Custom Bike?

During a walk along Gerard Street in Toronto this past Saturday, in a futile attempt to get into the Don Jail (part of Open Doors Toronto, nothing criminal here) Adrienne and I passed an "Antique" shop. As part of the effort to lure you in, this motorcycle was parked up front.

In its better days this was a fairly nice Kawasaki bike. Now it has passed into bike oblivion and has been tarted up to attract potential customers. Any trace of what passes for macho-chique is now long gone and it is chained to the wall to prevent its (unlikely) theft.

Visit to the Mystic Muffin

This past Saturday, while on a fruitless attempt to visit a few of the choicest venues for the open Doors Toronto event, Adrienne passed through the Moss Park area and found ourselves Elias Makhoul's Mystic Muffin restaurant at Jarvis and Richmond of Toronto.

The first thing that caught my eye was the sign on the side of the building. Satisfied that we were both of age (by the Muffin's criteria anyway), we entered. Deliberating at the extensive and colourful menu, Elias (the owner) encouraged us to try the apple cake - $2.00 a piece (a generous one at that) for with our coffees. He looked at his watch, noted he was closing in half-an-hour, and proceeded to enter into a negotiation process. The offer was to sell us half of an apple cake for $8.00 instead of $8.95. We hummed and hawed. But it sure smelled great so I agreed providing he cut off some for us to have with our coffees. Elias then said we should leave the cake intact and he would give us a couple of regular pieces of apple cake instead as a snack (since he was going to close soon anyway). The deal was done and Adrienne and I settled on stools at the bar to enjoy.

A few moments later and slightly agitated man entered, clearly under the influence of some type of recreational pharmaceutical, and proceeded to loudly offer to pay Elias $10.00 tomorrow (i.e. Sunday) if he could have a piece of Rice Crispy Square now. Elias then suggested he may never see the money if he did that. Elias furthermore reminded him that he was still owed money from the last time. A debate ensued. Although the man was somewhat agitated, the verbal sparring was clearly good natured, although protracted. The offer to pay tomorrow was repeated. Elias reminded him that "tomorrow" was Sunday and the place was closed. I quietly signaled to Elias that I would buy the square for the man. Elias nodded and winked to us and carried on with the negotiations, but quickly gave the man the square, after which he left the restaurant and returned to the Moss Park grounds.

Elias then explained to us the man was a regular there. He had no money, lived in a men's shelter and was a long-time drug user. His history was typical for the area: recurring cycles of drug use, police arrests followed by cleaning up and getting clean, return to the only place he knows and could afford, reestablishing his "friendships", getting that first "free" welcome back hit from his dealer and the certain and rapid return to the druggie lifestyle. The area has an inordinately high concentration of shelters and halfway houses. The parks are home to many others in the same boat. Elias said that in the 16 years he had been in that location, nothing much has changed and he has a number of regulars who benefit from his end-of-the-day cleanup.

The Mystic Muffin is an intriguing place. If you visit, spend some time reading the menus and especially the notices on the blackboard. The apple cake fully lived up to Elias' claims. Visit for a great snack and enjoy the local colour.

Bev's Diving Platform: Variations on a Theme

Last winter was pretty hard on the diving platform just offshore from my in-law's place on Long Lake in Northern Ontario. It finally succumbed to the ice and had to be rebuilt. With fewer young ones around, a smaller platform was in order and this is what replaced the old one.


These images of a favourite spot area variations on a theme. They were taken at different times: dawn (with mist off the lake), at night with a flash-light for illumination and during a particularly spectacular sunrise.

Variations On An Iris.

I love Iris, the flower , not the girl (otherwise my wife would disapprove!!!) These are a collection of variations on images of a single stalk of Iris blooms taken in varying lighting conditions and at various angles. As you can see, most are close-ups of various strengths.

Iris are not only beautiful, but in my opinion are the most improbable looking flower anyone could design. Hence the fascination, I guess.

Enjoy.

Some Spring Flower Close-ups

After a recent rainstorm, I went out to the garden and captured a few images.

The first one is a water droplet in the junction of some leaves.

The second is a pink Columbine (Aquelegia) covered in fine water droplets. This close-up image is of a section perhaps 2 cm (about 3/4 inch for our American friends) wide.

The third image is of water drops on a tulip petal (alas, one of the last tulips of the season here).

The fourth image shows a close-up of a section of an Iris, also with a single water droplet.

Springtime in Algonquin Park

It is spring in Algonquin Park, a large provincial park in eastern Ontario. The snow still (rarely) appears in sheltered pockets but, for the most part is gone. Flowers are blooming. This includes the iconic Trillium, Ontario's provincial flower.

The first image is of a white Trillium along the Mizzy Lake trail in the south-eastern portion of Algonquin. Note the red markings. This is quite different from the more common type of pure white Trillium found in southern Ontario (this one is in Grimsby) as shown in the second image.

The third image is of a red Trillium, also along the Mizzy Lake trail.

The fourth image is of flowers on a shrub that grows quite extensively in the park (and also in the Bruce Peninsula). In the fall, I have seen bears eating the berries. Unfortunately I do not know the name nor did a search produce any results. If you can identify it, please leave a comment - would be much appreciated.

Also along the Mizzy Lake trail is a stream running out of (not surprisingly) Mizzy Lake. A few small falls appear there and two are shown in the fifth and sixth images.

One thing you can count on when driving through Algonquin is when you see cars parked along the roadside, look for a moose. The seventh image is of a young moos with small antler buds. Its winter fir is moulting and thus the bare-looking spot on the shoulders.

Finally, there is the Beaver. In this case it is not the animal but the aircraft widely used to access remote areas lacking roads but with lakes large enough to land and take off from. This model is, I beleive, an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources deHavilland DHC-2 Mk 3 Turbo Beavers on amphibian floats and is parked right besidethe road. It is perhaps the most widely photographed beaver in the world.

Dandelions, Marsh Marigolds and Cattails

Spring time is here and the new plants are inevitably accompanied by dandelions.

These first image is at a peach orchard on Lake Street in St Catharines, Ontario, (yes that is how you spell St Catharines). These orchards are becoming less common, particularly since the closing this month of the last fruit packing plant in the province. Seems it is cheaper to import the fruit and then use loopholes in labeling laws to claim a deceptively high Canadian content. Go figure!

The second and third images are of dandelions among grape vines. This vinyard is on top of the Niagara Escarptment just south of the town of Grimsby. There is a significant wine industry in this area and that is also adding to the pressure to pull out tender fruit orchards as farmers caught between a rock and a hard place seek crops that can in fact pay the way.

While returning from a family function in the Shelburne area, we passed a marsh with a large patch of Marsh Marigolds. Thanks to that, the fourth and fifth images.

Finally, the last remnants of the 2007 crop of Cattails stood up just a little longer behind the dam in Rockwood.

Spring is here.

Continuing With the Theme - Flower Macros

And here we go again....

The first and third images are Tulips.

The second is a Scilla.

The Fourth is a magnolia.

Yet Again - Flower Macros

The first image is the inside of a Magnolia bloom. Note the small midge crawling about. Flowers are nice. Midges are irritating.

The second image is a blue-yellow bicolour Primula.

The third is a cluster of cherry blossoms about to open fully. This image is one of a very few I have used a diffused flash for.

The fourth image is of the centre of a "Paper-White" Narcissus.

More Spring Flower Abstracts

Here are a few more maros shots of flowers with an abstract bent.

The first is of Magnolia petals.

The second is a white Magnolia.

The third is a flower that I have forgotten the name of. Help appreciated if anyone knows.

The fourth is a Scilla (also called a Wild Hyacinth by some).

All were sot using a Raynox DCR250 closeup lense on the FZ30.

More Flower Abstracts (Macros)

These are more abstracts of flowers obtained by working at very close distances and thereby cropping away most of the more familiar aspects of common spring garden flowers. In all cases the are show is about 2 cm wide (3/4 inch for our American friends). All were taken using a special closeup lense - Raynox DCR250 (for those with a technical interest) in front of the camera lense.

The first is a closeup of what my mother called a "paper white", a type of narcissus.

The second is part of the crown of an unopened yellow-red bicolour tulip.

The third is a daffodil.

The fourth is a grape hyacinth.