Fort Rouille and Shrine Monument (Heritage Walk)

You might have noticed along Lakeshore Blvd. (on the far western edge of the Exhibition Grounds) a modest sized monument about 8 metres high.  It was erected in 1986 and served as a depiction of Fort Rouille, a trading post from 1950 - 1759 when the threat of English invasion forced its destruction.

Built by the French in 1750-51, it was demolished by the French in a sad twist of irony.  Nine years later, a small-sized obelisk was placed to mark the spot of the Fort.  There was an excavation performed in 1979 -1980 by the Historical Society and again in 1982 by the Youth Committee which comprised of over 50 youths.  The excavating project was over seen by professional archeologists and funded by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Board of Education.

The sky was so temperamental and unpredictable, within an hour it went from mild sun, to wild snow and wind.   Made for interesting photos though.

Next to the Obelisk of Fort Rouille is a Shrine Monument, known as the 'Peace Memorial' .

Like the name, it carries a totally different symbolic purpose.  On June 12, 1930 the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine  presented to the people of Canada this bronze statue to commemorate over 100 years of peaceful relations between Canada and the United States.   The statue geographically faces the Niagara River, which forms part of the Canada-United States border.

Exploring the Bowmanville Zoo

The Bowmanville Zoo may not be Canada's largest zoo, but it is certainly Canada's oldest private zoo, founded in 1919 in Bowmanville, Ontario.

This zoo has some pretty impressive creatures considering it's size.  Including the gorgeous Bengal Tiger named Jonas from the movie "Life of Pi" (which I saw and thoroughly loved!!).  Jonas was no where around.  He was either getting a massage, or busy brushing up on his part in another movie spot.  Did you know that the Bowmanville Zoo is Canada's largest supplier of Hollywood movie animals? 

Limba the Elephant is the only Elephant at the zoo, and although animal activists claim that she is or must be unhappy, evidence goes to the contrary.  She is 50 years old and is in excellent health.  At one time there apparently were 6 elephants that lived in the zoo, but Limba shied away or fear them.  She never interacted with them even though elephants are believed to be social animals.  As time went, it was proven that she simply just didn't bond with them.  

She loves people and they know this by the clicking sounds she makes or the way she moves towards the people instead of away from.  She often accompanies her keeper giving rides on her back in the zoo and she is often an attraction for families at the Bethesda House.  The Bethesda House is an organization that helps families deal with domestic violence.
  

The Camels at the Bowmanville zoo are also stars here and are treated very well.  Some of them have been there over 15 years.  They also were in a movie called, 'The 13th Warrior" starring Antonio Banderas (lucky camels..)  Although they are not as smart as elephants, they are still wise and are hard working.  These animals are trained, as well as their keepers to take all precautions possible for the safety of the people who ride them.

The cutest attraction here is the goats, great for kids (kids...) but watch your paper maps.  We witnessed a goat grab our map, and continue to chew on it while onlookers laughed.  I was horrified thinking it would get sick, but apparently there is enough fibre in the paper and the zoo keeper assured me the ink was non toxic and it happens all the time?

But the baby goats roam freely and are tame to pet.


The children will enjoy "Funland" and "Splash-bash" as well as the elephants rides.  

I've got a few more ideas coming up, but for me I won't be visiting a zoo again for a very long time.  I realize these animals are treated well enough and cared for but I still believe that wild animals are meant to be kept wild to do their thing and humans really have no place to that end, other than to serve and protect them in order for them to continue their life in the wild (ie. if they are in threat of extinction by way of commerce or culture)  They are not put on this planet to be caged up for me or anyone else.  

There are hundreds of different ways to help out animals in the wild, there are activists groups that focus on a specific species, or groups helping endangered, abused or abandoned animals.  Either way I think it our responsibility to support the species that share our planet, and that includes our own species as well.   

Exploring the Toronto Zoo

I've decided to take a break from the freedom of the trails to get a different perspective.  What is the opposite of freedom? Well that depends on who you ask and how you define 'freedom'.

The opposite of freedom can mean freedom from the chains that bind you, captivity, imprisonment, confinement or freedom from fear and constraints.  

One can argue that a lot of these animals outside of these bars and chains would never survive for as long as they have here.  That they are given food and nourishment and routine check ups.  They are loved and cared for by their keepers better than anything that can be found in the wild.  But that brings me back to the word freedom.

The Toronto Zoo opened in 1974 and is situated in the Rouge River Valley.  Encompassing over 287 hectares (714 acres), it is the biggest zoo in Canada. 

There are over 5,000 animals (including invertebrates and fish) representing over 450 species.  

When I looked at the animals I sometimes felt their loneliness, and in some cases their loss of freedom.    

We started coming in to the park and came upon a long line up before getting our admission and maybe for a split second we were going to turn around and hit the trails instead (Rouge Valley Conversation Trail), but we decided to pay the animals a visit, literally.  

After entering the park, you are almost immediately barricaded by the traditional tourist taunts.  Like colourful, shiny and mirrored horses on a merry-go-round; A square-paned glass gift shop called "The Green-House" ; an enchanting arched bridge which carried you into the entrance of the animals.

First up  Red River Hogs from South Africa, Wild Boars from the South America and Tapir from Southeast India. I found the Tapir very interesting.  It has a nose that it can use to pick up small objects.  

It can also breath underwater through their nose by using the same method as we do with the snorkel!  They are fairly gentle animals and their defenses are pretty much their keen sense of smell, and their ability to use camoflague effectively.  The babies curl up with their black and white outer shell making them look like tiny watermelons, doing undetected.  

The adults will lay still in the shade of the forest in the night like a large rock that is bathing in moonlight.  They also have a thick skin at the back of their necks also important to their survival.  

 

The zoo is divided into seven geographical regions: the Indo-Malaya, where you experience the humidity of the rain forest, and witness butterflies flying about your head and Orangutans hanging off of tree limbs.  

India, where you'll see the Rhinoceros and the Long-tailed Macaque.   Africa, where you'll see the white lion, speedy cheetahs, the long elephant, the hippos, the antelopes, meerkats, giraffes and baboons.   

The Canadian Domain has raccoons, cougars, a bald eagle, grizzlies, meese (mooses?), bison and of course the ferocious chipmunk.

The birds were everywhere in all parts of the zoo.  Found in the rain-forested walk-through which was surrounded by lovely water falls and dense forestry, such as the South American Blue Jay, the Macaws and the Pink Flamingos of the Americas.   

Throughout the day, I was constantly reminded of all of the great times my husband and I had taking the kids to the zoo when they were young.  It's funny but as soon as it is close to 6:00 in the afternoon, all the kids starts getting restless, tired and cranky as do the parents by this time.  

It comes to mind that perhaps freedom to any of these animals is like nothing left to lose.  I mean they have been chosen in a sense, and though it may have been against their will or their best interest, I really don't see the harm in saving an animal from extinction or from the wild.   


The Zoological society of Toronto has a commitment to saving those species that are injured or in danger like 3 polar bears from the wild in 2011 and over 120 animals in 2012.


All in all visiting these critters, both large and small gave a new hope to having boundaries that are safe. Being safe is just as important as possessing total freedom in an unsafe planet.  This place is like an animals paradise.

Scarborough Historical Museum & Memorial Park

To discover more about the Scarborough Historical Museum you have to start back in 1796, when a Scotsman named David Thomson settled in Upper Canada and became the first permanent resident in Scarborough.  He was granted 400 acres and along with his brother, Andrew had built a log cabin on his property.   

Not long after other settlers joined them including David's brother Archibald.  As they were stone masons, they made their living by working on the first Parliament buildings in York (Toronto).  

A few years later a road had connected their settlement to York and a sawmill was built by each one of the brothers, David, Andrew and Archibald.  A Presbyterian church, built 20 years later became the core of the prospering Thomson Settlement.

The pale looking house (Cornell House) was inhabited for over 80 years by descendents of Wm. Cornell who came here from Rhode Island in 1799.  This home was considered a middle-class home, with spacious upper and lower floors equipped with pot-bellied stove, pantry, cold storage, eating area and living area.  The upper floor was for sleeping, which kept the family closely together, including infants sleeping in the same room as the mother.  This tradition has since changed :)

It was quite cold outside, and very unexpected that the museum was opened on this day, so you can imagine our surprise to peer into the window to see a face appear waving us in.  Upon opening the front doorway, we were greeted and given hot tea and home made oatmeal cookies! There was one other person who was equally happy to join in for some afternoon tea.  The ladies were dressed in the attire of the time, long cotton dress, with aprons and bonnets.

One of the volunteers had offered to show us inside the McCowan Log Cabin, which was locked up.  The McCowan Log cabin was built in 1830 and was occupied by William McCowan from 1848 until his death in 1902. (1820-1902).    William came to Canada in 1833 with his parents and 4 brothers and 4 sisters where they settled near the Scarborough Bluffs near McCowan road.  

A year after emigrating to Canada, in one night, Williams' father and brother had died of cholera, after which William took care of his mother and brothers and sisters and remained a bachelor for the rest of his life.  

His nephew James McCowan took over after William passed on.  This cabin, although appearing quite small on the inside, could apparently house up to 10 people at one time and was considered quite large in its time.  The cabin was restored and carefully moved by the historical society to the Thomson Settlement in 1974.

The entire Thomson Settlement occupies a portion of the 'Thomson Memorial Park' at the corner of Brimley Road and Lawrence in Scarborough.

Highland Creek Watershed (Brimley Woods)

Recently passed by a small woodland lot at the corner of Finch and Brimley Road, called Brimley Woods (which incidentally is also another component of the Highland Creek watershed).  Brimley Woods is essential to the health of the watershed by absorbing air pollutants as well as to provide a habitat for plants and wildlife such as hawks and songbirds.  In the spring and summer the entire area is surrounded by wildflowers.

 
The "Highland" is an urban creek running over 85 kilometres through an area of about 100 square kilometres.  Although today, it's become the most developed watershed in all of Toronto, there are still remnant forests like this one, which are vital green space that contain trails of which can provide recreational opportunities all year round as well.

I remember when I was in high school, we had to meet up in the mornings at a local forest much like this one to do a recreational course as part of our phys ed class.  The signs indicate what exercise is required and the bars are permanently installed for exercise aids.  

Brimley Woods is an example of the conservation efforts and strategies between the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority with the City of Toronto and community organizations  all for the common good to improve health of the Highland and its neighbourhoods.   

The next time you explore your neighbourhood parks and trails, you can help by recycling your bottles and cans, or picking up any lose garbage that somehow doesn't make its way to the trash.  Keep active by joining or organizating neighbourhood nature walks, doing private tree planting, or establishing rain gardens in your own backyard.  

Highland Creek Watershed (Morningside Park)

The Highland Creek watershed consists of several neighbourhood greening projects.  

During a November frost, I wanted to take pictures of Morningside Park and the Main Highland Creek branch which is just northeast of the Hague and Cedarbrook parks (see blog).  This covered my two interests of both exploring the various park systems in Toronto as well as understanding more about how the watershed diverts the flow of storm/sewage run-off, which is so critical to our clean water supply. (ref: R.C. Harris Filtration Plant in this blog for more information on water filtration)

Morningside Park is as beautiful as I was told, and very large.  The University of Toronto campus (Scarborough) overlooks the park.  There are birdhouses in the park which contribute to the expansion of the bird habitat.  

The trail has some pretty amazing sights.  I saw a number of hawks in the area, but they were just a little too quick for me!  

Like most large cities, Toronto has our own spread of graffiti culture.  It's all around us, livening up Cabbagetown, drearily-coloured factories, the walls of old office buildings and through pedestrian tunnels like the Moccasin Trail.  Whereas other cities label them as 'art crimes' or 'vandalism', Toronto encourages our street artists.   Judge for yourself by these photographs that were taken from the base of the Kingston-Galloway-Orton Park Bridge.  While looking at them, all I kept thinking was, how could anyone call this graffiti? 

A couple of years ago, a  265 metres long bridge was put up joining two neighbourhoods together (Kingston-Galloway and Orton Park).  It was a success in every way including bringing the cultural and arts communities together.  The art work at the base of the bridge was actually done by 20 local youths which just humbled me that young people could be just so talented and here was a perfect opportunity for them to show it off forever.  

Further along the trail there were these cute smilies painted on sewage drains coming into and out of the parks.  The West Highland Branch was photographed recently (Hague/Cederbrook parks), but I completely messed up with my camera settings this time for the waterflow from the Main Highland Creek, but at least you will be able to see that both Scarborough and the watershed treatment projects in your neighbourhood not only create a practical purpose, but can be aesthetically beautiful as well.