realia

lightposts and lilacs

 

That little fella was posing - or his attention was on the big, raucus bird party going on in those trees.

 

You can't imagine what it smelled like to walk by this wall of late blooming lilacs. No you can't.

 

Beautiful, gothic looking lampost in the Toronto Music Garden.

 

This morning before work I make my breakfast and enjoy it, and then my lunch because I didn't make it last night.  Before I put my makeup on and get dressed I finish loading the dishwasher and run it and clean those last few un-dishwasherable things in the sink and sip my coffee with pleasure. 

I go to the gym over a late lunch, even though we had a meeting at noon and technically that was lunch.

I shop a little on the way home.  It's hot, and I'm glad to get in.  I try a new recipe for cauliflower fritters and decide I might try them again but with certain changes, like ditching the garlic and adding some onion and something bitey like mustard and/or chili powder. While the things are cooking I sort the laundry and throw a load in.

I don't have today's picture yet so after I've cooked and eaten, I go for a walk over to the Toronto Music Garden.  It's much changed from the two weeks since I've been there last - plants are spilling everywhere and there's a rowdy bird party going on in the trees.  I shoot a bunch of shots, and decide I should walk back home and then wonder, why?  Why leave a garden in a hurry?

When I do get home I go down to the parking garage where my bike is sitting in many layers of dust and dirt.  I give it a good washing down and pump up the tires and I'm tempted to take it for a spin but I'm thinking of the shape of my kitchen after the new recipe tryout and the laundry that needs to be transitioned from washer to hanger-up thingy or dryer.

I deal with the laundry and I clean up the kitchen and take a shower and sit down to sort out the photos.  I'm glad I didn't take too many. 

Suddenly it's bedtime and again I didn't get around to visiting blogs or responding to comments on mine and I STILL didn't shorten those pants, and my place STILL looks a mess.  But one couldn't fault me for not stopping to smell the roses.  And tomorrow's another day.

Out Walking: Toronto Harbour, Keating Channel

Sunday.  Gentle Sunday.  We don't sleep so late.  Lots of coffee again  Ceri reads.  I edit pictures and explore ceramic coffee drippers online.  One of the best things about this relationship is that we can be quiet, together.  Talking is common to "us," but not necessary either.

We walk out later and say, "where to?" and head east, walking around the piers of the harbour.  We stop and smell the roses near the Westin; wild pink roses like those that grew along the fence at our Windsor home and those that grew in the ditches near our home in the country near Amherstburg. 

If I had a place to plant some roses today, these are the kind I'd plant. 

We keep walking east and wander through the Corus building near Sugar Beach, to check out the buzz happening in honour of Doors Open Toronto. We like the "living wall."

We end up at Keating Channel, and a very pleasant channel-side pub we've been to before.  Our server is sweet and very beautiful.  With her sixties look, she reminds me of Diahann Carrol playing Julia.  Remember that show?

We hope the rest of the city doesn't discover the Keating Channel place.

Wander home.  Call my dad.  Have light dinner.  Catch up on blogging...

Out Walking: University of Toronto, St. George Street, Beverley Street

Today we loaf the morning away reading and drinking coffee, and then Ceri goes in to the office and I go to the gym.  After showering there, I walk up Victoria then Yonge Streets to meet him in Yorkville on the roof at the Pilot Tavern. 

I'm a little cranky when I get there; navigating Yonge Street is not exactly a blast for a fast walker like me, particularly on hot Saturday afternoon.  A cool glass of white wine cures my cranky quick, and we have a really delicious snack of ginger beef, pita and foccacia with hummous, tzatziki and roasted red pepper dip and carrots and celery sticks.  It's breezy on the roof.  We remark at the sheer ugliness of the architecture in the Bloor/Yonge area (I'd say most of it is circa 1970s) yech.

We walk home via Philosopher's Walk / University of Toronto and I can't stop taking pictures.  I love this walk. We recall the last time we walked through here and what a cold winter's day it was. Selma, the gargoyles are for you.

Later we get home and share a bottle of Chardonnay on my building's roof, looking over the lake and city airport in my new camp chairs. I congratulate myself (again) on my portable outdoor furniture investment.  I make little pizzas on whole wheat pita with onions, peppers, salsa and romano cheese.

Summer, I'm so glad to see you.

A snack worthy of a return. Soon.

Royal Ontario Museum, Bloor Street, Toronto

 

The little fella was playing hide and seek with me. I won.

 

Royal Ontario Museum, Philosopher's Walk, Toronto

 

Loving the colours of this metal. Trinity College, University of Toronto.

 

Trinity College, University of Toronto

 

Trinity College, University of Toronto

 

Trinity College, University of Toronto

 

Trinity College, University of Toronto

 

This picture fails in expressing how beautiful this glass is; three walls of it. I must get into this chapel; I couldn't stop looking at it. Trinity College Chapel, University of Toronto

 

Old(ish) and new(ish).

 

A moose. St. George Street (I think).

 

Fun looking fellas. Knox College, St. George Street, Toronto

 

Knox College, St. George Street, Toronto

 

Detail on a house on Beverley Street, Toronto

 

priorities

Sitting on my building's roof in the brand new camp chairs, looking at the lake, the boats, the planes, and nothing in general after a good walk in the city.

Jen: I'm just thinking about what I'm going to make us for supper.

Ceri: What is it?

Jen: (coy) I'm not telling.

Ceri: What the hell?

Jen: It'll be good.

Ceri: Does it involve onions?

Jen: Of course.

Ceri:AH HA!  I KNEW IT! .

dramatic window and sky drama

 

The Birkbeck Building.  This building warrants a return with my real camera. Adelaide Street, Toronto

Walking home we encountered these beautiful clouds under a tiny crescent moon, barely visible in this shot. Fort York Blvd., Toronto

Happy Friday.  It's been a relatively quiet week at work; calm before the storm with work on a big, important proposal launching next week.  I meet up with Ceri and my girls for beer o'clock and dinner on a patio, where we enjoy watching dogs of all sorts and sizes leading their humans in and out of a nearby condo building.  Quiet, chatty evening at home.   Life good.

Pati embarking...

Today I have a dinner party in honour of Pati, who is leaving the city to move home to Kingston in a week.  When I came to the city, Pati was one of two cousins who live here.  Having family available makes adjusting to a new city so much easier. Regular time with family makes all the difference in the world in how you manage in a big, bad city like this one.

It's three for three in the long weekend weather department - we get another summery day and are able to have the dinner party on my condo's rooftop.  Sherrill brings cheese dip.  I've made ahead asparagus-barley "risotto" and quinoa salad.  And serve crusty bread with butter, mustards and cold cuts.  Everybody approves, much wine is consumed and the celebration is great fun.

Bon voyage on this next great adventure Pati.  As I told you, I am a big supporter of adventures and fresh starts.  But we're really going to miss you.

long weekend day two

 

The lovely Lorna has great things to look at in her backyard. This bloke could be singing, shocked, shouting... I decided to assume he is yawning.

 

Lorna's vine-covered wall with half-hidden treasures, like this one.

 

Today we soak up more sunshine, walking over to the St. Lawrence neighbourhood again.  It's good to get away from the Harbourfront - on the long weekend that heralds summer, the place is TEEMING with people.  We get to The Esplanade and are surpised to find half-empty patios.  I guess all the people are at the Harbourfront Centre.

We stop for a drink and a snack at Scotland Yard and run into a friend of Ceri's and have a nice chat.  Later we walk over to his other friend Lorna's for a gathering on her own back patio, and then a (gorgeous) meal of mussels, salad and canneloni.  It's my second time attending a party at Lorna's, and it's the second time she's outdone herself. 

We walk home, stopping only for a bag of coffee beans.

out walking: distillery district, corktown, st. lawrence market

Its a gorgeous, summery first day of the three-day weekend.  Ceri goes for a ride while I catch up with some blogging and picture editing, then we decide to walk over to the Distillery District to check out the arts and crafts fair happening there.  Later, feeling a little peckish, we wander up to Corktown to check out Jamie Kennedy's Gilead Cafe, which has had some great reviews.  Unfortunately, we arrive between meal servings, so we share a plate of their apparently famous poutine.  Yep, it was out of this world; not gooey and cheesy like typical poutine, but served with roasted beef brisket and its gravy.  Oh my. 

We make our way back down to the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood where we have big salads at the Jason George.  Walk slowly back home and have wine on my roof.  It's a really good day.

Dappled sunlight on beautiful brick. Trinity Street, Distillery District, Toronto

Yep, the building is doomed to become a facade. Glass towers even taking over the Distillery District. Trinity Street, Toronto

Ceri and a large A. Corktown Lane, Toronto

Gilead Cafe, Corktown Lane, Toronto

King Street, Toronto

Beautiful windows, Berkeley Street, Toronto

Fire escapes and beautiful window and brick detail, Gooderham (Flatiron) Building, Wellington Street, Toronto

 

fixing the part of the idea that wasn't good

Okay it’s not working.  Those kind friends who have been visiting me here for a long time will agree.  I started the photo journal for the purpose of feeding my creative hankerings, enhancing my ability to see.  To see if I could commit to a daily act for a year.  I wanted to enrich the Realia project, add more layers and depth to it.

But my participation in it has distracted me from the writing Realia efforts.  I remain committed to putting up a photo a day, and I am still really enjoying it.  But I miss living here in this space.  I still want to be here and share stories about my life and experiences.

Some time ago I came to the conclusion that I never should have started a second blog, that I should have just incorporated the project into this one.  I did play around with that at first, with the photo project on a different page, but I found it was easier to keep the projects separate by just having a second blog space. Why did I feel the need to keep them separate?  Who knows?  Call it a brain fart.

Back when I was first working out the ideas for Realia, I saw it as a space that would change and evolve and grow, as I’d hoped I would.  Of course the photography project is representative of growing and changing and evolving.  So why not incorporate a photo a day project into it?  It makes sense to me to merge the projects.  Simple is always best; one space is enough.  It’s all part of my story; it’s all my realia.

So my plan is to move the photo blog back over to this one and incorporate them back into one project.  The photos will continue to be posted daily, and they will be accompanied more often with the stories.

I hope this won’t alienate the people who come here to read what I write.  At least there will be some fresh content when you do come!  And I hope those who subscribe to me on the photo site will update their feeds and visit here instead. 

It’s sure great to have you along, whether for the stories or the pictures.  Roll on!

daughters and windows and happy long weekend

 

Daughter Carly

Daughter Kelsey

Beautiful windows on King Street, from Fynn's of Temple Bar.

Beautiful King Street windows reflecting...

This filter worked out great for this windows shot! Duncan Street at Adelaide.

After work I meet up with Ceri, Carly, Kelsey and a couple of her friends for Beer O'clock - an extra happy one as it's a long weekend.  Pleased with myself for getting nice portraits of both my daughters.  I've had a nasty cold all week, and entering into the weekend feeling 100% better.  The three day weather forecast is stellar.  I'm blessed.