Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #62! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.
Week 12/ 52
Spring arrived on Sunday March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere. I was ready to say goodbye to winter and hello to spring. On Monday, the daytime high temperature was about 14C (58F) and sunny.
A sunny spring day was the perfect opportunity to visit the 7th annual Winter Stations outdoor art installations at Woodbine Beach before the exhibits end on March 31st.
Goodbye Winter 2022
Winter Stations began in 2015 as a way to highlight the beauty of Toronto’s east end beaches and make them a destination point for outdoor art installations during the winter. The artworks are set up at the lifeguard stations along Woodbine Beach, and each year an international competition receives entries connected to that year’s Winter Stations’ theme.
The theme for this year was Resilience. I’m sharing my pictures of the five winning designs for 2022. For each design, I included lake view and city view.
Click on the arrows or swipe to see the slides.
If you’d like to read the Station description, click on its name on the following list:
- S’winter Station – Design Team: Ryerson University’s Department of Architectural Science, Canada.
- The Hive – Design Team: Kathleen Dogantzis and Will Cuthbert, Canada.
- Introspection – Design Team: University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, Canada.
- Enter-Face – Design Team: MELT – Cemre Onerturk and Ege Cakir, Turkey.
- One Canada – Design Team: University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, Canada.
It was a beautiful day at Woodbine Beach where I said goodbye to winter. I love that even though Toronto is an urban centre, it has several Blue Flag beaches like Woodbine Beach. To see interesting public art on the beach is the icing on the cake.
Hello Spring 2022
Speaking of Resilience, on Tuesday, another sunny day, I spotted several early spring flowers in the public gardens. They have survived the cold winter months and bloomed amid the dead leaves. Seeing them made me so happy.
Hello snowdrops, hellebores, and a variety of crocus flowers! Welcome back. Even though winter still seems to linger, spring will take over. I look forward to seeing more lovely flowers in the coming days.
Click on the arrows or swipe to see the slides.
Your Turn:
- Which Winter Station is your favourite?
- What signs of Spring (or Fall in the Southern Hemisphere) have you seen?
- How has your week been?
Shared with #CellpicSunday, #FOTD, #PPAC41, #SpringFestival2022, #SundayStills, #ThursdayDoors.
Copyright © 2023 natalietheexplorer.home.blog – All rights reserved.
Natalie the Explorer 
Welcoming spring is a favorite activity, Natalie ans I like the way you chose to celebrate. I like “The Hive” but they are all lovely. It must be tricky to build them to survive on the beach, but it looks like they all are holding up well. Thanks for linking with Thursday Doors – it’s always fun when we get to see your Coffee Share posts.
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Dan, These Winter Stations were installed in February, when it was cold and we’ve had many windy days since so the Design Teams did an excellent building job. Thank you for hosting Thursday Doors. Have a great weekend!
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I like the enter-face , and the motivation behind the design. It is true how we have changed as societies. I like how you captured the chairs with it. Initially I thought it might be a part of the design.
Yes…resiliency. Spring flowers certainly define that. Happy weekend. Cheers to coffee…and spring. Donna
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Donna, The chairs happened to be there. I like the combination of colours in that picture: Blue sky, colourful chairs and the dark Enter-Face. The small spring flowers looked ‘triumphant’ to me. Thank you for stopping by. Happy weekend!
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I’m ready to the out. Thanks for another feature post
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You’re welcome, Antoinette. I think in the Northern hemisphere, we’re all ready for spring.
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Beautiful flowers! I love those art installations on the beach.
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The art installations add some fun to winter season. The spring flowers are a welcoming sign.
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Well those Winter Stations were all quite weird and wonderful – one looked like an egg carton and another looked like a see through birthday cake! The flowers were pretty and I’m glad you’re rolling nicely into Spring. Autumn is taking its time to arrive down here in Australia – but the days are getting slightly cooler – hooray!
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The descriptions explain the meanings of the designs. More spring flowers are blooming here as we move into April. I think the sunny and warm weather in Western Australia gives good solar energy.
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Great trip to the beach, and spring flowers! Yes, time to open the windows and let the fresh air in!
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Yes, welcome to Spring, a beautiful season.
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Art installations on the beach–I love it! And the snowdrops are lovely. When I lived in colder places, I’d make a point of looking for the earliest flowers, because I was desperate for any sign of spring (have I mentioned I’m not a winter person?). Hellebores and crocuses were my favorites in Portland and daffodils in Flagstaff.
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Signs of spring are very welcome in March here. We have a lot of daffodils and tulips in April and May.
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I love any kind of art and this is very cool. Thanks for linking up!
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Thank you Dawn for hosting Spring Festival. I share a lot of art pictures on my blog. I hope to join you again when I post spring flowers.
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I like S’Winter Station but also I think Enter Face would be great to see in real life. Nice to see signs of spring in your hemisphere.
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These Winter Stations are interactive so people can enter, exit and touch the designs. The one thing that’s not recommended is to climb on the lifeguard chairs, yet I saw several people attempted to do that. I welcomed spring with open arms.
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Love the croci and hellebore, Natalie. Enjoy your spring weekend!
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Croci and hellebores are pretty and triumphant-looking flowers after winter. Happy weekend, Jo.
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🤗💗
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Seeing those spring flowers peeking their heads up really is the ultimate in resilience. Nature really is magnificent. Have a lovely week.
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Jo, I agree with your comment. Have a wonderful week!
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All of the stations are interesting but I like S’Winter Station the best. As far as spring here in SoCal, I’ve seen my first bright yellow oriole and picked my first bright red tomato from the (volunteer) vine.
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SoCal weather seems lovely year round. How wonderful that you’ve already picked your first tomato from the vine and seen the oriole. We have many birds year round but have to wait until late May to start an outdoor garden.
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Love the stations! The spring flowers are beautiful. It’s turned cold here! Enjoy the weekend!
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Jill, I hope the cold snap in your area is short. Have a lovely weekend!
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Those stations are fantastic Natalie and all so different! I’m leaning towards the Hive but the Enter-Face one is great too – they’re all so clever! I also love your spring flowers especially the crocus ones. We have signs of autumn starting here with crisper temperatures in the morning and trees are starting to change their colours. It is a beautiful season here which I always enjoy! Have a great weekend and I’ve linked up my WOTY post from Friday. Hope you enjoy it.
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Debbie, I thought the Winter stations are clever, too. Autumn is a beautiful season and the cooler temperatures are great for outdoor activities. Thank you for linking up. Have a lovely weekend!
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We’re in winter. Or rainy autumn, which is same thing. Jealous of your pending blooms. Love the red and silver reflecting installation.
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The red and silver Introspection station got many visitors. Children love to play in that station and look at their reflections.
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All these winter stations are wonderful designs. But I prefer the Hive most. It seems like a wonderful day at the beach. These spring flowers are lovely.
Have a great weekend!
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Amila, I’m pleased you like the Winter Stations. It was a sunny day and I had fun the beach and the art exhibits. The spring flowers are a welcoming sign. Happy weekend to you!
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It’s so lovely to see “Spring” doing its thing for you and all those in Northern Hemisphere. Such a great spot to visit and view those stations. I loved the last one best, very clever designs. I’m grateful for your spot in the blogging landscape with your weekly link up and missed mine more than I realised, so I am returning each Monday fortnight as you will read in my post. I will continue to connect here as well. My friends in blogging land are an important part of my life! Denyse
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Denyse, I’m pleased you like One Canada station. It’s quite meaningful. The Winter Stations make good use of the beach and give us fun in the cold months. The pretty spring flowers were a beautiful surprise. They’re delicate yet resilient. You know you’re welcome to join my linkup any week. Have a great weekend!
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These were great. I loved the Hive one…and the meaning behind it. I’ll have to read the others as well. We are seeing crocus, daffodils, and tulips should be blooming soon.
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Kirstin, The Hive is cozy. Many people enter The Hive and sit or stand to look out. Glad to hear you’re also seeing crocus flowers. We usually get daffodils and tulips outdoors starting in April. I saw them indoors.
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Beautiful photos! I’m a big fan of the spring’s slide away from winter though here in the high desert we’ll slip back and forth a few times before it’ll finally settle 😉 My favorite sign of spring though is when the rhubarb peels it’s little crown out of the winter debris, reminding me to clean up and get ready 🙂
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Thank you Melissa for your compliment of my photos. We have the winter-spring back and forth, too. Rhubarb has such a nice colour that I can see how it’s your favourite sign of spring. Have a great weekend!
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Hi, Natalie – I love those snowdrops. They are great signs of Spring’s arrival…and of resillence.
Wishing you a very Happy Spring!
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Hi Donna, The delicate yet resilient snowdrops are sure signs of spring. I was happy to see them. Happy Spring to you, too!
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I would love to have a huge dome like “The hive” for a greenhouse. Thank you for taking us to this exhibition. Enjoy a wonderful weekend!
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Maria, The Hive is an inviting station. Many people enter and sit to chat inside or stand and look out. It would be a nice green house. Happy weekend to you!
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It looks very inviting! Thank you 🙏
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It is spring here as well. Cool installation by the Lake. I like the first one the best – it’s like an old, barnacle covered sailing vessel, yet it also looks like a piece of Roman architecture (barrel vault with the honeycomb construction to keep it light). Hope you have a fabulous week!
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Trent, The S’winter Station is a cool design and its description shares the Design Team’s thinking behind it. Many people go inside to take a close look at the materials. Have a great weekend!
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Thanks for coffee and thanks for hosting the share.
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You’re welcome, Shari. Thanks for stopping by.
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A warmer Toronto is the best evidence for spring.
Thanks Natalie.
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Thanks Gary. Have a great weekend!
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We are still tottering between winter [snow last night] and spring [temps in the 70s two days ago]. I like your beach photo. It seems serene, but not for long I’d guess.
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Ally, Woodbine Beach and other local beaches are calm and not crowded, except on summer weekends. Fortunately, I get to go there on weekdays.
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Spring is definitely here as well. Happy Spring Equinox!
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Thank you, Pam, and happy Spring to you.
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Happy Spring to you. Those are so very cool. I love the Hive the best. Nice. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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Thank you, Patrick, for joining me virtually. The Hive is a well-liked station. People enter and sit inside to chat or stand to look out through the coloured panes. Happy Spring to you.
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Happy for spring’s arrival. Paul is in Ohio where it is snowing but here at home we had 87* today!! I think my favorite piece is the Hive. Maybe because it is less abstract?? Your snowdrops and photos of other flowers are beautiful. Sure signs that spring has sprung.
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Thank you, Leslie, for joining me virtually. The Hive is a cozy station. People like to enter it and sit inside to chat or to look out through the coloured panes. I’m pleased you like my photos of early spring flowers. I was so happy to see them. Have a great weekend!
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Hi Natalie, I’m quite envious that you have waved goodbye to winter. We are in Autumn and have winter ahead of us. There’s very little I enjoy about winter, except perhaps lighting the first fire. I think I’d have to choose the Hive. I love the shape.
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Hi Jennifer, I’ve learned to prepare for winter and make it more enjoyable. The Hive is a cozy and well-liked station. Thank you for joining me virtually. Have a great week!
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Hi Natalie,
I’m going to go rogue here and say I prefer the snowdrops to the art installations. That flash of Spring is beautiful. No signs of Autumn here. Well, there are only signs of rain. Can you believe it? We don’t get a lot of seasonal variation here anyway, although it is getting a little chilly later at night and in the mornings ranging from around 16-22 degrees Celsius.
Knowing how much you love your artworks, here’s a link to the Bollard People of Geelong, who Geoff photographed while he was seeing our son off on the Young Endeavour: https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2022/03/25/bollard-people-of-geelong-australia/
We really need something like that around here.
Hope you have a great week ahead.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Hi Rowena, I’m sorry to hear that more rain is expected in Sydney and NSW. Thank you for the link to the Bollard People of Geelong. I’ll have a look. I hope your son is enjoying his trip on the Young Endeavour. Have a great week!
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Yay for flowers, Natalie! Surely a sign of spring. Another month and we will see flowers and tree blossoms here. Our Alpine environment is a little slower to catch up! What an amazing art project to include these winter stations on the lifeguard towers. Your community finds are always so amazing and we’re all lucky you take the time to share them with us! Have a great couple of weeks (we’re traveling in a week)!
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Terri, I like that the Winter Stations make good use of the beach and add fun to our winter when the beach is empty. The early spring flowers look delicate but they’re so resilient to stay dormant in winter and pop up in March. Have a safe and wonderful trip! See you on the blog again later in April.
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It is nice to see the signs of spring. Here in the Arizona desert, the cactus are in bloom, and the brittlebush is turning the desert backdrop to yellow.
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John, It must be so beautiful to have cactus blooms and yellow brittlebush all over the desert. I hope you take some photos and share on a Cellpic Sunday.
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I will do just that. Stay tuned…
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Spring is going well here. We have our first bluebells in the garden and the first ducklings in the park.
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Anne, So nice to hear you already have bluebells in the garden and first ducklings in the park. I hope to see them in my area in April.
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Welcome to spring in cold country. Your photo slide show gives us a glimpse of some more of your beaufiful art. Sorry I missed your coffee share this week. Sick kitty and more surgery. I’m doing great, though. Talk to you in the blogosphere more later. Thanks for sharing these lovely thoughts and photos.
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Marsha, Glad to hear you’re doing great. I hope your poor kitty is feeling better. Have a beautiful week!
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Thank you, Natalie. Sorry I missed coffee share this week. It was crazy having Vince gone then back for a couple of days and NB sick and me in surgery. I’m ready for a calmer week this week. 🙂
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Marsha, If I lived close to you, I’d come help. Do you have good neighbours or friends close by? I hope you have a much calmer week this week. Another coffee share is coming up on Friday 🙂
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Thank you, my friend. Yes, I have wonderful neighbors. One of the best is Natalie, the mother of Olive the bull rider. I got to take her to school yesterday. I asked her what she liked about school. “Nothing.” So I dug a little deeper, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” “Bull ride.” She’s determined. 🙂 Her mom Natalie and you are much alike. You would love her.
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Your question to Olive made me smile; can’t take the educator out of you. So cool that your neighbour’s name is also Natalie. It means ‘Christmas’. I like her already 🙂
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I didn’t know that about your name. I love the name, and all the people named that are such lovely people. One of my best friends in CA named her daughter Natalie, and she is also an amazing woman.
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I can’t believe it’s Spring and I just Love all the flowers blooming! The Hive dome structure is so interesting and I like that one the best. I enjoyed all your photos, thank you for the coffee. I missed the link up as I got to writing too late this weekend. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! ❤️❤️❤️
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Diana, The Hive is a cozy and well-liked station. I hope you have time to join us at the next coffee share. Have a great week!
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The beach stations are all incredible but I think the first one would be my favourite. And it’s lovely to see the flowers, I’m waiting impatiently for my garden to show signs of growth.
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Cathy, Great pick of the first station (S’winter Station). Its shape and materials are interesting to examine IRL. Thank you for stopping by. I’ll visit your blog shortly.
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I like “Introspection” I am drawn to the red box.
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I like Introspection bright red colour and the thoughts behind the design. People, especially children, love to see their reflections inside that station. I think Lana would love it.
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I love seeing all the beautiful flowers coming out in spring 🙂
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Me too, Nikki. They’re pretty and confirm spring has arrived.
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Enter-face is my favorite of this series of art installations, Natalie. Toronto keeps amazing and inspiring me through your posts. Combining nature and art is so very pleasing to the senses. 🙂
Welcome spring! I can’t believe you’re already seeing flowers that far north. In Baja, I have seen a few prickly plants and trees flower, which might reveal a hummingbird or two or three…
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Liesbet, These art installations make good use of the beach and add fun to our winter. I like the thoughts behind the design of Enter-Face. I found more early spring flowers today and a lot of birds singing their hearts out. Have a great week in Baja!
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Greetings from Pennsylvania. Like you, with open eyes and (hopefully) an open mind I go on quite a few walks. It’s a good way to interact with the world. Neil S.
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Neil, Greetings from Toronto to you. Glad to hear you also enjoy walking. Aside from the health benefits, walking allows our senses to take in what’s around us. Have a great week!
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