This is one of two large stone Chinese lions that now stand guard outside the Royal Ontario Museum on Queen's Park. The 17th century lions were originally obtained by the museum in 1923 and have been installed in various locations both inside and outside the building but hopefully are now settled for good!
When I first spotted this poster on the end of a bus shelter I thought the kitty was floating on a cloud and had gone to heaven and then realized that he/she is on a hunk of ice floating in the Arctic like a polar bear. I guess the City of Toronto Animal services is trying to remind us about the cat overpopulation problem which doesn't get as much attention as the bears losing their habitat! I was dealing with shadows, reflections, and a wrinkled poster but couldn't resist this shot of a rather bizarre ad!Taking part in Signs, Signs. For more signs click here.
This wonderful red sculpture, titled "Double Vision" by Canadian artist Shayne Dark, is located in front of X Condominiums on Jarvis St just along the street from yesterday's 'tree'. I quite like this jolt of colour contrasting with the black 45 storey high condo. It's a busy street so hard to avoid vehicles in your shot!
This stainless steel tree, titled "Red, Orange and Green", was installed near the busy junction of Jarvis St and Mt Pleasant Rd in 1992. Created by renowned Canadian artist Michael Snow, the title refers to both the colours of neighbouring traffic lights and to the reflected colours of the surrounding trees through our changing seasons. 14 m high and composed of 3 intersecting panels, it has an assortment of shapes cut out of the steel including one of Snow's famous 'walking woman' silhouettes. I took this pic 2 hours ago at lunchtime when you can see that we had beautiful sunny weather and people were out and about everywhere!
This small, elegant theatre is part of Victoria College at U of Toronto and serves as a theatre for the general public as well as a lecture hall for the college. Designed by Canadian architects Lett/Smith Architects who are well known for their theatre designs, it was constructed in 2001. Although modern, the use of simple, refined materials allows it to fit in with its neo-Gothic neighbours quite well. I took this pic in early May before the ivy on the wall had come out so I think another walk-by is in order!
Taking a shortcut through a laneway to the bank on Thursday, I stumbled upon this cute little balloon girl stencil on a garage door. There must be a Banksy fan in the neighbourhood! Wonder how long she will last?
Today is Canada Day and this marks 144 years since Confederation occurred in 1867. Most businesses are closed and there will be celebrations and fireworks all over the country with even Prince William and Kate joining the festivities in Ottawa.I am taking this day as a day of reflection (in my vintage Mountie T-shirt) and joining in Weekend Reflections! For more reflections, click here.
