dogs, and more, by the dog park

Posted: May 14, 2021 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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On Gerrard Street East, beside a parkette, is a grey concrete building that has been brightened by some paintings by Spud1 and kreech9 (and others?)

beside a park, a two storey concrete building with murals of dog portraits on the first storey, between the windows

red car parked in front of a body shop with a mural on the side of its building. Black and white dog in mural with black fuzzy ears, sunglasses and a Toronto baseball cap

part of a mural, a grey dog's face


part of a mural, a furry small dog's face in shades of brown with black nose and eyes, blue and orange spudbomb stencils under the dog, also words say #spud1. Pink and blue swirls for background

part of a mural, orange and white animal face with other symbols and abstracts

in the foreground, part of mural with blue, green, and yellow swirls. A hot dog with wiggly line of mustard down the center of the wiener is on top of the swirls

….And around the corner, past a pile of tires, is a wall of flowers, a happy face, and a rainbow.

a pile of tires in an alley across from a white wall painted with lots of colourful flowers, stylized form

painted, large 6 petal pink flower with yellow triangles at central edge, and an orange hexagon center, on same wall, a green happy face

alleyway with metal exterior stairs to upper floor, a pile of tires, and a wall full of colourful flowers and a rainbow

looking up an alley with a mural on the left and a chainlink fence with lots of saplings on the right

save the foundry

Posted: May 13, 2021 in graffiti and street art, history
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I read in the news this morning that the graffiti and artwork on the hoardings around the old foundry site in Corktown/Canary District are being painted over now. I had previously mentioned some of the stencils and posters that we here when I first saw them back in February. Unfortunately I am a bit behind on my posts so I haven’t uploaded the pictures that I took on a subsequent visit to the area…. here they are now. This is what is being painted over today:

below: “The history that is represented in this era of globalization is very important not to bulldoze”
“I want to save the Foundry because the buildings lend character to an area that is being made more and more bland every day.”
Meanwhile Doug Ford can’t keep his hands off Toronto City Hall.

red hearts stenciled on plywood hoardings along with a poster showing parody of Doug Ford with his hands meddling with a model of Toronto City Hall. Other posters with words describing why saving the old Dominion Wheel Foundry is important

below: “Municipal Destruction Minister Steve Clark screws up plans for A-Ford-A-Bull-Housing.”

below: Why Doug? Why?

below: “Dear Doug Ford: Let us fix this for you.”

East End mural

Posted: May 8, 2021 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Initiated in 2017, the “Bridges to Art” program envisions murals on nine underpasses in Toronto’s east end. Several of the murals along the Carlaw-Dundas corridor have been painted including this one on Jones Avenue just north of Gerrard. It was painted by Jason Pinney and features scenes from the east end.

green and white GO train passing over bridge over Jones Ave. where a mural in shades of green and blue has been painted

painting of a young black man in a mural on Jones Ave., with railway overpass

painting of a young man sitting on a bench, with his bicycle leaning against the back of the bench, an apartment building in the background, part of a mural featuring views of the east end of Toronto

a woman is walking past a mural on Jones Ave., also a black car is on the street, East End mural

mural on Jones Ave., two pictures shown, one is a man with a backpack walking towards a TTC bus stop. The second is kids on bikes on a path in a park

A boy walks towards the back of a baseball diamond with its overhead lights

a young boy plays basketball, holding basketball, hoop in background

part of mural painted by Jason Pinney onJones Ave, a woman sitting outside, a two storey semi-detached house

part of one of the murals in Bridges to Art project, on Jones Ave.

two scenes in the east end mural on Jones Ave by Jason Pinney, one is outdoor exercises and the other is the valley smokestack

people gathered on the beach by a lifeguard station, part of a mural on Jones underpass by Jason Pinney

mural on Jones Ave., Bridges to Art

walking along Wilket Creek

Posted: May 4, 2021 in locations, nature
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Wilket Creek forms one of the many ravines in the city. The northern part has been buried; it surfaces just south of York Mills Road and flows south until it joins the West Don just north of Eglinton. Edwards Gardens is part of the park system along the creek and that is where I met a friend the other day.  It was her part of town and she was my guide for the day.  The magnolia trees were at peak bloom and the fragrance of their blossoms filled the air.

below: Magnolia

A white magnolia in full bloom in front of a house with chimney

below: Three magnolia buds ready to open up.
Three magenta magnolia buds ready to open up, grey fuzzy bottom part of the bud included

below: Other trees and shrubs were also laden with blossoms
Pink blossoms on a tree, spring

A man takes a picture of his wife and daughter in front of a tree full of pink blossoms at Edwards Gardens

below: Volunteers working in the Teaching Garden, preparing the beds for planting.
A woman with grey hair and a blue baseball cap is hoeing weeds out of a garden, orange yellow wheelbarrow beside her, Edwards Garden

below: Some of the different types of trees that grow here – three different bark colours.
Three different kinds of trees, with 3 different coloured trunks, including a birch tree

below: A willow tree by Wilket Creek
large tree on a grassy field beside a creek lined with rocks, early spring, willow leaves are just beginning to show, a pale green colour

below: Dawn Redwood tree (aka Metasequoia tree)
large dawn redwood tree, also called metasequoia, no leaves, very early spring

below: Parts of the gardens were closed for repairs to the banks of the creek and the path alongside it.
construction machinery on a path beside Wilket Creek, Edwards Gardens

Walking the ravine north from Edwards Gardens is impossible – unfortunately, that stretch of the ravine  is not open to the public.  A gap in the system. We rejoined the creek at Windfields Park.

Windfields Park

paved path, curves as it goes downhill, bench at the bottom of the hill, grass beside the path, trees on both sides, Windfields Park

A person in a red jacket sits on a fallen log in a forest beside a teepee shape structure made from tree branches, leaves are just beginning to open, late April

below: A rock stuck in a hard place, where rocks usually aren’t found.
A large granite boulder entangled in the roots of tree that has fallen over

below: Yellow wildflowers, Lesser Celandine which is apparently an invasive species.
A large patch of low yellow flowers and greenery in front of a tree that has fallen down, tree trunks in the background

below: A tennis ball in the wild.

orange tennis ball stuck in the V of a tree, between two branches, in a forest

below: Two birch trees, probably Silver Birch because of the brown bark of the younger tree that will soon shed to reveal the white bark below.

Two birch trees in a forest, one is younger and has just started shedding it's brownish bark, the other is older and had white bark

below: Yellow trout lily. The flashy red parts hang downwards so they are hidden close to the forest floor. The flowers are difficult to spot but the mottled green and brown leaves give them away.
wildflower on the ground in forest, a yellow trout lily
below: Bloodroot flowers
wildflower on forest floor, white bloodroot flower and leaves

With thanks to Iskuhi for walking with me and teaching me the names of some trees and wildflowers. … and for some playing with sunlight and shadows (because that’s what photographers do!).

A person holding a bloodroot plant in one hand and a camera phone in the other, trying to get a picture showing texture of veins in the leaf

late in the day, Queen East

Posted: April 28, 2021 in events, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, windows and walls
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street art mural on the side of a building beside a car wash. Car wash has bright turquoise wall with lots of garbage bins lined up along side it.

below: “88 Keys of Light”, a collaboration between Edward Platero and Kristyn Watterworth
upright painted piano sits on the sidewalk, five guitars on top if it

below: Southeast corner, Queen St East and Woodbine Ave

southeast corner of Woodbine and Queen St East, three storey brick building with stores on ground level, people waiting at traffic light,

from across the street, mural of a woman on a sofa reading a book, mural, covers window of an empty store, a woman in a red coat is walking past, the store to the right is for lease, the store to the left is a variety store with a blue and yellow sign,

small white house with blue trim and a yellow awning over the front door, white fence around the front yard, empty lot beside it with white tarp covering chainlink fence around the yard

below: A cheerful dalmatian stands outside Firehall 227

fire hydrant in front of a fire station 227 painted like a dalmation dog, white with black spots, a red hat with number 227 on its head, and a big smile on its face

below: Mural, “Greetings from the Beach” by Elise Goodhoofd

mural, Greetings from the Beaches by Elise Goodhoofd

a person sits on a bench in front of the Sunrise Grill on Queen East

below: A Lovebot sticker

pink lovebot sticker, with a blue heart, on the back of a stop sign, historic woodbine beach street sign for Queen Street East as well

below: Don’t tell her that her head is empty.

in a store window, florist, planter in the shape of a woman's head, also metal round trays of succulents

below: Another Starbucks gone.

empty storefront, with ghost Starbucks coffee sign across the front

below: faded to yellow

in a store window, fake licence plates with Canadian flags that have faded to yellow and white

below: Another Luminosity installation, “Headlights”, by Collective Memory aka Robert McKaye and Stoyan Barakov

Luminosity public art installation of 6 mannequins with lampshades for heads

below: About an hour later….

Luminosity art installation of mannequins with lampshades for heads. night time, so dark outside, lights turned on inside shades

below: Mural by John Kuna painted in 2019. It replaced an earlier mural (2007, by Rudolf Stussi) that had deteriorated.

mural on Queen Street East, side of Foodland grocery store, scenes from the beach - a couple dancing by an outdoor pavillion, an Asian family having a picnic in the park, young adults playing beach volleyball, Leuty lighthouse, fireworks in the distance, by John Kuna and Mural Routes

below: Part of a mural, Scarborough Amusement Park, by Daniel Seagrave, 2008

Mural on a wall beside Subway fast food restaurant, a tree in front of the mural, old fashioned beach activities with people in period bathing costumes, red row boat, boardwalk, boat with orange sails
a lime green vw microbus parked in a driveway

below: Above the entrance to an empty store.
old sign above a store doorway, the word Mara with a woman in a blue dress lying across the last 3 letters, holding a big orange and red flower

below: One of many hearts shining in the windows.

blue LED lights in the shape of a heart in the window of a shoe store on Queen Street East

below: Looking in other windows too.

store window with a yellow LED light heart, a white head and shoulders mannequin with closed eyes and wearing a black covid mask with white maple leafs on it.

store window, wonder woman items, a large purple platform shoe,

looking in the window of a toy store

clothing store window with women's tops and blouses in orange hanging from a bar, a green and orange scarf around the neck of the orange knit top in front

looking in the window of a laundromat with no people in it, but with open sign

window of an art gallery at number 888, an abstract painting in the window predominantly red

looking diagonally across the street at a corner store, Convenience Plus as it gets dark outside

below: “Share the Love”, Thelia Sanders Shelton

Luminosity installation person holding a large red heart, in front of a TTC streetcar

Luminosity installation person holding a large red heart, with R C Harris filtration plant in the background

below: Part of “Beacon Silo” by Chris Foster
strips of mirrors forming a cylinder that rotates as coloured lights shine on it.

below: Same installation but from across the street
Under an umbrella shape - a series of mirrors making a cylinder that rotates, lights shining on it from the sides so the shapes of lights being reflected changes as the cylinder moves

a couple walk down the sidewalk, late evening as it gets dark

a string of yellow LED lights looped over branches of a large tree beside a row of stores, evening

below: “Out from under the Shadows”, by Bryan Faubert.  Light passes through cutouts in the metal plate to make shadow pictures on the wall.

below: Firehall 227 with it’s clock tower

Evening lights, exterior of Firehall number 227 at Queen East and Woodbine, clock tower shows 8:20,

below: Open doors, Firehall 227

night, exterior of firehall 227, open door showing interior and pepsi vending machine, bench on sidewalk,

back of a small house at night, gate open, light on in back room, tree by sidewalk,

beside and under the DVP

Posted: April 21, 2021 in history, intersections, locations
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below: Up beside the Don Valley Parkway and way off the beaten track this time.

up on a hill, level with a DVP overpass over York Mills Road, concrete barrier at side of parkway, signs for exit ramp to York Mills, also sign saying Lawrence Ave in 2 km,

But obviously some people with spray paint know about this little green corner of North York.

graffiti on a concrete wall beside the Don Valley Parkway just north of York Mills Road

below: More graffiti (text, throw ups) along the concrete barrier beside the southbound traffic

text graffiti on the concrete wall along west side of DVP, apartment building in the background,

below: A dead end on an abandoned road. This is part of the remains of an onramp for the southbound Don Valley Parkway from westbound York Mills Road.

text graffiti on a concrete wall, beside green space and the dead end of an abandoned onramp for the Don Valley Parkway, red brick apartment building, small trees,

below: This ramp was closed in 2005 and replaced with the present road configuration where all the on and off ramps are on the south side of York Mills.  Except for creating a mound of earth along the York Mils side, the site was left untouched.  Small trees are slowly taking over as nature gains the upper hand.

abandoned road starting to be overgrown with cracked asphalt, behind some houses, lots of trees with no leaves (early spring)

below: Still no parking

abandoned ramp to DVP,

Looking south along remains of an abandoned on ramp for the DVP at York Mills Road, later winter,

below:  Walking east on York Mills Road

A path crosses a large lawn in front of two apartment buildings

looking slightly uphill at a tree with a slight lean to the right in front of a tall yellowish grey apartment building

below: Any idea what this is? Something old and to do with water? At first I thought that it was sidewalk feature but now I suspect that someone ditched it here.

Small cylindrical metal object standing upright on the grass beside a sidewalk, rusty and old

below: Looking eastward on York Mills Road

Looking east along York Mills Road, just east of the Don Valley Parkway, some condo construction on the right, traffic, school bus, low rise apartments on the left

red and orange spray paint markings on a sidewalk by a construction site

below: Walking through Deerlick Park

View from a park towards a construction site with first few floors of a new condo built. Taller apartment buildings in the background

fence around a pile of dirt, construction site, with orange objects, apartment building in the background

below: Playground on Deerlick Trail

path leading to a playground

An orange kids bike lies on the grass outside a townhouse. Patio chairs are stacked up by the house along with round table and folded umbrella

below: CN Tower and the downtown Toronto skyline in the distance

Looking beyond a fence and some houses to see the CN Tower and Toronto downtown skyline in the distance

Part of a mural, outdoors summer rural scene with house in the distance, a fox by a creek and a girl in the foreground in a flowered dress and her hair in two pigtails, surrounded by a field of long grass and flowers

below: Trilliums under the Don Valley Parkway. Part of a mural on both sides of the underpass at Brookbanks. It was painted by Sarah J. Collard with help from Manny and Sonja Wiebe.

end of a mural on walls of an underpass, under the DVP. A field of white trilliums with tree trunks on the background.

Woman walking on sidewalk, walking past a mural by Start and City of Toronto, on DVP underpass concrete walls

part of a mural, a man cycling on a path, a sea gull lands behind him., path goes past field of flowers

3 valleys auto garage and full service gas station, a low one storey building with 4 bays for car repair

below: Church of Our Saviour with its large triangular stained glass window that was apparently designed by a local high school student.

Front view of Our Saviour Church, Anglican, with its A shaped roof line. Large triangular stained glass window

Construction site in residential area, house is mostly demolished, just footprint remains, fence around site, orange digger, backs of houses in next street, a tall apartment building in the background

blue dump truck backed into a construction site where a house has been demolished

split level semi divided house with cars parked in the driveway, a large tree in front of the one on the right, apartment building behind

From Three Valleys I tried to find a way to get back north to York Mills Road via parks and green spaces but I couldn’t do it. The next blog post was the result of a subsequent walk when I started farther north and attempted to find a path south.

below: No Eiffel Tower here!

blue and white toronto street sign for Paris Court, on a wood utility pole

tile pattern beside a glass door

paths to ruin and a course

Posted: April 18, 2021 in locations, nature
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As you probably know, Toronto is full of creeks, ravines, and trails. Most of the creeks are tributaries of the Humber, Don, or Rouge River. This week’s adventure was along the Don River starting at the south end of the Betty Sutherland Trail. The north part of this trail begins at Leslie and Sheppard, just behind North York General Hospital (where parking is difficult).  Even though early April is still brown and grey, there is always something to see.

below: Don River

Don River in early spring

below: Pussy willows – One of the first signs of spring

pussy willows in spring

below: As I walked along the trail, I encountered this guy. He started getting agitated as I got close to the the river, but there was a photo that I was after…..

a male mallard duck standing on the bank of a creek with back to photographer but turning head to look behind

below: I had spotted colours through the browns and greys of the trees… graffiti covered ruins on the other side of the river.

colorful graffiti on an old stone structure whose roof has collapsed, as seen from across a creek, with trees in the way, no leaves because April, too early in the spring

Of course I found my way across the river to explore them in more detail!

below: When I went looking online for information about this structure, I came across a blog post in Scenes from a City from 2013. It’s hard to see, but some of the graffiti remains unchanged 8 years later.

below: And right behind me I discovered a tunnel entrance built into the hillside

below: It was very dark inside so the quality of these photos is questionable, but I thought that the old rusty control boxes looked fascinating. How long have they been here?

The Betty Sutherland trail ends at Duncan Mill Road. I was trying to get as far south as possible, so rather than go up to street level, I went under Duncan Mill Road where my map showed that there was more green space.

below: Wishes were written on pieces of paper, folded, and tied to a tree with pink yarn.

pieces of white paper tied to small branches of a small tree with pink yarn

below: The tangled roots of a dead tree lie beside the Don River just south of Duncan Mill Road.

a large piece of driftwood from the roots of a large tree in the foreground with a river, trees, and an apartment building in the background

below: Blue and yellow rocks

many small stones painted blue and some painted yellow, on the ground, with weeds starting to grow up among them

below: It wouldn’t be a walk without a (or several!) used mask lying around but this one is cuter than most.

a pink covid mask lies on the ground, on top of dead leaves. The mask has a picture of a peach on it.

below: Oh Oh

below: Bracket, or shelf, fungi on a dead tree trunk

below: Playing fields alongside Moatfield

Green space, playing field, beside a road with office buildings on it

below: Looking east towards Graydon Hall

playing field with soccer goal, apartment buildings of Graydon Hall in the background.

below: Now we are off the beaten track. That’s Don Mills Road with some graffiti on a pillar that beckons me forward. A few trees have been planted here but maintenance may be sporadic.

below: under the bridge
close up of a discarded can of spray paint lying on the ground. Graffiti under a bridge is in the background but out of focus.

under a bridge over the Don River with graffiti on the concrete, metal girders overhead, water in the river

below: There was no problem getting under the bridge, but around the corner was an unexpected surprise – This appears to be the end of the line. Yes, it was green space but my map didn’t warn me that it was private! I didn’t have golf clubs with me so I wasn’t sure if I could sneak or bluff my way through – plus my car was behind me so it wasn’t worth the trouble to try.

sign saying private property no trespassing at the edge of a golf course, Donalda Golf course

blog_betty_sutherland_trail

“Betty Sutherland served thirteen years as an elected representative on North York Council until her retirement from politics in 1985. From 1979 to 1985, Mrs. Sutherland was a member of Metropolitan Toronto Council and the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Devoted to the improvement of recreational opportunities for citizens and visitors, Mrs. Sutherland was Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto Parks, Recreation, and Property Committee from 1982 to 1985 and a member of the Authority’s Don Valley Advisory Board from 1981 to 1984. The naming of this trail is a symbol of the significant contribution she made to Metropolitan Toronto’s regional parks.

metal screwed to wood

Posted: April 10, 2021 in graffiti and street art
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First, a quick Latin translation lesson
1. Ad perniciem solet agi sinceritas is Latin for “Honesty is often goaded to ruin”, a quote from Phaedrus
2. Bibere venenum in auro, another Latin phrase and it means “drink poison from a gold cup”.
3. Fortuna caeca est translates to “Fortune is blind.” from Cicero (died 43 BC, he was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, and philosopher who wrote extensively).
4. Pulvis et umbraa sumus equals “We are dust and shadow” from Horace (died 8 B.C., a Roman poet)
5. Graviora manent – greater dangers await, or the worst is yet to come

These Latin words, and more, were all found here:

a long narrow, vertical, engraved metal graffiti on a wood pole. Latin words are written around a fish like creature shape with designs inside
below: A closer view
Leaf like designs in an oval shape with Latin words written around the outside

All of the following were on the same utility pole surrounded by a lot of old staples and tacks.

below: A crown with 12 + 1 + 1/2 = 13 1/2 fastened with an 8 point, or double square, screw.

below: Another 13 1/2, this time with with PJD and a fountain at the top of a building

round metal engraving on a small circle, screwed to a wood utility pole. Design is like a fountain on the top of a building 13 1/2

below: Similar architecture is repeated in the next piece, but now it is a taller building with more than a fountain on top – it looks like a pineapple, or a grenade with fireworks.

brown metal engraved with a portrait of Dudley George who was killed by Opp at Ipperwash in September 1995

below: In memory of Dudley George who died at Ipperwash, shot by the OPP. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but the screws resemble bullet holes.

below: The domed building appears to be upside down. The rain drops are “falling” the wrong way. Is that symbolic? Or because only one screw is holding it in place and it slipped?

very small engraving of a domed building with clouds and rain drops, graffiti or street art on a pole

below: It’s difficult to see, but there are a lot of words on the light metal piece too, but not in Latin. There is also a bird whose feathers are made from Us and Vs.

some metal pieces that are graffiti on a pole

below: “I loved you” is written on the side of the piece of metal. You’ll have to take my word for it, but the other side of the metal says “Too little too late”.

below: And last, just a plain X.  Unfortunately, it’s like someone who signs their name by making an X as I have no idea whose artwork this is.  Do you know?

metal in the shape of an X screwed onto a wood utility pole

And let’s hope that the worst is not yet to come!

benched

Posted: March 28, 2021 in locations, public art
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old factory buildings in Liberty Village, with a connecting bridge between them that is over the street

Arty things around Liberty Village


small alley with a building on the right side with panels at street level that are decorated with murals

closer up view of murals in an alley

Back in May 2020, 14 benches in public places throughout Liberty Village were designed/decorated by different artists.

below: ‘Gathering’ by Patrick Li

a black metal bench with cut outs in red, of L and V shapes on the back piece
below: “Home of Innovation” by Jieun June Kim

a bench in Liberty Village with the back piece decorated in houses in primary coloursbelow: Red pigeons in front of a new condo – by Los Angeles-based artist Nathan Mabry.  If you step back and look at it from the right angle, the large red parts look like a pigeon as well.

Red metal sculpture in front of a new condo development in Liberty Village, with red metal pigeons on top of the shapes

below: ‘Perpetual Motion’ by Francisco Gazitua

a large white metal sculpture in a park in Liberty village

below: “In Memory of Omi and Opa” by Thelia Shelton

A black metal bench between the sidewalk and street, the back of the bench has yellow figures all holding hands

below: “Love Conquers Our Differences” designed by Christiano De Araujo and produced by David Ogilvie Engineering

an apartment building across the street, a bench on the sidewalk in the foreground. The bench is red with a picture on the back of a man and woman yelling at each other and a red heart in the middle

street in Liberty Village, one utility pole is painted in turquoise with red triangles and the word Love written in cursive

metal bicycle rack with a large paste up of urban ninja squadron t bonez wearing white briefs and nothing else, also no head

below: Brightly carpeted stairs behind one of the old brick buildings typical of Liberty Village

a bright pink and orange carpet on the stairs leading to the second storey behind an old brick building in Liberty Village

below: mural by Jarus

mural of a woman sitting drinking coffee except the top part of her head and face are missing

below: One smart mural.

large mural that is the word genius

billboards and graffiti

turquoise metal box with liberty village words on a street

below: Grominator watches the dancers

grominator graffiti on a metal box beside sidewalk, a cherry picker lift machine parked beside it, under an overhang that says loading dock. Mural of black people dancing on the wall behind the lifter.

black and red metal bench in front of a two storey beige brick wall with a large number 60 painted in black on it

below: It’s not easy these days but “smile, enjoy now”.

black and white picture of a woman in a white hat and white fluffy scarf on hoardings with blotches of yellow and blue, also blue writing that says smile enjoy now

you can have it all written in red on reflective hoardings

below: “Can” by Michelle Cieloszczyk, 2017

large sculpture of a crushed metal can, grey, beside a pile of snow on a pedestrian walkway in Liberty Village

decorative birdhouse with red roof with a string of lights and a fake cardinal or two

two yellow metal bumpers at the end of the railway tracks, left over from a real railway line, ends in park by a fence along another, real, train tracks, graffiti on the walls beyond the tracks, houses beyond that

Time for coffee!

blog_closed_seated_outside

exterior of Coffee Shop Loiue with sign in window above door that says this is a coffee shop

exterior view of a window that had clear plastic on it. plastic is ripping and peeling

Agincourt

Posted: March 26, 2021 in construction, intersections, locations, stores, transportation
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A few weeks ago I read a blog post about Agincourt history in Bob Georgiou’s Scenes from a City.   It reminded me that I had once tried to walk that area but I only got discouraged because of weather (grey, damp) and nostalgia.  Sheppard Avenue just east of Kennedy now has this large concrete underpass (Metrolinx/GO trains) which was a shocking change from my childhood memories.  My parents were living here with their parents when then met and my paternal grandparents remained in the neighbourhood until they passed.  One of my great-grandfathers lived on Agincourt Drive in a house that backed onto the railway tracks.

sheppard avenue east just east of kennedy road, with GO train bridge overpass, all concrete, with access road to Go station on the left

This time round, I waited for a sunny day before I tried walking here again.   For the most part, I walked Sheppard Avenue East between Kennedy and Brimley and the photos below are what I saw – what you see there these days.  If you are more interested in the history of the area, then you need to be reading Bob’s blog as mentioned above.

Let’s walk!

a man with a red backpack walks along the sidewalk in front of some small businesses, a condo building in the background

below: The area’s Asian character is very obvious.

Asian store front windows

below: Nutriever?

nutriever label in an ad in a store window, canada flag on the label too

below: West Highland Creek, north of Sheppard

waterway with concrete sides, graffiti on the walls, some water,

pink and white text graffiti on a canal wall

below: Are you in the market for a used truck?

looking across the street to a used truck lot, tall condos in the background

below: If not a truck, how about a car? I passed at least three used car lots.

honest used car sales at the corner of Reidmont and Sheppard

a grey apartment building in the background, a house as auto sales, cars parked in front, used car lot,

Top ten auto, used car sales, white trailer, yellow and black checkered flags

below: The old Agincourt GO station has been demolished and a new one is being built.

2 fences, one on either side of a pedestrian pathway through a construction area at Agincourt GO station

signs on construction fence at Agincourt GO station showing picture of new station

side of a house, orange construction fence, ELlis Don sign, metal railling

below: Bell Canada (It’s a white building)

white Bell Canada building in Scarborough with big round vents on the side

below: In a front yard on a nearby street….. I have many questions.

a small tree, some metal rungs, a bike tied up near top of tree, grey sculpture on the ground

below: Looking east just before Midland Avenue

intersection of Midland and Sheppard East, on Sheppard, looking east,

below: Part of the reason that Sheppard and Midland looks so empty is this vacant site on the southwest corner.  There was once a Lumber King Home Centre here, then it was a flea market and used car lot, but now it’s an empty building on an otherwise vacant 4.7 acres.   A plan for 80 townhouses and a park was filed back in 2015 and seems to have been winding its way through the development process ever since.

chainlink fence around an empty and abandoned store with yellow and white front, large vacant parking lot in front, a security sign is upside down on the fence

old weathered framing around a sign, now empty, in front of a vacant lot

chainlink fence with rusty mailboxes, a lot of garbage has blown up against the fence

below: A quick rest at the intersection where there are actually some people.   I miss interacting with the people that I see as I walk around… and I’m sure that you’ve noticed the lack of people in these blog posts.

corner of Midland and Sheppard East, a Midland bus is northbound, bus shelter with 2 people across the street

 Also, re the TTC – this is Sheppard Avenue, home of the Sheppard subway, or is it LRT now?  As I was researching development at 4181 Sheppard, I discovered that Metrolinx has been applying for easements along Sheppard in preparation for anything that might be built on that street.

two women getting on a Sheppard TTC bus at Midland

below: There is always something to remind us of life’s situation these days, such as this ad that was on a bus shelter.  I liked the hashtag at the end, #PracticeSafe6ix

poster in a bus shelter, Covid-19, how it isn't over yet, practice safe six

below: Knox United Church was built as a Free Presbyterian church in the 1840’s but became Knox United in 1925.   This was when the Presbyterians merged with the Methodists to form the United Church of Canada. (Although not all Presbyterian churches went along with the merger).

side of red brick church with cemetery between church and road, smell steeple, Knox United church

below: Agincourt Baptist Church

blog_agincourt_baptist_church

below: There is a second overpass in the area.   The CPR tracks pass over Sheppard between Midland and Brimley, just west of Canadian Pacific’s Toronto Yard.

looking along Sheppard East from the railway underpass

below: On this overpass is a mural by elicser

mural by elicser on the concrete wall of a C P R overpass in Scarborough

part of an elicser mural, a woman with a red rose in her hair sits on a man's shoulders, a woman in a pink dress is also in the picture

below: Running parallel to the south side of the CPR line and Sheppard Avenue is a large industrial complex belonging to the International Group of Companies.

steel tanks, rail line, industrial area

industrial site with metal tanks, a storefront with Chinese signs in front and to one side

advertising signs along a fence, spa for 15 dollars, a Chinese furniture store, a pink poodle picture

signs along Sheppard Ave East
Chinese halal buffet restaurant with bright red sign,
a small skinny flower store on Sheppard

below: Toronto has 85 BIAs (Business Improvement Areas) including Sheppard East Village which includes Sheppard between Midland and Markham Road.

street signs and banners on utility poles, Sheppard East Village, Fulham Street, Brimley Road,

below: At Glen Watford and Sheppard there is a large new Seniors residence planned.

sign advertising live music and dancing in front of a strip mall that is about to be redeveloped

below: In the meantime, there are empty stores.

Dragon centre, Chinese market, now closed and empty, empty parking lot and two small dead cedar trees

below: North Scarborough Memorial being renovated but the old gate remains.

old gate in front of North Scarborough Memorial centre, now renamed, indoor swimming pool

below: Agincourt Elementary School.  Built in 1915 as a Continuation School, (grades 9 and 10) but used as an elementary school since Agincourt Collegiate was built in 1930.

Agincourt Public school, two storey square brick building built in the early 1900s as a high school

large trees in front of a red brick school, Agincourt Collegiate

residential street in Agincourt, brick houses, Ross Avenue street sign

a house in a residential neighbourhood being renovated

below: (Snow)man down! You’d be tired too if you had to stand outside all winter!

below: Mystery ‘All Way Stop’ in the Walmart parking lot.

a stop sign is leaning against the back of a billboard so that no one can see it from the road

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