…..thanks to Ailsa for hosting Travel Theme: Branches
Travel Theme: Branches
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Category Archives: Toronto
New Flower (November 3, 2017) – Last Rose of Summer
….the next few ‘new flower’ posts will consist of flowers from the neighbourhood that are still hanging in there
The Mighty Charles
….Charles is a wild born western lowland gorilla who resides at the Toronto Zoo
Charles turned 45 this fall and has sired 15 offspring while living at the Toronto Zoo. He came to Toronto in 1974 when he was only 2 years old. In the 90s he created quite an uproar because he wouldn’t interact with offspring that weren’t his own and wouldn’t allow the prodigy from other gorilla groups to socialize.
In order to allow the others to interact Charles was sent away for a brief period of time each day in solitude. In an effort to keep Charles contented during these intervals away from his harem, he was given access to large sheets of paper and non-toxic coloured paints. His painting were sold for $400 to $1000 a piece and the money raised ($37 000.00) was used for a new gorilla exhibit. Check the link below to see some of his work.
On our visit Charles rested comfortably at the base of the enclosure looking over his harem and the other families. He is clearly the dominant male there. The other large silver back males have to be kept away from him. When his own male offspring reach maturity they have to be sent away so that father and son don’t fight each other for control of the harem.
As Charles watches the females guard their offspring and the young ones climb and play with each other.
Halloween at the Zoo
….it started out chilly but when the sun came out the layers came off
Going to the zoo during the week on Halloween had its perks. There was lots of parking, the line-up to get into the zoo was very short and we didn’t have to push through crowds of people to see the pandas. The downside is that a lot of the refreshment stands and rest areas were closed. The mono-rail wasn’t operating and some of the animal enclosures were closed.
We arrived late morning and we needed to bundle up to stay warm. Out came the hats, gloves and scarves. As soon as we entered the grounds we could see that staff had made an effort to decorate for Halloween.
Our first destination was the panda pavilion. The pandas are on loan here from China and the original two successfully mated to produce two cubs. The young cubs are already two years old and are almost the same size as their parents. In March, Toronto will have to say good-bye to the pandas when they move to Calgary. I was thrilled that I was able to get so close to get some great shots.
As we walked from the Giant Panda Experience towards the Polar Bears and then to the African Savanna, the sun came out and we shed our hats, gloves and scarves. The pathways are beautifully laid out as they wind through forests of orange, gold and red. There were many interesting animals along the way but this post would be far too long if I mentioned them all. I’ll save that for another day.
Sunday Trees – 309
….thanks to Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees
The colours are finally starting to change. It’s mid October and most of the trees are still green.
New Flower (October 13, 2017) – Pink Mums
….Happy Birthday Winnie!
Thursday Doors on Eleventh Street
…..thanks Norm for hosting Thursday Doors
This week, October 12, 2107, my doors come from my neighbourhood. Last week I featured doors on Tenth Street and this week I’m posting doors a block west of there. I love this time of year because people are putting out harvest and Hallowe’en decorations.
WPC – Scale
scale
[skāl]
NOUN
scales (plural noun)
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the relative size or extent of something:“no one foresaw the scale of the disaster” · “everything in the house is on a grand scale”
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a ratio of size in a map, model, drawing, or plan:“a one-fifth scale model of a seven-story building” · “an Ordnance Survey map on a scale of 1:2500”
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mathematicsa system of numerical notation in which the value of a digit depends upon its position in the number, successive positions representing successive powers of a fixed base:“the conversion of the number to the binary scale”
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photographythe range of exposures over which a photographic material will give an acceptable variation in density.
This week’s theme for WordPress’ Photo Challenge is scale.
- This last shot was taken by my son on his way back from Chicago to London. The island at the north end of the shot is Christian Island where our cottage is situated.
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Sunday Trees – 308
….thanks Becca for hosting Sunday Trees
Thursday Doors on Tenth Street
….thanks to Norm for hosting Thursday Doors – Oct. 5, 2017
The streets that run north/south in my neighbourhood are all named with numbers, i.e., First Street, Second Street, etc.. It can be a bit challenging when you live at the bottom of the street close to the lake and have a low house number. When your address is 7 Sixth Street it is not uncommon for people to end up at 6 Seventh Street by mistake. The other challenge is that the streets on the Toronto Islands have the same names. This is where postal codes are really important if you want your letter to get to the right place.
Mama Cormier 