Lions, ladies and lichen...

When I think of a peaceful place to wander, I think of cemeteries.

Maybe strange to some, but to me they are an oasis of calm, quite often in the heart of a city.

They provide green space for wildlife, escape from traffic and are an endless bounty of history.

Through these gates is Mount Pleasant cemetery.

In the heart of a busy Toronto neighborhood.

Established in 1867. 

200 acres. 168,00 souls rest here.

Lions are a common sight amongst the more elaborate mausoleums...

Two of these very large ones flank the Eaton's family crypt.

 And this quiet, smaller one dozing in the sun.

Hand carved details abound in stone...

Lichen has left it's mark on many as well...

This one was quite unique in its depiction of a tree stump, trying to blend in...

The baby blue eyes were blooming in mass carpets but none so large as this spot where dozens of infants are buried...

Then there are the 'ladies'...

I imagine they are to represent angels amongst the granite masculinity...

I would take my time, reading the many names, dates and places where these people came from and thought of my own mortality...

As Longfellow once wrote...

"Lives of great men all remind us,

we can make our lives sublime,

and departing leave behind us footprints on the sands of time."

I came across many other walkers, the few times I was there, who seemed to find a similar peace.

Intermission...after the rain....

The Shops! (part 2)

Next stop...Yorkville.

One of the more high end shopping areas in the city.

 

This is where one of my daughter's favorite shops is...which has now become one of mine as well...

Welcome to Anthropologie...

where butterflies are made of ribbon..

The Shops! (part 1)

One of the great advantages of having free time in the big city, is the window shopping!

There are too many incredible shops in Toronto to even make a dent, but I did take some photos of some of my favorites..

I got stuck in this one for a while...The Ribbon Shop!

You name it...

they've got it!

And by the way...Yes I did buy a few yards!

Pet shop in Cabbagetown.

You can get anything you want.

This one had me puzzled since there wasn't a pie, latte or ice cream anywhere in sight!

One word...YUM.

O.K ladies...here's a blast from the past. Why don't they still have these handy little bag shelves in public washrooms anymore?!

I remember these from the old Eaton's store. This one was in the Bay.

So many lovely vintage stores.

And cute little dress shops...'if I had a million dollars...'

Public art...

One of the great things in big cities is public art.

Art that is put out there for free.

For all to enjoy, critique, lean against.

In the heart of the financial district, where the buildings are usually blocking out the sun...

 ...there is a field of cows.

Big, bronze cows...

This area is called 'The Pasture' and was created by artist Joe Fafard.

Each cow weighs 544 kgs...

It was designed to calm the crazy world of high finance.

Some public art is mobile...

 This strange, crawling thing is taken down to the desert in Nevada for the Burning Man Festival...

A sculptured Canada Geese flock takes flight against the backdrop of the massive glass ceiling in the Eaton's Center.

Here, in front of one of the public libraries on Queen street, sits an owl with a 12 foot wingspan, reminding me of Harry Potter stories.

Of course who could walk downtown without bearing witness to the talent of graffiti artists...

...or the chaotic randomness of this building which seems to have things added to it weekly.

I'm not sure what this building contains but I would tend to lock my windows if I lived there!

So cheers to the people who give us all of these great images to come across when we need something else to look at besides the concrete and glass.

The Beaches...

There's an area in Toronto, some of it along Queen street, known for the parks and boardwalks.

We spent many a summer afternoon around here when I was a girl, picnicking, playing on the beach, swimming in the public pool, (we didn't dare swim in Lake Ontario because of the pollution) and generally running around barefoot...

The day I decided to take a walk down there it was a rainy, blustery day.

In  nicer weather, this place is full of walkers on the boardwalk...

I ventured off the walk and up into the park...

Also known as Kew gardens. This was once a 20 acre farm owned by a man named Joseph Williams.

He graciously began to build this park geared towards a family atmosphere and opposed any noisy rides or liquor in the park.

It was named after the famous park in London, England and officially opened in 1879.

This bandstand  echos of many concerts on humid summer evenings...

It was bulit in the 1870's and still houses many gigs, including The Beaches Jazz Festival.

Joseph also built this gorgeous house which is now home to the parks caretaker...

The park has many squirrels running around...

This scruffy little one was trying to get my attention and maybe a peanut or two...

Unfortunately my pockets were empty so he scurried off to find another candidate...

All in all it was a wonderful walk of rememberance.