Casa Entry

 

This is one of the entries into Casa Loma, taken looking over the wall from the sidewalk. I can see the Casa from my place put I have never been inside. I must take the tour one day.

Collared

 

This neighbourhood cat and her sister both wear these colourful collars when wandering around outside. They also have bells and ID tags on their regular collars so it is difficult for them to sneak up on birds. They patrol our laneway all the time and are quite friendly but never seem to want their picture taken.

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

Ongoing

 

The man who decorates his house and garage with shells and other bits of things has been adding more flourishes to the side of his garage. It is always surprising that it never seems to get vandalized since it is on a long fairly isolated laneway.

Can't Resist

 

It is hard to resist pulling out the camera when you spot a display like this maple tree is putting on. I have so many pics of red trees so hope that you don't mind seeing yet another one.

Sport Bar

 

This is a new sign that has popped up in the Mirvish Village neighbourhood which is on the site of the old Honest Ed's store. I had no idea of this history of the Mirvish family opening a clothing store for women here in 1940 which eventually morphed into the famous store.

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

Very Red Oak

This small oak tree was putting on a fine show as I wandered by on my way to a Little Library. I thought the tree was a maple at first. 
 

Work Is Finished

 

Work is complete on the building that I showed you last week and it is not difficult to see the Keith Haring influence. It certainly catches the eye and now the question will be about what business is moving in there.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see murals from all over the world. 

Autumn Harvest

 

This is the autumn display outside of the entrance to Casa Loma. Those huge pumpkins were quite impressive to see.

Not Cooperating

 

There was a flock of these little sparrows poking about in the grass in a local park and I spent at least 5 minutes trying to get a good pic of one of them. They just kept bouncing around and this was the best shot that I got. I think this is a White-Crowned Sparrow.

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

Spadina House

If you were to continue through the gate that I showed yesterday, this would be your view of Spadina House which is a historic house museum operated by the City of Toronto. The interior shows styles from the 1860s through to the 1930s. It is a really interesting place to visit and I have done so several times. The grounds of the house are wonderful for a wander too.
 

Closed Gate

 

This is a small gate that leads into the grounds of Spadina House, a museum near Casa Loma. The main gates were wide open but this little one is rarely open. I love the stonework.

Crafty

 

 I posted a pic of the Crafty Coyote back in January when there was snow all around and was by there last week when the weather we have been having is nice enough for shorts and tshirts.  It is a nice corner on Bloor St in the Annex neighbourhood. I love the building and would like to see what it is like upstairs.

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

Nature's Art

 

This ivy growing on the wall of a building supply company seems like art to me. Covering the old graffiti and putting on a show of colour at the same time.

In Progress

 

I spotted this building being covered with a mural when I went by last week. I have to go back this week to see the finished product. It has been great weather here for painting outside so I am sure they are finished.

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

Theme Day: Happy

 

The November theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Happy and I chose this pic of Mr Peanut for my entry. Mr Peanut always has a smile and always looks like he is doing a jig - a happy guy. This figure is from the 1950s and is about 2 ft tall and was probably used on a float in a parade. 

Click HERE to see more Happy shots from around the world. 

Keep Out

 

This spider would definitely keep me out if it was real. There are so many spooky scenes around in front gardens this year. Enjoy Halloween!

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

Meow

 

This front garden has a graveyard overrun with cat skeletons. A scary thought indeed. I hope that they light up at night.

Pumpkin Party

 

This group of happy pumpkins was spotted outside of a local corner store. They are all ready for the big day coming up on Saturday.

Horror At The Casa

They have a trail of horror set up at Casa Loma that is 2 km long through the gardens and some of the tunnels and spooky places in the casa. I think I will skip it but kids will love it.

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

Reaching Out

 

I was driving along and saw these tentacles sticking out of 2nd storey windows so of course i had to stop for a pic. They looked great in the daylight and I hope that they light up at night. I wonder how they attach to the window?

A Neighbourhood

 

Trains through the mid town area of the city are something that one becomes accustomed to but some of the new condos being built are right beside the tracks and residents must really hear the trains. I liked the style of this mural by Erin McClusky.

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

Arising

 

There are kinds of creatures arising from the depths and wandering the streets these days. This guy must look really scary when lit up at night.

A Park Encounter

 

These are the same Yorkies that I showed last Saturday but a different encounter. This young woman actually had a dog treat in her pocket which was a hit with this old dog. He then posed for her to take a pic.

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

The Tower

 

I moved along a bit from yesterday's post of Christie Pits park and got a different view over the park. I love how you can see the CN Tower from all over the city. Here you can see some of the office towers and condo buildings near it.

The Season's Over

 

This is the main baseball diamond at Christie Pits park and the season is over for the minor league teams that use it so the pitcher's mound and home plate have been covered. There are 2 other diamonds that stay open all year for people to use. It was a fine autumn day when I passed by.

Times Change

 

In the 1950s and 60s 1050 Chum was the place on the radio to hear all of the great music of the time. All of Toronto's young people were tuned into it. Well, times have changed and it is now an all sport and talk station.

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

Dragon

 

It was a windy day when I spotted this dragon as he veered back & forth by this house.  It made him look very fierce. He will be great on Halloween night.

Stargazing

 

This mural which is found just off Bloor St in the Annex was responding to the theme of honouring all the public parks in the surrounding area. Note the raccoon on the right - a normal sight in the area too. The artist for this one is Golden Butter Murals.

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

Changes

 Most of our trees are still green but you still run into a few that have changed like this Maple tree has. We have been having windy days so the leaves are not lasting long.

Walkies

 

I have spoken to this woman a couple of times while she walks her Yorkies and have watched  as she bribes the one on the right to keep walking. That one is 16 years old and would rather take it easy so it follows along behind her while the other dog is young and on a leash to keep her under control. It is fun to watch their strolls through the park.

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

Book Fair

 

I was down on King St W a couple of weeks ago to attend the 38th The Word On The Street annual book festival that features lots of book publishers, book stores and authors. This is just a small section just after opening and later it became quite crowded so was time to leave. I did buy Christmas gifts while there.

Going Up

 

Right beside yesterday's Royal Alexandra Theatre this condo tower is rising. It was designed by Toronto born architect Frank Gehry for the Mirvish family but was sold to another developer in 2017. This is the first of two towers to be built along King St W but the 2nd one is yet to be started. This one is to be 73 storeys and is estimated to be finished in 2028.

The Royal Alex

 

The Royal Alexandra Theatre on King St W was built in 1907 and continues to present theatre productions to this day.  It was purchased by Ed Mirvish (also known as Honest Ed) in1963 and it continues to be run by his son David through Mirvish Productions. The Mirvish family has offered great support to artists of all kinds through the years.

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

Going For A Ride

 

This sculpture by the Australian artists Gillie & Marc is found on King St W and is quite popular with everyone. I had to wait until the back seat was empty of people before getting the shot. The artists' famous dog and rabbit are out for a ride with a big guy. I didn't notice the couple on the left having a big hug until I saw it on the computer.

The Neighbourhood

 

This mural has recently appeared on a utility box along Bloor St. It shows typical houses found in the neighbourhood with even a little corner store fitted in there. The artist for this one is Elicser who has done many murals around town.

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

A Favourite

 

I have always liked this house in the Annex neighbourhood with its spiral staircase leading up to the second floor. The house looks like it had been a pair of semi-detached homes that have been reconfigured with the whole of the second floor becoming one unit while the ground floor is still divided.

Fishy

I spotted this mailbox the other day and was certainly surprised to see it. It was out front of a modern infill house in a neighbourhood of older traditional homes. I loved see it.

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

It's Coming

 

I was surprised when I spotted this front garden all decorated for Halloween when I went by a week ago. It seems early but the stores are full of decorations so I guess the spooky season has begun.

Changing Colour

 

I spotted this lovely tree this week. It seems that the trees which turn to yellow tones are changing first this year although I have seen a few scattered branches of red leaves.

Corner Store

This place on Bloor St is one of my favourite corner stores. It is a great place for buying plants in spring and fruits & veggies the rest of the year.

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

Beauty

 

A friend gifted us with these beautiful flowers. Dahlias are so wonderful.

Cats

 

This Little Library is well decorated with cats on 3 sides and even their eyes around the door. Unfortunate for me but there were no books inside that caught my fancy. 

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

Not Extinct

 

There are actually still pay phones around although I don't know if you can pay with coins. I didn't look carefully. This one was down on the platform of one of our subway stations.

Bath Time

I have this small shallow metal bird bath on the roof deck that the honey bees like to use to get good drinks of water as they sit along the edges. For the last few weeks the house sparrows have been going wild taking baths and totally emptying it even though I fill it up several times a day. Sometimes there can be as many as 4 birds sitting along the edges waiting for a turn.

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

Porch Fountain

 

I happened to notice this fountain on a large front porch of a house in the Annex neighbourhood. I couldn't see it very well through all the plants but I zoomed in and was quite pleased to see how lovely it is. There must be a nice sound of the small trickle of water.

Pink In Autumn

I was surprised to see this large group  of lovely pink flowers a week ago. They all looked so fresh and lively at a time of year when most flowers are fading. I have no idea what they are. They were blowing around a lot in the wind so are a bit out of focus.
 

Along Bloor St

 

There always seems to be some action along Bloor St in Koreatown even before many of the restaurants and stores open. It looks like the local laundromat is getting a front face lift. I was surprised to see that it was still there considering the high rents on a main street.

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

More Laneway Houses

 

Yet more laneway houses that I recently spotted. They seem to be popping up all over the older parts of the city which have laneways. I much prefer the one on the right with the wood facade. The one on the left disappears behind that large shrub.

Hidden Dogs

 

At a first glance this looks like a totally abstract mural but then you notice the little dog down in the bottom left. Looking around you can see a little pink dog just right of the middle. The only artist info is WF25.

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

A Nice Welcome

 

There is something about this house that feels quite welcoming to me. And of course I like the nice balcony upstairs.