A Surprise In The Laneway

While wandering along in a laneway I spotted these lovely little fairies frolicking on a door leading to a laneway house. They were so cute that I had to stop and get a shot. I think they count as a mural. 

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

A Gift

A friend gave me an envelope of wildflower seeds which she collected last year near their cottage. I planted them out on the deck and have had a wonderful assortment of pretty flowers popping open. These small flowers are my favourites so far but there are still more buds to open. I think these may be Arnica flowers but if anyone knows better please let me know.

A Fleeting Glimpse

I was at James Gardens and could hear Red Winged Blackbirds flitting around in the trees but couldn't get a good look at them until this guy settled near me for a few seconds. His feathers look to be in prime condition at this time of year.

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

The Path

After crossing the bridge in yesterday's post you find yourself in a totally natural environment in contrast to the grassy park on the other side. This is what this whole area around Black Creek was like when I was a kid and there were no busy roads and no bridge over the creek. It was an area where we all went looking for turtles and frogs and other neat things. Times change. 

Bridge Over Back Creek

 The same day as I took the shot in yesterday's post I stopped at the park by Black Creek which I showed you a few weeks ago. It is such a refreshing spot on a muggy day like we get here. The shadows from the trees make it feel so cool. This time I crossed the bridge which you can see in the middle of the shot. I'll show you the other side tomorrow.

Love Your Park

I spotted this sign in a bus shelter and loved the message. We must treat our parks with care since they offer us so much. The park in the pic is down by Lake Ontario.

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

Pool Anyone?

I spotted this bike stand near a pool hall in the Liberty Village neighbourhood and thought it was wonderful so here it is.

Getting Higher

 I showed you the mural on the side of a pot shop a couple of weeks ago and since then they have had a mural painted on the other side of their building. I guess it is a good way to advertise themselves but it seems a bit surprising to me since these places have very strict regulations applied to them about window displays etc.

Getting Warmed Up On A Hot Day

 I was passing by a local park on a humid afternoon when I spotted this small group getting ready for a Tai Chi workout. They seemed to be waiting for more people to arrive but I was heading somewhere so didn't wait around to catch the action.

Having A Bite To Eat

 This little Chipping Sparrow was having a wee snack back in the spring when I shot this pic through a window. I think he could see me but didn't seem to be bothered or think I was a threat.

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

Happy Dancers

These people were having a grand time dancing at one of the booths belonging to a dance school during the Salsa On St Clair event. They were really good dancers and were really enjoying themselves as you can see from the smiles. The guy in the middle, particularly, had a great smile don't you think?

Dancers

Some people at the Salsa On St Clair event didn't need to be taking lessons like those in yesterday's post. This couple was really good and they were dancing along to the music coming from one of the main stages. As you can see from those people in the background it was hard to stand still with all the great music around.

Dancing Lessons

During the Salsa On St Clair event there were several dance schools giving lessons. They had some of their own students taking part and then the crowd really gets into it as they follow along. It's hard to stand still with the great music and all the dancing. 

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

Salsa

A weekend ago was the annual "Salsa On St Clair" which celebrates Latin life in Toronto. There were tons of food stalls serving every kind of food you could think of as well as 2 main stages with entertainment such as this one. The couple on stage were showing some basic dance steps before a performance took place.  The street was alive with music and there were several locations of demonstrations and instructions. I'll show a few more pics in the days ahead.

A Graphic Explosion

I watched the artist working on this mural in the Annex neighbourhood for a couple of weeks. The first week of work we seemed to get rain spurts every day which must have slowed him down a lot. Finally a week later it was done. I love the graphic style of it and the scattered bits of colour he has put at the edges of the wall. The artist is Mediah, aka Evond Blake.

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

Black Creek

This is Black Creek which meanders through the west end of the city, in some areas quite wild and in some quite cultivated and controlled.  This where yesterday's Damselfly was flitting around with all its friends. It was such a cool spot on a hot muggy day.

A Beauty

There is a creek that runs through the park that I showed you yesterday and there were bunches of these Damselflies flying along the creek. It is an Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly.  Beautiful isn't it? 

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

A Refuge From The Heat

 We had really humid hot days a week ago and one day as I was driving by a small park I pulled in. What a relief it was to step into the shade of the trees onto the cool grass. One end of the park has this nice playground which later in the day will be filled with kids. It is hard to tell but there is a very busy roadway just beyond those trees.

More Details

I couldn't resist posting another shot of the details in the ceiling of the WWII memorial at U of Toronto so here it is.

In Memory

Under the arches in yesterday's shot you will find this wonderful ceiling with beautiful carvings as part of the memorial to those from U of Toronto who died in WWII. 

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

Under The Arches

These arches are found at U of Toronto and are the entrance to a memorial  to members of the university who lost their lives in WWII. The walls are covered in the names of those who fell. I will show you some details from inside tomorrow.

Higher

I showed you a version of this mural 2 weeks ago (HERE) and went by last week and saw that there have been big changes in the mural in the last few days. There are more figures and deeper colours. I think it is now finished but there is still no artist name. 

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

Finally Tomatoes

 After a cool spring the tomatoes on my roof deck are starting to show fruit developing. These are Carolina Gold tomatoes and I also have several grape tomato plants which are full of fruit. It will be wonderful when things start to ripen.

Hello There

There are still litters of young squirrels running amok over everything that gets in their way. They have so much energy! This grey one comes from a litter of 4 and it is the only grey one, the others all being black. I have been watching their antics for a few weeks now and really enjoying it.

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

An Old Face

 This rather unusual sculpture is found on the U of Toronto campus near Hart House. By artist Evan Penny, what makes it so unusual is that it is concave rather than convex. I really like it and showed it in 2010 (HERE) too. If you check the link you can see that it has weathered a bit but still looks good.

Chaos Again

I thought that I would show you the corner across Dundas St from yesterday's shot. It is hard to tell in the chaos but the small buildings right on the corner have been torn down giving us a view of St Patrick's Catholic Church. This view will be disappearing soon as construction continues on yet another condo building. The city is changing so much.

Busy Corner

This is a shot of yesterday's building taken from the diagonal corner. You can see that it is a busy corner with lots of cars and streetcars passing along Dundas St here. All those wires overhead in the intersection are for the streetcars, one of which is approaching the corner. You can see Monday's mural in the background.  

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

The Screen

This is the screen that blocks the mural which I showed you yesterday. A rather ordinary looking building had this stainless steel laser cut scrim attached to it a few years ago. The pattern on the scrim references a mapping of parts of Toronto. The building itself is part of the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and is right across the road from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). I'll show you another view tomorrow.

Sad Bird

 This poor little bird looks a bit sad to me, probably because most of his mural is blocked from sight by the building beside him. I really like him and will show you more of that building that gets in his way tomorrow.

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

Grand Hinges

 I love the hinges on this door found at University College at U of Toronto. This is a side door into the college but still has been wonderfully decorated with columns and carving. You can see all the dirt of the ages on the walls of this old building.

Feathered Friends

I was driving through a residential neighbourhood when out of the corner of my eye I spotted chickens poking around in a side yard of a house, and not a big yard at all. I stopped and went back to visit them and saw that they have a nice little shelter with a food dispenser and another water machine for them too. Since the first time I saw them I have seen them out a few times. It seems that they probably have a shelter on the other side of the house and only come out to this part of the yard on nice days. It is lovely to see them. 

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