Dyke March 2019

Posted: June 23, 2019 in events, people
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Dyke March 2019, sunshine and smiles, and a lot of positive energy.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

below: Pride over Mannum and a sign for Amma

dyke march 2019, three women holding three signs while marching in parade

below: I don’t exist for your pleasure and something about liking girls!

dyke march 2019, two women holding signs while marching in parade with other women

below: Let me be perfectly queer, respect existence or expect resistance

topless woman walking with other women in a dyke march, holding signs and chanting or protesting

man with whip, high black boots, and bare back, stands with back to camera and facing a group of women in the dyke march

a couple sits on a sidewalk watching the dyke march, he is wearing a blue and green hat and has tape X's on his nipples

a couple strolls down Yonge St in dyke march, one with cane and large yellow umbrella

dykes on bikes at start of parade, one is wearing a yellow t shirt that says We're all lesbians

a person riding a bike with a dog in the front basket

below: Society has Evolved in 2019, Love Wins, catch up!

women walkin in dyke march down Yonge Street, one woman holds a sign that says Society evolved, love wins, catch up!

two black women, arm in arm, from the back

black woman holding on to a banner in a parade with crowd behind her, someone holding a sign that says eat pussy not animals

spectators on the sidewalk on Yonge street as dyke march passes by

dyke march, walking down Yonge street with people sitting on the sidewalk watching the parade

person with rainbow flag draped on their back, white tape has been used to make the words gender is a construct on the flag

a person under a very large rainbow umbrella is beside two women who are walking while holding hands, last section of dyke march parade is behind them

a group of women in maroon coloured t shirts are walking together in dyke march, singing and cheering, with signs, flags and yellow balloon

a young man in a pink crown and banner that says future bride, walks with a group of other people in a dyke march on Yonge street

colourful flowers in curly black and brown hair on someone's head, from the back, close up shot

a black woman in dreadlocks, blue sunglasses and smoking a cigarette

a man plays a drum on the sidewalk, on parade route

a woman sits on a motorcycle waiting for the dyke march to begin

NDP group in dyke march, with orange banner and several women

a woman with orange hair, but one side of head shaved has arms in air as she walks in parade

long red hair held in a ponytail by elastics of rainbow colours, on back beside badge on Amazon motorcycle club jacket

a dog on a leash in a parade, dog has rainbow butterfly wings on its collar

two women, one with brown large rimmed hat blowing bubbles and the other with arm raised and canned horn noise maker in her hand

a person in short green hair holds a pink plastic dildo to his nose

below: Playing with dolls

a woman reacts to seeing two older woman with small inflatable dolls

women walking in dyke march,under red umbrella with a sign that says bisexual bitch, woman beside her has a small sign that says first pride was a riot, no police

people behind metal barricades watching dyke march

women walking in dyke march, one woman in a bright yellow dress carrying a sign that says teach love and acceptance, with a heart made of people

three women walking in dyke march in front of a group with a banner that says queers against borders

a couple walking together with black t shirts one just says dyke and the other says dykes stop Holland from flooding

below: Many flags!  Pink, yellow and blue horizontal stripes for pansexual and pink, purple, and blue for bisexual.

people carrying flags in dyke march

below: Another flag, this time it’s asexual.

women at pride parade, one with blue hair with an asexual flag around her back - purple, white, grey, and black stripes

below: A large transexual flag and a group from Womens College Hospital

women holding a large transexual flag to carry in a parade

a nude woman carries a large white crocheted umbrella

women in dyke march

dyke march, woman in pink rimmed glasses holds fingers in peace symbol

two police on bikes with yellow vests ride in parade behind two people with bare bottoms

below: Ford Cabinet for sale, real cheap!  Just a buck!

two people at dyke march with anti Doug Ford protest signs, garage sale signs, Ford cabinet for sale for 10 dollars

below: Proud to be queer and Jewish

two women in dyke march with signs that say proud to be queer and Jewish

below: Still a Pakistani, Still a Muslim, and Still a Dyke, along with a proud Polynesian dyke.

women in dyke march, including a polynesian and a muslim

below: Say Know to Sex Ed

people at dyke march with large sign that says Say know to sex ed

dyke amrch, red hair, flowers

two photographers at a parade, onei s sitting on top of a large generator (trailer)

City of Music on Dundas West

Posted: June 20, 2019 in graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

On the east side of 1533 Dundas West there is a large mural, partially obscured by trees but easily visible from the street. It was painted last year by Jieun June Kim, Pablo West and Giovanni Zamora as part of a cultural exchange between (Toronto) Canada and (Valparaiso) Chile.

large mural on the side of a building beside green space, with a couple of trees in front

It can also be seen at the new Dundas West Museum. This is an open air museum that features the murals and street art in the area  bounded by Lansdowne Avenue on the west, College Street on the north, Bathurst Street on the east and the Union Pearson Express railway tracks on the south.  They are brand new – their official launch was just this past week.   Check their website for more information about the murals and the artists who created them.

part of a mural by Jieun June Kim, Pablo West, and Giovanni Zamora, a male guitar player, with large brim hat, on background made of multicoloured cubes on point

part of a mural, two women musicians, a trumpet player and a violin player

violin player in mural along with woman playing a drum with her eys closed and head bent forward

Three Sisters, Tikay and Aner

Posted: June 19, 2019 in graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Three Sisters – both literal and allegorical. Three women, each with a vegetable, and these three vegetables, corn, squash, and beans, are the three sisters of indigenous agriculture. These were the main crops of most North American native groups and they were usually planted together; together they thrived for thousands of years.

large mural by street artists tikay and aner on Dundas West, 3 indigenous women in traditional clothes with symbols, corn, squash, medicine wheel, flowers,

This is one of two murals by Paula Tikay and Aner Urra (aka tikay & aner) in the Dundas West area.   They are two indigenous Mapuche artists from Chile who were invited to come to Toronto to paint the murals.

close up of woman with long black braided hair, standing in the midst of a squash plant, with yellow flower, a squash, and many leaves, in mural

close up of two women in mural with cobs of corn and alarge green bean growing on a bean plant, lots of leaves

looking down a short narrow alley with a large colourful mural on the left side, blue background with leaves and vines in the foreground

a window in a brick wall, Raptors flag inside but shows backwards outside, mural painted around the window in blues with green leaves and vines

The project was organized by Rodrigo Ardiles (of the Dundas West Museum).  This neighbourhood was chosen because of its ties to the many immigrants from Chile who have found a home here as early as the 1970s.   Children from the nearby Alexander Muir / Gladstone Avenue Junior and Senior Public School and The Grove Community School had some input on the mural.    Also involved was StartARToronto.

Raptors take over the city

Posted: June 17, 2019 in events, people
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

Today was the day of the parade to celebrate the Raptors NBA Championship win.  Today was the day that downtown was immobilized.  Like many of the thousands (millions) of people, I couldn’t get anywhere near the parade.   I also couldn’t get into Nathan Phillips Square,  the end point of the parade.  I am not sure I wanted to!  Too crowded.  Besides, walking around the periphery of Nathan Phillips Square still gave me a plethora of opportunities to take lots of pictures of people out celebrating.

a man in white t shirt and black shorts stands on top of a bus shelter, he has just removed the cork from a bottle of champagne, and the champagne has begun to flow from the bottle

Raptors fans, parade day, a group of kids with a hand made sign that says we the champs with pasted on pictures of raptors symbols

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto, , a woman wearing a cardboard red and white crown that says King of the north on it, she's walking through a crowd

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto,three kids on top of a police car, watching the Raptors parade

below: Bay Street was one of the many streets that were closed.  Two large screens showed footage of the parade as it progressed.  In this photo, you can see a sea of red at the Prince’s gates, the entrance to the Exhibition grounds.

street closed, lots of people, large video screen

below: A larger picture of the screen.  This photo was taken at 10:49 a.m.   The parade was supposed to start at 10 a.m.  I am not sure what time it arrived at Nathan Phillips Square, I was already long gone by the time it did.

a large video screen shows progress of a parade, crowds watching it

Raptors championship parade day, , young men sitting on the fence in front of Osgoode Hall

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto, a woman poses in front of a truck decorated with Raptors players pictures.

Raptors fans, parade day, sitting on street and sidewalk, watching a video screen showing the parade as it makes its way towards Nathan Philips Square

a man in a we the north t shirt carries a we the north flag

a man in black fedora andred jacket with raptors symbols all over it, and a t shirt that says Mayor of Jurassic Park, leans against a tw truck, head down, not smiling

people sitting on top of structures and buildings in front of city hall, Raptors fans celebrating

Raptors fans, parade day, leaning against the side of truck decorated with larger than life size pictures of Raptors players

Raptors championship parade day, , fans have filled the back of a dump truck and some are sitting on top of the cab, viewing the parade, one has a Canadian flag with We the north written on it in black

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto, people milloing around, one young woman sits in front frowning and not looking very happy

raptors fans with we the north banner and canadian flag sitting on top of entrance to parking lot

a man in purple and white Raptors colours holds a we the north black and white flag across the back of his shoulder as he talks to people

Raptors championship parade day, , a young boy sits up high on the Osgoode Hall fence, beside a light, his father is close by

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto, a girl with red and white streamers on her head, dressed all in red, and holding a Canadian flag

Raptors championship parade day, , young men sitting on the fence in front of Osgoode Hall

raptors fans sitting on top of a parking garage entrance, by their feet is a yellow sign that says maximum clearance

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto, people sitting on a concrete barrier

Raptors fans celebrating team's NBA championship, parade day in Toronto, a girl stands behind and leans on a yellow metal barricade

Raptors championship parade day, , some of the fans are watching from iside a bus shelter

Raptors fans, parade day, a man with a bottle of white wine, and a large potted palm plant, standing in front of a truck, a large red RAptors fly is being held behind him

Raptors championship parade day, , a father carries his son, a boy with curlyhair and black glasses

man wearing a black t shirt with 6 ix on the back, walking past a man in red basbeall cap and sunglasses, with black beard

Raptors fans, parade day, a man wedged between stone wall and bus shelter, as he tries to get higher over the heads of the crowd, a womn passes by

Raptors championship parade day, , boy on father's shoulders, Bay street, crowds

below: Red for Manchester United as well!

Raptors championship parade day, , women and men in the corwd

Raptors fans, parade day, three boys sitting, looking tired and bored, in Raptors T shirts and baseball hats

Raptors fans, parade day, muslim women in head scarves and one woman in long flowery dress

Raptors fans, parade day, two men sitting beside truck decorated with large than life pictures of Raptors players

Raptors fans, parade day, men leaning against a raingin beside city hall, with a wine bottle behind them

Little Italy festivities

Posted: June 16, 2019 in events, people
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Toronto city street signs on a pole, LIttle Italy College Street and Beatrice Street as well as a yellow do not block intersection sign

Summer in the city means street festivals almost every weekend.
This weekend it was Taste of Little Italy on College Street.

below: Lots of food for sale!  Especially meat on a stick.

outdoor barbecuing shish kebobs, a boy is cooking and serving, people waiting to buy food

below: There were also games for prizes including the one below – knock over the cans off the table with a soccer ball.

behind a net, a line of people watches as a boy starts to kick a soccer ball towards three blue cans, game to try to knock the cans over

people walking down the street towards the camera, a man in a purple Raptors shirt with marching baseball cap, a woman in a light blue blouse with a drink in her hand, a woman in a pink pant suit

below: Keep your eye on the target!

a boy pretends to shoot a woman carrying a big pink purse with a big gun made out of balloons

below: Dory blows bubbles

a man seated by a table on the sidewalk, starts to shoot a man in a red jacket with a bubble blowing gun shaped like a blue fish

a man is starting to draw a caricature of a black man who is seated, laughing, on a chair. Another black man watches

on the street, a man is giving another man a haircut, two people are sitting on a bench in a bus shelter behind, watching

people in a line up to get food at an outdoor vendor, white tent covering,

people on the street at Taste of Little Italy, passing by a bar with a large patio

a woman with a yellow popsicle, a woman in a white skirt and top and a man in a beige suit jacket, all walking on the street

three muslim women in head scarves on the street, street festival

below: Singing Italian songs

an older man sings Italian songs, Italian flag behind him, people on the street have stopped to watch him

below: … and maybe not so Italian….

a man wearing a sombrero plays a tenor sax outside, street musician

a man cooking lamb shish kebob outside at a street festival

an older man walking on the street with a woman behind him in a large straw hat and dark sunglasses and carrying a large brown and orange purse as well as a grey plastic bag

three musicians playing on the street, open violin case on the ground to collect money, people walking by

a big yellow sphere open in the middle, a drink stand, serving lemonade to people at Taste of Little Italy street festival

below: Octopus

octopus cut into pieces and placed on skewers, waiting to be grilled outside

grilling food at an outdoor street festival, taste of little italy

two little girls in pink with pink hats holding onto shish kebobs

a woman holding a small dog with a black and white Raptors we the north scarf on

a couple kissing

and even more Raptors

Posted: June 12, 2019 in graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

There is another Raptors mural!  Not on Queen West this time, but in the Dundas & Sherbourne area.  It was painted by Javid Jah and luvsumone (aka Moise Frank).

a mural on a red brick wall, King of the North, face of a basketball player, Toronto Raptors number 2, with a crown on his head, Kawhi Leonard

below: On Yonge Street by the north end of the Eaton Centre are these words which were painted by the same two men. The letters are supposed to be 3D and rising out of a black square hole in the sidewalk.  North Side rising.

painted on a sidewalk in front of the Eaton Centre, are words North Side, written in Raptors colours, as support for Toronto's basketball team as they play on NBA finals playoffs

below: The Raptors logo is painted on the sidewalk outside Scotiabank Arena.

the raptors basketball team logo is painted on a sidewalk along with the words Eastern Champions, painted after they won the last round of the NBA playoffs

See also
1. Queen Street Raptor and
2. Raptors updated – into the finals

bare as you dare

Posted: June 11, 2019 in events, people
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
2

I was standing at the corner of Bay and Front, near Union Station, when the WNBR (World Naked Bike Ride) passed by.    This has been an annual event for more than 15 years now and the ride occurs in many countries around the world.  Full nudity is not mandatory, costumes and accessories are welcome, and half the fun is watching the reactions of the people on the sidewalks…. especially those who aren’t expecting to see a large group of naked people cycling past!

world naked bike ride - 3 people watching them, not sure of what to think of naked bike riders

world naked bike ride

below: I love the heart!

world naked bike ride - the behinds and backsides of a group of nude cyclists

world naked bike ride goes down Bay street, south of Front, a large group of naked people on bicycles

below: Mr. Conehead rides by

world naked bike ride - one naked man on a red bike, wearing black shoes, and wearing a conehead

below: As it turns out, this man with the suitcase is in a lot of the pictures that I took.

world naked bike ride, a man with a suitcase watches, one nude rider is carrying a Canadian flag

world naked bike ride, one cyclist is wearing Viking horns

world naked bike ride

world naked bike ride and people on the sidewalk watching them

world naked bike ride going down Bay street, crossing Front st and two large buses

If you want more information – or you want to get involved, they have a website and a facebook page.  It’s on the latter that you will find another motto, “less gas, more ass”

See you next year?

Older Entries