Toronto

My photo sites for Toronto were quite different than those I chose in Montreal. I shed my tourist identity in Toronto and took most of my pictures in areas close to Jaime and Andrew’s home in the Upper Beach neighbourhood of east Toronto.

It’s a short walk to the lakefront, where I took a number of shots of Lake Ontario. The following two pictures were taken on the beaches as I walked along the waterfront boardwalk.

This lone tree, growing on a rocky point jutting into the water caught my attention and earned a place in today’s post.

This next scene was taken from a shaded area just off the boardwalk. I like the many colours aligned into the scene, beginning with the red leaves of the maple tree, followed by the multi-hued muskoka chairs on the beach, and lastly the coloured leaves on the trees in the background.

I was surprised to find this monarch butterfly on a sunflower in late October. All I can say is that the butterfly (and the flower) are survivors, taking advantage of one of the remaining, warm autumn days.

As I moved on from the lakefront, I wandered through the neighbourhoods of the Beaches area, around Queen Street east. I saw many signs of late autumn, the fallen leaves and of course the harbinger of Hallowe’en, the pumpkin.

The most striking signs of autumn were the brightly coloured trees, including this brilliantly illuminated maple.

For those of us who have lived in Ontario, this next scene revives fond memories of Fall and the annual ritual of raking the fallen leaves. For those of us old enough to have preceded the ban on burning those leaves, it recalls the aromatic smoke of the bonfires on weekend afternoons. (It’s probably a good thing I didn’t have a rake and some matches!)

I took several pictures along city streets in east Toronto, including this one of a bike share rack on Gerrard Street. I seem to have been drawn to scenes featuring bicycles, ranging from these modern models, representing the resurgence of bicycle travel in urban areas.

At the other end of the bicycle spectrum in this much older model, seemingly re-purposed as an advertising vehicle.

I wrap up today’s post with this striking scene of the late afternoon sun shining through and highlighting the brilliant colours of this maple’s leaves.

In the course of my meandering, I was struck by the profusion of Hallowe’en decorated homes. Much more than I’m accustomed to seeing in Western Canada. The enthusiasm is apparent, particularly in our two grandsons.

The header for today’s post is chosen in recognition of this very popular event. Happy Hallowe’en!