September Theme: Bridges

 

The September Theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Bridges and I chose this pic which I took very recently. What we have here is a bridge too low or a truck too tall. This truck attempted to go under this old bridge which carries a railway line and being too tall the top of the truck was peeled back like a can of sardines. You can see all the metal bunched up on the top of the truck after the driver backed out from under the bridge. Quite a mess!

Taking part in the theme Bridges. Click HERE to see more bridges 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.

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.

Dog Park In The Ravine

This was taken at one of the entry points into the ravine near Casa Loma. That is Spadina crossing over the ravine on that great bridge and the city has chosen this as a good place to put a dog park. It is always cooler down in the ravine so a fun place for the dogs to play.

A Bridge Over Frozen Water

Our recent cold weather has resulted in the pond at James Gardens freezing over for most of its surface. The ice isn't very thick but still creates a great backdrop for the wooden bridge.

A Bridge In Snow

I showed you this bridge in autumn last Thursday and after I took that pic we got snow. So here we see the bridge the morning after some snow. It was not very cold, only about -2˚C, so the snow really stuck to the trees which is always lovely.

A Bridge in Autumn

 For most of the year this bridge which crosses a creek in the west end of the city is partly hidden by the leaves on all the trees around it but now we have a good view of it. Soon we will have a snowy view of it.

Feathered Friends

This pic was taken along the Humber River ravine in one of the parks upstream from the shots I have shown you this past week. This is one of the small streams that feed into the river and the pond there is a favourite spot for Mallards to hang out. They stay there all winter as the moving water never freezes over completely. A lot of people go there to feed them no matter how many signs are put up asking them not to!  
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

A Stubborn One

Some trees seem to be hanging onto their leaves while all of the others around them have given in to the autumn winds. This maple is one of the stubborn ones.

Under The Tracks

The railway tracks, beside the Condo construction site that I showed last Thursday, run over this old bridge that is on a smaller side street. At least a couple of times each month large trucks trying to take a shortcut attempt to go through the space and end up hitting the bridge. This results in engineer inspections before the road can be reopened. I love the patina of rust!

The Don Valley

This is the view looking north from the Viaduct in yesterday's post, so we are looking away from Lake Ontario. The Don Valley is one of the wonderful ravines that crisscross Toronto giving us acres of treed lands and parks to explore. The valley is about 400 metres (~1,300 ft) wide although the Don River which carved it out during the ice age is now only about 15 metres (50 ft) wide and in this location is far to the left. The highway here is the Don Valley Parkway which was finished in the 1960s and takes traffic into the downtown core from the east end of the city. When we get very heavy rains the Don River is prone to flooding and often floods right over the highway. The valley at one time had many mills and farms as well as a brickworks which produced most of the bricks used to construct the older parts of the city but is now all parkland or roadway. The Brickworks is now a restored site with markets and historical industrial displays.

Looking West

If you look at the right side of this pic you can see the Bookmark that I showed you yesterday and its location right beside this bridge which is called the Prince Edward Viaduct and which connects Danforth Ave in the east to Bloor St on the other side of the Don Valley in the west. The Viaduct opened in 1918 and is 494 metres long (1,620 ft) and 40 metres (131 ft) above the valley. It is a double decker bridge with the subway running below the roadway and has 5 lanes of traffic and also has bicycle lanes as you can see. In 2003 the metal structure that you can see above the railings was installed in an effort to halt the many suicides that took place here. This structure is called the Luminous Veil and has hundreds of rods that form a screen and at night is lit by changing colours of LED lights. It has been a success in its role as a safety barrier. I'll show you the view from the bridge tomorrow.

Bridge Over Humber River

When I showed you the kayakers in the Humber River a week or so ago you could see part of this bridge in the  background. It carries Bloor St over the Humber Valley and was constructed in 1924 and totally rehabbed in 2010/11 even having the old lead paint removed from the steel supports while the whole structure was wrapped to collect the dust. The path you see runs all along the river right down to Lake Ontario and is very popular with walkers and bikers.

Spring At The Park

The plants along the stream at James Gardens were really starting to pop open when I was there a week ago. Soon the bridges will be surrounded by greenery!

Weston

This is one side of the pedestrian bridge that crosses the train tracks in the Weston neighbourhood. As you can see from the crane another condo tower is going up in town this one on the site of what had been the Weston Farmers Market. The market is supposed to relocate to the ground floor of the new building.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Old Mill Bridge

I showed you the Old Mill Bridge as depicted in a mural a couple of weeks ago (HERE) so thought I should venture down to the banks of the Humber River to get a pic of the real bridge. The river is quite low now since we are badly in need of rain so I was able to get right down into the weeds along the shore. The bridge was built in 1916 and survived Hurricane Hazel in 1954 which washed out whole streets of homes while the people slept killing more than 80. There are no homes along the river's edge these days.

Bridge And Shadow

It was actually warm enough last week to sit in a park and eat lunch outdoors in the sun for the first time this year - the temps dropped again for the weekend. It is wonderful seeing all the tender green plants coming up and I loved the shadows playing near this bridge in James Gardens.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.

Orange Feet

I took this shot at James Gardens at the duck pond which seemed to be a really popular place on a cold day this week. I think the water was probably warmer than the icy-snow but I loved the way the bright orange feet stood out against the white!

Autumn At The Park

The light has changed and the trees and plants are starting to lose their bright colours at James Gardens park but it is still a wonderful place to sit and relax. Just on the left side of the bridge you can see a few ducks who were all sleeping, some while standing, but all ready to beg if anyone came along with food for them.

Mouse On A Bridge

This is a mini mural for the day. I spotted this wee guy on the Puente de Luz pedestrian bridge from CityPlace and thought he deserved a spot on Monday Murals!
Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.