Tommy Thompson Park (additional photographs)

unfilled landfill :)

  I went back to the Tommy Thompson Park for a ride..mostly because I just can't get enough of this place.  I rode for about an hour from home and instead of following the path to the Vicky Keith Lighthouse (see Tommy Thompson Park on this blog) I explored a little and tried to find paths closer to the shoreline.  It was a windy night, but a warm wind and just hours after the 5.8 earthquake that Toronto and surrounding areas including Quebec experienced.  I must have been in a 'safe zone' because desks didn't shake, or rattle, or roll 

and I was pretty much oblivious to what had happened until I heard the buzz from people talking about it.  

Confused Geese...

Nothing spells the end of summer like the shorter days

 and the early confusion of geese swarming around dusk.  I remembered my grandfather used to tell me when I was a child that we could learn a lot from the animals, especially the birds (yes he was Native ;).  They were altruistic and would be able to give me all the warnings signs I would ever need for the weather ahead.  Judging by the way the they swarmed, almost manically back and forth and hovering at times, I figured there was going to be a bad wind shift happening in the near future. Canadian weather is always so unpredictable anyways. I rode to the end of a gravelly road and looked around for miles without seeing a soul in sight. I was a little concerned with my bike tires because of the rubble, so kept the weight off them.  The shoreline was littered with building remnants and construction waste.  It is a landfill site after all, and in time this too will be covered with grassland and wildflowers.  The ducks didn't seem to mind...    

trails of geese 

High Park and High Park Zoo (Summer)

Enter park - Modern art

It was a great day to go for a walk and leave my bike at home and decided to check out High Park out in the west end.  High Park is stunning in the summer.  Entering the park, it won't take long before you'll meet up with some friendly squirrels.  They're so cute and are especially friendly and trusting in these more public park settings..friendly High Park squirrels

Like any other public park, you are bound to run into some modern art, there was a very strange piece of metal artwork bolted in the ground ... 

Dog-walk path / free path

Capybaras/cattle/emu :)

High Park Gardens

Entering the northwestern part of the park you will get into a structured path outlined with steel/wooden fences for dog walkers basically designed so the dogs can run free.  This opens up into an older, yet boundless path that leaves you to explore in wooded areas if you want. Once you cross the park where you'll probably see people having lunch at picnic tables, you'll find the zoo. 

Out and about (not around in the spring) I saw a couple of capybaras.  Not sure what they are? I wasn't either. They originate from South America and are the largest rodents on earth!  To me they have the face of a beaver and a body of a small hippo but they're cute nonetheless.  The Highland cattle were out again like in the spring along with the Emu which kept following me everywhere I went along the fence.  Everyone thought it was funny but I think we bonded :)

Huge rhubarb in 1st pic!

Finally the famed High Park gardens that I'd never been to and lived here my whole life.  The pictures pretty much speak for themselves.  A couple of things not in my favour, a camera that is of low quality and an overcast sky, but you can get the idea of how beautiful the grounds are.  I can't believe how large rhubarb can grow..!

They have a landscape and gardening training centre on the premises and judging by the results, I would say its working.  Finally just before heading out for some food, one last stop to look at the famous Grenadier pond which looked like glass.  A few signs a long the pond warn of poison ivy so you're safe to to roam anywhere where signs are not posted because Parks and Rec are always scouting for unsafe plants.