Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Our World Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

July 2014 - Toronto ON

On Saturday my BFF and I went to the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, a free museum.

Here is a link to the magnificent mural painted outside.
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN ART

An intimate portrayal of gay male sexuality and beauty in the face of mortality is on view in Par amour / Paramour. From Stephen Andrews’ iconic Facsimile drawings that memorialize men lost to AIDS-related illnesses in the early 90s, to Robert Flack’s ornate depictions of the male body as a vessel of tantric power in response to his own diagnosis as HIV+, the exhibition features drawings, prints, photography, and an ambient audio soundtrack by Andrew Zealley that together etch a moving and emotional record of a community that came of age through its adversity in the face of loss. The show takes its title from Jean-Luc Verna’s work that subverts an emblematic Hollywood studio name and logo to reference the existence of a “paramour,” an illicit lover, as well as to an act done “par amour”: by love.

Stephen Andrews, Robert Flack, Jean-Luc Verna, Andrew Zealley

I was especially drawn to the Robert Flack display as the colours were so vivid.

My photos are not the best, I was surprised I was even allowed to take any, as the overhead lights and reflections were getting in the way.

Anatomical Garden - Ascent - Circle

Circle - Vitality - Portal

 Passage - Warrior - Crown

Rubbish Tuesday

Finally a home for all those photos I take of old items!!

Continuing with our travels along Route 66 featuring iconic motel signs and other landmarks.

November and December 2012 saw us taking our first winter sojourn away from cold and snowy Toronto. We drove across from Toronto to (eventually) Los Angeles and back in the spring of 2013. We made many stops along the towns of Route 66 on interstate 40.

Winter 2013 and spring 2014 saw us do the same trip but we took interstate 10, further south from Route 66.

In earlier years we had taken many vacations in California which also led to some Route 66 icons.

I am enjoying doing these posts as I research the hotels and motels along the way and learn many new things.
Wikipedia is usually my source.

The Glancy - Clinton OK
Blue Swallow Motel - Tucumcari NM
Wigwam Motel - Rialto CA
Holbrook AZ

Cotton Boll - Canute OK

Route 66 Museum - Clinton OK

El Rancho Hotel - Gallup NM
Will Rogers Hotel - Claremore OK

November 2008 - Fontana CA

We did some Route 66 side trips on our vacation in Palm Springs CA that year.  We used this book to guide us.

Bono's Italian Restaurant was opened in 1936 to supplement Bono family farm revenue. Both the restaurant and orange stand are on Foothill Boulevard, which is old Route 66 in Fontana. The restaurant appears locked in time as many of the original plates, utensils, chairs and tables are still visible through the windows. It is as if the restaurant was closed normally one night and just never opened again.

i Heart Macro Monday

 

  

Sharing at Macro Monday and I Heart Macro.

July 2014 - Toronto ON

Along Lake Ontario on the way to the Saturday Farmers' Market.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. For this meme, bloggers post what they finished last week, what they're currently reading, and what they plan to start this week.

My comments are not meant to be recaps of the story lines as I include a link to Goodreads for their synopsis of the book. I am merely stating how I felt about the book without giving any spoilers.

66 COMPLETED READS TO DATE!

1 ABANDONED

1 not finished as it expired so I will have to borrow it again. The Nightmare

FINISHED:

Synopsis here.

Loved this, the third book of the series the most. At first I was put off about the amount of flashbacks to Jacques

Cartier but then it got me totally suckered in. As a former Montrealer who grew up there in the late 60s the 

history reminded me how little I really remembered about the october crisis. I loved the intertwining of real

politicians such as Trudeau, Drapeau, Houde, Levesque. I was so intrigued I have reserved some books on Trudeau from the library.

From prizewinning Bangladeshi novelist Tahmima Anam comes her deeply moving second novel about the rise of Islamic radicalism in Bangladesh, seen through the intimate lens of a family.

Pankaj Mishra praised A Golden Age, Tahmima Anam's debut novel, as a "startlingly accomplished and gripping novel that describes not only the tumult of a great historical event . . . but also the small but heroic struggles of individuals living in the shadow of revolution and war." In her new novel, The Good Muslim, Anam again deftly weaves the personal and the political, evoking with great skill and urgency the lasting ravages of war and the competing loyalties of love and belief.

In the dying days of a brutal civil war, Sohail Haque stumbles upon an abandoned building. Inside he finds a young woman whose story will haunt him for a lifetime to come. . . . Almost a decade later, Sohail's sister, Maya, returns home after a long absence to find her beloved brother transformed. While Maya has stuck to her revolutionary ideals, Sohail has shunned his old life to become a charismatic religious leader. And when Sohail decides to send his son to a madrasa, the conflict between brother and sister comes to a devastating climax. Set in Bangladesh at a time when religious fundamentalism is on the rise, The Good Muslim is an epic story about faith, family, and the long shadow of war.

This is the second book in the trilogy and I have not read the first one. I think I might like to read the third one.

It read well as a stand alone novel.

Maya, the main character, left me feeling very exasperated with her. 

Her moodiness with her small nephew annoyed me.  She just didn't  feel likable. 

As for The Good Muslim, I'm not sure who that refers to.

STARTED:

The compelling story of a forbidden marriage, a baby lost, and a love triangle gone horribly wrong, Love Child centers on Bill, a South African woman whose life has been defined by the apartheid-era, class-riven society in which she lives. Under pressure to make her will, Bill is forced to think about the momentous events and decisions that have made her an extremely wealthy if somewhat disillusioned woman. To whom should she leave her fortune? As Bill relives her past, we learn that this is a simple question with a complicated answer. In elegant, sensual, and nuanced prose, Kohler skillfully explores the space between our dreams and our reality, between our hopes and our disappointments.

Monday Mural

I'm linking up at Monday Mural hosted by Oakland Daily Photo.

July 2014 - Toronto ON

Outside the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art.

Last year there was a different mural on this wall, click here to see it.

 You can find more information at Jim's website.

And To Think I Saw It...This Week July 19 - July 25 2014

Last Week's Recap

CONDO FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

TORONTO LIFE

Click here for Friday My Town Shoot Out - LANDMARKS

Due to John's dental surgery we missed Christmas in July with friends.

My cousin trying SOP for the first time.

Click here for photos from Toronto Art Exhibit we attended a couple of weeks ago.


Monday we met with our financial advisor and had lunch downtown at an upscale restaurant Reds in FCP. It was a mediocre meal at best.


I had this salad everything was lukewarm, the naan, pakoras and overpriced. But it mainly caters to business expense account clientele. John had the same complaint about his madras chicken curry.

• TANDOORI-SPICED GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD

  $18.95

  Ancient grains, crisp cauliflower pakora,
  raisins, candied cashews, warm naan and
  ginger dressing
• 
  

• CURRY – A REDS TRADITION A/Q

  A single batch of curry made on a daily basis. We explore different spice loving regions of the globe through varied ingredients and cooking techniques.

Tuesday John golfed and I hit the summer sales downtown. Everything is on sale and I scored 3 scarves, a t-shirt, 3 pairs of capris, 2 jackets (summer light) and a shirt to match a pair of pants and a jacket.
A couple of the items.

3 pieces should be great for travelling.

Wednesday we had a lazy day.  I made croutons from the leftover onion and herb bread I made.

Then we went out to dinner at the Museum Tavern. I had been there before for lunch and enjoyed it but the service was spotty.


Dinner was excellent. John says his burger was one of the best he's had. I had the fried chicken that was very good but the one I had at Taste of Toronto was even better.

It is an appetizer serving you can get a main course that comes with fries but I had some of John's and they are excellent fries.

and saw The Assassins, a production of StageWorks starring a family member.

Before the play started they used to carnival set to interact with the audience. You tossed the beanbags and if you got one into the clown's mouth you won additional tickets for the half and half draw.

Friday John left with a friend to drive to Montreal to watch the Canadian Golf Open.

I headed to Taste of Toronto. You can see all the delicious food by clicking here for Weekend Cooking.

Funny to see the Fort York soldiers in uniform at this very cosmopolitan event.

Then I strolled up to Queen St. and took the streetcar home. 

AROUND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Random photos taken along Lake Ontario

DAILY FARE

Last week I mentioned my disastrous cinnamon raisin bread that I measured the water incorrectly. I made it again on the Friday night and set the timer (first time) on the bread maker for 8AM Saturday.
I was astonished when I got up and saw that the batter was touching the lid. This was the biggest loaf me bread maker has ever made. It was delicious.

In honour of the British Open which John has been watching and at his request I made a roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, cauliflower dinner with home made gravy.
Honestly, I don't know if it is my new (since May) stove on the convection roast setting, but these Yorkshires rose to new heights!!

We finally got some great tasting beefsteak tomatoes and have been enjoying bacon and tomato sandwiches for breakfast.

Monday was leftover roast beef with onions, peppers and rice and home made gravy spiced up.

Tuesday home made pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and peppers. Delicious.

Thursday oven pork chops and colcannon made with kale.

RECIPES - click on the links for the full recipe

Cinnamon raisin bread 

Oatmeal raisin cookies

Yorkshire pudding

Oven pork chops

Colcannon

ON THE HOME FRONT
When reading Last week's Sepia Saturday's  posts the subject brought up an interesting correspondence with a Irish blogger. Jennifer aka Irish Eyes posted a family photo that included Willie Halpin. I then commented that my great grandmother was a Halpin. You can go over to the comments and see our discussion. I am now going to see if we have any connection.

  Still waiting for the contractor to schedule the vanity replacements for both bathrooms. In the meantime I have found the shower curtain hooks and framed some photos. Do you see a theme happening?

TRAVEL PLANS
We decided to drive to Prince Edward Island in August. We were going to make a two night stop in Quebec City but decided that we could do that trip any time and instead just head straight to PEI with a short stop on New Brunswick.
So far we have booked a hotel for six nights in Charlottetown. Still working on the other details.

WEEKLY SUNSET