Evergreen Park - 2

Evergreen Park -2

The Don Valley Brick Works

The Don Valley Brick Works made bricks that built Toronto. Now, these same buildings (and the new LEED Platinum building added) generates ideas and tools for building the sustainable city of the future.

Evergreen has transformed this site into an environmental centre where communities can discover how to live, work and play more sustainably. Evergreen Brick Works is a social enterprise; the money you spend supports the programs the society delivers. Explore the natural spaces. Get your hands dirty. Enjoy local food. Discover the past. Think about the future. Ask questions. Share your ideas and explore new ones. Take part in the programs and activities. Or just wander about.

Evergreen is a national Canadian not-for-profit that inspires to green cities. A national charity since 1991, Evergreen makes cities more livable by bringing people and nature together for the benefit of both.

All the pictures have been taken by Elena.

Quarry-building An old building of brick works.

This 12-acre industrial site is owned by the Toronto and Region conservation Authority (TRCA) and managed by the City of Toronto. Evergreen is operating the site under a 21-year lease. The TRCA and City of Toronto have contributed to the project.

Rim of what was once a huge day quarry. What is now transformed into natural habitat was once a large quarry for brick manufacturing.

As you explore this special public park, you will discover aspects of its industrial past, how natural habitats are maintained in the present, and how the landscape may evolve in the future.

A conference room on the site.

You can also explore the edible landscape, water features, as well as the spaces to build things with natural materials.

The site’s living landscape is designed to grow and change throughout the seasons and evolve through the interactions between children and nature.

Don Valley Brick Works Park is an important link in Toronto’s natural ravine system. To appreciate the extent of Toronto’s green corridors, take a look at the Watershed Wall sculpture located at the Evergreen Brick Works.

Please enjoy the park responsibly. Walking off the trail, climbing the slopes, letting dogs off leash, and disturbing wildlife or vegetation all cause serious damage to the park. Choose to help, not to hurt!

The Skyline of Toronto spells Don Valley Products.

This Evergeen site hosts a few gardens: Aspen Garden: The Garden Club of Toronto designed this garden highlighting one of Ontario’s best pioneer species, trembling aspen. First to come back when a forest regenerates, pioneer species thrive in poor growing environment and help create ideal conditions for other plant species to take root and increase biodiversity. Seed Producers Garden: this garden features native trees, shrubs and wildflowers that provide an abundance of seeds that feed birds and other wildlife throughout the seasons. Space family garden. Meighen family garden.

Old-brick-plant Deep into the Earth. As recently as the 1980’s, where this photo was taken would have been at the edge of a pit over 50 metres deep. Brick manufacturers operating here over 100 years dug an enormous quarry in order to extract clay.

Quarry Chimney court. Quarry Don Valley Chimney of the Bricks Worksю

Skyline Toronto -  The skyline of Torono spells Don Valley products.

Harbinger foundation water tower.

 To appreciate the extent of Toronto’s green corridors, take a look at the Watershed Wall sculpture located at the Evergreen Brick Works.

Evergreen Bricks Works graffity, detail.

Wolf Graffiti on the back wall of an old industrial building.

Beaver and Owl, graffity on the old walls

The level you are standing on is the result of thousands of tonnes or rock dirt and broken brick (spoil) used to fill in the quarry after brick making stopped in 1989.

To get an idea of the size of this huge pit, look up at the ridge of the park. Now imagine that same rim extended down at least five times deeper below.Ground level today - quarry pit now filled in - bottom level of quarry

Weston Quarry Garden. Return often to enjoy and help care for this special place!

Quarry Lake North slope of the park, where plant growth is now covering the once exposed layers of geological history.

Toronto Monuments - Part II

Toronto Monuments - Part II

Toronto ranks highly in global rankings and is consistently ranked first in Canada.

Through the 1960s and 1970s, significant pieces of Toronto's architectural heritage were demolished to make way for redevelopment or parking. In contrast, since the 2000s, Toronto has experienced a period of architectural revival, with several buildings by world-renowned architects having opened during the late 2000s. Daniel Libeskind's Royal Ontario Museum addition, Frank Gehry's remake of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Will Alsop's distinctive Ontario College of Art & Design expansion are among the city's new showpieces. The historic Distillery District, located on the eastern edge of downtown has been redeveloped into a pedestrian-oriented arts, culture and entertainment neighbourhood.

You can appreciate here a few monuments that make Toronto one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

A group on Bloor street.

Lieutenant-Colonel John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806). first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (1791-1806). Founder of the City of Toronto, July 30th, 1793.

Queen Victoria.

Sir Oliver Mowat (1820 – 1903). Born in Kingston, Mowat studied Law under John A. MacDonald after moving to Toronto in 1840, he was elected a liberal membere of the Legislature of the Province of Canada in 1857 and served as provincial secretary in 1858 and Postmaster General, 1863 – 1864. He took part in the Quebec Conference of 1864 which led to Conederation in 1867. Mowat became Ontario’s third Prime Minister in 1877, succeeding the Honorable Edward Blake and retained that post for almost 24 years. Resigning in 1896, he accepted a seat in the Senate, and became Minister of Justice, 1896-97, in the cabinet of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Mowat served as lieutenant-governor of Ontario fromm 1897 until his death.

George Brown, one of the Fathers of the Confederation.

Monument to Whithey.

вв

Robert Gourlay (1778 – 1863). He championed reforms ahead of his time. In Scotland – a vote for every man who could read and write. In England – a living wage for workers. In Canada – fair land distribution. Banished from Upper Canada in 1819 on false charges of sedition brought by the Family Compact. His writings had an impact on events leading to the 1837 rebellion. Monument erected thanks to Lois Darrocj (Milani) Christine (Milani) Bayly Families and Friends, North Yora Historical Society, Toronto Culture. "The first question in political economy should be, can the mass of the people live comfortably under this or that arrangement? But this most necessary question was forgotten, and many of the people have perished." (Robert Gourlay, Statistical Account of Upper Canada, 1822).

A Roman statue on the University of Toronto campus.

Business images, or illustrations pertaining to daily lives of real and animated businesspersons. More pictures grouped according to theme can be found on the artwork, photography and animation index page.

A monument on Avenue Road in Yorkville.

Woman's Head. Animated businessperson.

Mayberry Fine Art, Yorkville

Per Ardua Ad Astra. Im Memory of our Canadian Airmen who fought in the skies to preserve freedom and order in the world.

Sculptor John Robinson. This symmetrical combination of interlocking hollow triangles, no two of whick are linked, is an example of borromean rings studied in knot theory.

Gwendolyn MacEwen. Poet and Author (1941 – 1987). But it is never over nothing ends until we want it to. Look, in shattered midnights, On black ice, under silver trees. We are still dancing, dancing. (From Late Song – Afterwords, 1987).

The Vessel. Artist: Ilan Sandler 2009. This sculpture of a water-carrying vessel is made from 4 kilometers of stainless steel rod. The rod measures the approximate length of Taddle Creek, which ran from Taddle Creek Park through downtown Toronto to Lake Ontario. The piece reconstitutes a memory of the buried creek by referencing its length and by bend in the steel rod into water-carrying arteries. Water from the Vessel  is stored in an underground cistern and used to irrigate the park. Vessels have accompanied all peoples for millennia and are often seen as a surrogate for the body; like a container, it also acts as a fountain, relating the creek`s historical significance as a life-sustaining water source to the future pleasure of the community. (Commemoration and Installation: June 2011. Commissioned by the city of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Cultural Services, Public Art Office. Taddle Creek Park, Toronto.

A monument to an unknown lady between Bay and Yonge Street in down-town Toronto.

Montreal's Old Port

Montreal's Old Port

The Old Port of Montreal is the historic port of this city. This site was used as early as 1611, when French fur traders used it as a trading post.

The historical Old Port was redeveloped in the early 1990s, under the direction of architects Aurèle Cardinal and Peter Rose.Today the Old Port offers Montrealers and visitors alike access to a wide variety of activities, including the Montréal Science Centre, with an IMAX Theatre, and the Montreal Clock Tower.

It offers riverfront access for walking, cycling, roller-blading, quadricycle, pedalo and Segway rentals. The area  as a popular destination for cycling, roller-blading and pleasure boating.

In June 2012, an urban beach, called the Plage de l'Horloge (Clock Beach), opened adjacent to the Clock Tower.

The historical Old Port was redeveloped in the early 1990s, under the direction of architects Aurèle Cardinal and Peter Rose. It is today a recreational and historical area. The Old Port offers Montrealers and visitors alike access to a wide variety of activities, including the Montréal Science Centre, with an IMAX Theatre, and the Montreal Clock Tower. It offers riverfront access for walking, cycling, roller-blading, quadricycle, pedalo and Segway rentals. The area as a popular destination for cycling, roller-blading and pleasure boating. In June 2012, an urban beach, called the Plage de l'Horloge (Clock Beach), opened adjacent to the Clock Tower. Every 2 years the Cirque du Soleil launches a new show from the Jacques Cartier Quay.

The Old Port is managed by the Old Port of Montreal Corporation, a subsidiary of Canada Lands Company, but it reports directly to the government.

In the 19th century, transporting goods along the St. Lawrence River was no simple task. Downstream near the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the Sainte-Marie current was so powerful that some boats had to be hauled through. Upstream in the western part of the river, the Lachine Rapids – the result of a 14-metre drop between Lake Saint-Louis and Laprairie Basin – thwarted the expansion of the port.

Until the turn of the 20th century, the sudden mid-winter thaws and inevitable spring ice jams considerably hindered the development of the port of Montreal. Masses of ice measuring up to 15 metres high caused devastating floods, including the most memorable flood of 1886. The repeated flooding prevented the construction of permanent infrastructures.

MacKay Pier (now known as Cité-du-Havre Point) was built between 1891 and 1898 to keep the ice flow in the St. Mary`s current and away from the shore. A cut stone firewall was built along de la Commune Sttreet in 1899. Finally protected, the port of Montreal could expand. Year-round navigation only became possible in 1964, when icebreakers started breaking the ice in order to open the St. Lawrence navigation canal.

De la Commune Street. This street separates Old Montreal from the Old Port. It stretches for over two kilometres along the St. Lawrence River in Old Montreal. 

The Souvenir Tower, also known as the Clock Tower (Tour de l'Horloge.

Old Port rapids.In the old times, the repeated flooding prevented the construction of permanent infrastructures.

Bonsecours bassin of the Old Port of Montreal.

Tour of  the Horloge (The Clock Tower).

Until the turn of the 20th century, the sudden mid-winter thaws and inevitable spring ice jams considerably hindered the development of the port of Montreal.

Old port of Montreal, general view.

Bonsecours Church as seen from the Old Port.

Bonsecours Bassin.

Upstream in the western part of the river, the Lachine Rapids – the result of a 14-metre drop between Lake Saint-Louis and Laprairie Basin – thwarted the expansion of the port.

Every 2 years the Cirque du Soleil launches a new show from the Jacques Cartier Quay.In the 19th century, transporting goods along the St. Lawrence River was no simple task.

Centre of Science in Old Port of Montreal.

A blue installation.

MacKay Pier (now known as Cité-du-Havre Point) was built between 1891 and 1898 to keep the ice flow in the St. Mary`s current and away from the shore.

A cut stone firewall was built along de la Commune Street in 1899.

Locks of love in the Old Port of Montreal.

Trails of  the Old Port.

Cartier Bridge as seen from the Old Port.

Chunnel if by Land

Chunnel if by Land, Ferry if by Sea

London and France were joined by land for the first time since the Ice Age, in 1994

After years of work drilling the 31-mile tunnel out of the chalk bedrock beneath the English Channel, the $16 billion Chunnel - shorthand for Channel Tunnel - opened in 1994 with non-stop service between London and Paris.

The 300-mile trip between the two capitals takes about three hours on the 186-mph Eurostar bullet trains. That's substantially faster than a direct flight when you include taxi time from the airport to downtown.

You can"t drive through the chunnel, but will be able to transport your car on a train at prices that are competitive with those of regular ferries. Le Shuttle - the Franco-Anglo name for the car-train - costs hundreds of dollars for one car to go one way. Service started in late 1995, with a crossing-time just a few minutes under that of a standard hovercraft ferry.

Passenger fares are less competitive. A direct flight from London to Paris can be had for much less than the lowest-prices Eurostar ticket. For those looking for convenience and service, Eurostar may be just the ticket.

American and Canadian travelers can buy Eurostar tickets online or through a travel agent or else through ticket broker Britrail Travel International.

Celebrating the Chunnel, may be? Photo by Elena.

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park

3 million visitors per year – 485 square miles – Best part of the beautiful Teton range.

There are not many places in the world where you can literally stand next to a mountain. Foothills usually intervene. Imagine then Grand Teton, where the mountains rise sharply out of the relatively flat Jackson Hole Valley like stark, granite skyscrapers.

Another geological oddity formed during the ice age, Jackson Hole Valley looks as if some gargantuan infant sculpted it out of Play-Doh. When the valley formed, little driblets from the glaciers formed rocky deposits, called moraines, around the six sparkling mountain lakes that were incongruously punctured into the landscape.

Winding gently through this stranger valley is the Snake River, along the bans of which grow willows, cottonwoods, and the blue spruces in which bald eagles prefer to nest. Beavers have built dams up and down the river, forming wetlands that have an incredibly dense concentration of wildlife, including bears, elk, moose, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, and Canada geese.

Peak season tips: From June through August, most of the crowds can be found near Jenny Lake, which has sand beaches and sometimes is warm enough for a quick swim.

Winter is coming. Photo by Elena.

Camping : Campgrounds are generally open from late May to October. In summer, Jenny Lake campground filles the fastest and has a seven-day camping limit – the other five parks have two-week limits. Camping at all six campgrounds is available on a first-come, first served basis except at Colter Bay Trailer Village, where reservations are required.

Best one-day trip: Beginning at the south entrance on Route 191, stop at Mentor's Ferry and the Chapel of the Transfiguration for a look at the dwellings of some of the area's first pionners. Then drive north along Teton Park Road to Lupine Meadow and take the spur road to the trail head, where there is a difficult hike to Amphitheater Lake near the timberline. Attempt this only if you are in good shape. Head back up Teton Road for a stop at South Jenny Lake, which is located at the bottom of the tallest Teton Peak. An easy six-mile hike there circles the lake and affords spectacular views of the mountain. Finally, stop at Colter Bay for a one-mile hike that loops around the wetlands and provides good opportunities for viewing the wildlife up close.

Best experience: In winter, horse-drawn sleighs take visitors to see the herd of 11,000 elk that live in the valley.