Downsview Park

 Location: North York, Ontario, Canada
Address: 70 Canuck Ave.
Date: Feb 2022
Website: en.downsviewpark.ca

   Downsview Park has always been involved in aviation.  There is still an active airport on the grounds.  In 1929 de Havilland of Canada manufactured planes that were used in World War II.  After that the Royal Canadian Air Force used the grounds.  The area has been used for large events such as Pope John Paul II visiting in the 80s or The Rolling Stones coming to Toronto after SARS.  The latest chapter has the area being used for mostly sports and recreation, but you are constantly reminded of the park's history.  Let's take a look at some of the things that Downsview has to offer.

   As you curve around the Downsview grounds on Sheppard Avenue West you will pass Denison Armoury where some former Canadian Armed Forces equipment is on display such as the fighter jet above.

      The old airplane hangars have now been repurposed as a sports recreation facility.

 

 

Within the giant hangar spaces you can now take part in volleyball, soccer, basketball and more.

 

    There is even a rock climbing facility of which we were briefly members.  Remember to double check all your gear and put your trust in your partner before you start to climb.

     Centennial College has a campus on site in the former de Havilland of Canada building.  Here students can learn to be aviation technicians or aerospace engineers.

     Next to the college campus was a yard with some planes which we assume were for the students to practice their skills on.

    As you head further west on Carl Hall Road you will come to a long building which houses a merchant and farmer's market.  A great spot to pick up some fruits and vegetables, buy and sell some old household items and more.

    The side of the building with the merchant's market also now has a large mural painted on it.  Behind that wall is a film studio.

  Back along Carl Hall Road is a mural dedicated to Ulysses "Crazy Legs" Curtis.  Ulysses was the first full time black player on the Toronto Argonauts football team.  After his retirement he was a teacher  and worked closely with the youth of the Downsview area.

    The next part of the park is our favourite.  It is the urban park portion which many wild creatures call home.

     Some wind socks show you which way the winds are blowing today.  This area gets some strong winds as much of it is open and flat.  All the better to land a plane.

  A plane had landed nearby in the children's playground.  The playground was airport themed so children get a chance to play pilot or air traffic controller.

    The North Plaza is the start of the Sesquicentennial Trail.  It depicts the story of the Mississaugas and early settlers.  It was unveiled as part of Canada's celebration of 150 years since confederation.

    In the wooded areas there are several bird houses set up.  Downsview is home to many small types of birds.

    There are often dark-eyed juncos which are a type of sparrow.

    There are also many other types of sparrow such as this white-throated sparrow above.

  Bright red cardinals stand out against the snow.  

As do Canada Flags.

 And big wooden muskoka chairs.

  Some signage lets you know to return in the summer when you might see other birds such as meadowlarks, bobolinks and more.

     Not to be outdone, there are many small mammals also in the park.  As with most of Toronto there are many squirrels.  This little squirrel above was part of a squirrel nursery that had taken over a tree.

  You should be able to spot a beaver while in the park.  Real beavers are found within Toronto and therefore not an impossibility, but still very unlikely in this park.  This beaver is a DHC-2 Beaver which is an early bush plane developed at Downsview in 1947.

  If you look carefully you may spot a real rabbit hiding in the bushes.  As darkness falls, these rabbits need to watch out for coyotes in the park.

  Raccoons can be found in the park and they don't bother to hide from anything.  They are content to sleep the day away wrapped around a tree.

  Where there are small birds and creatures there will also be larger birds of prey.  Red-tailed hawks can be found in the park year round.

    Owls are sometimes seen in the park.  The pictures above are of a long-eared owl and a short-eared owl.  We are hoping you can figure out which is which, or should we say who is who?

  All of the animals in the park and around the city are glad to know that the Toronto Wildlife Centre is located on the Downsview grounds.  The centre helps injured animals get back out into the wild where they belong.

  One feature of Downsview are the giants mounds which you can climb.  This mound is comprised of all the dirt taken out when a man-made lake was created in the park.

  At the top of one of the mounds was an art project called Wind Rose.  It is a series of flags and is named after a tool used to show wind speed and direction in a particular area.

  The top of the mound is a good spot to look past the Bombardier buildings and see the familiar Toronto skyline.  As always the CN Tower stands tall above everything else.

    Downsview Park is a great place to explore our connection to the skies from the safety of the ground.  Whether it is from the top of The Mound or above the rim at Hoop Dome.  We can dream of flying, like the many planes that were made here or like the birds that call the park home.

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Map of Our World
Downsview Park , The Mound
Toronto Wildlife Centre , Centennial College - Downsview Campus , Denison Armoury
Merchants Market Mural , Crazy Legs Curtis Mural , Downsview Park (North Plaza) , Downsview Park (Planes)
True North Climbing , The Hangar , Downsview Park Merchants Market & Farmers Market

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Post # 308

Dufferin Islands

 Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Address: Dufferin Islands
Date: Jan 2022
Website: www.niagaraparks.com

   Dufferin Islands is a secluded area tucked away from the roar of Niagara Falls.  It is a series of waterways and islands located south of The Falls as you travel along the Niagara Parkway.  It is a great spot to escape from the flashing lights and crowds of the more touristy areas of Niagara.

   In the winter time,  the Niagara Parkway is filled with magical light displays.  The lights continue into Dufferin Islands and along the road that wraps through the islands.  Dufferin Islands is also the point where you can leave a donation to show your appreciation for all the work that goes into creating this show each year.

  If you are looking to do some bird watching then Dufferin Islands is the place for you.  No matter what the season, the water is teeming with various geese and ducks.

  The area is the perfect habitat to sustain a variety of wildlife.  You can take an enjoyable stroll through the island pathways connected by various bridges.

  If you follow the water eventually you will find yourself headed towards the Niagara River where the upper rapids rush towards the falls.

    If you look out into the Niagara River, almost directly from Dufferin Islands, you can see what looks like a rusty boat stuck in the rapids.  This is a scow which is used in dredging operations.  Back in 1918 two men were trapped on this scow when it came loose from the tugboat that was pulling it further up river.  A day later they were finally rescued using a canvas sling suspended from pulleys.  The men escaped without harm, but the scow has remained here for over 100 years.

  You can see how powerful the water of the Niagara River is even before it reaches the brink of the Horseshoe Falls.

    From this angle you can also look past the edge of the Horseshoe Falls and see where the mist rises as the water plummets over the edge.  In the photo above is Table Rock on the far left.  Table Rock is  right at the top edge of the falls and is the best spot to watch the water as it starts its descent.  The Skylon tower can also be seen on the right hand side.

    Once you have had enough of the rush of the falls you can walk back to Dufferin Islands and try to spot some of the light displays that remain set up year round. 

    While the islands are normally full of the usual waterfowl, once in a while there are other birds in amongst the Canada geese, mallards and seagulls.  It may just be a challenge to spot them.

  Visitors come from far and wide to see Niagara Falls and this duck is no exception.  We had heard of a rare visitor to the islands.  It still took us a while to finally find him despite the fact he had been right in front of us the whole time.

    This rare visitor is a black-bellied whistling duck.  They normally live in South and Central America only coming as far north as southern Texas in order to breed.  This duck had travelled even further north to find itself up in southern Ontario, Canada.

    This duck had been reported as visiting the islands in the summer.  When we visited in January the duck was still there despite the weather being about -20 C.  We imagine it was dreaming of warmer climates as it tucked its head beneath its wings.  We also know many human visitors rethink their clothing choices as they visit Niagara Falls during a Canadian winter.

  At least as the duck climbed up onto the bank it was not alone.  A seagull walked over to join it.  A bit later a female mallard also came over to be near this special visitor. It reminded us of Niagara Falls and the Dufferin Islands.  A place where people from all over can come together and marvel at the beauty and power of nature.

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Map of Our World
Dufferin Islands
1918 Dumping Scow Barge

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Post # 307

The Fifth Season

Location: New York, New York, USA
Address:  611 Fifth Avenue
Date: November 2021
Website:  www.saksfifthavenue.com

  We found ourselves in New York City for American Thanksgiving.  This is the offical start of the countdown to Christmas.  We took a little stroll along Fifth Avenue to experience something called The Fifth Season.  Along the way we enjoyed the sights and sounds as only New York can offer.

  We started our outing closer to Sixth Avenue as we visited the Bryant Park Holiday Shops.  We enjoyed a cake in a jar and found a few little gifts for our family.  Afterwards, we headed towards Fifth Avenue.

  Bryant Park is located right behind the New York Public Library's main branch.  As we headed onto Fifth Avenue we noticed that even the lion statues that stand guard at the front entrance of the library were wearing wreaths.

     As we headed north on Fifth Avenue we reached Rockefeller Center.  Angels playing horns lead the way to the giant Christmas Tree.  The tree this year was estimated to be about 80 feet tall and almost 45 feet wide at its widest point.  We guess that is how a lot of people feel after indulging in holiday treats, more than half as wide as they are tall.  We were too early for the tree lighting ceremony, but the tree itself was still impressive.

    Looking back towards Fifth Avenue the angels lead us to the Saks storefront all decorated for Christmas.  We had arrived just in time as the first show of lights was only a few minutes away.  We took a look at the Christmas window displays before finding a good spot to watch the show.

  This year the windows were of children's winter drawings come to life.  In the corner of the window was the child's name, age and their original drawing.  The window was a three dimensional, moving recreation of the original artwork.  A great idea and sure to be a thrill for the chosen artists.

  Some music was heard from across the avenue and the Saks Holiday Light Show was about to start.  The front of the store looked like a magical castle.  A wave of Christmas lights, music and colour swept over us.

    Everyone on the street stopped to admire the show.  Truly a great way to get yourself feeling that Christmas spirit.

  Just north of Saks Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center is St. Patrick's Cathedral.  We went inside to get away from the crowds and see the less flashy side of Christmas.

  The inside of the cathedral is as impressive as any light display that might be happening across the street.

  In the corner of the church was a large manger display.  We took a few moments to pause and then stepped back out into the lights and sights of New York City.

  As we travelled up Fifth Avenue we were treated to light displays set up on the sidewalk.  There was Frosty the snowman making a magic landing in his plane.

  There was an iconic New York yellow cab all lit up for Christmas.

There was a glowing cube that could have been a present or maybe an unsolved Rubik's Cube?

  Other stores besides Saks were also ready for Christmas.  The Cartier store was dressed up in lights to look like a glowing present wrapped in red ribbon.

  One store had a penguin in its window.  A lot of penguins live in cold climates, but live south of the equator.  That is a long way from the North Pole.  There are several species of penguin at the Central Park Zoo, including King penguins, if you keep walking up Fifth Avenue.

  There was a mailbox covered in lights.  You could leave your letters for Santa in this box.  The mailbox was just outside where the famous FAO Schwarz toy store used to be.  The store is now located further back down Fifth Avenue inside Rockefeller Center.

  A polar bear welcomed us as we arrived at the Pulitzer Fountain.  The fountain is located right in front of the Plaza Hotel.

      The whole fountain had been taken over by skating penguins, polar bears and seals as part of The Fifth Season.  We think the fifth season is that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Fifth Avenue is always a sight to see, but during this time it is something extra special.

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Map of Our World
Saks Fifth Avenue
Bryant Park
St. Patrick's Cathedral , Cartier , Pulitzer Fountain

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Post # 306