Reflections of the Past

….fond memories of the High Park Zoo

When I was very young, about three to be exact, I remember going to the High Park
Zoo with my parents and little sister. I loved feeding the ducks and seeing what I thought at the time were exotic animals. Those exotic animals would have been bison, deer and camels. I remember bringing bags of carrots and I can still feel the pull that the deer exerted when nibbling on the these treats as I held them through the wire fence.fullsizeoutput_6c52

I recall going there quite often because we lived fairly close by. I loved walking on the stone ledges pretending to balance on a precarious cliff. In the warm weather my parents would dress us in our Sunday best and we would walk down by Grenadier Pond and around the beautiful gardens. It was also a favourite place to take visitors.

Last Sunday my husband and I drove to High Park (it’s a bit far to walk to now), parked the car and started to walk along the pathways. When we got to the top of one hill I made a request to head down towards the zoo. I felt like a kid again. The camels are no longer there but the deer and bison still reside in this zoo. Feeding the animals is now completely forbidden.

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Do you visit a place that brings back fond memories from when you were a child?

Weather for the Dogs (and their owners)

…..spring like conditions continue in the Northern Hemisphere

The sun has come out and the temperatures have climbed well above freezing for more than a week now and it looks like will continue for another week or more. On Sunday my husband and I drove to High Park and took a nice long walk in the off leash area where dogs and their owners can walk, run and play. Earlier in the day I walked in the neighbourhood, where I also came across some dogs and lots of swans.

In High Park there were a lot more people and dogs and the walk was quite challenging due to the steep hill at the end of the walk. When you start downhill you know that at some point you have to go up again.

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Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Structure

….thanks Cee for hosting the Black and White Photo Challenge

In life there are two kinds of structures; those that appear naturally in nature and those that are man-made.

Structures in Nature

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Man-made Structures

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Letter Z or Animals or People Snoozing

….thanks Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge

This week we can post any photo that has words with Z in them or shots of people or animals catching some ZZZs.

Blizzard Conditions

Zoo (then and now)

Me at the High Park Zoo in 1955

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The Toronto Zoo in 2017

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Catching Some ZZZs

 

Cee’s Which Way Photography – February 9, 2018

…..thanks Cee for hosting Which Way Photography

It’s a snowy day in Toronto and there are two more days of it to come on Saturday and Sunday. In many places you can’t tell where the path begins or ends.

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WPC – Tour Guide of Toronto

….thanks to Word Press  for a theme close to my heart

People always ask me if I’ll move away from Toronto when I retire. I can’t imagine living anywhere else right now. I live in the southwestern area of Toronto more commonly known as New Toronto or South Etobicoke. I love being 15 minutes from downtown (depending on the time of day) and being able to take advantage of all the city has to offer. On the other hand, I feel blessed to live where I do. A century ago people used to travel to this neighbourhood from downtown because they had cottages here on the lake. A few of those old structures still stand today but they are quickly being eaten up by renovators who appreciate the value of the land.

My father recently moved back here after living in Oshawa for 20 years. He feels like he’s come back home. Nothing beats the view of the city skyline that I see everyday at the bottom of the street where I’ve lived for 39 years.

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I love the nature trails and beautiful parks that you can find all over the city. The big one in my neighbourhood has wonderful hiking and biking paths that wind through Colonel Samuel Smith Park and the Humber College grounds. Part of it is a naturalized area with a pond in the middle and Lake Ontario at the south end. We have more wildlife here than we do at my cottage. It’s not unusual to see coyotes, foxes, beavers, turtles, o’possums, racoons, skunks and the occasional deer. We have birds and waterfowl galore. In the summer many people come to the park to take advantage of the beaches that line the eastern side of the extension to get relief from the heat or to paddle or kite surf.

If you’re not into nature the city offers the best in museums, art galleries, aquariums, recreational sports and the best restaurants.