White Squirrel

 

I posted this mural several years ago and recently went past it and was pleased to see that it hasn't been tagged. It references the colonies of white squirrels that live downtown along Queen St W. They are not albinos but are true white squirrels. Nice little sweater that this one has.

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

Little Red Fiat

 

I showed you a tiny old green Fiat a few weeks ago and came upon this nice red one so I had to show it. It is a lot bigger than the old one but still small. A tall friend of mine has one and he together with his 6ft 7in son manage to squeeze into it. I love the colour.

A Cutie

 

This is a 4 month old standard Poodle who has yet to have her first haircut. She had just had a bath and blow dry so was really soft and full of cuddles.

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

Lovely

 

The owners of this house always have a nice display in these planters at the front of their small garden. They change it with the seasons and it is always a treat to see it.

Art Show Booth

 

This interesting booth was spotted at one of our recent art shows in the city. The sculptures had a real narrative to them.

An Annex Pub

 

The Victory Cafe has been around the Annex neighbourhood for a long time in a couple of different locations, this spot for quite a while now. This was taken early on a morning before it was open but usually at this time of year that large patio is packed. And the food is good. You can do a yoga workout upstairs after you eat.

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

Lilies

 

Summer is going by so quickly and I was surprised to see that the lilies are blooming already but it is July. These yellow ones were looking especially pretty.

Dancers

 

If you look at this mural carefully you realize that all those creatures are dancing away to music being played by a band made up of cats. It is too bad there was a door open on the left which had a couple more cat musicians. Fun on a summer evening!

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

A Peaceful Walk

Early on a Sunday morning this will give you an idea of why I like to walk in the Annex neighbourhood. It is always quiet and the trees keep it cool in summer and also stop the wind in winter. There are few driveways and just a few laneways hence all the cars parked on the streets.
 

Frog

 

I am back to the front porch that I showed you a few weeks ago with the great stork cut-out of steel. There were a few more creatures featured in the cut-outs and this is one of them, a tree frog. The dark areas are where there is a shaded background giving a nice effect.

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

Red

 

During the intermission at Cirque Du Soleil this giant screen came down and hid the stage area a bit but those dark areas were not opaque so you could see movement behind as they set up for the next acts. The screen resembled the Mexican paper cutouts called papel picado that are found for decoration at festive times of the year.

Drink Anyone?

 

The bar area inside the first tent at the Cirque Du Soleil really had a Mexican motif going. I loved the neon cactus. I took no pics during the performance as I was too busy watching everything.

Going To The Circus

 Luzia is the title of the Cirque Du Soleil show which I recently went to see. It is a dreamy tribute to Mexican culture using acrobats and special effects. This is the area just before you enter the tents which consists of the big tent itself and smaller tents for refreshments and souvenirs. 

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

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians. 

Cirque

 

Cirque Du Soleil is in town for the next couple of months and I went to a recent performance. This is the view walking from the entrance towards the big top. It it was a wonderful show on a beautiful day.

The Cafe

 

It is hard to see at first but this seems to be a small cafe where even a blue raccoon has come for a bite. All the characters look rather unusual.

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

Starting Young

 

These young kids were doing a little exercise session in a local park before playing a few games with balls and goal nets. It was fun to watch them following along with the instructor.  A good thing to see.

Hungry

 

I spotted this caterpillar chewing away on some of my dill plants. I don't know what kind he is - maybe a Swallowtail? A few hours later he was gone which was a surprise.

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

Pretty In The Annex

 

I thought that this house in the Annex neighbourhood was looking especially pretty one morning with its lovely plants and even a nice purple door.

Glowing

 

This bike seemed to be glowing as it sat on the sidewalk in front of the black walls behind it. And the little sign at the upper left makes it seem even more spooky. 

Show Love

 

These large hearts which light up at night are found all over the city. TO is a nickname for Toronto. They are meant to inspire people to be kind and get involved in the community. There are 25 of them. 

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

Pink

 

I happened to go by a house that had a large group of rose bushes covered in these beautiful little pink blossoms. Of course I had to stop for a shot.

Summertime

 

It is finally summer here and even these rather strange creatures are enjoying it. I spotted this mural in the laneway out back of a creative community centre.

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

Art In The Summer

 

It is the season for outdoor art shows in the city with one nearly every weekend. I went by this show last weekend before it was open when the artists were just finishing their set-up. Unfortunately mother nature was kind on Saturday but it poured buckets of rain on the Sunday.

The Guardian

 

I often walk by a construction supply yard when they are closed and this fine guy is their guardian. This pic was taken through the fence. He had been curled up having a rest but as soon as I stopped he had to get up to come and say hello. He seems quite friendly but I wouldn't put my hand through the fence.

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

Fiat Again

 

Yesterday I couldn't decide whether to show the front or back of the Fiat 500L so I am showing the back view today. I love the lines of the back view.

Green Beauty

 

I was in a parking lot and just walking over to take a pic of this car when the owner came out and started to jump in. I quickly ran over and asked if I could take some shots and he was pleased to step away. It is a 1971 Fiat 500L and in perfect condition. He only drives it for 6 months of the year. I'll show you a shot of the back tomorrow.

Big Tow

 

This has to be one of the largest tow trucks I have ever seen. Then I realized that it was hooking up to a large truck that had broken down in traffic. I didn't stay around to see how it ended.

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

Almost Missed

 

I almost missed getting some shots of beautiful Irises during their very short growing season. I loved the pale purple colour of these ones.

Guardians

 

These noble lions started me a bit as I walked along a laneway. I think they are vinyl prints rather than painted on the door. I'm sure they work well to protect the place. That signature may say Menz.

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

Urban Flowers

 

There are not as many large garden centres in the city as there used to be so a lot of the corner stores have taken over that function. This small store on St Clair W had a huge display of plants spreading all over the sidewalk.

Traces Of A Stork

 

This stork cutout was part of a porch surround that I spotted. There was a cedar bush behind the opening which gave us this wonderful green bird. There were a few other animal cutouts which I will show in the next few weeks. 

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

An Urban Garden

 

I was lucky enough to be visiting some friends on a warm sunny day and got to enjoy the coolness of their beautiful back garden. I think the temperature dropped by 5 degrees as soon as we went out there. You never know what can be lurking behind a simple house.

Annex Brick Homes

 

I went out in April to take  shots of houses in the Annex neighbourhood before the leaves came out on the trees and blocked the views. These 3 houses won't be blocked by that tree out front for a long time. I like how these houses, all built in the late 1900s, are all so different from each other even though all used the same red bricks so prevalent in the city.

Tribute To Librarians

 

The woman in the Seaton Village neighbourhood who has a small diorama in her front garden has a tribute to librarians on display now. They do help us to answer many of our questions and deserve the attention.

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

"Timber!"

 

It was just around noon on a sunny day about a week ago when this huge very old Silver Maple tree fell over right from its base. It tore out the electric wires to several houses but luckily no one was injured. You can see a car towards the right of centre. It was flattened. Spooky times for the people who live on this street. 

Hare

 

This fine rabbit was painted several years ago and I posted it at the time. It was good to see that it hasn't been tagged when I went by recently. He won't need the sweater for a few months now.

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

A Cascade Of Flowers

 

I spotted this wonderful Spirea bush in the front garden of a home. There was a breeze so the branches were putting on a show of moving cascades of flowers. Lovely.

Pals

 

I met a dog walker that I know while out for a walk. She had a full crew of dog buddies including this Border Collie who is quite shy. I wanted to get a shot of her but she refused to look up. Two of her friends were quite eager to have their pics taken.

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

A Church Interior

 

I happened to be going by Trinity-St. Paul's United Church on Bloor St W so wandered in for this shot of the interior. It felt so calm in there when coming in from the busy street.

Hearts

 

When I see Bleeding Hearts I think of my Mum who always had lots of it growing in her garden. This little patch of it that I spotted on a walk seems to be doing quite well.

A 4-Plex

I have always liked the look of this little apartment building and was surprised to find out that it contains only 4 units. They must all be of a good size and judging by the age of the building must be solidly built.

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

June Theme: Sky

 

The June theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Sky. We have had a cool spring with lots of rain and little sunny weather so it was a treat last week to walk along in the sunshine with gentle clouds floating by. So this is my Sky pic for the theme.

To see more pics of Sky from around the world click HERE. 

Inherit The Earth

 

This lovely mural was spotted in a laneway behind some commercial properties. A thoughtful statement runs along the bottom. The only artist info is CT up in the right corner.

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

A Face

 

We bought this wonderful face at a small art show in Mexico. It is made from pieces of fabric stitched together and buttons for the eyes. The artist had some great work.

Pretty Bird

 

I spotted this lovely little bird on an insert on the wall around a hydro station. It wasn't signed but was obviously done by a First Nations artist. I quite like it.

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

Laneway White

This newly finished laneway house is a bit more interesting than many of them which are quite plain and boring. The wood inserts give a bit of interest and they have just finished putting top soil all around it so it looks like there may be a garden coming.
 

Under The Bubble

 

This is one of the bubble-like entrances to the Dupont St subway station. Opened in 1978, they certainly look like the 70s to me. The bubble motif even continues down on the platforms with round tiles etc.

Neon Wing

 The neon wing seen on this restaurant's overhang is part of the logo of Chantecler, a French restaurant on Bloor St W. Apparently Chantecler is a breed of chicken bred in Quebec. I haven't tried the restaurant but it looks intriguing.

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

A 1960s Treasure

 

Directly across Avenue Rd, where I showed you the Art Deco apartment building a week ago, is this wonderful apartment building from 1965. Designed by architect Uno Prii it is one of many that he designed in the city especially in the Annex neighbourhood. A lot of them have heritage protection but I am not sure about this one. Click the Uno Prii label below to see more of his designs. 

Laneway Flowers

 

I happened upon these gorgeous flowers just as the artist was putting on some finishing touches and taking plastic off the windows. You can see him up a small ladder to the right. This is yet another laneway house although this is all new construction unlike some of the others in the 'hood. The artist is Chris Perez and you can see more of his work if you click his label below.

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