Chris: October 2009 Archives

Every Hallowe'en, the jack o'lantern shows up in neighbourhoods around the city.  This fine specimen looked particularly fierce, and I'm glad I'm not going around trick-or-treating to see him scowling down at me in the dark.

Spotted on Queen Street East, near Broadview. 

He's got everything he needs for the commute home. 

It's always such a busy intersection.  Even on a Tuesday afternoon, in late fall, there's always a lineup of cars going through Queen Street.  I love the rows of flags by City Hall, and the cavern of buildings going up Bay Street.

Waiting for the streetcar to arrive in the morning can take some time.  Sometimes, there seems to be fifteen minutes between them, and it's easy to sit there and be bored. 

Rain transforms the mundane lights along the sidewalk on Queen East at Broadview.

Another honeymoon picture.  We went for a drive to see what was around, and I discovered something new.  I had known that there was a nuclear plant somewhere on the Bruce Peninsula, but I wasn't aware that there was a baby wind farm as well. 

There are only 3 turbines, but they're massive, and it looks (from the signs protesting their construction) like there will be more.  I think they look great - I don't understand why people don't want more of them.  They generate power from a resource that doesn't pollute, the turbines themselves have a low environmental impact, and I would think that it would be a great way for a farmer to get an additional revenue stream without having to do too much himself.  So why are there so many posters in people's front windows protesting against the turbines?

This is always a busy intersection.  On a good day,  you can see all kinds of different modes of transportation - from feet to streetcars and everything in between. And it's an interesting street to walk down, too.  In the course of a few blocks, you can see the fashion district, Chinatown, and all the computer parts you could ever want - and that's just from King to College. 

All I can think of is some fluffy white bunny with a really bad attitude.

Found on Queen Street West.

Contrasts on Queen Street. 

More peaceful denizens of the Bruce Peninsula - slowly decomposing the litter on the floor of the forest. 

The post office and customs building in Wiarton, Ontario.  I have no idea why there's a customs office in the town - perhaps because of the federal fish hatchery built in 1906 or so, perhaps because of the proximity to Georgian Bay.  The building is marvellous, and totally suits the town itself.

Live music at the corner of Queen and John!

This were wonderfully slow up in the Bruce - a perfect antidote to the frenetic pace we seemed to be maintaining coming up to the wedding.  We didn't slow down quite this much, but enough to actually catch our breath.  Good thing, too, as we came back to another period of crazy activity that now (hopefully) seems to be waning.

We stopped in this small town while on photo safari.  The building in the foreground is the storage area for a local artist.  There's not much to the town itself, however - except some wonderful butter tarts across the street. 

I cannot imagine living this far away from other people.  I can see the advantages of it - privacy, quiet, independence, etc.  But I would miss so much of city life - the hustle and bustle, the conveniences, the variety.  But it certainly looks beautiful through the lens of my camera.

Looking out onto Georgian Bay from "The Grotto".  I'd love to come back here in the middle of summer and do more hiking on the trail.  It was beautiful there, but we didn't get nearly enough time to hike.  After the preparations for the wedding, we didn't have too much energy, either.

I have no idea if the red leaves are because the plants are starting to turn their fall colours, but these red and green ferns were all over the roadside near our cottage.  They're tiny little things in this shot, but they're fascinating to see popping up through the (mostly evergreen) foliage we saw so much of.  Note to self - when going to see fall colours, don't go to a mostly cedar and pine forested area.  The results are not what are expected.

One of our stops was at at tiny town named Barrow Bay.  It was a tiny place, really - just a few houses along the highway.  But we picked up some wonderful butter tarts at a one of the houses.  Instead of being made with corn syrup, as is usual, maple syrup was used.  The tarts were wonderful.

Angie looks out onto Georgian Bay. 

We went for a hike on one of the easier trails on the Bruce Peninsula.  The trail through the woods was interesting - mostly cedar and other evergreen woods, lots of paved trail, etc. - and it ended at something they called the Grotto.  It was gorgeous, and it gave a spectacular view of the water and the islands. 

Ready to paint the Queen Mother pub on Queen Street.

It's definitely fall now - the squashes are starting to make an appearance at the market, and even at the convenience store down the street. 

Just north of Wiarton is a place called Elliott's.  They have an amazing selection of things, mostly grown on their own farm.  We saw fresh corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more.  There was a whole wall of mouth watering pies, freshly baked and ready for sale the day we left to head home, so we stopped to pick up a few things.  I have no idea of the purpose or usage of this piece of equipment that was sitting beside their store, but it looked interesting.

I'm actually surprised at how long it's been since I posted a picture here.  Things got a little bit busy around here around the early part of September, but I have an excuse ;-)   I got married.

My angel and I tied the knot on the 18th of September, and we spent a week recuperating from the wedding.  It was the second time around for both of us, so it was a simpler affair - city hall wedding, reception in our home, week at a cottage on the Bruce Peninsula for a honeymoon.  Simpler, yes, but still tremendous number of things to get done on a daily basis as the big day approached.  Then the day itself was a wonderful mix of getting things done, enjoying what was happening, and being tremendously happy.

Coming back to work was - difficult.  It was tremendously relaxing, hanging out by the water, listening to the silence, and I wish it could have lasted longer.  So - I'm back in Toronto now, and hopefully we'll start to see more pictures going up on a regular basis.