A Tough Tree

This willow tree with hundreds of burls all over its trunk was spotted in a local park. Despite all the growths it still looked healthy with lots of strong leafy branches. That is a tough tree.

Chocolate Tower

A chocolate shop on Dupont St always has great displays in its window, all made from chocolate. This one features our CN Tower with friend and lettering spelling out Toronto. Good enough to eat! 

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

New Playground

This small playground has been finished and open for about a month now. It was built on the site of what was a small neighbourhood grocery store. I think a developer built it in exchange for some exemptions on a project somewhere else in the area. Every time I have gone by there are lots of kids but this day at lunchtime it was empty so I stopped for a pic.

They Are Everywhere

I go by this mural fairly often but it is a busy intersection and I have never stopped for a shot. Recently I was stopped at a red light and took this pic through a cleanish windshield. The roadway heads under a railway track off to the right and the whole support structure has been taken over by pigeons and their nests. Netting has been put up but the pigeons pull it down. So far they are winning.

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

A Golden Time of Year

Late summer is a beautiful time of year in the garden and at flower shops all over town where bunches of sunflowers are for sale. These yellow flowers were aglow at James Gardens when I was there last week.

Not Bumps On A Log

While wandering past one of the smaller ponds in James Gardens I spotted a log floating and thought it looked rather bumpy but when I zoomed in on it realized that it was a quartet of frogs sunbathing. I think they are all Green Frogs with the large male on the left side but I could be wrong so please let me know if I am mistaken. It is always so good to see frogs in the wild. 

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

An Everlasting Flower

This elegant vase and flower were spotted recently in a gallery. The steel vase & flower are welded to the steel table so will last for a long, long time.

The Tower

Today I show you the Soldiers' Tower that was described in yesterday's post. It has always been an imposing sight on the U of Toronto campus. Sad that such a memorial is needed.

A Memorial Tower

 This sign gives all the info about the Soldiers' Tower which is the University of Toronto's war memorial. I will show you a photo tomorrow but thought I'd show this first. I hope that you can read it. 

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

Modern Gate

I've always liked this 1960s style gate in its location leading to one of the very old cloisters at U of Toronto. There is such a contrast of styles.

Tagging

A good friend gave me the heads up about the location of this mural by Emily May Rose and it was a treat to see. I always enjoy seeing what antics her raccoons have been up to and this time they have been doing a bit of tagging on a door.

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

Laneway Contrast

You can find some unusual sights along a laneway and some real contrasts between neighbours. This is a great example of that with the slick newly redone black metal clad laneway house and its neighbouring garage on the right that looks like it hasn't seen paint in many a year.

Watching

 There always seems to be one Canada Goose on guard while the others poke around for food. I always give them a lot of space as they can be quite fierce.

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

Looking Good

These 2 pairs of semi-detached homes in the Yorkville neighbourhood were built in 1888 and have been lovingly restored. Rather than homes they now house galleries and offices.

Fun At The Park

 These wonderful play structures were spotted at one of our downtown parks. Those buildings/climbing things look like so much fun to me. I loved the wee kid running off at the bottom left.

Having A Drink At The Park

We have rather strict rules about drinking alcohol in public places but the city of Toronto has very recently started a pilot project to allow drinking in some parks that have washroom facilities. It will be nice for people to be able to have a picnic and enjoy a glass of wine. Hopefully the test works out okay and it remains a permanent thing. 

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

Carving By A Master

This wood carving by Siggi Buhler was found at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Science Centre and it was installed to commemorate the opening of the Centre in 1948.  The carving makes reference to various activities our veterans have carried out through the years. What makes the whole carving more amazing is that it is curved to fit along a curved wall at the Centre. Quite a task!

Quite A Creature

I recently spotted this slightly weathered Birdo mural which I had heard was in an area I don't really know. A little hunting and I found it. Birdo's creatures are so imaginative and full of quirky things. I really liked the shadows that show up especially behind the trees.

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

Colour

It seems to have been a good summer for Phlox possibly because we have had more rain than usual so far. I love the rich colour of these ones.

Just Crawling Along

I do have one very small patch of earth where I had a few milkweed plants growing among some ground cover. The milkweed got blown over during a storm a couple of weeks ago but then this week I spotted a Monarch Butterfly caterpillar crawling around in the fallen stems. I'm hoping it has enough to eat and will soon be hiding out to prepare for metamorphosis. It was around for a few days and now has disappeared.

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

Subway Above Ground

This is one from my archives showing one of our older subway trains running along a section of the route which runs above ground. Although the vast majority of the subway route is underground there are a few sections on each line which emerge into the daylight for a short run. This train was seen along the Yonge St line.

St Thomas's Church

 This is the church referenced in yesterday's sign post. I find the Arts & Crafts style quite unusual for a church. I have never happened upon the church when it was unlocked but would love to see the interior.

Arts & Crafts Church

I'll show you the sign about the church today and the actual church tomorrow. St Thomas's Anglican Church is found right by the U of Toronto campus and is a wonderful example of the Arts & Crafts style. It has heritage protection and hence this nice sign. The unusual church will appear here tomorrow.

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

An Urban Oasis

I recently visited a house in the High Park neighbourhood which has this wonderful back garden. It is quite a wonderful oasis right in the middle of the city. They also have a huge deck up by the house with all the current outdoor kitchen features. I would never want to leave this yard if I lived there. The glass panels are part of the fencing required around swimming pools here.

The Little Scamps At Play

I'm always pleased to come upon one of the murals by Emily May Rose featuring her raccoons up to some antics. This one was in a laneway just off Bloor St. 

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

Bridge At James Gardens

 On one of the hot & muggy days a couple of weeks ago it seemed like a good idea to visit James Gardens and say hello to the ducks. It was surprising to find the pond empty of ducks & Canada Geese but it was still a bit cooler in the shade of the trees and the bridge is always a nice sight.

Cooling Off

It was a hot & humid afternoon when I spotted these pigeons cooling off in the small puddles in a parking lot. Lucky for them that we have been having a lot of scattered rain showers so there often puddles around. 

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

Retro Interior

This is the interior of yesterday's '55 BelAir. They sure don't make them like this anymore. Look at that great steering wheel. I was surprised to see that the car had an automatic transmission which was a bit of a disappointment.

Red Beauty

I was pulling into the laneway and spotted this beauty down at the mechanic's shop at the other end. So of course I headed down with my camera. It is a '55 Chevrolet BelAir  with the most wonderful paint job. This car goes out only on nice days and never on a highway. I will show you the interior tomorrow which was just as spectacular.

Neighbourhood Scenes

An artist in the Seaton Village neighbourhood has installed a lightbox in her front garden where she installs dioramas that deal with thought-provoking themes such as climate change, food insecurity, etc. She hopes this starts discussions between parents and children. The artist is Martha Davis.

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

August Theme: Garden

The August theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Garden and for this one I offer a shot of part of my roof garden. It faces south so gets lots of heat and sunshine. I grow some flowers but mostly herbs and veggies like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, snow peas, etc. It has been a good summer for the crops so far and I am just waiting for the large tomatoes to start ripening. Mostly it is a place to relax. 

Taking part in the theme Garden. Click HERE to see more gardens from around the world.