Under One Roof

This pink restaurant on Bloor St W has 2 different menus I guess as they sell tacos or fried chicken. I have never been in but it seems like a strange combo to me. 

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

Lady In Red

Parts of Bloor St & Yonge St were closed to vehicles for Open Streets which brought lots of people out walking. This lady in the bright red dress stood out from any crowd near her.

Garage Garden

I was taking a shortcut through the U of Toronto campus and spotted this mural down a laneway so of course I had to investigate. It turns out it is the same artist who did the summery mural I showed last Monday. The artist is Andrea Manica. The colours and images in this one are so peaceful and relaxing don't you think?

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

Love The Dress

 This wonderful dress was spotted in a shop window and stopped me in my tracks. I love it and there was a time when I would have worn to every suitable occasion I attended. Pardon the reflections.

Neighbourhood Watch

This tiny kitten had been watching a squirrel in a nearby tree and then noticed me out of the corner of its eye and turned to pose nicely for this shot. The window could use a bit of work. 

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

My Crop

This has been a good summer for tomatoes for me. I tried one new variety this year, a Sicilian Saucer. That is the first one that has ripened sitting in the back of this shot. It weighed over 1 1/2 lbs and was 7 inches across. The other ones are Beefsteaks and Sweet Million tomatoes. They have all tasted wonderful and there are still plenty more on the plants to ripen yet.

Blue

I'm into my archives from earlier in the summer to return to thee Exotic Car Show that was on Bloor St W.  This is a 1948 Morgan and what a colour that is. Somehow I doubt that it is original.

The Doors

 These doors are the entrance to an older 4 storey apartment building that is in the midst of a residential neighbourhood just off St Clair Ave. It always seems like such a good idea to sprinkle these small buildings among homes. a little work on those doors would make this place look quite grand in an old fashioned way.

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

A Hideaway

This was taken early on a Sunday morning when no one was around but it is usually a lively patio found hidden in a courtyard of old converted factory buildings. The old buildings now house offices and studios. The low building is an Italian restaurant now.

Summer In The 'Hood

Another mural from the railway underpass on Lansdowne Ave. This one seems to scream summer to me with all the images of this wonderful time of year. I forgot to check for an artist name for this one.

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

Elegance

 Doesn't this arrangement of flowers and leaves look elegant? Sometimes it is nice to have a lot of colour but these look beautiful.

Always A Rebel

 There always seems to be a rebel in the family. I could hear crows squawking out in front of my place and went out to check what was going on. It looks as if mum & dad crow had the family all together except for one youngster who insisted on sitting by itself. The parents were quire upset with the situation. The next day I saw the parents chasing a hawk that had come too close to the family. They are good parents.

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

Blowing In The Wind

While wandering in James Gardens recently I was attracted to the willow trees gently blowing in the wind. It is such a summery type of movement and even the Canad Geese lazing about around the trees were being peaceful and not begging for food.

August Yellow

 Black Eyed Susans are a common sight here in August and luckily they are fairly drought resistant as we have had little rain this summer. This healthy patch was spotted in James Gardens where they receive a bit of watering from the irrigation system in the park. I love to see the bright yellow flowers glowing in the sunshine.

A Good Reuse

I showed a shot of Castle Memorial Hall a few years ago but as I walked by it recently it was looking so good that I thought it deserved to be shown again. Built in 1901 the hall is part of the Royal Conservatory of Music and is located on Bloor St W right beside the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). It originally contained a library and chapel but underwent an extensive restoration in 1996 and now houses a small concert hall. I love the look of the stonework.

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

No Real Reason

I loved this extension of the roof line of a condo project's sales office & display space. It has no real purpose and won't keep the rain off but makes for a fun shot.

Happy

I found this mural in a railway underpass and thought the creatures all looked quite happy despite the noise from the trains. The artist for this one is Planta Muisca who has done a lot of murals around town.

The Addition

This building in the Yorkville neighbourhood is in a heritage protection district but they were able to get permission to add onto the back as long as the street front was not changed.  So the addition that was added is that glass structure behind and apparently the floors run smoothly through from the front to back. The glass makes a nice backdrop for this fine building which is now occupied by offices.

Looking For Trouble

They may be cute but squirrels can get into a lot of trouble in the garden. I have given up trying to grow strawberries and cucumbers as the squirrels don't wait for them to ripen before nibbling a bit and I never got to have any. Tomatoes work because there are so many to go around that there are always some left for me. Our black squirrels are actually Eastern Grey Squirrels with black fur.

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

Deco Door

This door was found a few years ago on a building that no longer exists. It is the site of yet more condo towers. At the time the doors from the building were to be saved and relocated but I don't know if that happened or not. It was a beautiful door.

A Walk In Wychwood

This is the road/pathway that encircles the pond in the Wychwood Park neighbourhood. There are no sidewalks and very little vehicular traffic so people walk down the middle of the road. Even on the hottest days of summer it is cooler and refreshing in this area.

A Ghost Sign of Sorts

This sign was found high on a wall along a laneway. The building it was on had been built as a movie theatre and now houses a gym. Before that it had been a retail store and obviously must have been a drug store in another reincarnation. Older buildings have so much history.

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

Station Wagon

I find it hard to walk by a car from the 50s and not stop for a shot. I spotted this 1957 Ford Country Sedan early on a Sunday morning walk. It was in great shape even in the interior which was huge.

Dripping With Vines

 There are so many painted utility boxes around town these days that it is hard to go down a street without spotting another. I couldn't find an artist name on this one.

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

Sunday Fun

I had never seen a portable badminton net like this one but it is perfect for setting up a game in the park. The net is attached to a loop of metal and balances on the ground with a weight in the middle to hold it down. This couple was set up on the grounds of Spadina House.

A Surprise

I looked out through the patio doors and saw something bright sitting on one of the deck chairs. I grabbed my camera and headed out to find this beautiful Red Admiral butterfly enjoying a bit of a rest. I managed a few pics before I got too close and it then flew away. 

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

To Brighten The Day

There is nothing like a nice bunch of sunflowers to brighten one's day.

On The Ferry At Dusk

This shot goes with Tuesday's shot in that it was taken from the ferry as we traveled back to downtown from the islands. It was a beautiful evening on Lake Ontario.

Fill It Up Please

It was the retro look of the man in this sign that attracted my attention. It turns out that Saponetti is an eco-friendly soap refill company. They use no plastics and refill your glass containers when they are empty either delivering them or filling them when you bring them in. They offer all kinds of soaps for dishwashers, laundry etc. What a great idea.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

End Of Day At The Island

After a day on the Toronto Islands while waiting for the ferry to take you back to the mainland this is the view you get of downtown Toronto with the CN Tower as the star of the shot.

August Theme: Wood

The August theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Wood and for this I offer a shot of two wooden residences  found on the Toronto Islands. The vast majority of homes here are brick so wooden homes are a bit of a rarity and combined with the large trees this shot says 'wood' to me.

The Toronto Islands are a short ferry ride in Lake Ontario just across from downtown Toronto and at one time had about 700 homes but there are now around 300 of them and most of the islands are parkland.

Taking part in the theme Wood. Click HERE to see more examples of wood from around the world.