Natalie the Explorer

Visiting the Arid House

March 10, 2023March 13, 2023Natalie110 Comments

This weekend, on Sunday March 12, daylight saving time begins in my corner of the world. I am looking forward to more greenery and warmer temperatures outdoors. In the interim, I cycled to Allan Gardens Conservatory and visited the Arid House, one of five greenhouses in this indoor botanical garden.

Exploring the Arid House

The Arid House is located on the northwest side of the conservatory. It is home to a large display of unusual cacti and succulents including collections of agave, opuntia, haworthia and aloe.

Walking through the Arid House, I enjoyed examining the plants, their shapes, sizes, and colours. Their fun names made me smile. I was mindful of where I was standing to take pictures as many of the plants have thorns.

Golden Barrel Cacti and Haworthia (Zebra plants)

The Arid House was nice and warm. I felt rejuvenated and relaxed after being with the plants. I headed home feeling pretty good about my choice of outing for the day.

Welcoming Public Art

Last week I stopped over at Philadelphia International Airport while on my way to meet my sisters. I discovered the beautiful Over the River and Through the Wood mural created by Philadelphia artist Constance Culpepper. I found the mural soothing and cheerful.

*Over the River and Through the Wood* mural by Constance Culpepper

Welcoming images at Philadelphia International Airport

“My painting is a place where everyone is welcome. Explore, smell the peonies, drink a cup of tea, feel the grass between your toes, look up at the clouds in the sky, take a seat. Maybe here, you can discover something or someone anew.”
Constance Culpepper

Weekend Coffee Share

How green is your corner of the world? What do you think of the mural? This post is my contribution to Terri’s #SundayStills March colour challenge and Jo’s Monday Walk.

I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys from your week and/ or favourite public art photos from around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #110 InLinkz below.

Murals in Chinatown

March 3, 2023March 6, 2023Natalie128 Comments

A few weeks ago I cycled to Toronto’s Downtown Chinatown or West Chinatown, then walked along Dundas Street West to photograph murals that I’ve seen on another visit.

The history of Toronto’s Chinatown stems back to the late 1870s. Although the West Chinatown (Dundas Street West/ Spadina Avenue) is more well known, there are also East Chinatown (Broadview Avenue/ Gerrard Street East) and other Chinatowns in the Greater Toronto Area.

Here are five huge murals in Chinatown, located on the south side of Dundas Street West, between Beverley Street and Spadina Avenue.

1. Mural at Number 397

Located at 397 Dundas Street West, this mural features people and young children. I took photos of it in four sections. Unfortunately I was unable to find the artists’ names.

2. The Great Wall Mural

Located at 421 Dundas Street West, this mural was designed and painted by Blinc Studios artists Allan Blender, John Nobrega, Rick Sauve, Brian Broders, Jesse McCuaig and Ming Lau in 2013. It features the Great Wall of China and is the longest of the five murals. I’m sharing six sections although the mural has about a dozen of them.

3. The Forbidden City Mural

Located at 433 Dundas Street West, this mural was designed and painted by Blinc Studios artists Allan Blender, John Nobrega, Jesse McCuaig, and Elaine Teguibon. It features two fierce lions outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

4. Milky Way Mural

Located at 449 Dundas Street West, this mural was designed and painted by Blinc Studios artists Allan Bender, John Nobrega, Azadeh Pirazimian and Jieun June Kim in July 2017. It features the Chinese fairy tale of the Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl.

5. Dragon Mural

Located at 493 Dundas Street West, the Dragon mural was designed and painted on a metal surface by Blinc Studios artists Allan Bender, John Nobrega, Jesse McCuaig, Azadeh Pirazimian, Chris Brown, Frannie Potts and Mohammad Jaberi in 2016.

Weekend Coffee Share

It was a fun walk to see the murals in details. The list of artists shows that it was a team effort to paint them. The finished murals look beautiful, coherent and impressive. They’re my contribution to Terri’s #SundayStills Out of this World photo challenge and Jo’s Monday Walk.

Which mural do you like?

What’s Been Happening | February 2023

February 24, 2023March 4, 2023Natalie105 Comments

The last Friday of February is a good time for me to reflect on what’s been happening and what I enjoyed during the month. February has been a calm and joyful month that is ending with an exciting travel plan.

Health & Fitness

I continued my outdoor cycling and walking which supplemented my indoor fitness routine of cardio, strength workouts, meditation and yoga. I was pleased with how often I was able to cycle this winter. I enjoyed time in nature – always a happy time for me.

Up until this week, February weather conditions have been mild with above normal temperatures on most days. On Wednesday, an overnight winter storm brought about 15 cm of snow. With a few days left of this short month to go, this would be Toronto’s only significant snowfall for February.

Thin ice in marina (left); Light snow on boulders (right)

Family & Friends

My sisters and I made plans for a reunion next week. If everything works out, we’ll be together for the first time since the pandemic started. I’m looking forward to this exciting trip and quality time with my sisters. Stay tuned for my destination reveal in March.

I enjoyed three walks with family and friends to explore public art exhibits and free cultural events in February.

Walk #1 was the Icefest 2023 Dreams and Fantasies ice sculpture trail. The daytime high temperature reached 8C (46F) so we arrived early to see the sculptures before they melt. We all oohed and aahed over more than thirty incredible ice sculptures. For my complete Icefest23 image gallery, click here.

Walk #2 was to the Art Gallery of Ontario where we saw the remarkable bronze Couch Monster elephant sculpture by artist Brian Jungen. Check out the information board or the link provided to learn why he called this creature “couch monster”.

*Couch Monster* sculpture and information board

Walk #3 was to Toronto Sculpture Garden to see the Afrophilia sculpture installation by artist Frantz Brent-Harris. These sculptures in their vibrant orange and red reflect the energy and attitude of young Black people. This installation celebrates a culture of self acceptance.

*Afrophilia* by Frantz Brent-Harris, 2023

What public art have you discovered recently?

Blogging

I continued hosting the weekly Weekend Coffee Share linkup and Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC). Thank you to all who have shared updates, comments and/ or photos from around the world. Here’s the links for February’s posts in case you missed any and want to catch up:

For more blogging fun, I’m linking up with #TheChangingSeasons hosted by Ju-Lyn and Brian, and #WBOYC hosted by Donna, Sue, Jo and Debbie.

Reading

Aside from reading up on my travel destination to prepare for my trip, I also read or listened to four excellent books and discovered four new-to-me authors. Thank you to all who shared the best book you read in January. I read three of the books you shared. Here’s what I enjoyed reading this month:

February by Lisa Moore
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (on Barbara’s bookshelf)
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (on Donna’s bookshelf)
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (on Jennifer’s bookshelf)

What’s the best book you read in February?

Weekend Coffee Share

I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys in your week, and/ or favourite public art from around the world in the comments or via Weekend Coffee Share linkup #108 InLinkz below.

Happy March!

Dreams & Fantasies #Icefest23 #WordlessWednesday #Photography

February 22, 2023March 5, 2023Natalie36 Comments

For Wordless Wednesday and Sunday Stills Out of this World – Let your photo(s) tell the story.

Elegant Carriage to travel the Ice Sculpture trail

Gallery: Dreams & Fantasies #Icefest23 @BloorYorkville

Are you participating in Wordless Wednesday? I’d love for you to share the link to your Wordless Wednesday post in the Comments. I will visit your post and leave you a comment (provided the post contains no words, just pictures).

Outside the Box | Animals

February 17, 2023February 15, 2023Natalie86 Comments

It’s been a good week with spring-like temperatures, plenty of sunshine and blue skies from Saturday through to Tuesday. I cycled most days and walked every day. On Wednesday, the daytime high temperature reached 14C (57F) which is unusual for mid-February here.

I photographed the following five utility boxes on my walks. I organized them under my Outside the Box | Animals theme and listed them by artist’s name. Most of them have different designs on the front, side and the back so two pictures for each box.

1. Raccoon by Jeff Blackburn

The raccoon is holding a camera like a tourist as this box is near St. Lawrence Market, a tourist-friendly area.

2. Pets by Tak Bùi, 2017

The design hopes to celebrate the affection humans have towards the two most popular pets. I spot a monkey, do you see it too?

3. Stinkpot Turtles Toronto Return by Jungle Ling, 2019

The design attempts to draw attention to the Eastern Musk Turtle or the Stinkpot Turtle which only grows to 5″ long. They once were common in South Eastern Ontario in our muddy flats and shallow rivers. Such habitats continue to disappear due to human activities.

4. Fish by Charles Weiss, 2015

The vertical design shows bright contrasting shapes of Lake Ontario fish. The largest fish is the Chinook salmon in two different colour patterns (brown for fall and silver for summer).

5. Birds by Avril Wu, 2021

Soft images of birds on the front and a striking crane on the back of this box.

Weekend Coffee Share

I enjoy these designs that highlight animal life around me. Which design(s) do you like?

Red Hearts and More

February 10, 2023February 12, 2023Natalie104 Comments

I’ve got five sources of inspiration for this post: 1) February is Heart Month in Canada, 2) Valentine’s Day is coming up, 3) Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes challenge, 4) Terri’s Sunday Stills February Red colour challenge, and 5) My Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC). So, I had fun selecting my digital images and created the following galleries with some quotes.

Red Hearts

A walk in the Distillery District yielded four heart displays: A bubbly heart made of fabric by Designs by the Yard, a soft heart made with red and some blue thread (unknown artist), a big red heart and a Love sign by artist Mathew Rosenblatt. The first two displays were temporary and the last two were permanent. The Love sign is full of locks.

“The locks are a symbol of love and that is emotional and beautiful. When people walk by they see, symbolically by all these locks left here, all this love.”

“We are all artists. We can express in different ways but our life, at the end of day, is our biggest sculpture. Each day we take brush strokes with our actions.”
Mathew Rosenblatt

Another walk in Yorkville led me to discover paintings by artist Anthony Ricciardi. The information sheet at these paintings stated that the artist is colour blind and self-taught. He left the comfort and clout of the corporate finance world to pursue his true passion and lifelong dream: Art. His collections have been showcased worldwide in Toronto, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, London, and Brazil.

“Incredible things happen when you Follow Your Heart.”
Anthony Ricciardi

Red Flowers

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times for florists. I have many red flower photos to enjoy. I look forward to Spring when red camellias, peonies and roses bloom in outdoor gardens and I can touch their lovely soft petals.

Red Cars

Some cars give the driver and the passenger heart-pumping or heart-stopping effects.

If you could drive one of the cars, which one would you pick?

Weekend Coffee Share

I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys from your week, and/or favourite public art around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #106 InLinkz below.

Have a wonderful weekend and however you choose to spend February 14th, happy Valentine’s Day!

Little Norway Park Benches

February 3, 2023February 10, 2023Natalie118 Comments

I met up with a friend in Little Norway Park for a walk and chat. Little Norway Park was built on the same site where a training camp for Norway’s Air Force was located during World War II.

The park was officially opened by His Majesty King Olav V of Norway on November 20, 1987. It features a ball diamond, a wading pool, a children’s playground and many walking paths through gardens.

While we were at the park, I was delighted to discover five benches painted by Lead artist Jim Bravo, Athena Patterson and Jannai Goddard in July 2014. I’ve been organizing my digital images of public art into themes. These bench photos go under my On the Bench theme.

On the Bench

Midnight blue bench with Constellations (and a squirrel in the upper right corner)

Red bench with Greek alphabet and symbols

Little Norway Park has many black and grey squirrels that run away when they see humans. This grey squirrel, however, approached me and perched on a tree branch for me to take a few photos.

My friend and I had a good catch-up and many laughs. I enjoyed sunshine, friendship, colourful art and squirrels. I headed home with a smile and photos.

Questions

Are black and grey squirrels common in your corner of the world?
If you were ‘on the bench‘ (as in a judge), which bench would you give the highest rating?

Weekend Coffee Share

What’s Been Happening | January 2023

January 27, 2023February 1, 2023Natalie110 Comments

The last Friday of January is a good time for me to reflect on what’s been happening and what I enjoyed during the month. January has been a calm and joyful month in lots of ways.

Exploring Outdoors

I enjoyed time in nature – always a happy time for me. Outdoor cycling and walking supplemented my indoor fitness routine. Toronto has experienced relatively mild temperatures throughout January and just had a major snow storm on January 25.

Socializing, Art and Culture

I celebrated New Year’s Day and Lunar New Year’s Day with my family. Good food, good company, and twice in three weeks, what not to love? We all hope for a year of good health, peace and joy.

I also met up with friends for a few fun outings. Outing #1 was to the Bentway Skate Trail which is under the Gardiner Expressway, a major road in Toronto. On display at the skate trail is artist Shellie Zhang’s Beacons installation of five colourful flame-like features that light up at night.

Outing #2 was a nature walk and coffee catch up in the downtown core where I photographed Thing’s End sculpture by artist James Carl. I love the crafty title, the unique design of a rubber band and the soft blue colour.

Outing #3 led to discoveries of public art in Chinatown.

Chinese zodiac animals and a bronze guard

Blogging

My blogging and hosting the weekly Weekend Coffee Share (WCS) linkup has been going well. Thank you to all who have shared updates, comments and/ or photos from around the world. Here’s the links for January’s posts in case you missed any and want to catch up:

For more blogging fun, I’m linking up with Ju-Lyn‘s #TheChangingSeasons and #WBOYC hosted by Donna, Sue, Jo and Deb.

Reading

This month I enjoyed discovering four new books and three new-to-me authors (Mandel, Patchett and Picton). While all four books are very good, the most delightful is The Knighton Women’s Compendium. It was published on January 4, 2023, set in Australia, and told from a child’s point of view.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Knighton Women’s Compendium by Denise Picton

What’s the best book you read in January?

Weekend Coffee Share

Please note that starting in February, I’ll end the WCS linkup on Sunday at 5 p.m. Toronto time. The start date and time stay the same. This change should not affect regular participants since all add their links on Friday or Saturday and before 5 p.m. on Sunday. If any blogger wants to join in after the linkup is closed, feel free to leave me a comment with the link to their WCS post or a pingback. Thank you.

Happy February!

Outside the Box | St. John’s

January 20, 2023January 18, 2023Natalie111 Comments

It’s been a good week with a few simple joys:

Sunny Sunday and Monday
Cycling and walking outdoors
Watching beautiful winter birds in the harbour
A walk and coffee catch up with a friend
Chatting with family and a longtime friend
Discovering new public art
Finishing a good book and starting another good book
Organizing my digital images (see below)

I organized my digital images of public art into themes and will post them in small batches. I named one of my themes Outside the Box for all sorts of painted boxes. Here’s the first batch.

Outside the Box

I photographed the following five utility boxes when I went for a walk in St. John’s, Newfoundland. There are seven images since the “Jellybean Houses” utility box has different paintings on three sides.

Picture 1: This is the front view of the utility box with painted houses and doors on actual doors.

Picture 2: Side view of the same utility box. I like the painted flowers at the bottom. There is an actual green door behind the box, to the left of the picture.

Picture 3: The back of the same utility box. Again, I like the painted shrubs and flowers at the bottom.

Picture 4: An octopus in nice water bubbles.

Picture 5: Quidi Vidi is a picturesque neighbourhood in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Picture 6: These two boxes together show St. John’s Harbour. The wall behind them is a mural of sea life.

Picture 7: A violinist in bright colours; a sample of the rich music culture in St. John’s.

As I reviewed my pictures, I am reminded that travel provides many gifts: Anticipation before the trip, participation during the trip and recollection after the trip. Going through my pictures brought back fond memories of my walk in St. John’s.

Where Are the Doors?

The paint hides the door handles and locks on these utility boxes. They are there if you look closely. Visit Dan’s Thursday Doors for more door photos.

Weekend Coffee Share

Garden of the Greek Gods

January 13, 2023January 15, 2023Natalie102 Comments

A sunny morning prompted me to cycle to Exhibition Place with a garden in mind. Entry to this garden is free to the public which means it can get busy on a nice day. Did I choose the right time to visit?

The Garden of the Greek Gods is a collection of 20 amazing limestone sculptures by renowned Canadian sculptor Elford Bradley “E.B.” Cox (1914-2003). They were originally sculpted in the 1960s and were previously displayed in less accessible locations. They are once again on display in a beautiful garden setting.

Even though visitors can enter the garden from any side, an official plaque about the garden located near Hercules, the tallest sculpture in the collection, seems like a logical place to start. Each sculpture has a plaque explaining the Greek mythology.

Exploring the Garden

In the first row on the south side of the garden, I meet:

Hercules: The mighty hero of ancient Greece. The gods tested him with 12 labours. He is seen here after slaying the Nemean lion.
Medusa: One of the three gorgons, with hair of snakes, whose glance changed all who looked at her into stone.
Narcissus: A handsome young man who pined away for love of his own reflection, finally turning into the flower of the same name.

Next row along the garden path:

The Sphinx: A strange creature with claws of a bird and the body and tail of a lion. This woman would devour passing travellers if they could not answer her riddle correctly.
Centaur: One of a jolly race of creatures, half man, half horse who lived in the forest of ancient Greece, and were very hard to catch.
The Minotaur: Half bull, half man, he guarded the maze for the King of Crete until vanquished by the Greek Prince Theseus.
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love, also known as Venus. Born of the sea, she reached shore riding a scallop shell.
Orpheus: He charmed the creatures of the forest with his wonderful playing of the lyre and his heavenly singing.
The Three Graces: These beauties were judged by Paris, and the most beautiful of them received the golden apple.

Around the corner, six intriguing sculptures beckon:

The Hydra: A monstrous dragon with nine heads originally – However if one head was cut off, two heads grew in its place.
Cyclops: One of a race of giant one-eyed men who herded sheep for a living. They were finally done in by Hercules after a fierce struggle.
The Typhon: Supposed to be a fearsome creature, half man, half snake. This last surviving speciman doesn’t seem so very fierce.
The Triton: He ruled the seas and by blowing on his conch shell could either stir up the waves or calm a storm.
Cerberus: This savage three-headed dog guarded the gates of Hades, to keep good people out and bad people in.
Pan: The elusive god of the forest, half man, half goat, full of fun and games. He invented the reed pipes and filled the woods with their sounds.

Five smaller sculptures in the last row and a block with the sculptor’s name and date marks the end of the garden:

Mermaid: A sea nymph having the body of a woman and tail of a fish. Here she holds a merbaby and a young dolphin.
Boy on a Dolphin: Many stories come down from antiquity of children having dolphins for playmates, and of lost sailors being helped to shore by dolphins.
Sea Horse: These creatures appeared on the surface of the Mediterranean as whitecaps. In large groups they could stir up quite a storm if the wind was right.
The Phoenix: After living in the desert for 500 years this bird was consumed by fire. It rose anew from its own ashes and is the symbol of eternal life.
The Harpies: These bird-women were the embodiment of conscience and tore at the hearts of evil-doers.

I was fortunate to have the garden all to myself. I headed home feeling great about my choice for the day. I got sunshine, fresh air, an enjoyable bike ride, and a delightful walk to see beautiful sculptures.