picture my realia

photo project moving to my main blog space

I started this 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 this one 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 in my original blog space.  I still want to make stories about my life and experiences the main thrust of my creativity.

Some time ago I came to the conclusion that I never should have started this second blog, that I should have just incorporated the project into Realia.  Why did I feel the need to keep them separate?  It was a brain fart.

So this photo blog is moving back over to Realia, and the two projects will become one.  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 see the daily photo.  If you update your feed reader to Realia, I'll be glad to see you there!  And I hope those who subscribe to the main blog enjoy the increased visual aspect.

Live and learn.  Onward!

Duncan Street at Adelaide, Toronto

billboards

 

 

This curious billboard has recently gone up on Spadina near Front Street.

 

This corner is an assault of advertising. More so now that this condo development has its own billboards that are moving up with the building as it grows. Adbusters magazine used to have a feature in which they'd take a corner like this and photoshop out all the advertising. The effect is shockingly more serene. John Street looking south to Front Street.

 

westinghouse building

 

There are so many of these beautiful walk up office buildings downtown. So many of them coming down to make way for condos. This is a particularly beautiful one. Most of the historically significant ones are being sacrificed, their fronts pasted on the front of the new towers to circumvent the heritage protection of them. I must say, the design to incorporate this one looks interesting. For a change. At any rate, the fencing is going up and the windows are being covered with paper.  King Street West, Toronto

 

New restaurant/club going in an old building on Pearl. I like that sign, which I saw for the first time today.  Pearl Street, Toronto

 

Rainy day. Pretty green leaves on the sidewalk. Spadina Avenue, Toronto.

 

adelaide and bay

 

Adleaide Street, looking east from the Bay Adelaide Centre, Toronto.

Adelaide Street, looking west at the Canada Permanent Trust Building from the Bay Adelaide Centre, Toronto

Friday; out finding a cup of tea in the afternoon; looking through these cool windows in one of the MANY glass towers that are eating up the old buildings in Toronto.  I think eventually Toronto may look like the Emerald City did to Dorothy and her pals from that field of poppies.  Yeah, land of emeralds and all that.

1000 stories

skylight and giant woodpeckers

 

The Skywalk, south of Front Street, Toronto

Giant Woodpecker sculpture, Toronto Convention Centre, off York and Bremner

Woodpecker sculpture, Toronto Convention Centre, off York and Bremner

Back to work today.  Productive, though I'd gotten used to the freedom of that FOUR DAY weekend!   Should be back up to speed by Friday.  In the meantime, I do like today's photos.

Out Walking: The Beaches, St. Lawrence

 

 

Waiting for a streetcar at Queen and Broadview, I spot this gargoyle watching over the street.

 

Walking out to the boardwalk. The Beaches, Toronto.

 

Dog run, The Beaches, Toronto

 

The Beaches, Toronto

 

Boardwalk, The Beaches, Toronto

 

St. Aidan's Church, Silver Birch Avenue, Toronto

 

St. Aidan's Church, Silver Birch Avenue, Toronto

 

Shadows, The Beaches, Toronto

 

Jarvis Street, Toronto

 

The Bombay Palace, Jarvis Street, Toronto

 

St. Lawrence Market - according to National Geographic, the best market in the world.

A gorgeous Saturday morning.  We take the streetcar out to the Beaches to meet Sean, Sam and Janice for brunch at the Beach Side Grill.  Then we go down to the lake and take a walk on the boardwalk, back up Silver Birch Avenue, then up to Seans where we sit on his back deck and enjoy the sunshine.  Later, we come back downtown and walk down from Queen via Jarvis, have a beer at The Corner Place patio and watch the comings and goings at the market across the street.  Go into the market later and get veg, herbs and pasta for tomorrow's Easter dinner. 

 

Out Walking: Cabbagetown, Riverdale

 

On the way over to Ceri's I find thise great bunches of Pussywillows, Maple Leaf Square.

 

Walking to Cabbagetown, we spot the pretty stained glass in the inner vestebule of a building. Then we notice poor Pee Wee Herman in a bit of a situation. There was nothing we could do to save him, the door was locked.

 

The Ben Wicks, Parliament Street, Toronto

 

Fence at Riverdale Farm, Toronto

Yellow. Daffodils and forsythia at Riverdale Farm.

The Chapel at the Toronto Necropolis, adjacent to Riverdale Farm, Toronto. The informational sign says this is one of the finest examples of gothic revival architecture in Toronto.

 

 

Chapel at the Toronto Necropolis.

 

Could that be more gothic? Chapel at the Toronto Necropolis.

 

Toronto Necropolis Chapel.

 

Curious (and beautiful) apartments on Carleton Street, with fire escapes going up to every apartment, it seemed.

 

More forsythia and a gate. Carleton Street, Toronto

 

A door in Cabbagetown, Toronto

 

Back in Ceri's St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, where I can't seem to stop taking photos of brick.

On this beautiful Good Friday, we take a walk to Cabbagetown, and then through Riverdale Farm and the adjacent (and most beautiful) Toronto Necropolis.

 

Out Walking: Liberty Village, King Street

Forsythia - one of the first bloomers of spring and therefore one of the most welcome sights. Queens Quay near Bathurst, Toronto.

Most of Liberty Village is new (condos, businesses, offices), my camera gravitates to the old.

Red brick and doorway. Liberty Village, Toronto

Red brick and window, Liberty Village, Toronto

Liberty Village, Toronto

Fence outside a massive construction project. Liberty Village, Toronto

Fence outside a massive construction project. Liberty Village, Toronto

HS and MS - forever connected to Liberty Village, Toronto.

Former Smokestack. Liberty Village, Toronto

Turret and pigeons. King Street, Toronto

Streetcar, bridge and pidgeons. King Street, Toronto

Beautiful shadows on brick; my favourite photo of the day. King Street, Toronto.

What starts as a rather dreary morning, becomes a spectacularly sunshiny afternoon.  After putting corned beef and cabbage into the slowcooker, we take a walk out to Liberty Village via the lakefront and check it out.  It's a new neighbourhood, a gentrification project.  The place is mostly brand new condos and businesses around a few old warehouses.  We walk back along the wonderful King Street.  Grateful for some vitamin D.

cows and extra special beer o'clock

Beautiful cow statues, TD Centre Plaza, off Wellington Street, Toronto

Isn't she lovely? TD Centre Plaza, off Wellington Street, Toronto

Window at the pub, with light from the street coming through. Fionn McCool's, Front Street, Toronto

Light in the window changes as the traffic outside changes. Fionn McCool's, Front Street, Toronto

Extra special Beer O'clock: Kelsey, Len, Jared, Carly, Debbie, Ceri

Last push for the big proposal today, and got the thing submitted.  Everyone agreed we did a good job, and I'm feeling satisfied. 

Tired from all that hard work over the past several weeks, it was with great pleasure I arrived at Beer O'clock today.  An extra special one, with wonderful friends Deb and Len in town.  Really nice visit and meal at the pub.