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.

A Cooler Day

 

It is hard to tell that that is a small wading pool in the middle of this pic but it is there and usually in the summer it would be full of toddlers running around in it. This was a cooler day and no one was tempted to get wet. The city always has a couple of staff members supervising but as you can see, the young woman in green had nothing to do. The next day it was hot when I happened to go by and there was a lot of activity in the pool.

Play At The Park

Boxes similar to this one have appeared at many parks around the city. Sponsored by Canadian Tire stores they are linked to an app that allows you to access the equipment for free and play and then return the equipment when finished. The things provided depend on what facilities are in the park so some have soccer balls, volleyball balls and others like this one have paddles and balls to be used on the park ping pong table. It is a great idea.

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

Stary Wall

 

The redevelopment of the old Honest Ed's site has been going on for several years but they have finally been opening some businesses and this is a parkette along Markham St which has a stage area, plantings, and this great mural which has no artist info. That is a fountain on the right side but it wasn't turned on when I was there.

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

Exercise

 

I have often wondered if anyone used these exercise stations found in some parks. Well I have actually seen several people using the ones in this local park so they do work to get people moving after all.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs 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.

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.

Colourful Bins

 

The city has been decorating the garbage and recycling bins that are placed in parks. At first I thought neighbours were doing it but now realize that the decorations are official. It's a good idea.

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

A Community Rink

 

Members of the community in the Annex neighbourhood create this skating rink each year and the city provides access to water for flooding the surface. Often it only lasts a few weeks but this year it has been so cold that the kids have been skating and playing hockey here for weeks on end. It was looking really good one afternoon this week.

Cold Playground

 

It wasn't surprising that no kids were at this playground on a recent cold day. The plastic equipment would have been cold to touch. The colours were a standout in the snow though.

Tiny Park

 

There are several of these small parks like this one in the Annex neighbourhood and it is unusual to find one empty of people on a Sunday. No matter what the weather you will normally find someone walking a dog or just sitting on a bench having a coffee. And it was 0˚C so not very cold at all. A mystery.

Slow Please

 

These signs were spotted along a walkway that goes through a small park with a playground, picnic tables, and benches. I'm guessing there must be issues with cyclists racing through.

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

Neighbourhood Park

 

The older parts of the city are sprinkled with small parks like this one in the Annex neighbourhood. The whole park is basically in this pic. The linear park runs between 2 streets and provides some shade and several benches for a rest. It is a welcome place on a hot humid day like we get in summer.

Columns

 

There is a very long linear park in Merida Mexico that runs for many blocks and is full of interesting things like a railway museum and a really large outdoor food court. There is a really long walkway that is shaded and and features all of these columns. It makes for a cooler spot for a walk or run on warm days.

Spring?

 

Most of our snow has been melting over the last few weeks but this was the scene last Sunday at one of the local dog parks. It was still fairly icy and snowy in the shadows and on lower surfaces like in this park which is in a bit of a valley.

Learning To Skate

 

A small park in the Annex neighbourhood has had 1/2 of its surface area flooded over to form a skating rink and on a recent afternoon this young girl and her mother had the whole thing to themselves for practice. The bit of snow we had had not been shoveled yet but that didn't stop her from doing quite well on the skates. That is a white dog off to the right and not a polar bear.  ;-)

Art At The Park

 

On Tuesday I showed you someone reading at the park but there were other people enjoying the park in their own way. This woman had set up her easel and was busy capturing the fall views. I'll show you her subject tomorrow.

At The Park

 

There is something wonderful about sitting in a park on a nice fall day reading and having a coffee.

Exercises At The Park

 

I have seen exercise stations such as these at several parks around town but I have yet to see anyone using the equipment. These ones have just recently been installed in an Annex neighbourhood park.

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