day 627 - lunchtime repose

it's cold and grey and the pigeons are enjoying the non-presence of humans at the little park near the market. most of them are on the grass but this group is probably the head honchos so they get to rest on the branches.

day 397 - "java"

this is on queen street west, along the trendy fashion district, where anything about fashion is sold, and coffee houses abound.

day 361 - the danforth after the "snowcalypse"

yes, it was overhyped, that big snowstorm. in the end we only got about 15 cm. of the white stuff, and this morning the sun was shirning brightly and warmed up so most of the stuff started to melt.

but look at this photograph, using my new gizmo (see day 361). one shot and i got the other side of the danforth. in my old olympus i'd get only 2/3 of the scenery. sweet!

day 342 - mural on the danforth

it snowed again this morning, lots of it. on the way to the sushi restaurant to have lunch, we saw this mural and made a mental note (i know, i'm mental) to take a picture on the way back. and the mental note worked. hahahaha. the problem was taking the whole mural wasn't so good because of the support for the lampost beside the building so i had to stand really close to the mural. a part of the support is still visible on the lower left of the picture. look at the snow at the bottom which is the actual pavement, and the snow had obviously been shovelled off.

see how the window of the building blended in with the painting's background? cool huh?

day 337 - prints on snowy grounds

at eastlyn park, west of woodbine avenue on the danforth, the snow is still good for toboganning. the park ground is white all over. here, a sled leaves its marks as it glides downhill.

day 333 - mural at brookfield place

a mural found on the wall by the fountain at brookfield place. i don't get it, though. is it an advertisement for men's neckties or something? maybe it's just one of those nouveau art of some very imaginative artist. at least it's not a toilet seat on the figure's head. nice ties!

day 332 - "wanna ride with me, babe?"

what if someone picks you up on a date on this sucker? i think i'd be very delighted. but i figure we'd have to make sure we leave much earlier for anything as this thingamajiggs run like 2 miles per hour? and i suppose, parking would be a problem, especially if my date would have to bring me to one of those places like the yorkdale mall. but i think it's going to be a cool ride nonetheless!

day 331 - an old building on front street

i passed by this building on my way to the lawrence market at lunch today. i was walking on the north side and that was how i noticed this building. i don't know how old this building is as i couldn't see any plaque that indicates when it was built. but it has this period appeal, i'm guessing it was built around the 60's but it could be older.

i like the looks of old buildings, especially when they have historical importance and when they are maintained well. i think they're romantic.

day 330 - "what'dya lookin' at?!"

a statue on the side of the building of the hockey hall of fame - i was trying to take pictures, i looked up and saw this statue which looks like an old man who had just came off the shower with a towel around his body and telling me, "peeper! what are you lookin' at!!!" and growling. whew! my imagination's running wild again.

day 325 - snowflakes Christmas tree

walking around in the cold downtown toronto, i chanced by this Christmas display on front street. during the summer this serves as a large fountain among the trees and flower paths. i haven't seen this in the evening, but i would guess it is much beautiful to see as the base would be dark and the crap around it is unseen. if one tries to find the beauty in this city, there is exceptional beauty to be found.

day 318 - poinsettia

first opportunity today to take a photograph of the Christmas flower/plant. and this isn't the best i've seen. in fact, these ones are almost dead. however, i'm sure there will be more opportunity in the next few days so you can bet that at least until sunday, the theme will stick to the Christmas season. sweet, ain't it?

day 308 - a Christmas centrepiece

here's a Christmas centrepiece being sold at Jerry's supermarket on the danforth. i think the price tag was somewhere along fifty-plus something dollars. it might be worthwhile for some who would prefer the scent of pines and logs and eucalyptus, the odd mints and apples (but that is a lot of scents, isn't it? i'm sure my nostrils will explode from so many scents to deal with), you know, outdoor fresh inside the home. but you can make this out of artificial materials from the dollarama, maybe between eight to ten dollars tops, and an air freshner (air wick or glade) for less than seven dollars with the tax, and voila! you got yourself a merry little Christmas centrepiece for cheap!

day 304 - quiet in the cold

i took a picture of this street at the height of summer, and here it is now towards the end of the fall and verging into the winter, at minus 15 and the temperature is still falling below...

day 303 - the first snowfall

okay, it isn't, but it's a continuation from sunday's and yesterday. it's not much, plus it's dry so the winds just carried them off elsewhere and didn't stay long on the ground because when i came home tonight, the pavement's all clear. but holy camoley, it is blistering cold! what can we expect come the real winter period?

day 299 - surviving the cold

walking around the neighbourhood, yes, in temperature of minus one with a windchill of minus seven, i saw this in the front of a house, and quite surprised that the leaves are still green and actually clinging to the branches still, with fruits! or berries? i don't quite know what plant this was but i was pleasantly surprised to see such vegetation in this super cold weather.

day 297 - danforth in the fall

remember this in the spring ? yes, that tree's completely naked now. "the trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers..."

day 296 - business signs

sign along the danforth - my little grandson asked: "when you give them cash they give you 4 gold?" good question, grandson. it seems that everyone now pays cash for gold. what would they do with all the gold, melt it and make it into a....?

bedpan, perhaps?

day 294 - a box on top

it was my six-year old grandson who noticed this box displayed on top of the bus shelter at the corner of bay and front street. i told him i had to take a picture and as he kept an eye on the traffic lights, he told me to hurry up. i had passed by this shelter a number of times in the past week and i never noticed this. trust a six-year old's keen sense of observation to discover those small, irregular things around.

day 292 - danforth on a cold november day

an almost clear sky. bright sunshine. don't be fooled, it's been so cold and today the windchill reached minus 5 celcius. the sure thing about winter: the bitter cold.

day 279 - dew drops

it was foggy last night until this morning and the grounds were wet. at the little parkette on coxwell avenue, i noticed the reeds were the colours of faded gold. the bonus was they had beads of water hanging from their leaves.