A Small Bonfire on the Beach in Toronto
*** UPDATE Summer 2024 : This story happened several years ago. Fires on Toronto’s beaches are no longer legally permitted. ***
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Our good friends Leslie and Niall treated us to something really fun on Saturday evening — We had dinner cooked over a fire, on a soft sandy beach, beside a gently lapping lake, under a star speckled sky. I've lived in Toronto nearly my whole life and had no idea that was even possible to do here!
Cheers to a brand new experience in a city you thought you knew.
It happened just east of the city core, at Cherry Beach, where, a short walk from a public parking lot, there are designated fire-pits set up every 50 feet or so. I counted about 10 fires glowing in the dark on that night.
A Magical Moonlit Experience
Like a natural lunar occurrence, the moon sculpture that recently hung under the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, was easy to miss. And so, I feel fortunate that my friend Julie made sure that we caught it.
"Museum of the Moon", a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram was on display in Toronto for a mere six evenings, from Tuesday until Sunday. The seven-metre wide, internally lit, spherical sculpture was somewhat hidden away, tucked right under the expressway at The Bentway Public Outdoor Space. Its visit to our city coincided with the full moon -- the harvest moon -- making the experience extra special.
Check out the artwork's site (linked above), to see photos of some other cool places the moon has hung and to find out where it's going next. Note, there are several moons touring simultaneously. "Over the coming years Museum of the Moon will be presented in art exhibitions, science, music and light festivals around the world."
As the nature of the flash-installation meant that it would inevitably only have been seen by a relative few, I hope you'll enjoy seeing these photographs which allow the unique sight to live on.
We went on Thursday evening. The sun was scheduled to set at 7:30, so Julie and I arranged to meet there at 7. The weather was perfect for it. We got lucky with that, as it had been raining the previous days and that very morning.
As described on their site, "The Bentway is a unique and innovative public space that transforms 1.75km underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway into a new gathering place for our city’s growing population." It opened last year and I'd not had a chance to go yet, so being there was interesting in itself. It's really neat and I look forward to going again and seeing more of it.
Stackt : Toronto’s Market Made From Shipping Containers
You know that beautiful old bridge towards the southern end of Bathurst Street, that crosses over the train tracks? Remember the abandoned looking weed-strewn lot behind the rusted chain-link fence, that was next to the bridge on the northwest side? If you walked alongside it on a windy day, you'd have to go straight home and take a shower and wash your hair, as the blowing dust was relentless.
That piece of land has been empty for a long time. From what I've discovered, it was home to a business during the 1800s, which was cleared away sometime in the mid-1900s. In an old photo from the 80s that I found in the city's archives, it appears to have been used as an unpaved parking lot at that point, but basically, it seems to have been a waste of good space for decades. Until now, that is.
At the Canadian National Exhibition 2019
Oh, the CNE, steeped in memories, noise, bright colours and questionable food choices! A summer doesn't feel quite complete without a visit.
This year, we went last Monday evening with our friend Andrea.
For readers from afar, the ex has been running near the waterfront of Toronto for 140 years, having begun as an agricultural fair. It is said to be the biggest annual fair in Canada. (I previously wrote more about its history and its supposed haunted status in this post, if you'd like more details.)
A Day of Nature and Wellness (and Great Food!) at the Kortright EventSpace
What a terrific time we had last week, at the "Wellness Day" hosted by Peter and Paul's! It took place at the Kortright Centre for Conservation, located in Woodbridge, just 10 minutes north of Toronto.
This was my first visit to Kortright and the spectacular beauty of this 325 hectare natural wonderland did not disappoint. Opened in 1982 and named after world-renowned outdoorsman, author and conservationist Francis Kortright, their top mission point is "To instill an awareness and appreciation of the natural world."
To complement the pristine environment, our gracious hosts, the caring and very friendly entertainment professionals at "by Peter and Paul's", truly went the extra mile to show their guests a good time. Their offerings and organized execution were impeccable, demonstrating how very lovely and memorable they can help make your wedding, party, event or meeting.
The weather was absolutely perfect for it! We were asked to come wearing comfortable clothing and closed trainer-type shoes, and spent the afternoon outdoors, having lunch, doing yoga, taking a guided nature walk through the forest and meadow, building a fire, and relaxing through a mediation session. We also went indoors to the auditorium for a lesson from a Health Coach. Then, in the evening, we enjoyed a feast of all kinds of delicious food and drinks, in the beautiful indoor/outdoor event spaces. Live music was performed by a talented trio from Bongo and B.
In all, it was a perfect summer day and we were thankful to have been invited.
↑ Nick and I are just starting out making videos. I took the footage and Nick compiled the minute-long film. Since I'm more used to taking photos, though, I forgot to get everything, but I think it gives a general (and fun) idea of our day at Kortright! Note : It has sound. ↑
And, now, our day in photos ...
