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

Starts with M

FAVOURITE

MATCHING

MANY MITTENS

St. John's NL

REFLECTIONS MIRROR Queen St. W Toronto

Tuesday Treasures

 Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

August 2026 - St. John's NL

I was curious about this building in St. John's.

Thank you to Rostrose for pointing that I had missing adding any information Google found!

The building was constructed around 1913 following the Great Fire of 1892, which destroyed most of downtown St. John's and its surrounding structures. In the aftermath, the city enforced strict building regulations requiring new downtown commercial properties to be constructed with "fireproof," inflammable materials. 

As a result, 205 Water Street was initially built as a solid concrete warehouse owned by the Baine Johnston Company, a prominent local general merchandise firm.

Between its initial construction and 1925, the property transitioned from industrial use to a financial institution when it was acquired and converted into a branch for the Canadian Bank of Commerce. 

To reflect its new status and prestige, the building's exterior facade was upgraded to feature its current monumental Classical Revival architectural details, including the large iconic columns and grand arched windows.

City tax records from 1946 document its structural composition as a mix of brick, terra cotta, and concrete. It continuously operated as a bank branch for decades under various institutions, most recently housing an HSBC bank branch before transitioning to a vacant commercial property available for lease.

The property was formally designated as a Municipal Heritage Building on July 21, 1989, by the City of St. John's. It is highly valued for its rarity in design compared to its neighbors and stands out as a unique piece of early 20th-century fireproof commercial architecture along one of North America's oldest streets.

Signs

  Joining Tom at Signs2

August 2026 - St. John's NL

In Newfoundland and Labrador, a tickle is a local term for a short, narrow strait or passage of water between islands or between an island and the mainland.

The name itself plays on the famous Canadian children's TV show prop from Mr. Dressup, combined with Newfoundland's geographic slang for a narrow water passage (a "tickle").

The "Need a Tickle" Connection: The shop heavily stocks products from The Dark Tickle Company, a well-known northern Newfoundland brand. If a sign or display there says you "need a tickle," it is a playful double entendre—inviting you to try their locally made wild berry jams, teas, or Newfoundland chocolate bars.

We had visited The Dark Tickle Company in 2022 in St. Anthony's NL.

Knitting store

Weekend Roundup

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

1. Starts with "K"
2. A Favorite
3. KIND - chosen by Tom

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

Starts with K KARAOKE KOREATOWN Toronto

FAVOURITE KOINOBORI

Located along the eastern waterfront in Toronto's Port Lands, the piece features five flagpoles holding colourful ripstop fabric fish sculptures modelled after traditional koinobori (Japanese carp streamers) to celebrate the return of fish to the mouth of the Lower Don River.

KIND(S) of fish St. John's NL

REFLECTIONS KIDS Daytona Beach Florida

Lest We Forget

 September 2026 - update

Watch a production of the play - click here. 

VIDEO

60 MINUTES AUSTRALIA on the 20th anniversary

Twin Towers taken in 1987.

1998

December 2001 we went to New York right after 9/11. Photos are pre-digital.

September 2013 - Manhattan NY

9/11 Memorial

Plaque in Central Park

TORONTO