day 266 - carved pumpkin #3

i swear this one looks like that despicable beetlejuice (but i was promptly corrected by my niece that it is jack skeleton from "the nightmare after christmas") who is more an annoying character than scary (in my personal humble opinion). or maybe it is just one of those non-descript cartoon characters, which is also more annoying than scary.

day 265 - carved pumpkin #2

another entry in the pumpkin carving contest, this one needed only a minimum of scraping, not carving, to give it a scary look. i suppose to attain this sinister look, you have got to carefully choose the pumpkin.

day 264 - carved pumpkin #1

today, our building had a pumpkin carving contest. here's one of the entries called "roasting marsmallows". i wouldn't be surprised if this was the winner, because this was a show-stopper. the pumpkin is supposed to be a fire where the marshmallows are being roasted. brilliant, i dare say, especially that i know nothing about pumpkin carving!

day 263 - more pumpkins (or gourds, for that matter)

and these, i wonder if these are the same as the bitter gourds i know. these look ugly, like warty toads or something. the green/yellow one on the centre right looks like a crocodile or wolf or some damned thing. i am told these are edible (or eatable). well, so be it.

day 262 - that is so weird!

this is suppose to be another kind of gourd. which or what kind, i don't know. maybe it's an albino gourd?

day 261 - pumpkins again

these are supposed to be some kind of pumpkins, or gourds. they look funny, more like oversized acorns. i must admit i have never seen these before in my life. i was told they're also edible, just like any other gourds. ah, isn't mother nature really amazing?

day 260 - could've been perfect

yes, this picture is almost perfect - the worn out evergreen tree, the battered walls of the barn, the pumpkins, the discarded broken cart wheel, the makeshift fence, the mums on their way to withering, the old slabs of wood on the ground. almost a perfect rural scene. and then there's the friggin' plastic basket. i really really wanted to get that plastic basket off but it's not my place so i couldn't. on the other hand, i could photoshop it but that would make the picture not genuine. oh, well, i guess one can't have everything that's good.

day 259 - pumpkins

the hallowe'en just a week away, there is of course almost like pumpkin invasion in the city, perhaps the country. pumpkins of all sorts, which i took pictures of and shall be the subject this week on this blog. today, it's this jack-o-lantern type pumpkins, and my little grandson still insists on me baking him a pumpkin pie. maybe i should visit the grocery store, get one nice looking pumpkin pie and present it to him, just so he'd get off my back. i won't dare tell him again that i hate pumpkin.

take note of that old cart in the background.

day 258 - driving around the 'burbs

we passed by this beautiful scenery of a soy field fenced on one side with large trees that displayed beautiful brilliant colours. my camera may not have captured the true colours of the scenery but it was a really awesome sight to behold.

day 257 - a hallowe'en garden

walking around the neighbouring streets on the danforth, i found this wonder fall garden. the colours i think are really attractive, so autumn...so...hallowe'en!

day 256 - autumn colours in full force

how i managed to take this picture from inside a speeding car is beyond me. it baffles me though that one side of the highway is almost red and yellow, nary a green leaf, and the other side is still a mix of colours, still with lots of greens. but with the winds being as they are today and yesterday, next week, when i take pictures again, i'd bet all those trees would be semi-bald. brrrrrr! it's getting colder.

day 255 - sunflower in the middle of autumn?

passed by a building on the danforth at the corner of broadview and there were these really tall sunflower plants. the other bigger sunflowers had all withered but this one still looks like it's in full bloom. and i had to really stand tippy-toes to get a shot of this sunflower because it was probably about seven or more feet tall!

day 254 - autumn landscape

this is the view during the drive today, a coolish day but rather nice fall day. in some parts the leaves are still green, but mostly mother nature has started to show her true colours. next, the rain and wind will strip the trees of these colours and it will just be brown and boring, with the occasional snow covering, of course!

day 253 - autumn leaves

through a canopy of gold and green leaves, the sun shines through. it is cold and damp and the howling of the wind tells me winter is coming. soon.

day 252 - tree

"i think that i shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree"...walking down the danforth with the grandsons, the youngest one, 6, said, "look at the tree, it looks beautiful with the blue sky! take a picture, please." and so i did. today was another beautiful day, with the sun shining and the sky so clear, even though there was some strong winds, taking a stroll was definitely a must.

day 251 - where's the GO?

this is the railway track that parallels the danforth and cutting underneath main street. you can see the skycrapers of downtown and uptown toronto on the west side of toronto. the greenery is still just sixty percent but today, with the magnificent sun shining brightly, i'd like to share the scenery with you.

day 250 - "better bulk"

this is a nouveau bulk store along the danforth just east of woodbine avenue. why i took this picture is that you can see the reflection of the other side of the danforth off the very clean glass walls of the store. i like that! today is a beautiful normal fall day, the air is crisp, the sun shining and yes, temperature's going down!

day 249 - another one holding out

this tree as well as the surrounding bushes are still green, holding on to dear life, as if it can beat the season and continue being so green. but the hanging branch of the tree next to it reminds us all that autumn is in full force and the green leaves will eventually turn into yellow, then red, then brown and will fall on the ground and be swept away by the wind. and so the cycle begins again.

day 248 - autumn leaves

at the Playter Park, a teeny-weeny park at the end of Danforth just east of the viaduct, on the north side, the trees are still only 50% turning gold, but there are two trees whose leaves are solid red and provide a nice foredrop to the still green ones. the grass below is flooded with their deep red leaves.

day 247 - where's everyone?!?

you'd think it's a holiday the way this shelter stands so empty. maybe everyone's out at the beach enjoying the beautiful sunny, albeit cold-ish day - the high temperature is only 16 celcius. but no matter, as long as everyone's enjoying.

day 246 - sailboats

i went to bluffers park today, for only the second time in my life (the first being in 1989). took probably 200 pictures, give or take, but this one stands out the most for me: land, water, sky, fauna and sailboats. methinks i deserve to get a proper camera now!

day 245 - a divided sky

all day long, the sky was like this: half cloudy, half clear. but we weren't complaining, it was balmy and warm by the afternoon. on my way home tonight from the radio station, i had the urge to take my light coat off. what if, just if, this kind of weather stays in toronto all year long? maybe i should gather some signatures to get a petition going.

day 244 - pumpkin story

my six-year old grandson brought this pumpkin last night from school so i can make it into a pumpkin pie. he wouldn't believe that grandma (that's me) does not know how to make a pumpkin pie, and worse, that i hate pumpkin pie. as much as i hate breaking a young boy's heart, pumpkin pie is just one of those things i can't stand. until this morning he kept asking if i can make a pumpkin pie out of his little pumpkin. so i told him that this pumpkin cannot be cooked or eaten, it's just for making a jack-o-lantern! so he asked, can i make a jack-o-lantern then? kids!

day 243 - another perfect fall day

it's another perfect day today. and TGIF! it was cooler in the morning, but the sun shone brightly until sunset, with the temperature reaching the 20's. if it would only be like this year round, i won't even complain if there is a day or two of rain or snow.

day 242 - pumpkins

for only $5.99/lb yaiks! the sun's shining on this bounty. beautiful, perfect fall day today.

day 241 - our local supermarket - fall photo

this store is just a stone's throw away from my building. they have almost everything (almost, not quite) and the prices are cheap, especially the fresh produce. you just have to have a lot of patience to sort through the produce to find the best looking veggie or fruit.

day 240 - it's another crappy day

cold, wet and generally miserable. i hate this kind of weather, especially if i have to be out of the house. this is a weather for just staying home, curling up on the sofa and just laze the hour away. unfortunately, most of us have to work. or maybe that's a fortunate thing after all.

day 239 - rocks

large rocks along the path to the UofT on Queen Street West.

day 238 - run for the cure 2010

today, for the seventh year, my sister and i joined the "run for the cure" event, a fundraising for breast cancer. we do this every year in memory of a young woman named Sarah Navarro who suffered and died from breast cancer in the early 90's. 28 years old, the only breadwinner of a poor family in the philippines and her life was snuffed so suddenly.

and how pathetic is it that, during the walk i was snapping pictures. and just when we got to the last leg of the walk, my camera's batteries died and i was left with just memories in my head. note to self: bring extra batteries next year.

day 237 - an array of colours

going home with the grandkids from their karate class, we passed by the slope on the side of the main street bridge. the colours are indeed changing, and coupled by spitting rain and strong winds, mother nature is reiterating that this is autumn and we know what comes after that.

day 236 - just because...

i was at the BBTCA terminal today waiting for my two lovely nieces who arrived from chicago via Porter Airlines. i sat by the waters as i waited, enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful toronto skyline, and, as a bonus, got a shot of one of the Porter planes about to land. easy to miss these planes as they are so quiet you hardly ever notice them.