February 2009 Archives

Ramp at City Hall

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You know, I've been going to City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square since I was a youngster (oh, so many years ago).  But I've never seen this ramp opened.  What was it put there for? What do they use it for? Do they ever open it up? Enquiring minds want to know.

Long Branch Car

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When I think about it, I'm always astonished that the Queen Street streetcar goes all the way to Long Branch - that's out by the bottom of Highway 427. When I lived out there, I thought it was the boonies.  Way out in the sticks.  But now, I could hop on the streetcar at the end of my street, and take a ride all the way there, passing through downtown.  Hell, someone from that part of the city could, without changing streetcars, go from Highway 427 all the way to the Beach area of the city.

Speak From The Heart

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Taking a break to read at the bottom of the escalators, in the Eaton Center. 

Goodbye Mookie

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1989-2009
She was a good cat.



Waiting for the Zamboni

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Do you think that these kids are eager, waiting for the zamboni to finish resurfacing the ice?  Taken at Nathan Philips Square, on Family Day. 

Walking the Dog

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Taking the dog for a walk in Dundas Square. 

Green on Queen

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Gothic Clock

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This is the clocktower on the library at the corner of Queen St and Saulter.  The building is one of those leftovers from an age where buildings were supposed to convey a feeling, instead of just show how efficient they are.

Bee on a Pole

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The bee, like Prometheus, was chained to a rock for all eternity, as punishment for it's sin of bringing honey to mortals.  Or maybe it was just put there so that whoever lost it could find it again.  One or the other.

Highway to Hell

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At Dundas and Yonge, this guy was trying - really hard - to get his point across.  The folks around him didn't seem to be listening, much, though.  I often wonder what makes people like this want to do that - go out and be a solitary voice, preaching their message to the uncaring crowd.  You'd think they'd come up with a better way to do it. 

Skating on Family Day

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It was a wonderfully bright day, and it seems like everyone was down at Nathan Philips Square, skating on the outdoor rink.  When we arrived, the ice was in the process of getting resurfaced, so by the time this young lady got to skate, it was a pretty clean surface.

City Hall Reflections

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City Hall is such a unique structure - it's recognizable throughout the world, and it's been a stand-in for alien buildings in at least one Star Trek:TNG episode that I can remember.  I love the reflections of the afternoon sun that you can see on the west tower.

Effective Sign II

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Yet another tremendously effective parking sign.  Of course, I don't expect everyone to follow every sign - I'm just amused when I see something done so blatantly. 

Witteveen's Organic Meats

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I had to drop by the St. Lawrence Market the other night, and I arrived there just as they were getting ready to close up for the day.  It's *so* different to see the place without many people in it.  I love shopping at St. Lawrence Market - you can find all kinds of different foods, usually from more than one place.  Witteveen's is a great butcher shop, with some truly awesome stuffed pork chops and pork roasts. On a Saturday morning, this hallway will be lined with people waiting to be served, and filled with people going from one area to another in the market.

Tulips on Queen

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It's been a dreary winter so far - too much snow, slush and muck.  So, it was nice to see the flowers outside for Valentine's Day.  Bright colors and green leaves make a nice antidote to the gloom.

Duckflight

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Ducks fly past seagulls standing on the the frozen bay down at Cherry Beach. 

Lights at the Beach

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I don't know why there are only four lights like this down at Cherry Beach.  Maybe they only need to light part of the area.  I haven't been down there at night, so I don't know how much of the area is lit by them.  But seeing them, for some reason, reminds me of the song "Cherry Beach Express".  Talk about your flashbacks. :-)

Cherry Beach In Winter

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Bright sunlight and clear skies brought a fair number of people out to Cherry Beach.  I wanted to get a look at what it's like in the winter, so we went for a photowalk down by the beach.  The ice was melting, and these folks were getting a good look at it from the beach, but we saw a few brave souls out on some of the ice.

Into the Sun

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The sunset was gorgeous, especially in the gloomy dead of winter.  Fortunately, it predicted a wonderfully warm (if wet) weekend.  I love it when we get sunny days in the winter.  They're too rare by far, though.

Smokestack and Mirrors

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Taken from University Ave, south of Queen St.  I love the light on the mirrored windows of the buildings.

Winter Parking

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One of the harder things about winter biking is finding a parking spot.  And leaving the bike to go do something can lead to snow cover.   Of course, this guy left his bike here for several days in a row. 

High Park Station

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Simcoe Streetscape

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Looking south on Simcoe St. from Queen. 

Fire Truck On Queen

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A fire truck races past as I wait for the streetcar to arrive.  I think it's a pumper truck, but I'm not sure - I never really was one of those kids that wanted to be a fireman when I was young.  (Of course, I'm only 5' 9" tall, so I'm a little bit short for that anyways, so it worked out in the end. )

Track Maintenance

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You know, before I started taking the streetcar to work every day, I never realized that they had to do anything to the tracks in bad weather.  In this picture, you can see one worker pouring antifreeze into the switch, and the other is sweeping slush and crud out of the mechanism.