Shoes through the ages

Another look inside the Bata Shoe museum. I love the signs showcasing different footwear styles across the years. If you'd like to see more signs, check out Signs, Signs.

Brickworks bench

I recently visited the old Evergreen Brickworks site to do some ice skating and a bit of browsing. This place is packed to teeming on the weekends when they host an organic farmer's market. It was rather nice having it almost to myself though.

Reflective doorway

This door will take you into the Bata Shoe Museum on Bloor street. The building has great architecture and the exhibits are surprisingly interesting. I definitely enjoyed my visit and I'll show you a few other shots in the coming days.

Looking through

I love the line of three windows on this tower. And what's even better is you can see through to the windows on the other side. I bet you can hardly even make out the windows in summer as it looks like there is some serious vinage on this building. Maybe I'll have to stop by and snap another shot when the summer season is in full force.

Making tracks

I guess there's a reason why we use the term bird-brain. It looks like these pigeons were turning round and round in circles! Makes for a nice monochrome shot however, and if you'd like to see more take a look at the Weekend in Black and White.

Firefighting reflections

Toronto's fallen firefighters are remembered at The Last Alarm monument in downtown Toronto. The sculpture was designed by Yolanda vanderGaast and it's quite moving. Luckily I stopped by on a blue sky day and even caught some reflections in the granite (plus a bonus autoportrait!).

It's also worth getting a closer look at the details of the statue. These brave men and women certainly deserve a memorial. There are names on the Honor Roll going back to the 1800s.

If you'd like to see more reflections, visit Weekend Reflections.

Evolving

Another shot from the Interior Design Show. I just liked the way this sign was printed on a shower door. I'm not sure how this shower head is an evolution over traditional heads, but it certainly looks nice!

One year

I can't believe I've been in Toronto now for one full year. In some ways it seems like it's been much longer and in other ways it seems much shorter. In any case, I'm enjoying it if only for the myriad photo opportunities I have found here. 

This is another look at the Interior Design Show. Each of these mannequins represents one of the seven continents. I'm not sure exactly what the story is behind each one, but the idea is interesting. And if you'd like to see more signs, visit Signs, Signs.

Judy's shoes

I know someone who is a huge Judy Garland fan and this post is for her. These are the original boots Judy wore during the filming of The Harvey Girls. I saw them during a recent trip to Toronto's own Bata Shoe Museum. It was quite an interesting look back at footwear over the ages. I'll have some more shots coming up later in the week.

Happy Family Day!

I saw plenty of families skiing and having fun at the Earl Bales Park ski run recently. There's only one hill here and it's pretty gentle, so it's a good place for the youngsters to learn.

Happy Family Day to all my Canadian friends! And to the rest, happy Monday!

Blue sky day

A blue sky winter's day in Toronto. I recently saw a small photography exhibition at this gallery. The theme was "roads" which turned out to be an interesting subject. You can sample some of the works on display here.

Funky chairs

More from the Interior Design Show, these chairs are funky yet functional! I even saw some people sitting on them, although I did not want to wade through the sea of shredded paper to try it myself.

Hope you are having a nice weekend. It's a long one for us in Canada, so the blog is on auto-pilot until my return on Tuesday. Enjoy!

Cafeteria reflections

I guess the bicycle is part of almost every student's life. I caught this arrangement in front of one of the cafeteria buildings on the University of Toronto campus. There's also a bonus reflection in the windows!

Happy weekend everyone! To see more reflections, check out Weekend Reflections.

Valentine's pie

This past week's cooking class landed on Valentine's Day, so our instructor thought it would be a good week for making pies. He gave us a recipe for coconut cream and they all seemed to turn out really well. Some people even used the cream to make cute decorations, like this heart. 

Which looked like this when it was finished. Very cute! If you like hearts, take a look at Random Hearts, it's sure to make you smile.

TTC sign

Although they are not as prominent as the signs in say, Paris or New York, the Toronto Transit Commission does advertise its subway stops with a small sign. This is the entrance to Spadina station which is on the University-Spadina side of the yellow line. I frequent this station quite a bit and just happened to be there a few days ago when it was sunny and all the snow had melted. 

If you'd like to see more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Confidential to my Dad: Happy Birthday!!!

Sea of red

I recently attended my first ever NBA basketball game. It was the Raptors vs the Wizards. I had a really good time and did not miss out on any of the action with my seat right behind the basket. They handed out those noisemakers during the second half when my side became the visitors goal. They make such a funny sound, but I'm not really sure the players find them distracting when they're doing their free throws. There's a reason they're pros! 

Happy Valentine's Day, and if you like red, head over to Ruby Tuesday... take 2!

Bike rack

A line of bicycle stands on the University of Toronto campus. If you look closely, you'll see a red knitted glove atop the pole which appears to be giving passersby the finger. Naughty!

Black and white bears

Another piece on display at the Interior Design Show. These bears remind me of those you might see in Berlin. And I think they look even cooler in black and white. 

If you'd like to see more monochrome shots, take a look at the Weekend in Black and White.

University benches

You'll find plenty of places to sit on the University of Toronto campus. Although I didn't see any of the benches in use on this day!

Tulips and lamp

Another look at some of the flowers on display at the Interior Design Show. I love the combination of the bright pink tulips and the green lamp. Very nice mix!

If you'd like to see more flowers, check out the Floral Friday.

Objets d'art

There were some interesting objects at the design show. Here's a look at a babydoll's head in a vice next to a rubber glove mould. I wasn't sure what to think of this stand. What do you think?

Daddy-O

I found this attractive little hole-in-the-wall near the University of Toronto campus which leads me to believe that the place is cute as well as cheap. The next time I'm in the area, I'll have to check it out as it sounds like my kind of cuisine.

If you'd like to see more signs from around the world, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Japanese delights

I recently attended a Japanese cooking demonstration by one of Toronto's top chefs. It was quite interesting and informative and this is a look at the end result of all his hard work. I don't recall what all of these dishes were called, but I can give you an idea of what some of it is: 

The black things in front are little crunchy sardines (they were quite tasty actually!), next was some kind of crab meat wrap, next to that is a chicken meatloaf, the orange is filled with a salad of cucumbers, radishes and jellyfish and garnished with a lotus blossom (also tasty) and the last thing is black cod. I tried everything, even though I typically don't eat chicken and fish and I was surprised at how tasty everything was. My compliments to the chef!

Twisty table

The twisted wood coffee table shown here was featured on the Marilyn Denis show when I was a member of the studio audience. It was really nice to get free tickets to the design show, I probably wouldn't have gone otherwise.

Spider chair

Although this chair looks a little odd, it is surprisingly comfortable. You can adjust the various arms and legs to give you support just where you need it! That said, I still don't think it would fit with my decor. But I like the idea.

Monochrome details

An up-close look at the details of one of the stands at the Interior Design Show. There were so many great photo ops at this show. I promise I'll show you some less abstract shots soon! In the meantime, you can see more monochrome maniacs at the Weekend in Black and White.

Bright blooms

I saw this beautiful bouquet at the Interior Design Show last weekend. I'll show some more shots from the show in the next days. 

If you'd like to see more blossoms from around the world, take a look at Friday Flowers.

Benches in a row

I found these benches in a small plaza in the Yorkville area. I bet you would find some people lounging there in warmer days, but it's a bit cold for outside sitting right now, even if we're having a milder than normal winter so far.

February theme day: Animals

I really hesitated between two shots for today's theme day, but I decided to use this one. The runner-up is a bit abstract, perhaps I'll show it to you later in the week.  Almost anyone that knows me realizes that squirrels are the bane of my gardening existence. But this little guy was just so cute as he posed for me on the University of Toronto campus, that I couldn't help snapping a shot. They're always cute, until they're digging up your garden and eating your tulip bulbs! 

Animals were the choice for this month's CDP theme day. If you'd like to see more, click here. And I've got a bonus pretty kitty for you on my travel blog!