Archive for the ‘nature’ Category

Sunlight shining – Biidaasige – and Lookout too.

Posted: September 6, 2025 in construction, locations, nature, waterfront
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A new park in the Port Lands has opened.  Biidaasige Park.  Biidaasige translates to “sunlight shining towards us”.

new mouth of the Don River, flowing into Lake Ontario, through Biidaasige Park on toronto eaterfront, toronto city downtown in the background

It is centered around the new mouth of the Don River, with lots of walking and cycling paths that wind along the shores and through the newly planted shrubs, trees, and other native plants.

north end of new yellow bridge in the portlands, over the Don River, with walking trail along the river, Lafarge cement in the background

newly planted trees along path in biidaasige park, with toronto downtown in the background

a mother pushing a stroller walks on path n biidaasige park, toronto skyline and highrises in the background,

There is also a large playground where plenty of adventures await!

two white scottie dogs, scottish terriers, at playground at biidaasige park

kids on a zip line at biidaasige park

How many animals can you spot?

playground structure made of old logs, looks like a beaver dam, with wood sculptures of beavers on top

large wood playground structure in the shape of a raccoon

large wood playground structure in the shape of a raccoon

boy jumping off a large wood carving painted to look like a giant eagle, biidaasige park playground

large white wood play structure in the shape of a snowy owl

large white wood play structure in the shape of a snowy owl, in a playground

cyclists on path, biidaasige park, beside raccoon play structure

group of people using the new grills, barbecues, at biidaasige park

walking and biking path through biidaasige park towards red bridge on commissioners street

Don River flows through wetlands and grssy area, towards new red bridge, port lands

two women on the shore of DOn River

greenery, shrubs and plants in foreground, lafarge cement, yellow bridge in background, biidaasige park, don river

newly planted trees in front of Don River as it goes under new yellow bridge

water lilies in don river, a walking path beside the river

small access area to Don River with walking and cycling path, biidaasige park,
two pale purple chickory flowers poke their heads out from between slats of a wood fence

A black wasp has found a swamp milkweed flower.

a black wasp on top of a pink flower of a swamp milkweed plant

below: The washroom facilities are still temporary (I hope!) but at least they exist….

temporary toilet faciities in a portable building, white, by sidewalk, port lands, by biidaasige park

workmen doing garden work in park at portlands, with lafarge cement silos in the backgroun

… But there is more.  Biidaasige is not the only new park in the area.  Just to the east is the new Leslie Lookout Park that features this 10m tower that references the areas industrial history.  It echos the silos of the past and provides an elevated viewing area.

path leading to Leslie Lookout park, and its repurposed concrete tower

below: The park is at the east end of the Ship Channel

view from tower at leslie lookout park, along ship channel to the west

inside the leslie lookout park tower, looking northwest towards city skyline

sand beach and muskoka chairs at leslie lookout, overlooking ship channel, and next to an industrial site

at leslie lookout, towards CN Tower and city ckyline, overlooking ship channel,

Both parks are just part of the redevelopment of the Port Lands.  The area has always been industrial, and many industries remain.  Construction continues on other areas

below: Unwin Avenue

Unwin Ave looking east towards the Hearn generating station and its very tall smokestack

below: The old Hearn Generating Station still sits empty.  It was built in the 1950s as a coal powered generating station but it was decommissioned in 1983.   It has been used as a movie set location or as a backdrop for art installations but because of the huge costs involved (especially with cleaning up the interior to present day safety standards) this heritage site is vastly underused.

hearn generating station building, behind fence with vines growing on it

below: But now there is a development notice sign on the fence. Its present owner, Studios of America,  has applied to redevelop the 30 acre site to include condos as well as other mixed uses.

hearn generating station building, with blue and white development notice sign on the fence

hearn generating station building and driveway with gate

sign saying construction zone ends is lying on the ground surround by weeds including yarrow

a dump truck parked beside a large pile of dirt, industrial site behind it

constuction, workmen and equipment, working along the banks of the new mouth of the Don River, as seen from under the yellow bridge

dump truck on street, across intersection from a group of cyclists

a cyclist rides on Commissioners street in the port lands

on a utility pole, two signs, one with arrow pointing right for Don Valley Parkway north, and one toronto city street sign for Villiers street

villiers street scene

abrupt end of the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway on the north side of port lands redevelopment activity at the corner of Villiers and Munitions

dump truck on flattened pile of dirt, immediately south of end of the gardiner expressway

port lands redevelopment activity at the corner of Villiers and Munitions

a small orange and white cone covers the top of a pipe coming up from underground, a bulldozer in the background, vacant land, just dirt

red dump truck releasing its load of dirt, adding to dirt on vacant lot in port lands

bulldozer, or front end loader with load of brown soil, heads out gate of construction site towards road, CN TOwer and toronto skyline in the distance

graffiti, bright red heart on a wood pole, with other sctibbles and scrawls on it

graffiti sticker of a poodle head by dogma, beside red arrow pointing to fire extinguisher

black eyed susans, yellow flowers with black centers

Old Finch and the Finch Meander

Posted: May 29, 2025 in history, nature
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Old Finch Avenue runs immediately north of the zoo way over in the northeast corner of the city.  It also crosses the Rouge River close to what is called the Finch Meander.  Because of  its history and the surrounding geography, the eastern portion of Finch has to curve around the river and as a result, it doesn’t align properly with the western portion.

below: On Finch, traffic crosses a one lane bridge that spans the Rouge River.

from behind, a car crosses a single lane bridge, trees all around, green

below: Hurricane Hazel struck Toronto in October 1954. It damaged or washed away many bridges over the Rouge River including the one here.  The replacement bridge is a “Bailey Bridge” built by the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers.  Seventy years later it is the last one still in use.

small bailey bridge over the rouge river, brownish water underneath, lots of green tree around

graffiti on the support to a bridge

below: Can you see the little orange alien?  I think that it’s waving at you…..

graffiti on rock and concrete under a bridge

And a few photos from walking around the Rouge River park in that area –

below: Down the steps and into the woods….

a set of stairs covered partially with old leaves, wood hand railing, leading to forest near Rouge Rver

a path through the woods in late May, most trees now with leaves

forest scens, with lots of greenery, some smaller trunks of trees in foreground, one of which is bent over, some old vines

below: Measuring the water levels

white measuring stick in the water, to measure water levels, Rouge River,

rouge river, with trees overhanging the water

below: Greater Celandine growing in the shadows.

small yellow flowers on green leafy plant in woods

below: Little pink honeysuckle flowers

little pink flowers on honeysuckle plants along the shores of a river

below: Mayapple among the ferns

spring plants, mayapple and ferns along a path

below: Keep an eye open for poison ivy!

a fallen log on the ground that is starting to rot, with a knot that looks like an eye, some poison ivy is growing beside it along with some other forest plants

below: Another silent threat that lurks here (but won’t give you a rash) is an invasive vine.  “Dog strangling vine”, or Vincetoxicum rossicum, wraps itself around trees and other plants that it encounters.  It is early in the growing season so most of the plants here were still short but there were masses of them.  The lighter beige curved objects that run through the middle of this photo are the remains of last year’s vines.

remains of last year's growth of do strangling vine lie partially hidden in this years growth, in a forest

drying dog strangling vines and seed pods form a web around other plants and trees

forest views, rouge river park

young trees, leaves, and spring growth in the woods

Close by is the old Hillside church built in 1877.

wrought iron details above a metal gate, entrance to churchyard

tombstones, monuments in a churchyard, with an old small concrete bench, small white wood church, Hillside church, in the background

historical society plaque in front of hillside church, white picket fence

Hillside Church – The church opened on Nov 16, 1877 as a branch of the Scarboro circuit of the Methodist Church of Canada to meet the religious needs of this rural community.  The property was given by Mr. and Mrs. John Crawford to the “Trustees of the Mount Zion Congregation”  – namely John Sewell, Peter Reesor, James Ormerod, George Pearse, James Pearse, Robert Stockdale and Thomas Barnard.  Combining to form the Congregation were members of the Bible Christian Church … and the adherents of the former Wesleyan Methodist Church.  Known from its opening as Hillside Church, it continued to serve the area until Church Union in 1925 when the congregation became part of Zion United Church, Markham.  Both the exterior and the interior of the church remain essentially the same as they were in 1877.

below: Someone with surname Thomas once passed this way.  Lived here.  Played here.  The small stone suggests that it was a child, maybe?  Almost 150 years later this little stone, cracked and weathered as it is, still stands in memory of Thomas and the person who cared enough about him to have this stone made and erected in the churchyard.  A few of us stop and linger long enough to think about him but at some point the words will become even more unreadable.

old, faded and cracked tombstone in a cemetery, can read the name Thomas and that he died 188?.

Stone possibly says, Leonard, infant son of ?? Thomas, died July 11 1888 (1889?)

With thanks to Wilfred who suggested checking out the Rouge River and Bailey Bridge! It was a few months ago now but I was waiting for a nice spring day.

a Guildwood December day walk

Posted: December 28, 2024 in locations, nature, waterfront
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Just after Christmas, we took a short walk around Guildwood Inn Park where we encountered this cold but jolly fellow.

three snowball snowman, leaning slightly, with three stone buttons, 2 eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth

below: Once it led to the Granite Club (built 1926), now it leads to a path through the park

stone and brick arch from an old building, now in a park, winter time, snow on ground, a bench beside the arch

The Guildwood Inn (Guild Inn) property is now home to many pieces of stone and concrete that once adorned old Toronto buildings that were demolished many years ago. For a more thorough discussion of the history of the pieces, see History in Pieces of Stone a post from 2020.

below: Staging photographs, playing in the snow.

photo session, two people throwing snow while a third takes pictures, backdrop is old stone columns in a park setting

below: A pyramid of old blocks of rescued stone.

pyramid shape made of blocks of stone and concrete rescued from demolition of old buildings

winter scene, Guild Inn among the trees, snow

old carved stone top of a column, now resting a park, winter, with red dogwood branches among the dead leaves and leafless trees

old stone wishing well, in snowy park

snow covered partial wall made of rescued stone, snow covered park,

carved stone bas relief, octagon, with large floral motif in center

below: Representing Quebec…..sculpted panel by Frances Loring.

sculpture on large square stone, bas relief, personification of quebec

Christmas garland hanging from bare branches of a small deciduous tree in winter

small christmas wreath with greenery, as well as red and gold ribbon, hanging on a tree in Guildwood Inn Park

two men talking together while walking on snowy path through woods, in a park

below: The park runs along the top of the Scarborough Bluffs.

signs at edge of cliff, Lake Ontario at Guildwood Inn Park, danger cliff unstable, do not enter, small trees, snow, fence posts, Lake in background

below: Bits of the park fall into Lake Ontario each year – and occasionally parts of the old fence go too.

old fence wire and posts, dangling where cliff side has eroded, beside Lake Ontario at Guildwood Inn park, winter time, snow on ground, some red dogwood shrub branches near water

searching for the end of the trail

Posted: December 5, 2024 in construction, history, locations, nature, transportation
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… but finding many other things instead.

This is a follow-up to my last post about the Don Mills trail.  Remember that I mentioned that it came to a dead end just north of Eglinton?  I thought that surely someone somewhere in the city government would have looked into options re connecting the Don Mills trail to a street or another multi-use path.  The dead end is just east of Leslie, so off I went to check it out (and I wasn’t going to walk all the way to a dead end just to turn around again) .

Hey look!  There is a vacant lot at approximately where the trail ends.

cracked pavement with weeds growing up in them, vacant lot,

Did I wander back there?  Sadly not….. I didn’t have any lock cutters with me….  This was once a Sony Music building but it was demolished in 2016.  There was no development notice sign at the site (9 acres).

blue metal fence and gate, locked closed, vacant lot beyond the fence

below: This is the Sony Music (or CBS) building, built in 1959.  They don’t make them like this any more – so spread out and only one storey high.   Land must have been much cheaper back then!

older colour photo of sony music building on leslie street (demolished in 2016)

Photo credit: by Bob Krawczyk, found on ACO Toronto website (Architectural Conservancy Ontario)

When I was researching the Sony Music building online, I came across the Phoenix Centre.  That’s the name of the planned private club being developed at the old Wrigleys site next door to the now vacant lot.  If I had realized that when I was out walking, I would have taken more photos.  As it is, this is the best I’ve got:

southwest corner of old Wrigleys building on Leslie street, now OTT, low rise modern building

This building, built 1962, was included in North York’s Modernist Architecture, first published in 1997. In addition, The former Wrigley property has cultural heritage value as it is historically associated with the 1950s planning and development of Don Mills by E. P. Taylor and Don Mills Developments Ltd. (if interested, more info at ACO website).  The Phoenix Centre plan retains most of the office space architecture but completely remakes the factory space.

  There is also talk of a bridge (pedestrian & bikes?) over the CPR tracks to the Crosstown developments.   Makes sense to connect the Don Mills trail, Crosstown, and Leslie Street!

Part of the reason I didn’t take any photos of the old Wrigley building is that I had chose to walk south the day….  just south is a fire station as well as some condos.

on Leslie street, white building that is a fire station, parkland in beside it. to the south are condos, older red brick buildings plus newer glass and steel condos behind

And there is a well worn path that accesses the back of the properties.

large trees in foreground, dead leaves on the ground, autumn, new condos being built in the background, cranes,

This road doesn’t actually lead to those new condo towers.  The CPR railway tracks are in the way.  Those towers are part of the Crosstown development on the old IBM and Celestica property (access from both Eglinton & Don Mills)

long driveway, access road, with new condos under construction in the background

The road didn’t lead to the end of the Don Mills trail either… but it did lead to the back of a parking garage.  No dogs allowed and no trespassing.  No luck here.

path that runs behind beige concrete building (parking garage) with no trespassing sign)

I got a better view of the neighbourhood though….

highrise apartment buildings and condo towers

Black and white on a grey day.

two chairs, one black and one white, in a vacant lot, grassy, one tree,

As I walked back out the path, I noticed this sign.  I took it to mean the property behind the blue fence, not the property the path is on… probably?

no trespassing sign, metrus private property

It stopped munching and stared at me, trying to decide to sit and watch or to run away….  it scampered away before I could get any closer (I don’t pretend to take good pictures of animals but it looked so cute, all puffed up to stay warm).

a grey squirrel sitting on a fallen tree trunk, dead leaves on the ground, a nut or something edible between its two front paws

A very short walk farther south on Leslie brings us to the Inn on the Park site on the northeast corner of Leslie and Eglinton.

below: Inn on the Park as it once was (about 1969)  I have ‘borrowed’ this photo from another website – Jamie Bradburn’s Tales of Toronto.  Follow the link if you are interested in the story of the hotel – it’s an interesting read.  Did you know that in 1962 North York had a ban on cocktail lounges?

below: The site today. It’s now a Toyota/Lexus dealership and home to a few new condos.

old Inn on the Park site, northeast corner of Leslie and Eglinton, now a Toyota and Lexus dealership, also new condo development, still lots of green space in front

new condos being built at inn on the park site

artwork on exterior wall, solid colour shapes inside squares, 3 D, but mostly flat, shades of orange

But there are more changes coming….. (surprised?)…. more glass and steel towers by the looks of it.  The notice also states that parking is planned for 845 cars and 1860 bikes.  Does Doug Ford approve?

blue and white development notice on the corner of leslie and eglinton, with inn on the park site in background, auberge on the park condo development

sidewalk closed sign and barrier, on eglinton, northside, east of leslie

below: A sad sight, Sunnybrook Park LRT station all ready to go but no trains running. One of the Toronto mysteries, when will the Eglinton LRT open?

looking east at Sunnybrook Park LRT station on the Eglinton LRT line, no trains running yet but station is somplete, yellow barriers across the entrance

Standing by the LRT tracks and looking south. Wilket Creek park and the Thorncliffe trestle railway bridge can be seen.  I crossed the road because I had seen stairs down to the park….

looking south from the end of leslie street, across lanes of Eglinton to WIlket creek park and thorncliffe trestle railway bridge

A big new set of stairs!…. But. Not shown – the locked gate that blocked the entrance.   There is still no entry to Wilket Creek/Sunnybrook Park from this side of Eglinton.

long set of stairs downhill from eglinton to a large parking lot at wilket creek park.

looking south from Eglinton towards thorncliffe trestle bridge, wilket creek park, and ravine system,

It’s getting to be crowded….

cars traveling east on eglinton, approaching leslie, many waiting to turn left, new condo developments behind, crosstown, as well as inn on the park site

below: Crossing Eglinton and looking westward

traffic turning left from eglinton onto leslie, looking west on eglinton

New pedestrian and bike paths that provide access to the park from the north side of Eglinton have been built but they too are locked closed.  It’s very frustrating to see this infrastructure built and then left unusable.  The signs says construction danger but there doesn’t seem to be any construction happening…..

new stairs and bike path infrastructure built at leslie and eglinton that are closed, gates and signs

new stairs and bike path infrastructure built at leslie and eglinton that are closed, gates and signs

Just in case I have confused anyone, here is a map of the area that Google maps created.   Near the top left it even says Don Valley Bike Trailhead… which is very wrong.  No trailhead here of any kind as we’ve just learned.  Also it was the Don Mills trail not the Don Valley trail (the latter is somewhere else!)

google map screenshot of leslie and eglinton and vicinity

New benches! Wilket Creek Park is one section of the string of parks that parallel the branches of the Don River in Toronto’s ravine system. I’ll leave you with a few pictures that I took the other day while I was in the area…

new seating area with wood benches beside wilket creek park sign

lots of trees growing on hillside, autumn, dead leaves on the ground and none on the trees, park, railway trestle bridge in the background

path through woods beside a river, autumn, leaves on ground, small trees

view from under thorncliffe trestle railway bridge, metal girders,

last few yellow leaves on a tree, blowing in the wind

west don river as it flows under eglinton avenue

benches and picnic tables in a grassy park with many trees nearby, condos in the background

leaves in a puddle, reflections of tree branches in the water too

graffiti stickers on the back of a sign, one with Mexican flag,

graffiti on the sides of a small concrete pedestrian bridge

graffiti, large capital M with a bright pink heart

more streets and trails….

Posted: December 2, 2024 in history, locations, nature
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A circular walk to explore the Don Mills trail south of York Mills Road… but how to get there…. We decided to start by walking south on Scarsdale Road to Bond Avenue.

Scarsdale is a nondescript street in North York with a few churches, private schools, some light industry, offices, and all in all, a lot of lowrise late 20th century architecture.

below: Don Mills Baptist Church looking very un-church like.

below: Unmarked

below: Once at Bond, the buildings are mostly residential.

below:  There is a walk-through to the neighbourhood behind

below: The old railway bridge over Bond is now part of the Don Mills Trail.  Originally it took 6 years to build (1912 to 1918) the bridge – using six 2-foot-thick beams that span the 15-foot-wide opening, spaced to handle the weight of locomotives and heavily loaded railway cars.

Don Mills trail access point at Bond Ave.,

below: Also under the bridge is an entrance to Bond Park.

looking under a bridge to a parking lot in a park

below: Another entrance to Bond Park, this time from the trail via a hole in the fence.

leaf covered path down a small hill to a hole in a chainlink fence, and a park with seating beside a baseball diamond in the background, lots of trees

below: “Responsible alcohol consumption is allowed in this park”….rules and responsibilities are then listed along with health information about alcohol.

notice about alcohol in parks, and all the rules

autumn colours in the weeds and wildflowers beside a fence

below: A few remnants of its former life.  Once upon a time this multi use path was a spur line for the CNR, the Leaside Spur.  One of its functions was to connect the CNR main line (now also used by GO to Oriole station and beyond) to the CPR line near Eglinton.  The CPR tracks are those that cross Eglinton just east of Leslie and then cross the Thorncliffe trestle bridge over Wilket Creek Park.  The path ends just before the CPR tracks – there is no connection any more.

old rusted railway sign, small trees have grown up around it

below: Abandoned and rusting.  CNR stopped using this spur line in 1999.  The city bought the property ten years later.

old piece of metal, remains of railway switch? or some piece of railway equipment, lying on the ground

below: Crab apples and dead leaves litter the path

autumn leaves and little red crab apples cover the ground

below: Storage in bins and barrels, on the other side of the fence.

two old blue barrels, behind a fence, lots of undergrowth and weeds too

below: Left behind

discarded pair of boots, and some clothing, left on metal girders stored beside a railway track
stacks of rusty metal girders beside a railway track

below: The north end of the Don Mills Trail runs beside the live CNR line.  Not much of a view is it?  No trains passed by.  Very quiet.

looking northward up the CNR railway tracks from a hole in the fence by the DOn Mills trail.

old white barrels, behind a fence, weeds and small bushes growing up around them

below: Many, many large satelite dishes (and many small ones too).  I was feeling like a spy as I tried to take pictures through the fence… but I didn’t see any surveillance cameras…

satelite dishes behind a fence

below: Approaching York Mills Road

looking north up don mills trail towards york mills road, where there is a bridge over the railway tracks, a large pair of billboards on a tall pillar, dead leaves beside path, shrubs and weeds along the fence

below: The north end of the trail runs beside the bridge York Mills over the railway tracks (on the right in this picture).  From here there is an access road to Scarsdale on the south side of York Mills, or an exit through to Longos Plaza on the north side.

below: Have a seat!

below: Rogers has a large property on the east side of the CNR tracks and has access to this area.

With thanks to my mother for walking with me – she didn’t hesitate to climb through holes in the fence!  She also doesn’t like this picture, but it’s the better of the two that I took that morning!

Bonus section! Just in case you are interested in what’s on Scarsdale Road….

below: Colonel C.O. Dalton CSO and Colonel H.E. Dalton CSO Armoury

sign in front of building,

below: Greek Orthodox Education in Ontario – Metamorphosis Greek Orthodox School.

flags on flagpole, Canadian and GReek, in front of Greek Orthodox Education building

below: Korean Presbyterian Church

side view of front of Toronto Korean Presbyterian church, large roof over entrance, small white steeple, light grey brick building.

 

 

on a Scarborough pond

Posted: November 14, 2024 in nature
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One of the great things about Toronto is the network of creeks, rivers, and ravines that runs through the city.  I happened upon one of these yesterday.  A small oasis in a Scarborough neighbourhood.

below: I was very surprised to see a heron standing quietly among the trees.  I didn’t have a better lens to catch a decent photo of the bird, so this slightly fuzzy version with have to suffice.  A heron in Scarborough!  Considering how much ravine and park space there is Toronto, there is probably more wildlife living in the city than we realize.

thicket of trees, no leaves, autumn, leaves on the ground, heron standing among the trees

sunny november day in a scarborough park with trees and a bridge

an island in a pond, surrounded by tall grasses and rocks, autumn colours

below: What Toronto park doesn’t have Canada geese?

 

rocks and dirt beside creek that looks dark blue because of reflections of blue sky and tall trees beside the water, dead leaves floating in the water

small creek running through an area covered with dead brown leaves, autumn, November scene

tall grass-like plants growing beside a small creek, with lots of autumn leaves covering the ground

below: A tamarack tree, a unique tree because it is a deciduous conifer in that it has cones and needles like a conifer such as pine and spruce, but its needles turn yellow and fall off in autumn like a deciduous tree (such as oak or maple) does. Tamarack is also known as Larch.

part of a tamarack tree in November, needles turning yellow

bridge over a creek, in a park, in autumn

below: A small oak tree planted in remembrance of a person from the community.

a small oak tree in autumn, in a park, with a small plaque dedicating the tree to the memory of a member of the neighbouring community

autumn trees and dogwood shrub, no leaves, red branches and stems of dogwood

shore, autumn, grasses growing, reflections in water

backyards with large trees, fences, that back onto a park, in autumn

backyards with large trees, fences, that back onto a park, in autumn

below: One end of the park is the concrete fence in the distance – a fence that separates the park and the 401 highway.

path through park, with houses and backyards on the right, grass to the left, concrete fence separating park and 401 highway in the background

transmission tower on hydro corridor, some houses in the background

hydro right of way with tall transmission towers and a yellow no trespassing sign

a bridge to nowhere

Posted: June 2, 2024 in construction, locations, nature
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Another gorgeous May morning, another coffee shop.  This time it was Circles and Squares Bakery on Bartley Drive where the butter tarts are amazing (well, what isn’t amazing there?).

reflections in a coffee shop window, outside looking in, circles and squares on bermondsey

Most of you are now asking, “Where is Bartley Drive?”  Answer – close to the Bermondsey Transfer Station as pictured below.  That’s where the garbage trucks go.  It is also where you can drop off your hazardous waste or renovation waste, things that aren’t allowed in the trash you leave at the front of your house (or throw down the chute in your building).  That large grey building is for yard waste.  And yes, there is a lingering odor.

walking down dirt road, Bermondsey transfer station (garbage) on the right, tall metal hydro pole on the left

It is also close to the Bermondsey Hydro One Transmission Station.

3 tall metal hydro transmission towers, with lots of wires

below: Warning sign. “Property and copper marked for police identification.”

sign on wall of electric substation that says warning Property and copper marked for police identification

a series of x shaped cross braces, metal, in an electric sub station

below: The transmission station is on the Hydro Corridor that cuts a swath through Toronto.  There is a plan to turn most of it into “The Meadoway”, a bike and walking path that runs through a restored meadow.  The paths are more developed in Scarborough, see blog post “the Meadoway” from November 2021.

sign for do not mow, meadow restoration area, with electric substation behind

At the moment this section of meadow has limited access.   There is a dirt road that runs through the Hydro Corridor, west towards the Don River.

people walking on dirt road with trees on the left, and large limestone rock wall on the right

 

a single yellow flower, with some green leaves, growing in front of pile of grey limestone rocks

… but the bridge over the river is not quite complete.  Once it is finished,  it will connect The Meadoway and the East Don Trail.

construction site, dump truck, in a ravine, new iron bridge in the background

man walking on path through shrubs towards bridge and railway tracks

Crossing the tracks anyhow.

crossing the railway tracks

new rusted metal bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, crosses railway tracks

below: Immediately after the newest bridge over the railway tracks, there is another bridge. This one crosses the Don River.  This is now part of the East Don Trail.   There is a section of the East Don Trail north of Eglinton (by the Rainbow Tunnel) but at the present time, they don’t connect.  It’s an ongoing project.   The large poles beside the path are the makings of a large net.

bridge over the don river, with apartment buildings in the background

below: The nets are because Flemingdon Golf Club is right here.  I suspect no one wants to get hit by a flying golf ball.

flemingdon golf club with some golf carts, apartment buildings in the background

below: Looking back towards the newest bridge

two bridges, one in foreground over the don river and larger bridge in the background over the railway tracks

fence along a path approaching a bridge construction site, with no access sign posted

below: White flowers on a Cranberry Viburnum plant.

white flowers of a cranberry viburnum shrub

below: Don River

It’s a quiet spot.  But obviously some people make use of the space! Stonr’s hot box clubhouse.

hand drawn sign on old lumber that says stonrs hot box clubhouse

 

Google maps shows the East Don Trail continuing south at least as far as where the Don River passes under the Don Valley Parkway.  Unfortunately, the next time the path encounters the tracks, it ends.   I forgot to take a picture but the tracks form a wall at the end of the road.   There is a dirt path that runs uphill through the woods (away from the tracks) that probably leads to the Spanbridge Road neighbourhood.   Instead of exploring further we retraced our steps back to Circles and Squares.

With thanks to the Wednesday morning walking group!

4 men walking on a path in toronto ravine, wednesday morning small walking group members

electricity wires and the metal and ceramic pieces on them

green leaves in the sun with shadows made by nearby leaves

once upon a May morning

Posted: June 1, 2024 in alleys, graffiti and street art, nature
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small part of a mural on a garage door in an alley, a blue coffee mug with I 'heart' T.O. on it

This is another “walk with friends” post; three of us out enjoying a May morning looking for signs of spring (and summer!), bits of art, and other eccentric little details.  Like all good walks, this one started with a coffee and a bite to eat.  In this case, at Rustle and Still on Bloor West, a Vietnamese coffee shop

painting on the wall, interior of coffee shop, Rustle and Still, man witting on a stool drinking coffee

where I tried their purple sweet potato croissant.  Highly recommended!

vietnamese iced coffee in a glass mug beside a plate with a purple sweet potato croissant on it, on a wood table in a coffee shop

We walked more or less south and west from Bloor and Palmerston to Queen and Dunn.   This is some of what we saw. … Starting with the colours of spring with lots of greens

below: Flowers such as these big purple balls of allium

front yard, by sidewalk, with yellow fire hydrant, also lots of spring greenery including purple allium puff balls

below: More purple – Bergenia Crassifolia flowers seem to want to jump out of the garden.

little purple flowers in a garden, bergenia crassiflora

below: Grape vines coming back to life.

a vine on a fence, with little pink buds,

below: Crabapple tree blossoms in abundance

white crab apple tree blossoms on a tree, with some old dried dark red crab apples too

below: … and flowers of a different kind. Purple orchids on a garage door painted by Trexlorian.

mural of three purple orchids on a garage door in an alley

below: Spring colours here too…  Fabulous bright orange toes!

a woman in blue and white plaid pants sits on a white plastic chair outside a restaurant. she is wearing sandals and has orange toe nail polish

And other colours too….

A red shed (or gate?).  Also, the metal gate and fence with the circles is unique!

bright red shed at the back of a yard, alley view, also a cut metal fence and gate with circles

A bright pink house (with red trim! … and a green front door)

a brick house painted bright pink with red trim and a green front door

below: The ivy has gone crazy here but the cheerful blue trim hasn’t been hidden… yet!

house with white and blue trim, lots of windows in front, ivy growing on roof above windows

And while we’re looking at houses, one little house stand alone dwarfed by the large brick house on one side.  Even the other houses on the left are larger.

houses on a street, on the right the houses are large, and on the left the houses are small, dwarfed by their larger neighbours

below: Another tiny house stuck in the middle!

small house between larger ones,

below: This is actually a row of three little homes where the outer two have a peaked roof.

a row of small workers cottages, or similar architectural style, bungalows,

There seem to be a lot of houses that have expanded upwards with third storey additions, or new rooftop balconies.

a large japanese maple tree in front of a row of houses

below: An alley view –  What caught my eye here was the fact that all six houses have an upper level (rooftop?) balcony with a wood railing.

dump truck in a lane, Alex Borovoy Lane, back of houses, all two storeys with upper level balconies and wood railings. No dumping sign, one house has no garage

below:  And then there are the houses that look like they have never changed.  This one still has the old asphalt shingle siding in fake brick colour.

laneway view of the back of houses, small 2 storey houses

We came across this Joe Road front yard where someone must be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

small sign that says Joe Rd, blue, with a Toronto Maple Leafs symbol on it as well, mounted on a piece of wood in a frontyard

below: This is the view of Joe Road from across the street, the neighbour’s view

a house with a small frontyard with a short black fence around it. the yard is full of stuff, decorations

below: The yard is full of stuff, knickknacks of all sorts.  The interior is dark and some of it is difficult to see without trespassing.  Some of it is held together with spray foam insulation.

mix of stones, a small toy skull, a plastic face, birch bark, all held together with spray insulation

below: A fish on a plaque, a black and white cow, and that red and white thing – is that a painted rock?  What kind of symbol is that (if anything)?

stuff in a front yard, fish plaque, black and white toy cow, red ball, stones,

below: Superman, a chicken, a cow, a man’s head carved out of stone, a large blue Disney something or other, and various other toys and trinkets piled high.

decorations and knick knacks on display in a front yard, a black chicken, superman, a stone man's head, other toys and trinkets

below: Darth Vader (but with a bit of extra white?) and an owl guard the upper level.

a large darth vader and a white owl stand over a front yard.

below: Another yard, another set of animals.  This time it’s a pelican, an orange butterfly, and a sheep in a little garden that looks like so neat and tidy.  Someone has put a lot of work into this space.  Two yellow tulips are in bloom – they are real but I’m not sure that the orange lily is.

small circular garden at the base of a tree with a fake pelican and sheep. two yellow tulips

below: Creativity on a slightly grander scale (complete with “Beware of the dog” sign).

front of a house with steps leading to porch with white statues, curved arches, white railing,

below: Hiding his face.  The enemy remains unseen.

small stone statue of a samauri warrior between two sets of stairs, with a hosta plant behind it that hides the head of the statue

One sign that you are in Little Italy or Little Portugal is the requisite religious icon by the front door

religious plaque, Christ, on blue house beside front door

Little Italy and Little Portugal both claim portions of College Street

below: The mural on the side of a building at College and Crawford celebrates Branca Gomes who was the first Portuguese teacher in Toronto.  She started teaching in 1964 at the First Portuguese School on Augusta.  She also taught at Alexander Muir Elementary from 1969 to 1974.  The small green space in front of the mural is the Portuguese Pioneers Parkette.

mural, Portuguese teacher in a classroom

below: Across the street from Branca Gomes is this  mural.  in 1937 Sam Sniderman, along with his brother Sidney, opened Sniderman’s Music Hall record department in the family store at 714 College Street.  They later moved the store to Yonge Street where it became ‘Sam the Record Man’ (or colloquially, Sam’s).  In their heyday, the early 1980s, there were 140 Sam the Record Man stores across Canada.  The mural was painted by sumartist (aka Paul Glyn-Williams).

L'Italia mural with orange stripe on top, man sitting reading newspaper about Sam the Record Man, another person standing beside, also a black cat

Toronto street signs, Little Italy, College Street and Grace Street

below: Neither Italian nor Portuguese but Slovenian in a mosaic above the door to a church.  Marija Pomagaj, Mary of Perpetual Help, or more loosely, Mary, Help of Christians.

mosaic image of Mary and baby Jesus, both wearing crowwns, mary in a blue dress with a red robe, words say Marija Pomagaj

below:  Greens, yellows, and purples in the vertical panes of glass.  What this photo fails to show is that the green and purple form two large cross shapes on the front of this church, the Toronto Spiritualist Temple on College Street.  There is a third cross, in blue, to the left of the purple.

coloured glass windows in vertical stripes, in shades of green and yellow, can see interior staircase through the colours

below:  This billboard above the Ladybug Tavern on College is actually part of the CONTACT Photography Festival.  Two figures draped in yellow stand under a palm tree, one of whom is wearing a bird-like mask.   It is part of “Window into Bassam” by Nuits Balnéaires, an artist from the Ivory Coast (where Grand-Bassam is a city).

billboard above shops on college street, is a part of contact photography festival,

half of a semi divided house remains after the other half has been demolished

old brick buildings on College Street, now store fronts, three storeys tall,

below: At College and Ossington, a mural by Alice Pasquini (in  partnership between the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto, the College Promenade BIA and the City of Toronto).

mural on building at College and Ossington, bus stop in front of it, with people waiting for the bus.

We explored a few alleys …  where we encountered a few faces and strange creatures

on a brick garage in an alley, painted white but paint fading, a red face of two eyes and big lips

blue blob guy graffiti, no arms and legs, two eyes overlapping, one big tooth

No faces in this lane but the barbecue looks shiny and new… and ready to use.

brown wood fence in an alley, with small opening so the barbecue in the backyard is visible

below: How many raccoons live here?!

in an alley, a broken wood garage door with some graffiti on it

below: Infill housing? – with an air conditioner and a satellite dish.

old square brick structure with garage door on lower level, balcony on roof

a jumble of houses and back yards, from a laneway

below: Black Lives Matter 24/7 in both directions

black lives matter sign turned into a street sign and posted on a pole beside a no parking sign, on a toronto street corner

Graffiti that we saw:

below: The man behind the mask, by Bruho

sticker on a metal pole by bruho, man in blue mask, topless, white pants, stands beside a woman reclining on a couch, text says man behind the mask

below: A stencil of a penguin and its little one

black and white stencil of a penguin parent and little one, one cement block wall of garage in alley

below: Paper paste-up of a lions head with its eyes blacked out.

paper paste up gaffiti of a black and white realistic drawing of lion's head with black bar through its eyes

black and white graffiti sticker of a woman crying, with white flowers, on a pole by chainlink fence

 

With thanks to Merle and Nancy who went wandering with me that morning.

two women alking on a street with two large houses and white car parked

Paul Estrela Lane revisited

Posted: March 28, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations, nature
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Back in 2017 I visited this lane for the first time and I added some photos from that visit on this blog (see Paul Estrela Lane.).   Most of the street art that I saw then is still there.  Some of it has been overgrown like the mural below.  In a month or two some of these waves will be hidden behind greenery.

below: Mural by Caitlin Taguibao, Pre-pupa moment painted in 2018.

mural by caitlin ta in an alley, a woman is sitting, blue leaves on plants around her

central female figure in caaitlin mural, green and black striped collar, or pillow, around her neck, black sky, yellow sleeves on clothing,

garages on Paul Estrela Lane, some with street art or graffiti on them

below: Another older mural that natures seems to want to cover up.  This one is the work of Kim Therese Dolan.

mural of a woman's face, eyes closed

below: Winter vines on painted particle board.

below: Icey icicles on a March morning

graffiti on wall, white on black, text that says icey, above it are 3 icicles

below: Many coloured goofy faces with impressive teeth and googly eyes.  A whimsical work by Monica on the Moon (aka Monica Wickeler).

monica on the moon mural of faces, with blue garbage bins in front, in an alley

blobby goofy faces in blue, green, and pink, part of a mural

below: Kanos, a French artist, from Paris.  More of his work can be seen under ikanografik on instagram.

black and white on red mural by kanos

below: More red, this time from Mediah

mural by mediah, geometric shapes, sharp angles, straight lines, on red background

below: Red 9 and Parlor 23 in the shadows.

below: Peeling teal paint on weathered wood.

part of a fence that was painted teal colour but paint is now peeling, picket tops of the wood forms triangles

paul estrela lane

below: Heidi Berton,

small street art in paul estrela lane painted by Heidi Berton

below: Children eating ice cream beside a hot summer sun.

part of mural, for carters ice cream store around the corner, a line of children eating ice cream cones

below: A blue man and his cat by a mystery man, Victorful.

two murals in paul estrela lane, first is a man in blue with a tiger, and the other is a line of children eating ice cream while sitting beside a sun made of concentric circles, with yellow in the center and red on the outside ring

below: More wood textures.

old wood fence, close up showing the texture of the wood grain

… as well as vines and shadows….

vines on a white garage door with black graffiti on it as well

…. and one last view of the alley

garages along the north side of paul estrela lane, large tree, no leaves, winter time, but no snow, some graffiti on the garage doors

Waiting for spring….

Posted: March 7, 2024 in locations, nature
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A bench at Edwards Gardens… late February.  It’s been a warmer than usual winter without much snow.  February ended on a warm streak that has continued into March.  These photos were taken at Edwards Gardens before I realized just how early spring might be this year.

a couple, man and woman, site on a bench beside the path at Edwards Gardens, with trees in the background, winter but no snow, no leave on the trees

The giant willow tree has hardly begun to turn yellow like it does every spring.

large willow tree in Edwards Gardens in February winter but no snow, no leaves on tree, person walking on the path towards the willow tree

two people on the path beside the Wilket Creek, some small tree between them and the camera

A little bit of snow and ice linger in the shadier parts along the path.

rocks along the shore of Wilket Creek at Edwards Gardens, grass, and then red stems of dogwood shrubs before a path and then the forest beyond, some snow under the trees

two Canada geese in the shallow waters of Wilket Creek by one of the bridges at Edwards Gardens, sand on the shore of the river, winter, no snow,

a tree branch overhanging the Wilket Creek, people walking on the path in the background

brown dead maple leaves slightly curled at the edges, lying on the dirt on the ground, some small twigs too

a path through the woods at Edwards Gardens, dead leaves cover the ground, no leaves on the trees, winter, but no snow

ivy growing up the trunk of a larger tree with rough bark

dead hydrangea blossoms on branch with spruce tree in the background along with dead leaves on the ground

red window box on a white building, winter greenery in the box, cedar, pine,

old house building and newer greenhouse at Edwards Gardens, crab apple tree in the foreground with lots of small crab apples on it, no leaves, February, winter but no snow

A monkey – a light-hearted touch in the greenhouse where it’s warm all year round.

a stuffed toy monkey on a small palm tree in a green house

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