Craven Road

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  Craven Road
Date:  March 2025

  Toronto is home to the Art Gallery of Ontario, as well as many small independant galleries. Only a few people know that they can also take a walk along Craven Road and see a variety of art.

 

   One side of Craven Road is full of houses and the other is a wooden fence. There is a wide variety of framed art and strange objects stuck to the fence. The part of the fence above has a mirror, a guitar, some hockey gloves and a painting of a blue person.

 

 

The nice thing about Craven Road is that it is always open. Day or night. Rain or shine.

     We don't know who the artists are behind this artwork. Are they paintings from residents of Craven Road? Are they artwork from a local school?  Is everything found art with artists unknown?

         There were many paintings of nature and scenery. Perhaps the artists will one day be held in as high regard as the Group of Seven.

 

        As we admired the random collection of art stuck on the fence we also wondered who started it all?  Did someone from the street want to look at something more than an empty fence across from their home.

    This section of the wall had the front and back of an owl, an upside down Q, a little red man and more.

    Another section was filled with instruments and shoes between the works of art.We assumed that the instruments no longer worked and were repurposed as decorations. If they were stuck on the fence in working order, Toronto's weather would have made quick work of them.

     Another section featured two guitars and a photo of a pier.

      A few other sections featured animal artwork. These were most likely to remember favourite pets.

    How did it come to be and who may be the mystery curator of this fence full of art? We may never know. What we do know is that when all the other galleries are closed, you can always take a walk or a drive up Craven Road.

---

Map of Our World
Craven Road

---

Post # 345

Beer De Staalman

 

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Address: Ottho Heldringstraat 200R
Date: May 2024
Website: www.summum.engineering

    Beer De Staalman, also known as Bear The Steel Man is a sculpture located in the south-west end of Amsterdam. The bear is 10 metres tall and is made of steel rebar. He was completed in 2011.

 

    The bear appears to be lumbering along carrying a pillow. He just wants a place to lie down and take a nap. The steel rebar inside the bear was sprayed with concrete and then styled and painted to give him the look of brown fur.

 

    We travelled a little out of our way from our hotel near Centraal Station just to say hello to Bear The Steel Man. The bear was designed with the help of young children from the local neighbourhood. Good work all around as this bear statue brightened our day.

---

Map of Our World
Beer De Staalman

---

Post # 344

Year Of The Snake

1. Mall Snakes
   
2. Snake Path UC San Diego
   
3. Massasauga Rattlesnake
4. Pythonbrug
5. Dekay's Brown Snake
   
6. Reticulated Python
   
7. Black Snake in Greece
8. Movieland Snake
   
9. Science North
   
10. Snakes & Ladders
    

  People born in the Year of the Snake are said to be graceful, wise and determined. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac. To celebrate here are 10 of our favourite snake encounters.

1 ) Mall Snakes

To celebrate the new year, malls around Toronto are decorated for the Year of the Snake. The Scarborough Town Centre went for a family friendly, cartoonish snake. It sits in their centre court watching over everyone. The snake at Yorkdale Mall (below) looked a little more menacing. This year was coming in with a quick, precise strike.

2)  Snake Path UC San Diego

At the University of California San Diego campus there is a snake path that slithers through the garden beside the Geisel Library. You can walk down this snake skin tiled walkway until you reach the snake's head with its forked tongue sticking out.

3)  Massasauga Rattlesnake

The Massasauga rattlesnake is Ontario's only venemous snake. It is also the only Ontario snake to have cat's eyes (vertical pupils). We encountered a Massasauga rattlesnake near Tobermory at Bruce Peninsula National Park. They are endangered so a sighting is rare. The snake we encountered was just hurrying on its way through the leaves on the ground.

4)  Pythonbrug

Pythonbrug or Python Bridge is a curvy bridge that spans a canal in Amsterdam. Its real name is High Bridge or Hogebrug. It is only for pedestrians and is quite an interesting walk along a series of steps.

5)  Dekay's Brown Snake

Another snake we have encountered is the DeKay's brown snake. It is fairly common and can be found from Quebec in Canada all the way down to Honduras in Central America. It likes to eat slugs and worms. We uncovered this little fellow under a flower pot. He didn't move so we took his photo and then placed the flower pot back.

6)  Reticulated Python

The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world. It grows up to 33 feet in length. That is quite a bit longer than another big snake, the boa constrictor. Boa constrictors only grow to about 13 feet in length. The snake above can be found at the Toronto Zoo.

7)  Black Snake in Greece

The biggest snake we have seen in the wild was in the small village of Mavrovouni, Greece. We believe it was a black whip snake which can grow to about 6 feet long. It slithered across the road and into some tall grass. Unfortunately, that grass was the exact place we had previously pulled our car into when visiting a nearby cafe. We may have to find a new parking spot in the future.
 

 8)  Movieland Snake

If you have ever visited Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Canada you may have walked past this next snake. If you time it right, she may pop out of the wall at the Movieland Wax Museum.

9 ) Science North

Science North in Sudbury, Ontario has many reptile and amphibian residents. This photo above is of a snake skeleton. This gives you a better idea as to what is really going on inside.

10 ) Snakes & Ladders

Snakes are an important part of the game Snakes & Ladders. If you land on a ladder you climb up. If you land on a snake you slide down. Storm Crow Manor in Toronto has some outdoor game boards that double as tables so you can enjoy a drink or meal while you play.

  That is our list of favourite snakes. Let's see how the new year slithers along. Remember to be aware of and kind to our scaly, legless friends.

---

Map of Our World

Toronto Zoo , York Cemetery , Bruce Peninsula National Park , STILVI Cafe , Science North
Pythonbrug
Scarborough Town Centre , Yorkdale Mall , Movieland Wax Museum
Chinese Zodiac , Snake Path
Storm Crow Manor

---

Post # 343