Thursday, December 31, 2020

A Photo a Week Challenge: Abandoned

 Nancy Merrill's A Photo a Week Challenge


August 2020 - Toronto ON

Abandoned, at the moment, but it will be incorporated into yet another condo in Yorkville.




Four low-rise homes on the property, built in 1890 and designated as heritage buildings, will be re-positioned to the east and integrated into the design as retail, office and restaurant spaces.

I wrote more about the property here.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Trevor Carpenter PhotoChallenge

 Trevor Carpenter PhotoChallenge

#2021photochallenge #photochallenge #tempusaura

Let's give this a try this year.


WEEK 0 - spans both years
THEME:
SUM UP 2020 IN ONE PHOTOGRAPH

TECHNIQUE:
SELECTIVE COLORING
(The main subject remains in color while the rest of the image is in B&W)



Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Columns and Vertical Lines

 Cee's Fun Foto Challenge

November 2020 - Toronto ON

I see that my entry could also apply to next's week's Bridges.



T for Tuesday

  T Stands For is hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard


March 2013 - New Orleans LA

In the spring of 2013, we spent a few days in New Orleans on our way home from our first retired winter away from home.

We had stopped here for coffee on a city tour.

I discovered as I wrote this that Morning Call is no more and is being replaced by the iconic Cafe du Monde.


After 6 great years in City Park we’re sad and disappointed to announce that Sunday January 20 2019 will be our last day! Thanks to all our loyal friends and customers for making Morning Call a true New Orleans icon! We are looking forward to seeing everyone in the near future! Thanks to City Park for allowing us to take a desolate and under appreciated old Casino building and turn it into a thriving and naturally New Awlins experience! Who Dat!





Tuesday Treasures

  Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.



Spice Mill Lane runs north from Adelaide Street East to Lombard just west of the Spire Condominium. It was named in 2012 to commemorate the spice mills that were once prominent in this neighbourhood and nearby to Lombard Street. City directories from the late 19th century list many importers and wholesalers of all sorts of goods, including spices, coffee, tea, chocolate, and other baking goods like extracts and baking powders.


While not the largest spice mill in town, Thompson, Bradshaw and Co. occupied the building labelled “Spice Mills” at the north end of Spice Mill Lane. They were the first tenant, occupying two floors and the basement of a new factory building that was constructed here in 1889/90. By 1892, Thompson had dropped out of the picture and his partner Mr. William A. Bradshaw, had switched gears to soap manufacturing, using the business name Toronto Soap Company. He remained in this building until 1895.


Signs 2

 Joining Tom at Signs2.

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day
Little Things Thursday

Continuing with pit stops...
a stop (as during a trip) for fuel, food, or rest or for use of a restroom.

Came across some more. 
2014 Mazatlan Mexico





Monday, December 28, 2020

Foto Tunes

  Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Up Here, In Canada

Photos from our cross country 2017 drive.


Wawa Ontario


Medicine Hat Alberta


Drumheller Alberta


Dryden Ontario


Indian Head Saskatchewan




Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural 


June 2020 - Toronto ON

Roncesvalles Ave. and Garden side of Solarski Pharmacy

"The First Peoples" Mural
Created by Philip Cote III




Cote is a Sundancer, Pipe Carrier and Sweat Ceremony leader recognized by Elder Vern Harper and Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand. Cote received his Indigenous name Noodjmowin (The Healer) in 1979 from Joe Couture and was made a member of the Falseface Society at the Seneca longhouse in 1992.

A graduate of OCAD University’s Interdisciplinary Art Media and Design Masters program in 2015, Cote has been exploring new ways to imbue sculpture and painting through oral traditions of storytelling and with traditional spiritual perspectives.

All of the elements of the mural are connected to a story that begins with the creation story of the first man and woman.



As the mural flows to the right there are different animals including a wolf who in Anishinaabe stories is a brother of man, a bear who is a teacher and healer, and thunderbirds flanking both ends for protection.





Saturday, December 26, 2020

Christmas Cheer


December 2020 - Toronto ON








More of the same. We stayed home on the weekend, as usual. John did take a walk on Saturday.






Love this photo someone posted! I love our mounted police.

Curbside pickup on Queen St. West



On Sunday we decided to head out for a drive at sunset to check out some of the decorated houses that were on a BlogTO list.











Not on any list, but cute.


On the list, mostly lights.


Not on the list.


On the list.











On the same street.




Random find, across the street from each other.




On the list, we were not impressed although it was state of the art. There were so many people here the street was blocked with cars.


One last unscheduled stop on the way home.


Monday morning sunrise, winter solstice, looking north Bloor and Islington.


 

The week passed uneventfully, lots of cooking and baking happened.

John did a Costco, Metro run. And a wine order arrived. We had a bottle of their wine last Friday (bought during our summer wine tours) and decided to order some.



We got these cute heat activated mugs from an acquaintance.


And Portuguese custards from a friend. We met in the lobby on Christmas Eve and had a socially distanced chat.


Christmas Eve "afternoon tea" lunch.



Christmas morning kitchen music.


Big breakfast, mushrooms, eggs, bacon and tomatoes.


Some family zoom calls.


The turkey is done!



Trifle, Mom's way.


Quality Street chocolates.









Saturday we had roast pork, roast potatoes, carrots and mashed potato, parsnips and turnip.

Sunday I got a head start on Christmas Eve afternoon tea. I made the scones and the raspberry jam. Berries had been a good price last week for some strange reason.
I made the cranberry orange scones, had the cranberries in the freezer and the oranges needed using up.
Dinner was salad and garlic butter shrimp.

I updated the holiday menu, I had forgotten I needed to make a gluten free cake for the trifle. I also added a cranberry lemon mousse for afternoon tea. 

Monday I added the final dessert for afternoon tea chocolate muffins with fudge frosting, I love this recipe. I did cut the icing in half and had more than plenty. I got 12 large muffins and 18 mini muffins.
Dinner was chicken wings and fries.

Tuesday I made the fillings for my tourtieres, French Canadian meat pies.





Dinner was a simple stew made with beef short ribs, lamb kidneys and vegetables served with the leftover mash from Saturday.

Wednesday I made gluten free pastry for the pies and got two completed. This was my first successful pastry making and used this GFJules recipe. I had watched her video on Monday so had to place an Amazon order for a couple of things which came on Tuesday.

A totally new (to me) invention, changed my pastry life forever.





I made the fillings for our afternoon tea sandwiches. John made the gravy for our meat pies and he made the lemon mousse for tea and a couple of extras.
Dinner was quick and easy, steak and sauteed mushrooms, green peppers, onions. We needed to use up some of the vegetables.

Thursday Christmas Eve and we had our afternoon tea for lunch while watching some shows.

Dinner was tourtiere, fries and beans.

Christmas Day turkey, stuffing, gravy (stock made last week), Brussel sprouts, Irish (my Mom and aunts called them Irish peas) mushy peas, mashed parsnip turnip potatoes, roast potatoes. 
Trifle, making my first ✅ever sponge cake, gluten free!


Christmas memories - looking for my mother's trifle recipe, I came across these in my Mom's writing.







WATCHING/READING




No reading done other than slogging through The Tenant. I started reading Such a Perfect Wife.

I finished Rectify and will admit it grew on me towards the end. A little.
At John's suggestion I started watching Ozark and I am hooked.

Still working through Great British Bake Off, up to season 9.

John watched a series of James Bond movies.

We finished Ripper and Unabomber on Netflix.

Christmas Eve afternoon we watched The Bee Gees documentary. Absolutely fascinating and I learned all kinds of things about them. Also brings a tear...


And for fun Dolittle.


And then in the evening we watched   Hillbilly Elegy if I had realized it was so sad I would have picked something more uplifting for the season.