Chris: November 2007 Archives

Okay - another architectural detail here.  City TV was just around the corner from my work - till they got sold to Rogers, anyway.  Their building has always fascinated me with all the architectural details on the exterior.  I'm was surprised, recently, to find out that the building used to be the headquarters for the Methodist Church in Toronto.  Things keep changing, apparently.

Every year, it's the same thing - the first snow falls, and everyone forgets how to drive in it.  Half the people drive as if they're terrified out of their minds, and the other half drive like there's nothing on the road.  Put them together, and you have a guaranteed mess.

I love Active Surplus.  I don't do nearly as much mucking about with junk as I used to, but it's still fun to wander through the aisles there, looking at all the bits and pieces that ended up in the bins.  You never know what you'll find there.

I just don't understand the trend these days in coloring the outside of the buildings with godawful colours.  The CN Tower is lit up like a hooker in Vegas, and now City Hall looks like something evil out of Lord of the Rings.  Seriously!

Winter has arrived in Toronto. The patio furniture is still out, but it looks so warm inside.

I found this reflection while waiting at Queen and University for a streetcar.

In this age of portable connectivity, finding a payphone is akin to finding a living fossil.  Formerly ubiquitous, they are getting rarer and rarer.  Finding one that actually still works is even more miraculous.  I remember using payphones to call my friends from downtown, I remember using them to call taxis.  It's a part of life that my kids will never understand, with their photo-taking, music-playing, internet enabled personal communications devices. Maybe that's for the best.

Yesterday afternoon, we had a visitor at work. Apparently, this falcon ran into the window, and sat on the ledge for the better part of an hour. I took a bunch of pictures, but unfortunately, the bird was a little bit camera shy. This was the best of the two that turned out in focus. Also seen on Flickr

While I was waiting for the streetcar to stop in front of me, this scene was presented to me.  I quickly exposed for the sky, and swung the camera around to point at the streetcar.

A long day of shopping and running errands was almost behind us, when we spotted this sky, over a Chapters in Missisauga.

Seen near Queen and Broadview.  It reminded me of the walks I used to take in the conservation area when I was growing up.  Early morning, covered with dew, or gently raining, I'd see piles of leaves, building up on the debris that covered the forest floor.

We've all done it.  A late night ride, on a streetcar or bus.  Nothing to do but stare at the back of the person in front of you.  There's something meditative about the ride - the way the traffic flows, starting, stopping, the bumps in the road.  The low hum of conversations around you - ebbing and flowing.  And then you realize it - you're about to miss your stop.

It's autumn again in Toronto.  In previous years, this time of year meant that I'd start hiding inside, meeting with friends at home instead of wandering around downtown.  Not this year - the photography bug has hit, and that means that there's all kinds of new things for me to photograph.  I get out more, I get more exercise, and I get great pictures along the way.

So many contrasts here.  Craftsmanship versus competency. Art versus engineering. Old versus new.  Maybe I'm turning into a cranky old fart, but I like old style architecture more than I like the boxes of glass and steel we see coming out these days.

It's fall in Ontario - we had a nice, crisp fall day on Sunday and these two were taking a break from their bike ride in  East Riverdale Park.

I'm trying to take more pictures during the day, especially on my lunch hour.  The building in the foreground is an art supplies store.  In the background, the Ontario College of Arts and Design looms on several stilts.  It's definitely a noticeable building.

I was walking by the cafe when I saw this guy through the window. He was nice enough to let me take a picture of him when I went in and asked. Taken at Gerrard and Broadview. Also seen in my Flickr photostream

Bea and Liam were busy chasing each other around this monument in East Riverdale Park. I wish I had half the energy these two showed in the time we spent together on Sunday.  Is Liam chasing Bea? or is Bea chasing Liam?  I watched the two of them run around for five full minutes, and I don't think even they knew.

This is such a contrasting building. It sits in an old commercial area where I work, and the buildings around it are older, more traditional, and grey. When Umbra arrived, they replaced a restaurant with the unfortunate name of "Young Thai", and they've been providing colour, and lunch space, ever since. Also seen in my Flickr photostream

More graffiti from my photo-expedition the other day. This one is part of a larger mural, spread across the back of a convenience store on Queen West. I wonder if the artist went to school at OCAD, just up the street? Also posted to my Flickr account

This is the first of a series of graffiti shots that I've taken around my work. Graffiti is vandalism, I get that. But some of the artwork created by these guys just blows me away. A lot of it is tons better than the blank, industrial walls that they cover, and adds something to the neighborhood. Maybe I'm just jealous of the ability of these guys to create art, quickly, using such simple, even crude implements. Naahhhh - that can't be it. Also shown on Flickr

Don't know what he was waiting for.  But he's got his Tim's, and it looks like he's been waiting for a while.  Taken from the streetcar on Queen Street East.

I didn't realize that fish came that big!  I was trying to take a shot of the stores across the street, when suddenly, a giant fish appeared in my view.  Who thought it was a good idea to sell advertising on the side of streetcars?

I didn't think anyone still used the term "Patent Medicine" - but there it is, big as life, on the marquee of my local discount grocery.  It's a great little store - filled with all kinds of useful conveniences.  But they don't take debit cards - which has lead to me running across the street a couple of times to the bank machine.

I was on my way to St. Lawrence Market, when I stopped to take this picture.  I love the look of this building for some reason.  It's a wonderful area to wander around in - there's so much to see and do.

I loved the mix of light and dark, and the multitude of textures in this shot. My neighbour is putting in a new wall along the front of his property, and this is the results of several days of demolition on the old wall. Thankfully, the jackhammers have stopped for now.

I had to stop at the Shoppers Drug Mart on the way home (it's flu season, after all), so I took a look around.  This bell tower caught my eye, with the contrasting lighting and the wonderful brick textures.

Walking home from daycare with Daddy - what more could a little girl want in the world?

He wanders around, downtown, picking up litter from the street.  He doesn't seem to ask anyone for money - except for the sign on his back.  Why can't more panhandlers show the initiative that this guy shows - and why doesn't anyone offer this guy a job?  He's got self-motivation in spades.

These guys were heading down Queen Street, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather the other day.  It's not every day in October that you can find a Hawaiian shirt in Toronto.