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.

day 235 - a divided sky

once again, the skies over the danforth is divided: the southern part was cloudy and the northern part was just clear blue sky; and that stretched right through across the city. there were no winds at all. it was like someone had drawn a line in the sky.

day 234 - moon over the danforth

would you believe it? there's still the moon at almost 9 o'clock in the morning! people were looking at me funny this morning, as i was walking to the subway station, i had my camera in my hands and just snapping pictures of the sky. i noticed some would even look up then shake their heads. yes, people, i am a nut, but even then, if i could help it, i want to take pictures without the crazy passers-by.

day 233 - no mistaking about it

the leaves of this tree had turned completely red and it was a sight to behold around the neighbourhood. the temperature may still be a hold out, but there's no mistaking it, the cold weather is soon going to be taking over. as for me, as long as it's not icy, i'm okay with the cold.

day 232 - a hold out!

aha! here's one tree that's not succumbed yet to the cold weather. it looks as summery as ever. but until when it can hang on is the question of the day. in any case, it is really still early to change colour and shed off its leaves. but i'm a-watchin' this one for the next several days.

day 231 - getting ready to play ball

this is the last weekend that the blue jays, toronto's baseball team, is playing at home. we brought the grandsons to see their very first baseball game, they had a ball using the binoculars, a regular sports binoculars and a small, gold plated "opera" binoculars. and eating pizza. and playing in the play zone. our left hander tried the simulated pitching game, first 7 pitches were strikes. i was thinking 'gold mine'. alas, he said he prefers to play soccer.

day 230 - an old fashioned cafe

you know how you take for granted the things you see all the time and suddenly one day you stop and say, "now, how come i never noticed this one before? has it always been there?" and yes, i have passed by this bakery so many times and seeing it today with the chairs and tables just outside, highlighting the wares displayed behind the glass windows

day 229 - changing colours

the leaves have turned to gold on most of the trees on the south side of the danforth. a few more windy days and they'd all be bald. but hopefully we'll have more beautiful days like today.

day 228 - and the leaves that are green...

..."turn to brown...and they wither with the wind, and they crumble in your hands..." (paul simon's leaves that are green) - yes, there's no mistaking it, fall is in full force, which means that the cold season is here. but, we must enjoy Mother Nature's show - the changing of colours, which will also be in full force in a few more week's time. yes, we must enjoy it.

day 227 - a bunch of cannas

"all my instincts, they return and the grand facade, so soon will burn without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside" (in your eyes, peter gabriel) - that was the song that was playing somewhere along the danforth while i was taking this photograph of tropical cannas, the only one along the danforth.

day 226 - bamboo curtains

this is the facade of a thai restaurant - you can't get any intricate with bamboo than this. actually, i suppose you can. but down the street, there is a philippine craft store where you can find bamboo crafts of all kinds, well, almost all.

day 225 - the old and the new

the flatiron building, actually a few blocks away from the high rises, is dwarfed by the BCE tower buildings, the RBC south tower and the CN tower. it gives a spooky sense of david and goliath. the old building does it for me, hands down.

day 224 - the danforth

it's a beautiful sunday morning here in toronto today and the danforth is so quiet. if this weather stays like this until march, we won't be complaining, would we? but we take whatever we can and so we will enjoy this day.

day 223 - "GO"

the transport of the suburbanites in coming to and from toronto: the GO trains. this was taken this morning, on my way back from my grandson's karate class.

day 222 - where's the bad apple?

"one bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl!" goes the lyrics of a Michael Jackson song from the 70's (or maybe that was the Osmonds?). but these apples were in a large bin (at least three children could play in it and still have much room), and they were just all green apples. i wonder how in the world the store was going to sell them all without most of them getting rotten. as it was, these apples were selling for 25 cents a pound - you haven't seen those prices since, yes, the 70's!

day 221 - walls (happy birthday, little darren!)

"people are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." i know i had posted a photograph of a wall some few weeks back. but i have a penchance for the ordinary things that others would not have noticed. for example this wall with its bricks exposed. i find poetry and romance in things like this, and today it's the picture de jour.

day 220 - more peppers

the green ones, this time. these are what they call the banana peppers. these are good sauteed with red onions and made as topping for a nicely grilled steak, then put some feta cheese on top. where i got this idea is beyond me because i am vegetarian in the first place. hahaha.

day 219 - peppers

red peppers...sweet red peppers. it's that time of year. i know. i have an italian friend whose family make the best roasted peppers. they taught me one time how to roast and freeze them; and how to prepare them for eating: sliced, then seasoned with some italian dressing, fill up a buttered panini roll and lined with thinly sliced prosciutto. ay! mamma mia de gracia!

day 218 - signs on the danforth

never noticed this one before but i do pass by this place everyday. i think they have those hookahs or waterpipes for their customers.

day 217 - a mosque's minaret

one of danforth avenue's many transformation is this minaret of a mosque near donlands avenue. the building used to be a nondescript but over the years had been transformed into this simple yet beautiful looking mosque.

day 216 - red cherry pepper

my grandsons and i were walking past the local vegetable store. i saw these thingamajiggers and i took a picture while wondering aloud what they could be. the 8-year old said, "they are cherry peppers." i told him how smart he was and that indeed the thingas looked like abbreviated peppers. i asked him how he knew it, and he simply pointed to the sign that said "cherry pepers" (sic) "79 cents/lb". smart boy for reading the signs. hah!

day 215 - doomsday?

no, it isn't! it's just heavy clouds and the setting sun over the danforth. but the scene does kind of look ominous.

day 214 - it's a-coooommiinnn'!!!!

yup, there's no mistaking it! the strong winds, the colder temperatures, the rain, the changing colours on trees. this picture is not that great, but yes, autumn is coming. and soon! and we all know what that means....

day 213 - just hangin' around!

this little critter was actually doing a chase-around with another squirrel. the trunk of the tree is quite wide and everytime i press the shutter of my camera, no matter how very low the clicking noise was, they just start to scamper. and this is the best shot i could get of the little bastards.

day 212 - what's going on?!?

that's what i wanted to know. there were 3 police cruisers (the third one hidden behind that passing red van) at the corner of danforth and monarch avenues at 9 in the morning. three officers were conferring with each other, while another two went inside the giorgio's restaurant.

i know, my photo is a bit askew, but it's like i'm spying on them, right?

day 211 - at the air show?!?

believe it or not, i brought the grandkids to the waterfront to watch the airshow and i ended up taking pictures of boats instead.

day 210 - CN Tower

yet again! we were driving around the city when i chanced to look up and there's the tower. in fact i've seen it so many times today in different places - it's like a stalker, really.

day 209 - foliage

this is an interesting tropical foliage. it's just stark white with shades and lines of green. would this be considered an albino plant?

day 208 - it's another weird friday

at least the sky is. this is the skyscape east of danforth avenue from my building - that red brick building. west of the danforth, the sky is just all blue and clear. we have all these weird cloud formations and they are almost always localized. i think we are going into the process of polar reversal.

day 207 - a healthy breakfast

not mine, but my partner jim's - bran flakes (yaiks!) with lots of strawberries and soya milk (another yaiks!). you can also say it's strawberries with bran flakes. my partner actually always eat healthy, he's 67 years old and suffers from NO diseases or illnesses. i will be long dead and he would still be plowing the earth.

day 206 - we're selling these

are you interested? leave me a comment, if you are.