that had been a clothing store. Barber shops seem to be quite popular these days with lots of fancy techniques being used on men's hair. It was the black and white barber pole that attracted my attention here as I stood on a narrow sidewalk and avoided the heavy traffic behind me.

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

Roaming Around Town

This shot was taken on one of my roams about the residential areas of the Yorkville & Annex neighbourhoods. I love these old row house which I guess we would call townhouses today. They were built during the 1890s and you can just make out the oval signs beside the doors which tell us they have heritage designation as do all of the other houses along this street.

An Odd Creature

It may be rather odd but I like this creature. It seems to be made up of a few types of animals all put together in a nice graphic style. It was spotted high on a wall in the Yorkville neighbourhood. There are some initials down by the bottom but I couldn't figure out who the artist is. 

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

A Rare Sight

I was lucky to spot the appearance of rare Snow Ducks right out in front of my place. They don't turn up very often so it was a treat! And they soon disappeared.

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

Merry Christmas

This is the tree at Casa Loma which I showed several days ago as it was being decorated. I hope all those who celebrate Christmas have a good one! Merry Christmas!

From Christmas Past

This is from my archives of Christmas at Casa Loma a few years ago. I loved this tree that they had then and have noticed that they now install it out on the grounds of the Casa rather than this spot out front. I'll show you this year's tree tomorrow.

The Toys Are On Their Way

For many years I have gone down to the staging area of the Santa Claus Parade to get shots of the floats before the parade begins. We have had no parade for the last 2 years so I have dug into my archives to find a shot from a few years ago. The toys are on the train and are on their way to the kids who have been good. During the parade little kids would be sitting on those stools along the side of the float.

Behaving Well

This is another of the eating places found around the Geary Ave area. Good Behaviour serves ice cream and submarine sandwiches which are said to be excellent. I must go by for a sub soon to try them out. 

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

Hercules

This sculpture,titled Hercules, by Canadian artist Joe Fafard was found outside a gallery in the Yorkville neighbourhood back in October when we still had flowers. It was a hard one to shoot with its open structure and the busy backgrounds. Fafard is one of my favourite artists.

Vases

I spotted this painted utility box along Cumberland Ave in the Yorkville neighbourhood. The artist for this one is  Kirsten McCrea. I really like her graphic style.

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

Construction Continues

 A different view of the construction that is taking place on the old Honest Ed's site. The buildings are supposed to all be rentals rather than condos but we shall see if that is the case when they are finished. A friend had a studio for a long time right where that first building from the left now stands. The times they are a changing.

Waiting

This black squirrel sat like this on the tree behind my deck waiting for me to disappear so that he could come across the laneway and dig around in my planters. After about 20 minutes he gave up. I am more stubborn than a squirrel!

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

An Oldie

I spotted this old bike in the window of a beauty salon in Yorkville during one of my wanders. It looks very old and very cool!

A Walkway

What was a simple and boring walkway leading to Bloor St from Cumberland Ave was given a huge change by the installation of these metal structures. They give the feel of an awning while actually doing nothing to protect walkers.

The Tulip

A shot from back in October when it was still warm and we could have doors open. This inviting looking shop was spotted along Geary Ave during one of my wanders. They advertise sundaes which are always a nice thing on a warm day. 

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

Help With The Tree

What a great machine to have nearby when you are decorating a tall tree. This fellow was working on the large tree in front of Casa Loma as I passed by. He was just getting ready to put a few more baubles up around the very top section.

Blues

This is another rather abstract mural by Chris Perez whose work I have shown before. I always think that they are flowers but everyone has their own ideas about that. You can see more of his work by clicking on the Perez label below. 

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

Red

I still have some great autumn shots that I haven't posted so thought I would show you this wonderful Japanese Maple that grows on the grounds of Spadina House. It is such a beauty!

Watery Display At The Duck Pond

It looks a bit like this duck in James Gardens is trying to scare off the huge turtle sculpture that looks out over the pond but it was actually just having a nice bath. All the rest of the ducks were staying well clear. This is a post for a special follower of the blog who loves to see the ducks! 

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

A Walk In A Ravine

Just a nice walk in the ravine off Spadina Rd north of Spadina House. It is such a good walk right in the middle of the city.

Another Heritage House

This house is just a few houses down from the one I showed you on Tuesday and like it and all the neighbours it has heritage designation too. It was built in 1889 but there was no info for this one on who the original residents were. This is the usual red brick construction but there is a little more wood trim than we usually see on homes in the area.

A Heritage Sign

I love these signs that Heritage Toronto puts up on places that have received heritage protection. Some like this one on yesterday's house where they are able to trace the home's ownership back to the beginning include the info about the first residents. The ones where they can't trace the ownership have a simpler sign just stating that they have been designated and the year of construction. 

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

A Yorkville Home

I have been wandering around a lot in residential areas lately as there are fewer people around and I don't have to worry about crowds plus I have found some real beauties. This semi-detached home in the Yorkville neighbourhood was built in 1885 and has heritage designation as do almost all of the other homes on its street. I love the distinguished looks of it and the yellow bricks are not the usual red bricks that we see. There looks to be a modern addition to the back of it. I will show you a close-up tomorrow of the sign that is barely visible below the street number.

Pink Beauty

I love this beautifully painted garage door done by Christina Mazzulla. It is another great welcome home sight to be found along a laneway. 

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

No More Flowers

Yesterday I showed you all the bees that were visiting my Chrysanthemum a couple of weeks ago. This is a shot of my poor plant taken last Sunday afternoon. There will be no more blooms from it this year and the bees are now tucked away somewhere safe.

Bees In November

On the same sunny November day as I watched the butterfly which I showed last Saturday I was also watching a large number of bees who spent the afternoon flying back and forth from my Chrysanthemum to their hive. They spent the whole afternoon harvesting sweets from the flowers. There are just a few of them visible in this pic but it was hard to catch them as they were on the move so much. We have had snow since then so I imagine they are inside for the winter now.

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

A Side View

This is the view of yesterday's building which you get when you are walking up Spadina Rd. There is something about the proportions and colour of this building which I love.

For The Chauffeur

 This is one of the outbuildings found on the grounds of Spadina House and it is one of my favourites. It was built in 1909 as the chauffeur's residence and I believe there was a section given over to the garage. I love the Gothic Revival look of it. It is now a private residence and I'm not sure if it is connected to the operations of the main house.

December Theme: The Future

The December theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "The Future" and for this I offer a shot of yet more towers going up in our city. These are on the old Honest Ed's site which I have shown a few times. There are a few more structures still to be started on the scene. The future will see more and more of these. That large house in the front which is covered by ivy was another holdout so it will remain intact.

Taking part in the theme. For more examples from around the world click HERE.

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.