No Trespassing

Signs, signs, everywhere signs, keep away you, this is private property and there is no trespassing. They want you to keep away from the elevators down by the portlands. I checked and the graffiti says 'sassy', yeah, that's right, it's a sassy concrete elevator (or silo).

Okay, it's not sassy, but it should be.

Cirque Du Soleil: Totem

The circus tent has been erected on Cherry Street just across from T&T Supermarket as Cirque Du Soleil's Totem ("a fascinating journey into the evolution of mankind") sets up for it's show opening on August 11, 2011 in  Toronto.

LOVE on the beach

'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all (Alfred Lord Tennyson).' And the sign on the hydro pole at Cherry Beach does say LOVE. Then in stencil there is 'Gregory Alan Elliot', artist and poet.

I think he sometimes is a little wordy, like this time, halfway through the poem I almost fell asleep. He needs to keep focused and on target, maybe just use symbols instead of those big words of his. And does he have to scream LOVE, can't it be love, gentle and sweet. The other issue is that it looks like an official traffic sign - disobey and face a fine, demerit points and possibly a crash.  That is why several people dropped to the ground and made LOVE right there.

Cherry Beach kite surfing

Bright kites were in the sky above Cherry Beach as the kite surfers were enjoying the strong winds found down along the lake today.

Lonely Cherry Beach

The past weekend fickle weather kept many away from the beaches of Toronto. At Cherry Beach the line of lifeguards looked out into the empty water, rowboats and flotation devices at the ready. Sadly only birds swam in the cool waters of Lake Ontario.

So, let's take a gander at the weather that is upcoming for the Canada Day long weekend fun. So far they tend to say the weekend will be beautiful, then at the last minute they forecast cool temps and cloudy skies, with more than a little chance of disgustingly large amounts of precipitation. As of right now the forecast calls for sunny and warm temperatures from Thursday to Sunday - except for some rain on Saturday (isolated showers, less than 1mm). 

The beaches should be crowded this weekend but if you want a guarantee of bikinis I suggest you go to the Ms Chin Bikini contest this Saturday, July 2, 2011 at noon in Exhibition Place.

Beaches of Toronto

Sunday is just what summer should be - sunny and warm. The blue skies were out to bless everyone with a little kiss of sky and some exposed skin. Early morning sun fought off the fog and later in the morning rising temperatures started to warm up the sand and brought out the sun worshipers to beaches along Lake Ontario. There were also tons of boaters out, including teams of Dragon Boats practicing for a big race. Sunnyside Park has beach volleyball courts set up and there is a large patio which is just perfect for viewing the action.

This sculpture looks exactly like what you find at the bottom of a drain

Parking lots along Lakeshore are easily accessible and if you bring your bike you can travel from site to site to find the perfect combination of sand and beach. See more beaches after the jump.

The inner harbour near Ontario Place

HTO Park

Cherry Beach and their weird beach trees

Beach on Centre Island and wharf below

Entrance to Hanlan's Point clothing optional beach - there was a large turnout at the beach

Cherry Beach in the fog

Cherry Beach was lonely in the early morning spring fog. The lifeguard towers and rescue stations were empty, thongs were still packed away. You could hear the loud squawks of birds that fill the Leslie Street Spit   just across the way.

The leash free dog zone had scattered canines and isolated groups of dog friends, you know friends that get to know each other walking their dogs in the same place at the same time. The bugs are starting to come out but not really biting yet, just large clouds of bugs floating in the air - probably bug friends, you know flying in the same area at the same time, looking for targets to bite and keeping away from birds. Besides the dogs you could find dragon boats practicing for some upcoming races and some kayakers getting in a nice workout.

small droplets of dew gather in a pesky fluffy dandelion

See more of Cherry Beach and Cherry Street after the jump.

Dew filled the early tree growth and their were craploads of yellow snails climbing in the bushes and getting their slime over stuff.

Cherry Beach

A crazy fog came rolling in from Lake Ontario and quickly reduced visibility along the Cherry Beach. It was hard to see the dogs playing in the lake or across the bay towards Leslie Spit. The lifeguard building was occupied and the lifeguards were perched high in their lookout trying to keep everyone safe. They keep a bunch of rowboats upside down on the beach but I hope they use the motorboats that they have tied up at the dock if they have to make a rescue. The graffiti taggers had hit the building, sadly nothing is safe from those guys.



The water is still cold but there were still a few sun worshipers waiting for the sun to come out but most of the people were out walking and playing with their dogs.




As the day warmed up the fog went away and I ended up getting a nice sunburn - ahh, that's what summer is about (please tan responsibly and use sunscreen).

Enjoying the weather around Toronto

The warm sunny weekend got a lot of people out on bikes and walking around their favourite areas around Toronto. I checked out Cherry Beach and it was full of dogs playing in the surf and sand as well as a few wind surfers braving the chilly waters of Lake Ontario.




Meanwhile downtown along Queen Street West the bars and patios were full of people soaking up the rays while enjoying some tasty beverages.



And Cameron House was still being attacked by ants as people walked by, unaware of the horror just above their heads.

Ashbridge Bay-Watch

Lifeguards are on duty along the beaches of Toronto and the citizens of TO are on hand to enjoy the refreshing waters of Lake Ontario. I didn't see any lifeguards running in slow motion but there were plenty in their towers and lifeguard stations; rescue gear and boats ready for action.

Keeping people safe from June 12 to September 7 (until 6pm) the lifeguard services is run by the Toronto Police Department.





The huge sandy area was full of beach volleyball nets with youth games by PVB Canada going on and a seperate area for the Not So Pro Sports summer beach volleyball tour.

Waterfront Swans

The ice along the Lake Ontario is quickly melting, only small chunks litter the edges of the beaches. Small protected harbours are the only remaining holdouts for winter's ice. At Cherry Beach and other spots along the waterfront we find a large groups of swans amongst the many waterfowl.

Here is a swan going under water for kernels of corn.