Hello and welcome to my blog! I’m glad you’re here. It’s week 42 in 2022 and I’m hosting Weekend Coffee Share linkup #92. Come on in for a coffee or tea, and let’s catch up.
During one of my island summer getaways, I took a walk to explore the residential area on Ward’s Island. There are 262 homes on Ward’s Island and approximately 650 people live there year round, including many seniors.
The following gallery shows some of the unique homes and gardens on my walk. Some are old cottages and some have been renovated. Note the cute self-serve library and art gallery. A number of artists live on Ward’s Island and Algonquin Island. I plan to do an art walk to see their artworks on another day.
The top left image in the gallery is The Waiting Shed which was built at the Ward’s Island ferry dock in 1916. Among its charming features that have survived are the bell-cast roof and multiple-pane windows. Over its 100 years, the shelter was modified in various ways.
In 2017, the city government responsible for parks and heritage, along with Island residents, began restoring and modernizing the aging building. Windows and doors have been replaced and the entrance made more accessible.
Click on the top left image and use the arrows to move through the gallery. Brief captions included.















I also visited the Grow TO Greens Food Security Project. It’s a joint urban agriculture initiative of the City of Toronto and the Toronto Island Café. All the organic produce grown in the Café garden is planted, tended, harvested, weighed and transported weekly (by bicycle) by volunteers to downtown Toronto food banks.



In front of Ward’s Island Association Club House is the beautiful 12-foot diameter Willow Square Mosaic, created by a group of Islanders to celebrate the Island’s history: its history, people and the natural world that has shaped it. The mosaics were inspired by the works of Maggie Howarth, a renowned pebble mosaic artist working in England and Europe.



The image represents an island with a central willow tree whose intertwined trunk symbolizes the two communities of Ward’s and Algonquin. The roots of the tree reaches into the surrounding water. The mosaic focuses on the natural world, with a small band of ceramic houses, bicycles and carts bringing Island community life into the image.
I always enjoy exploring the Toronto Islands. Last weekend I returned for a 8 km (5 miles) family walk on a beautiful sunny day. I hope to share pictures from that walk in my monthly update for October next week.
How was your week?
Shared with #ThursdayDoors, #PPAC#68.
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