August 2009 Archives

This mural covers the doorway on Queen Street, east of Spadina.  I think the doorway goes up to an apartment over the stores, but I'm not sure.  Love the artwork, though.

Staring into the auto shop at Queen and Lewis. 

Okay - I admit it.  I head to hot dog stands from time to time, when I'm working downtown.  Some of my fondest memories are of coming to the city to work, and having these vendors on (it seemed) every other corner selling sausages.  It was such a change for me, having previously grown up in a small town, and having worked in the suburbs. Even today, I get cravings for a hot Polish or Italian sausage with all the fixings on top, and I have to go indulge.

Waiting for the light to change at Queen and John. It's always busy after work, and you see such a huge variety of people at that corner.  Usually, they're busy, heading from one place to another, but occasionally, they stop long enough to be captured in a picture.

It's got to be a great workout - walking around downtown all day long, hauling tourists behind you in the rickshaw.  But it's not the safest thing to do, and I don't imagine that they get to work when it's raining out. 

Another urban camouflage shot.  Taken outside the CHUM-FM studios at Richmond and Duncan St.

There are certain shots that are just easier to get with my 75-300mm zoom lens.  This is one of them. I don't think I've ever seen an operator working in a crane before. 

Is he coming from the clinic, or going to it?  Does he realize how ironic it is that he's standing in front of that sign?  And, most importantly, DO his feet hurt?

Waiting for a table at a restaurant on Queen Street.  Looks relaxed, doesn't he - leaning on the doorway, checking his phone.

This mural graces the wall of an auto repair shop on Broadview Ave, north of Queen.

Standing and waiting at Much Music. 

This vintage Texaco station is found in Prince Edward County. Looks like someone did a really good job of restoring it. 

Just hanging out, listening to some tunes at Queen and John. 

Wouldn't it be nice if more areas of the city were like this?  Don't get me wrong - I see a need for cars in a lot of instances.  But the city needs fewer cars, and more alternative transit.  We need buses, streetcars, more subways, and more bikes.  I mean, seriously, who takes an SUV downtown to shop for clothes?  Get out of your cars, and actually experience the city instead of driving through it like it was a suburban strip mall.

Love this statue displayed on the south west side of the AGO. 

I wonder - is the reflection the secret identity of this scooter?  Is it better to be a totally fuel efficient form of transportation, or a more fuel efficient form? 

Coming in for a landing on one of the many rainwater ponds down at Ashbridge's Bay.  Do you ever get the idea that it's been a wet summer?  Or is it just me?

Believe it or not, this is supposed to be a beach.  There's not supposed to be any grass here - it's surrounded on all sides by sand.  He looks he's well prepared for his trip to the beach, though, doesn't he?

I wonder what kind of adjustment period the guys that work on cellphone towers have to go through before they're comfortable working on these things?  I don't think it would bother me too much, but I know that there are people out there that would totally freeze being this high up, with that little around them. 

This peacock startled me by wandering past, outside of any cage or enclosure, at the Toronto Zoo.  It wandered by, put a show on for the crowd just by walking, and then jumped to the top of a six foot wall to continue it's journey.  As they say in Monty Python, though, beautiful plumage.

My delightful daughter, giving me a long suffering glare, sort of.  You'd think, with a shutterbug like my fiance in her life, she'd be used to having a camera shoved in her face every time she looked around.  But I still get glared at when I take too many pictures of her.

We got a tour of a greenhouse from a friend of mine.  It's amazing what kinds of flowers will bloom in a greenhouse - things you wouldn't expect to see growing in Ontario.  Once again - thanks for the tour, Norm.

Naptime at the zoo.  It was hot that day, but we managed to get through two or three sections of the Toronto Zoo.  Thanks, Norm!

I had no idea there was actually a Heartbreak Hotel in Toronto.  Taken at the corner of Queen Street West and Palmerston Ave.  Looks like it has seen better days though - I wonder if the sign lights up at night

Okay, so what do you get when you have a beach, and you have a LOT of rain over a few day period?  You get ponding on the beach.  And where there is ponding, there are folks with boogie boards.  They run through the water, throw the board, and jump on it, riding it across the calm surface, doing tricks and spins.  Looks like a lot of fun, but somehow I can picture my self not quite managing the "jump on the board" phase, and ending up on my butt in the water. 

Okay, so he's not really a boy any more.  He's not quite a man, either.  And somehow, he looks completely at home in that tree. 

Who do you think is having more fun - the kid on the beach with his toys, or the folks in the sailboat on the water?  My money's on the kid.

Taken at Ashbridge's Bay on a hot, sunny day. 

Another empty storefront, late at night.  This one seemed best in black and white. 

It was a warm, clear night, and we decided to take a walk up Broadview.  I was struck by the combination of the empty street and the bright lights of the store on the corner.  The street is never empty during the day, and the market is always busy.  But that night, a strange sort of peace settled over the neighbourhood.

What exactly is IN a "World of Comfort"?  Are there fleece lined slippers?  Velvet lined underwear?  Fur lined braces?  Air conditioned saunas?  How far, exactly, are the proprietors of this "World of Comfort" willing to go to accomodate my comfort needs?  These are very important questions, don't you think?