Song for Friday...one to meditate on.

This song has been used for many t.v shows and car ads...I've never seen any of them.

I do remember it from the movie 'Away We Go'.

I have been reintroduced to it through my daughter and the playlist she made for me before I left Toronto.

It has been linked to various subjects including war, God, family and love.

When I hear it, I am reminded of a hymn.

Not so much the 'church' kind of hymn...

but one that you turn on while you're driving...

and end up taking the long way home so you can listen to it 3 or 4 times in a row.

It's one of those songs that makes you stop...

in the middle of doing the dishes...

go to the stereo...

turn it way up...

and close your eyes...

and let it take you away...

The Distillery District....

Once upon a time there was a place which was the largest distillery in the whole world.

It produced millions of gallons of whiskey which was shipped abroad.

This was in 1860.

Today, it is home to fancy shops, cafe's, pubs, offices and condos.

It became derilect in the late 1980's, and many of the surrounding buildings were demolished or left in ruin.

Then, along came some smart developer who has saved and revived many of the original structures.

I spent the day wandering, as usual, coming across that kind of history of a place that feeds my soul.

Here's one of the millstones used to grind the grain.

The top of the Cooperage building where the barrels were made.

This neighborhood was next to...

Corktown, where many of the Irish immigrants lived who worked at the distillery. 

(thought Paudie would get a kick out of this one over at endofera! )

A flower shop which used to hold massive tanks of whiskey...

The Stonehouse distillery now houses lawyers and such in posh offices.

One of the original 100 ft smokestacks still in tact...

They have preserved some of the original brick on pavement and storefronts...

So there you have it...a little bit of whiskey history!

Master Carvers...

This is one of my favorite buildings in Toronto.

Looking a little different than she did back in the day...

This is the Gooderham building, also known as the Flatiron building.

It was built in 1892 for George Gooderham who ran the largest distillery in the country at the time.

The detail in the carving is simply amazing and astonishingly all done BY HAND!

Then it is on to one of my other favorites...

This is the courthouse on Queen Street.

Built around the same time with much of the same expert craftsmanship.

These faces are reputedly faces of politicians of the day and amongst them is the face of the head carver for the project.

The best part about this building though, are the gargoyles!

Want a closer look?

I could have spent all day taking pictures of the detailed beauty....

They definitely don't make them like this anymore.

Book review...

I have just finished reading 

'Her Fearful Symmetry'.

I guess I would have to call it a sort of ghost/love story/thriller.

The interesting thing about it was, that I picked it up while in Toronto where

my daughter's apartment is a 5 minute walk to Mount Pleasant cemetery...

A 200 acre Victorian cemetery full of elaborate tombstones and mausoleums.

 The book is set next to Highgate cemetery in London, a similar type of graveyard.

I won't give away too much except to say it is about a woman, who is a twin who dies of cancer and leaves her flat in London to her twin nieces.

Meanwhile she realizes that she is able to haunt the flat...

A series of twists, including old family secrets begin to unravel with strange and sometimes beautiful and horrible consequences.

The author also wrote

'The Time Travelers Wife'.

If you're in the mood for foggy, gray shadowy walks and dark, low lit London flats I would give it a whirl.

You've got to see this....

The first weekend in Toronto, we rented a car, braved the 401,

and headed east around Lake Ontario...past the smoke of Hamilton.

Amongst the tacky tourist traps...

...and money grubbing gimmicks..

This is what lies ahead....

The mighty Niagara Falls.

One of the natural wonders of the world.

Long been a destination for honeymooners and hoards of tour buses for over 200 years, 

it is truely something to see.

The water here (flowing at 600,000 gallons per second) comes from Lake Erie, down the Niagara river and into Lake Ontario...

Pictures don't do it justice.

The roar of its power hits you before you even see it.

Thrill seekers have gone over this edge in nothing but a barrel...

They have tightroped across it's mighty force...

...some have even survived to tell their tale.

Aja thought about making her mark but decided a pint at the pub was much more inviting.

So we joined in and did the tourist thing as well...

Robert showing off his tacky tourist outfit..He is slowly being brainwashed into becoming a Leafs fan....
luckily it was just for the photo op and the white socks and tucked in shorts were toned down...

We did take in a tour under the Falls through an underground tunnel to see it from another angle...

 Remnants of the original hydro electric plant.

Unfortunately the little boat which goes for a cruise behind the Falls wasn't running yet...

Anyway it was a gorgeous weekend with temps in the 27 degree celcius range...

Perfect weather for lots of photos...

And incredibly authentic Mexican food this side of Tiajuana...

A lovely day that went well into the evening. We eventually ended up braving a trip to the casino to see what that world was all about.

I was amazed at the shear size of the place and how many people were there. I later learned that they pump oxygen into these places to keep people awake...Anyway I only lost $10 and learned all about the game of craps...that was enough of the casino life for me.