Day Trippin'

 June 2021 - Niagara Falls ON

First Day Tripping post of 2021, although we have had other outings. This was the first leaving early (10 AM) and having lunch out. The reason we chose Niagara Falls was the US/Canada borders are still closed (pandemic) but the patios are open but no inside amusements or museums are yet open.

It was very quiet at the Falls on a gorgeous day. Parking was easy but not cheap. If you are going you would be wise to pick a spot that you can keep all day as all parking was a flat day fee. Our first spot was $20 by the Queen Victoria restaurant (closed).

The last time we were at the Falls was the dead of winter!

American Falls

Canadian Horseshoe Falls

As per the plaque below:

On February 24th 1925, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board was formed. The board had an initial budget of $28,000 to ensure the management, operation and maintenance of the illumination lights. The power to supply the illumination lights were being provided for free by the Ontario Power Company.

Twenty-four new lights were mounted in a row on the Ontario Power Company water surge tank, located next to the Refractory (Victoria Park) Restaurant on the Canadian side allowing both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls to be lit from the same location. Each light used 4,500 watts and produced 54 million candela, while the series of lights produced 1.3 billion candela. These lights were originally built to search the sky for enemy aircraft over Britain during World War II.

The official ceremony took place on June 8th 1925. It included a light parade in Niagara Falls, New York followed by an International ceremony in the middle of the Upper Steel Arch Bridge before the lights were turned on to illuminate the Falls with many spectators looking on.

We had to walk on this side of the street as the area along the Falls were blocked off for some reason, some kind of repairs? although no one was working.

Nikola Tesla. There are several Tesla murals in Hamilton, click on Tesla in the labels/tags below this post.
Nikola Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, New York which started producing electrical power in 1895. This was the beginning of the electrification of the United States and the rest of the world. Today, Tesla's AC electricity is lighting and powering the globe. Nikola Tesla is the genius who lit the world.

The contrast in colour was striking.

Lunch at the Niagara Brewing Company, disappointing, considering it is the first week of reopening. They could have a more inspired local menu featuring Ontario produce.

A fun mini golf.

T for Tuesday

 T Stands For is hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard

Joining Tom at Signs2.

Random-osity

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

Little Things Thursday

Random coffee signs around Toronto.

Tuesday Treasures

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Travel Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

Image-in-ing
My Corner of the World

Postcards

Timeless Thursdays is hosted by Stevenson Que

May 2021 - Toronto ON

Click here for a history of Toronto lane naming and a list of other lanes with neighbourhood descriptions. That post is a work in progress, and gets updated frequently.

 Back in Cabbagetown this week.

Al Purdy Lane - after Al Purdy who was born in 1918. Purdy is considered by many to be the most accomplished Canadian poet of the English language though his history of work includes written work in broadcast media of radio and television. Born in Wooler, Ontario, Purdy came to Toronto and resided at 435 Sackville Street in his youth. He is said to have enjoyed spending time people watching at the Riverdale Zoo. Purdy spent 6 years in the RCAF. Over the course of his career, Purdy penned 33 books. He received Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award in 1965 for Caribou Horses and once again in 1986 for Collected Poems. He received the Order of Canada in 1982. He died on the morning of Good Friday, 2000 at the age of 81. 

Yen Lane - after J. L. (Allen) Yen PhD who was born in 1925 in Canton, China. Yen was first appointed to the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto in 1952. There he became a Professor of Electrical Engineering and contributed to the theoretical and experimental advances made in the new fields of signal theory, communication and digital signal processes. In 1967, Dr. Yen shared in receiving the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Rumford Medal for advances in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). Yen was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He died in 1993. 

Edensmith Lane - after Eden Smith who was born in 1858 in Birmingham, England. Smith and his wife Annie were residents of Toronto at 34 Salisbury Street. In 1882, Smith began his practice of architecture. At first, he designed several churches to service the growing population of Toronto. Among his designs to take form were TheChurch of St. Thomas on Huron Street,

 The Church of St. Cyprian in Seaton Village and St. John the Evangelist on Portland Street. 

After 1888 his work shifted to residential designs. His work includes many homes in Toronto’s early municipalities including Wychwood Park, Rosedale, The Annex and Forest Hill. Smith favored and was influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement. His “state of the art” design of the public housing complex on the corner of Spruce and Sumach Streets in Cabbagetown was built in 1913 and stands as a rare example of early public co-operative housing projects. Smith died in 1949.

Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural

June 2021 - Toronto ON

I had shown this when it was a WIP a couple of weeks ago. It is in Yorkville and we took these photos the day before the lockdown eased and outdoor dining/patios were allowed to open (June 10).

American artist Nina Chanel Abney and Toronto curator Ashley McKenzie-Barnes unveiled their new 120-foot mural in Yorkville in June. With both women identifying as black queer females, the mural explores themes of social justice, humanity and spreading love, not hate.

Coinciding with the beginning of Pride Month in June, the mural incorporates words and phrases like “love,” “stop” and “don’t kill” in acknowledgment of the acts of hatred and racism happening at home and around the world. The artists hope the street art gives passersby pause and a chance to reflect on the racial, cultural and gender-based violence occurring regularly on a global scale, and how people can come together to overcome these acts of hate.

Titled “Generally Speaking,” the mural is also designed to engender hope and joy in the Yorkville community as the city works towards recovering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It seeks to remind people of the need for social justice and reform in all areas, while highlighting themes of alliance, humanity and togetherness.

Yes, John's feet are in each of his shots, and I was too lazy to crop them out!

And my feet!

Aerial view courtesy of The Vibe.

Mobile

 One Word Sunday

St. Catharine's Ontario

IS THIS MODERN SOCIETY? Artist: Jupiterfab Year: 2016 as part of the Niagara International Mural Festival.

Sculpture Saturday

 Sculpture Saturday

June 2021 - Toronto ON 

This is a commission by Ken Lum for a commercial realty development in Toronto. The site is directly behind City Hall and involves a long corridor (passageway) from Bay Street to City Hall. Two bronze sculptures are placed on either end of this corridor signaling historical immigrants to this area in the form of two children from different eras. Pinned lettering in oxidized bronze reading: “Across time and space, two children of Toronto meet…” are attached to the wall that spans between the two sculptures.