A mild January turned into a frigid February but that shouldn’t slow us down should it? So I bundled up and drove to Mimico to meet a friend – what? we haven’t seen each other for over a year? 2020 has taken its toll. At least it’s easier wearing masks in cold weather!
below: Two murals by Jim Bravo. On the right, “Down Creek Way” 2012. On the left, “Morning Ice Harvest” 2014. Both are part of the Lakeshore Arts Project
below: A watery mural with a large duck bottom as it paddles by on the side of Birds and Beans Coffee Shop. Another Lakeshore Arts Project; it was designed by Alexa Hatanaka and Patrick Thompson and painted with the help of a crew of youth & community members coordinated by Paula McDines.
below: Mural on the side of Calibreze Pizza on Lakeshore Blvd.
The northern boundary is the Gardiner Expressway. Here, stairs from the street running parallel to the Gardiner up to Royal York Road before it becomes a bridge over the expressway.
below: Signs on the outside
below: … and old photos on the inside. Jimmys Coffee, Royal York Road. Hanging out inside was verboten but a few minutes of warmth was appreciated.
below: Who can resist a unicorn poop cookie?
below: Signs of Covid. Prior to the most recent lockdown there was talk about “big box stores” being allowed to stay open while smaller businesses had to close. At the moment, even “big box stores” are closed.
below: Bag full of work.
below: Moooooove me…. I’m tired of getting splattered with slush when cars get too close!
below: A cold and wet seat.
below: Just out of the picture, and making a lot of noise, was the same dog that’s in this picture.
below: Tibetan prayer flags adorn the fence. Each colour represents an element; white symbolizes air, red is fire., green is water, yellow is earth, and blue is wind. They also represent directions – North, South, East, West and Center. As the flags flutter in the wind, they emit positive spiritual vibrations enabling the wind to carry away the prayers and wishes. As the prayers drift away, the colours fade.
below: Mimico is home to a large GO facility, the Willowbrook Rail Maintenance Facility. It didn’t look too inviting! It might be worth some research so that on a warmer, sunnier day we could go exploring.
below: It’s difficult to see, but the door on the left has a “women” sign on it. His and hers.
What had started as a sunny morning, turned into a grey low-light so we headed to the lake to see if we could find more sun, or at least better light.
below: Part of Humber College Lakeshore Campus. These buildings were built in the late 1880s as “cottages”, part of the Mimico Asylum (later known as the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital). Almost a hundred years later the site was shut down. At that time, there were 280 patients, down from a peak of 1,390 in 1950.
below: The site was leased to Humber in 1991 and since then these four buildings have been completely renovated to suit Humber’s needs.
below: Humber College is surrounded on three sides by Colonel Sam Smith park and one of the features of the park is an outdoor skating loop. This year, online registration is needed for a time slot at all rinks – unless you’re lucky enough to arrive when others have cancelled or have been unable to show up. (As an aside – they have a washroom for weary walkers in need!)
Another feature of the park are the waterfront trails along the shores of Lake Ontario.
below: Comfy sofa at the ready?
We never did find more light that morning. But if you’re in the mood for hot chocolate bombs or other sweet goodies we might have found the place for you!
below: As I was driving home after the walk, I came across this scene:
as I walk Toronto 