That Flirty Sun

“The sun was as flirty as Scarlett O'Hara with the Tarleton twins, breaking through the clouds in spectacular bursts that seemed like personal favors and then retreating for hours, days, and making us all ache for just a glimpse.” ~ Lorna Landvik

In my previous post, I brought you along to a football game at Toronto's Rogers Centre. It had been a rainy day but by the time we were ready to head home, the sun had made a most welcomed appearance.


Since we've now met again at Union Station, perhaps we can ride the train together.





Lucky for us, we were able to get a window seat. The sunlight is barely peeking through the still-heavy cloud coverage but it's enough to illuminate towers and treetops and add a bit of drama to our journey homeward.





At various points along the way, we get a good view of Lake Ontario.






There's a lot going on here - sunlit shrubbery, trains at rest, a tower, tractors, lamp posts and the reflection in the window which offers a glimpse of the view through the other side of the train.





Another view of the lake before we reach our destination.





As we're pulling into the station, another train works its way westward.

 



There's a bit of construction going on at the station during the week. Although at rest on this day, the sun seems to have awakened the brilliant orange, yellow and turquoise of the equipment.





Just before we found our car, Frank pointed out the top of this bicycle rack shelter.

For some reason it makes me think of this scene from The Wizard of Oz.






You might as well get in the car with us. Doesn't Frank's beard look cool in the sunlight?





One last sight before we arrive home - the church Frank attended in his youth. The cross appears to be lit from inside but it's catching the last rays of this beautiful sunshine.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends. I think I can smell the sweet scent of turkey wafting up here, over the border. 

One more thing, please...

For those of you who may not know her, Laura is, among many talents, a spiritual director, poet, photographer and of course, a wonderful blogger. She has asked me to include the following Thanksgiving message in today's post so that you can share in her gratitude for life and perhaps be a part of her fine project yourself:

“The Mega Mobius Gratitude Quilt was an idea born in November of 2009 when I had an MS exacerbation that made it difficult for me to communicate through words. I did not know at that time if proper syntax and missing words would return, but I wanted to write something for my Thanksgiving blog post, because I felt so deeply grateful for the goodness in my life. I was concerned that I would not be able to write it myself, so I asked friends and family to be earth angels and help me out by sending me brief messages about what they were grateful for in the moment. Thus began an annual tradition, and thankfully speech and the ability to write returned not long after the first quilt was created. This year more than two hundred people came together to create the quilt with me! You can view the quilt on November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day in the United States by stopping by my blog Shine the Divine. Additional offerings are welcomed in the “leave a comment” box beneath the post.

Gentle steps,
Laura

Ps. It is called the Mega Mobius Gratitude Quilt because a mobius form never ends... may that be so for expressions of gratitude as well.”

Arrrrgoooos

I'm certain that I've written about my wonderful neighbours in the past. Good friends who also happen to live on our street.


Mark is one of those really nice guys, and he is relatively new to the area. Jen has lived next door to me for about a dozen years now. She met Mark a few years back and he's become part of the gang since he decided to share Jen's home a few years ago.

Typically, on a Friday summer evening, Frank and I will be outside on my front deck. I might have a glass of wine or a cooler and Frank will be enjoying a shot of tequila along with an ice cold beer. Mark will pull up from a long day of driving his limousine, peek over the fence and know that within seconds, Frank will be waving him over to join us. Like all good neighbours, he rarely even hesitates.

I mentioned that he drives a limousine but actually, it's his own business and he has a fleet of cars which see some pretty famous passengers seated within. One of the perks of his work, is that he has seasons tickets to the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts' home games. On several occasions, Mark has kindly offered us tickets whenever we'd like and we finally took him up on that when we had plans to meet some friends for the very first time.




Enter Laura and Stephen.



A bit of back story: Frank and I initially met when I wandered into an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) trivia room. I'd played in other rooms before but as characters come and go, the mood of the room and ensuing chat changes. I had grown disenchanted with the last room I'd joined and was looking for something new. That something new happened to be where both Frank and Stephen played trivia - and very well, I might add. Of course the best part of the trivia chat room is the people (much like the best part of blogging) and that particular group was an intelligent, funny and interesting bunch. I stayed for few years and got to know the people pretty well. Once Frank and I crossed the line into real life, we spent less time playing trivia, as did others. The room evolved into less of a draw for all of us and eventually it just faded away. But through the years, Frank and I have kept in occasional touch with a fair number of the regular gang, and among those is Stephen - a bloke from England.



When Stephen and Laura traveled to Toronto early in September, Frank and I had been generously gifted with four tickets to the Hamilton/Toronto game and our guests were eager sports fans.




The Rogers Centre is located close to the world famous C.N. Tower.




We connected with the pair while we were walking, and were soon greeted by a band upon our arrival. Of course they weren't really playing just for us but you already knew that.




The Rogers Centre is also home to baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, as these banners along the building will attest. Evidently, they read better from the other direction.




We had a great view of the field from our seats.




But we had more fun in one of the booths where we could order snacks and drinks while watching the game.




A glance to my right revealed the bar and some of the many cocktails we could have (but didn't) order.




And to my left, was a small section of the crowd.




Of course, some of you would probably be more interested in the game or even the cheerleaders than in the various other surroundings. Go figure.




The crowd and pyrotechnics went wild any time the Argos scored (Arrrrgoooooos), which was often. They beat the rivaling Hamilton Tiger Cats that day.

After the game, we parted ways with our lovely visitors but I know they'll be back some day, and I look forward to spending more time with the two of them.



Frank and I headed back to Union Station to catch the train home. Public transit is great but if you ever want to ride through Toronto and the surrounding areas in style, you couldn't go wrong with Mark and his amazing fleet of limos at Cameron Limousine.

In a few days I'll post some photos taken on the train ride and subsequent drive home from the station.

A Perfect Day

A few weeks back, I spent the day with my friend, Carol Anne and her daughter Cheryl. Cheryl lives in Toronto, just steps away from Lake Ontario and since her boyfriend, Matt runs one of the water taxis which take folks from the city to Toronto Islands, we decided to spend that very warm summer day exploring.

I took the GO Train (Government of Ontario, in case you were wondering) from Mississauga to Union Station, in the heart of Toronto. I phoned CA upon my arrival, and she and Cheryl walked over to meet me just outside of the train station. While waiting, I amused myself by taking photos of the bicycles which were available for rent.

Cheryl's apartment was a short walk from the station and before long we arrived to the sounds of chirps and tweets. Darned if I can remember the names of the lovebirds but I'm pretty sure one of them was appropriately named Birdface. I'm going to guess that this one was that bird. A beautiful little critter, isn't it?

Looking down, Birdface and his people have a pretty decent city view from their apartment window. Lots of activity below.

Looking out toward the lake, there's an even better view. Various boats of all shapes and sizes entertain birds and house guests alike.

After a yummy lunch, the three of us headed down to the harbour front where Matt treated us to a trip over to the islands. This was taken from inside the water taxi, just before departure. The commute lasts about five or ten minutes.

Matt continued his workday back and forthing between the islands and the mainland while Carol Anne, Cheryl and I wandered around Toronto Islands. The Toronto skyline proudly displays the C.N. Tower.

Toronto Islands are primarily made up of Hanlan's Point, Centre Island and Wards Island and each are connected and within walking distance of one another. This donations booth suggests you leave useful but unwanted items (as long as they fit on a shelf or a hanger) for those who may have a need.

Please don't tell Birdface but it would appear that a most horrific crime was committed here on Hanlan's Point. Somebody killed Big Bird!

When we were well and truly tired of walking around, Cheryl phoned Matt to see where he might be. As luck would have it, he was just about to dock the taxi right in front of us. He had us back on the mainland before long.

After bidding our goodbyes to Cheryl, Carol Anne and I moved on to her place in Ajax, Ontario, east of the city. Despite our long day of walking, we decided to head out for another stroll along the lakeshore near her condo. There's a public park right by the water where picnicking families were beginning to pack up for the day. I hope they don't forget their clothes which were hung on the line to dry.

The sun began to set as we made our way along the the path. A city sunset can be beautiful when not obstructed by tall buildings.

And when the sun sets, the moon rises. Nature gave us a lovely view at the end of a perfect day.


Tomorrow, we're heading up to the cottage for about a week. I hope to catch up with all of your blogs sometime after I return. Have a lovely week!