Monday we attended a funeral virtually. My uncle's funeral, in Montreal, was shown on Youtube.
I took a few photos as we watched. It was great for his many relatives in Ireland who were able to "attend".
Strange times we live in, in the span of a week we attended our first virtual dinner party and our first virtual funeral.
John played golfed and took this photo.
We took the subway to Danforth and Woodbine to look for some murals. A few weeks ago we had done the same trip but by car and got too frustrated with traffic.
BTW this was meant to be a walk from one subway stop Woodbine to the next stop Main St. and then home. Instead we walked 14,500 steps and finally got on the subway at Coxwell.
Like their hours "to 1 PM ish".
Always something interesting to find.
We saw three Bell boxes being painted.
We were hungry and John had the bright idea we should go to Sarah's in our old neighbourhood. I looked online and their patio was open but they were not taking reservations. It was full so we went next door to El Sol, a Mexican that we often frequented. A case of looked open, had sign "Open for Lunch: but once the server consulted with the owner, we were told they were not open. Eight years later and the owner still has not learned any time management skills.
When hungry, fries will always work, and sitting outside in the sun made for a pleasant break.
You never know what you will find! This was a 7-Eleven that had been here forevvvver. But the company started closing their Canadian locations in 2017.
Paining was taking place, Flips is known for his swirls.
And around the corner Elicser was busy painting!!
Wednesday John golfed early and I walked over to get a mani-pedi. What a glorious day it was!
This guy had just finished his early morning paddle on the lake.
I then took the subway downtown and wandered into Winners and the $ store.
The subway was empty!
Thursday I decided that we should stock up for the second wave. I used Instacart to pick up my order from Loblaw's. Nothing exciting, but all heavy canned items such as coconut milk, canned corn, tomato juice, canned tomatoes, beef and chicken stock, canned clams, water chestnuts, pumpkin puree etc.
I had my delivery within two hours after I placed my order. Very impressed.
While I waited I made a huge batch 100 cowboy cookies so I could bring some to my BIL and nephew that we were meeting for dinner.
We headed out to meet my BIL and nephew for dinner at the Brogue Inn. I had made a reservation. This was our first inside restaurant meal since March and the first meet up with anyone as well.
Only half the pub was open for service and the tables were reduced by at least 50%.
Great evening catching up!
Friday strolling down King St. West. Check out the door handles.
On Spadina.
This billboard made me smile.
Got home and then thought "we need ice cream". So I wandered over to Lola's.
The StreetARToronto Front Line Heroes Project, showcases that Toronto is home to some of the best street, mural and graffiti artists and art in the world. This new series of artworks features street, mural and graffiti art that celebrates Toronto front line service providers including health care workers, volunteers and other heroes responding to the global coronavirus pandemic. Titled “Celebrating Front Line Heroes” the works represent a diversity of essential workers of all ages, genders, backgrounds and professions from mail carriers and grocery store employees to teachers and sanitation workers, as well as doctors, nurses, and first responders, all painted by an equally diverse group of artists.
Artists - Soller, Flips & Kreecha
Rowell Soller is a Filipino-Canadian, multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Scarborough. His practice revolves around traditional painting on canvas, sculpture and murals. He has established a signature style of his own, called ‘Ancient Graffuturism’.
Flips is a Toronto based multi-media artist, life enthusiast and visual storyteller. Inspired by the blending of cultural forces in Toronto and his homeland of Bulgaria, he is best known in the streets of Toronto for his signature Swirl Style, which reflects the philosophy of unity through art in the swirling of color and line. Kreecha is an indigenous multidisciplinary artist with over 10 years experience creating across Turtle island. Heart centred in hiphop; a rich cultural upbringing breathes through his practice of traditional indigenous arts, realism, calligraphy and letter formations. His works draw on legend and the teachings of his elders.
Titled ‘Art is Essential’, this mural depicts a feminine figure painting a rose. Black and white with symbolic elements in red, it represents humanity during the pandemic. The feminine figure (Mother Earth) is is wearing a face-mask. The piece focuses on promoting the practice of creation (art) as a coping mechanism for the stress and anxiety that most feel during this moment in time. Front line/essential workers are honoured in the body of the figure using graffiti style lettering and tags to spell out gratitude for several groups. Antlers symbolize the growth of mind and link to the universe. Two icons represent peace and love. The rings surrounding the rose feature graffiti artist Flips’ signature “Swirl Clusters” (representing community here and now) and the Rowell Soller “Spirit Strokes” (representing the spirits of those who have passed). Script work by Kreecha further expresses gratitude and adds a visual texture that completes the piece.
It was quite chilly out so rather than walking from Union Station as we did last week we took the subway to St. Patrick Station and walked west along Dundas West.
It doesn't matter how many times we come here, there is always something new to discover in the offbeat and diverse neighbourhood.
There are no chains here, everything is locally owned and operated from the health conscious restaurants to the multitude of ethnic cuisines you can find something for everyone. They have quite a few restaurants that cater to gluten free diets and even have Bunners, a gluten free bakery.
You must venture down the many alleys to discover great street art.
Along Augusta St.
On College St.
Baldwin St.
Side of a fish shop.
Behind a locked gate.
Inside a fish shop.
Kensington Ave.
I showed this in an earlier post but have to include it here too.
Elicser Elliott, a well-known muralist, was working on a piece along with some others in a lane.
There is a lot of odd and unique architecture in the area.
Augusta St.
Baldwin St.
And sometimes odd or historical architecture on College St.
The city has recently voted to preserve some of these buildings.
Right across the street there is a very special church on College St. St.Stephen-in-the-Field that has a Homeless Jesus panhandling outside.
The original Bellevue Fire Station, constructed in 1875, was a two-storey structure with one bay for a fire wagon.
The eight-storey tower, added in 1899, possessed a lookout at the top, where firefighters scanned the surrounding streets in search of fires. The tower was also where the fire hoses were hung to dry. In 1911, the station received the first motorized fire engine in the city of Toronto. It replaced the horse-drawn wagons that had previously been in use. In 1922, another bay was added to the station.
In 1972, while the men were out fighting a fire, an arsonist set fire to the station. When it was rebuilt, a third bay was added. The clock in the tower was severely damaged in the fire, so was replaced with a replica. Originally the station was # 8, but is now # 315.
View from the tower, c.1911, looking southeast. The clock tower of the Old City Hall is visible on the horizon. In the left-hand bottom corner of the photo is the Church of St. Martin in the Fields, on the southeast corner of College and Bellevue. The tower of St. James Cathedral on King Street East is also visible on the distant horizon. Source
You could walk down Kensington Ave. for years and not notice the little sign that says "to Kensington Place," an eclectic little cul de sac of former workers cottages hidden from the bustle of the Market.
There's lots to see here, including a house that's been designed as a tribute to the Azores.
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Along these same streets you can find more food shops, fish markets, cheese places and even buy herbs and spices or plants for your garden.
It is like a trip around the world's various cultures in an afternoon.
And then back to the subway through Chinatown and by the art galleries near the Art Gallery of Ontario AGO.
Mural by Flips.
Spadina at Dundas. Chinatown sprawls around this area.
Toronto's Chinatown first appeared during the 1890s with the migration of American Chinese from California due to racial conflict and from the Eastern United States due to the economic depression at the time. The earliest record of Toronto's Chinese community is traced to Sam Ching, who owned a hand laundry business on Adelaide Street in 1878.
