Toronto Thunderstorm, Queen's Park, OCAD, AGO, CN Tower, Kensington Market

A thunderstorm in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) cut short my tour of Queen's Park, OCAD (Ontario College Art and Design), AGO, the C N Tower and Kensington Market, but the rainy afternoon was offset by the lovely morning and a good lunch. (Click on image to enlarge, then click Back button to return to this page.)

Queen's Park Toronto Ontario

This historic building is Queen's Park, at University and Wellesley Ave. Queen's Park is seat of the Ontario legislature. As a seat of government, it's a magnet for protesters, though this day, the sole protester was a mother with baby in stroller, and a sign asking for support for autistic children.

OCAD 'Pencil Crayon' Supports

Toronto visitor inspects the pencil crayon-like supports for the top floors of the Ontario College of Art and Design that frame the historic towers of Fort York to the southwest.

OCAD Support Beams along McCaul Street Toronto

Pedestrians make their way around the colorful crayon supports that pierce the sidewalk along McCaul Street in downtown Toronto.

Art Gallery Ontario ( AGO ) Henry Moore Sculpture

The AGO -- Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas Street West at McCaul -- is a short distance north of OCAD (see googlemap), and newly re-designed by Frank Gehry. Admission is free on Wednesday nights (6-8:30 p.m. - see AGO info).

NOTE AGO new Henry Moore Exhibit October 23, 2010 on the darker side of Moore. Details Toronto Star article here.

C N Tower Toronto Landmark

The CN Tower is the perfect landmark to get your bearings in Toronto (see Chinatown post for more) I took this picture from the path that links the patio area outside the entrance to the tower elevators and Union Station covered walkway. See the site at http://www.cntower.com/ for prices. With the thunderstorm already threatening this hot and humid day, we decided against going up the Tower.

The admission fees have increased since last I went up to the restaurant (360 resto), and if I remember correctly, the current adult ticket cost is about $22; However, if you order a main course at the resto, this fee is comped. The menu for 360 is posted in the patio area. Have a look before making your choice: To Dine or Not to Dine.

Kensington Market Toronto Ontario

Kensington Market is a few blocks east from Union Station, itself a few blocks east of the CN Tower along Front Street or via indoor walkway. The historic Market is typical of those in other cities ( Saint John, NB; Santiago, Chile) and a good spot to buy meat, seafood, vegetables and fruit, lunch or souvenirs of Canada, like maple syrup. Saturday mornings are the busiest time.

Wellington Street Office Towers

The office towers of downtown Toronto offer photographers interesting camera angle shots in their shape, and in their reflective windows. Keep your camera handy, and remember to look up and back to catch unusual shots.

Thunderstorm Shelter at Commerce Court Toronto

As the downpour began in earnest, I took shelter under the glass awnings outside Commerce Court on Wellington Street. This location is a block or so north of Union Station, the train and subway transit hub for Toronto.

Since I had to wait out the heaviest of the thunderstorm, I turned my camera setting to Video, and took some shots of the rain on the roads.

(See my video at Toronto Thunderstorm)

Magnolias, Mother Goose, Baby Geese (goslings) Lake Ontario Shore,

I've been watching for the magnolias at Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens (BRG) in Port Credit (Ontario, Canada) to come into flower, and today I could see that most of them were in bloom. But what I didn't expect to see were the goslings on the other side of the park. First the magnolias:

Brueckner Memorial Magnolia with Robin

Here's the small magnolia tree just at the entrance to BRG. At it's base is a small plaque honouring the late Dr. Joseph Brueckner, whose rhodos (or what's left of them) grace the park that now carries his name. A robin alighted for a few minutes and I am thrilled I actually got his photo!

Magnolia Tree in Bloom - Close Up

These magnolia blossoms hardly seem real, they are so perfect! They look more like a bridal headpiece, don't they?

Girl with Goslings ~ Lake Ontario Beach

As I walked up the path and over the top of the hill, I could hear voices. Coming closer, I peeked over the edge of the bank that drops off to the beach on Lake Ontario. There, this young girl had gotten closer to the Goose Family than I was able to.

Canada Goose and Goslings Close Up

I did get the picture above, though, and took a short video (below). I cropped the original large image to get this close up view. The goslings' new feathers had a greenish cast, and looked very fluffy. We're a bit surprised to see goslings this old at this time of year -- it is a little early -- but with the random hot spells the past few weeks, I was pretty sure all the birds had been nesting.

Here's the video I took -- just a short one, with my little Canon digital. I was about 20 feet from them, and used the zoom, so it's a little shaky -- sorry! But at the very end, one of the goslings does this little wing flap -- so cute! I stitched the two short videos with iMovie.

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