Foto Tunes

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

August 2013 - Yarmouth NS

Mercury Blues

Alan Jackson - Mercury Blues

Monday Mural

   I'm linking up at Monday Mural

June 2026 - Toronto ON

In September 2023, a brand new large-scale portrait mural titled "The Blues" was completed on the wall.

The new piece was designed and painted by Toronto realist artist John Nobrega, with assistance from Allan Bender and Haven Hughes.

Moving away from the abstract neon outlines, the new artwork features a detailed, creative realism depiction of legendary blues and jazz musicians deeply tied to the history of Toronto's live music scene.

The project was fully completed in late 2023 with the support of StreetARToronto and the Chinatown BIA.

MURAL UPDATE

Taken 2014. I thought I had posted this, but looking through my posts, nope!

This new mural replaced the classic 1999 neon-style "The Jazz Band" mural on the side of Grossman's Tavern.

Grossman's Tavern is one of the city's oldest live music venues. Founded in the 1940s, it famously secured one of the first liquor licenses in puritanical Toronto, and eventually transformed into a legendary launching pad for Canadian blues, jazz, and rock legends.

A deep dive into the history of this Spadina staple reveals its evolution from a medical dwelling to a beloved cultural pillar.

1884: The original building at the southeast corner of Spadina Ave. and Cecil St. was built as a Second Empire home for Dr. John Ferguson, serving as various private medical practices over the decades.

The Cafeteria Era (1940s–1950s): Opened in the 1940s by the Grossman family—Russian-Jewish immigrants—the location initially operated as a kosher-style cafeteria.

The Liquor License (1957): The venue obtained one of Toronto’s first liquor licenses, expanding into a tavern to sell alcohol, which sparked the introduction of live entertainment like "gypsy violinists" and Dixieland jazz.

The Blues Boom (Late 1960s): A cultural shift occurred when local musicians started asking to perform on stage. This led to long-running staples, notably the Downchild Blues Band, who played some of their earliest shows there.

The Louie Family Takeover (1975): The Grossman family sold the business to Sam Louie, a Chinese immigrant who, alongside his family, ran the tavern for nearly 50 years with a strict dedication to no cover charges, unpretentious vibes, and daily live music.

Cultural Haven: In the 1960s and 70s, it became a famous haunt for hippies, draft dodgers, and musicians. It was also a stopping ground for notable acts before they hit it big, including Blue Rodeo, Jeff Healey, and Carole Pope.

Today, the bar remains fundamentally untouched, adorned with decades of historical photos, and continues its long-running traditions like weekend afternoon Dixieland jazz jams.

POWER

  One Word Sundays         

   Cellpic Sunday      

Las Vegas NV 2025

Forthcoming One Word Sundays            

October: taking a break

1 November: Back

8 November: Laundry

15 November: Afloat

Smart Mouth Coffee

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share
Sunday Salon

Sherry's Pickings

Monday Morning Blog Club at Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs

T Stands for Tuesday

Small Pleasures

25 September 2026 - Toronto ON

                                                                       Vancouver BC

Last Week's Post

SATURDAY

The day started off slowing as most Saturdays do. I popped frozen scones in the oven and then caught up on blog reading which leads to rabbit holes and book additions to my TBR list. There were a lot of new authors/books this morning! This took me to 10  10:30 AM, then I got in gear, showered, dressed and finally emptied the dryer. Tidied up, ran the mop.

I spent a few hours watching A Place To Call Home.
A Place to Call Home is an Australian drama set in the 1950s and 1960s, a period of intense social conservatism. The show highlights several historical prejudices and systemic injustices that just make me so angry! I'm not sure I can continue!

The intense anti semitism, a closeted gay man living in an era when homosexuality was illegal, socially ruinous, and classified as a mental illness. It highlights the devastating impact of government policies that led to the Stolen Generations, including the forced removal of Indigenous children from their families. It also portrays the daily segregation, casual racism, and lack of legal protection experienced by Aboriginal characters.

And then, women navigate a society where women have almost no legal autonomy over their bodies or relationships.
The wealthy elite fight ruthlessly to maintain the status quo against an emerging, more progressive post-war world.

SUNDAY

One Word Sunday 

The whole week was very quiet as we finalized trip details and whatnot. Just quiet on the photo front. Lots of stuff getting done just not very post worthy.

I created some scheduled posts from abandoned drafts.

Popcorn for lunch.

As a certified (certifiable??) nerd and passionate lover of spreadsheets, I found this article to be hysterical. The Museum of Regrettable Spreadsheets.

MONDAY

Monday Mural

Foto Tunes

I cleaned out the fridge! I went to Longo's for some groceries, Winners and $ store.

Saw these for the first time in Toronto.

TUESDAY

Tuesday Treasures

T Stands for Tuesday

John golfed, it was  a real autumn day, bright and sunny but the winds were strong. I went to College Park in search of some new utility boxes that had been painted as a BIA initiative. But the wind was cold and it was so busy with TMU students I gave up and took the subway back.

I now have 4 of 11 found, the first one was last week.

I took the subway back (it was packed at TMU (formerly Dundas) station). SMH as to the purpose of these. I understand safety...

The point of the new steel barriers installed by the TTC is to prevent people and objects from falling onto the subway tracks while creating a more defined and secure waiting area for riders.

Right, but it doesn't run the length of the tracks...

The waist-high steel fences are placed along the platform edge between the spots where subway doors open, discouraging accidental falls or intentional track access.

In some spots.

You are not supposed to stand behind them, means less platform space. And, only at TMU for now.

Instead of Blue Jays uniforms this was the fashion along Front St. today, cowboy boots and hats, denim and lacy tops. Zach Bryan performed at the Rogers Centre on the 22nd and 23rd as part of his With Heaven On Tour, bringing out plenty of fans in classic country concert attire.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday Signs

John had his last men's league golf game of the season, their banquet is next week. 

I went back to Yonge to look for the other utility boxes but gave up, went to T&T for broccoli and bananas and came home.

Say it isn't so! Where am I going to tell people to meet me now???

According to official City project documentation, the structure—historically known as the Travellers' Aid Society of Toronto booth—has been dismantled to be completely refurbished and relocated. 

The Travellers' Aid has already been moved to two booths on the right.

This clock and counter are not original, they were installed in 1994 and have no particular historical value.

Sankofa (Dundas) Square

I stopped into the Image Centre at TMU to see this, but wasn't impressed, it was too gloomy.

 John had done a review of our travel document and found some dates misaligned so I fixed that.

THURSDAY

Random Reposting

Memories my parents' wedding anniversary

John met a friend for coffee, they hadn't got together for a long time.

Cutting through Brookfield Place.

.

I got a haircut and then wandered up Yonge St. and happened upon two more of the new mural utility boxes.

Now I have 6 of 11 new boxes.

Painted by Elicser.

Vegetarian - in a food court.

FRIDAY

We headed to Montreal on the 11:40 train. It was fully booked as were the hotels in Montreal.

We grabbed a cab at Central Station as I had to book a hotel further east than usual, due to the race and the crazy hotel prices. We are in a Tru Hilton. 

Once we checked in John discovered he didn't have his phone. Sheer panic!!!!!!!! He realized it was probably in the cab. Did we know the cab company, no, we paid cash. So many we should haves etc. How to lock or cancel it. Everything we tried, wanted to send a verification code to his phone, which we don't have. We share a cellular account, but didn't want it screwing up mine as we were chatting to a chatbot or 
"virtual assistant", not usually the brightest. 

So we went to dinner and ended in a pizza/pasta place.

 When we left the hotel we told reception that we had lost a phone just in case someone found it. I don't normally turn my volume up but did in this case and I got a call from the hotel saying the driver had brought it back!!

We ended up chatting to the three people beside us, Americans from New York and New Hampshire. They had been on a cycling tour and were staying to see some of the races. They were NOT Trumpsters by any means and spoke about how ruined their country's reputation is around the world. One mentioned that he had been in Austria and Italy (cycling) recently and the amount of disdain he had encountered. 

I found a mural walking back to the hotel!

John was extremely happy to be reunited with his phone!

COOKING

Bremner St. Toronto ON

Saturday - curry chicken

Sunday - roast pork, potatoes and carrots

Monday - leftover roast pork, gravy, mashed potatoes and beans

Tuesday - ground lamb, Greek salad 

Wednesday - salmon, mashed potatoes and broccoli

Thursday - chicken quarters, roast potatoes and broccoli

Friday - Montreal pizza

I finally finished The Expats, interesting twists.

I also finished Kiss of Death, another Paul Finch. I do enjoy this series, I am reading out of order, it was a little slow at first but it certainly picked up!!!

Weekend Roundup

 Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

1. Starts with "M"
2. A Favorite
3. MANY - Chosen by Tom

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

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MANY MITTENS

St. John's NL

REFLECTIONS MIRROR Queen St. W Toronto