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Sunday 30 December 2018

Runnymede Theatre

Canada's Theatre Beautiful.

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
Address: 2223 Bloor St W
Date: March 2017
Website:  heritagetoronto.org

     It started out as a place to see vaudeville performances.  These days the Runnymede Theatre is a place to collect Optimum points.  The theatre first opened in 1927 and today is one of the nicest looking drug stores in Toronto.

Aisle 4 Deodorant and Domes.

   In the middle of the store is a decorative gold dome.  We can see why the theatre was called "Canada's Theatre Beautiful".

Runnymede Stage.

  From the second level we could see the stage behind the cosmetic counter.  The ceiling was painted like the sky.  In the later 1930s the theatre was a movie house only.

An Original Projector. Fancy Emergency Exit.

A projector from the old movie house days was sitting up on the second floor balcony.  Even the emergency exit reminded us of the building's earlier theatre days.

Fancy Magazine Rack.

  In 1972, the building became a bingo hall. In 1980 it played movies again for about two decades and then it became a retail store.  Today it is a Shopper's Drug Mart but well worth a visit to get a glimpse into history.

This location is near Runnymede subway. Visit other Toronto TTC stations.

Map of Our World
Runnymede Theatre

Post # 237

Thursday 20 December 2018

Simcoe Christmas Panorama

Simcoe Christmas Panorama

 Location: Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
Address:  50 Bonnie Dr
Date: Dec 2017
Website:  www.simcoepanorama.ca

    About 60 years ago the town of Simcoe had a Santa Claus Parade which was rained out.  The organizers left the parade floats in the park.  The following year they decided that instead of the parade, they would leave the floats in the park for everyone to come and see them over the holiday season.

Christmas Lights Up The Park.

  Through the years the event has grown.  Now each December the whole park is covered in lights and filled with displays.

Christmas Lighthouse.

  Wellington Park has a small river that runs through it so the lights surround the river's edge.  There is even a small Christmas coloured lighthouse on the bend.

4 and 20 Blackbirds.  That's 24 Per Pie.

  Some of the floats featured rhymes such as "4 and 20 Blackbirds".

I'll Huff And I'll Puff And...Wait How Much Is The Rent?

  Or "Three Little Pigs".

Polar Bears.Nativity Scene.
Your'e A Mean One Mr Grinch.
Kevin!!  Merry Chirstmas.

  Still other floats featured polar bears, nativity scenes or holiday classics like The Grinch.  The Simcoe Firefighters Association sponsored a Minion filled float.

Santa's Reindeer.

  Santa Claus was everywhere around the park.  Santa was flying by in his sleigh pulled by his reindeer.

The Santa "Claus" Maria.

  Santa was out on a boat in the river.

I'll Be Back.  Next Christmas.

There was a glowing red eye Terminator Santa.

Move Over Jack.  Its Santa-In-The-Box.
 Christmas Moose.

  There was a Santa-In-The-Box on a float full of toys and a moose dressed in a Santa outfit.

Santa Is Beside Himself.

  Even the real Santa was there greeting children next to a giant Santa statue.  Ho! Ho! Ho!

Gingerbread House.
 Christmas Tree Scene.
 It's So Much Colder In Simcoe Than Cape Town.
 Scrooge Is Visited By A Ghost.

  Around the park were little houses that you could look inside.  They were filled with candy, penguins, Christmas trees or even an old man in his pyjamas (aka Ebeneezer Scrooge).

Dragon.

  Across the road from the park were a few other creatures like this dragon (above).

Light In The Night.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

  We appreciated all the work that went into setting up this display and see why many people make it a holiday tradition to give Simcoe a visit.  On a cold night walking around in the park, we also appreciated the booth selling hot beverages.  Soon we left the coloured lights behind and went off to enjoy the warmth of our nearby bed and breakfast accomodations.

Map of Our World
Simcoe Christmas Panorama

Post # 236

Monday 10 December 2018

CP Holiday Train

The Holiday Train Arrives

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 750 Runnymede Road
Date: Nov 2018
Website:  www.cpr.ca

  For twenty years the Holiday Train has travelled across Canada.  This year was no exception.  The train goes across the country to collect food and money for local food banks.  This year we went to catch the train to holiday cheer.
 
The Holiday Train Is Here.

  In Toronto the train stopped at Lambston Yard.  It blasted its horn as it crossed a bridge and entered the stockyards. 

Choo Choo Crowd.

A large crowd had gathered to welcome its arrival.  The decorated train cars slowed to a stop.

 The 2018 Holiday Train.

  ​There are two trains in Canada.  One train leaves Montreal and travels down into the US and then makes its way back into Canada to stop in Weyburn, Saskatchewan.

All Aboard.

The other train leaves Montreal and travels west through Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta before arriving in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia .

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.

  The train we saw in Toronto would finish its journey in BC about 20 days later.  Until then its flashing lights would shine across the country as it travels province to province.

Three Reindeer.  We Think It Is Dancer, Comet and Blitzen.
 Bright Lights.

  The train cars were all decorated in holiday lights with animated scenes depicting, reindeer, mountains and winter fun.

Smoky Red.
 Smoky Green.

   Ernest "Smoky" Smith was the last living Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross.  The Victoria Cross is given for bravery in battle.  When Ernest died at the age of 91 a train car was named in his honour.  When the Holiday Train came to town his car was flashing green and red light.

Canada's Holiday Train.

  One train car had a large tarp with the Canadian flag on it.  As the crowd took photos of the colourful train, the tarp suddenly rolled up.

We Aim To Enter Train Ya.

  Inside was Canadian country music star Terri Clark ready to entertain the crowd with her songs as well as some Christmas classics.  Terri is from Medicine Hat., Alberta and a member of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.  She would be performing at stops all across the country.


Police Car Lights Display.

  Even the police cars that were there for crowd control were lighting up the night. Their very bright red and blue lights flashed from the roof of their vehicles.

Bon Voyage Holiday Train.

  The Holiday Train was a nice start to the Holiday Season.  As we write this blog, it is still on track collecting food donations and spreading holiday cheer across the nation.

Map of Our World
CP Holiday Train

Post # 235

Friday 30 November 2018

Alzu Petroport

Elephant Escapes The Gift Shop

Location: Middelburg, South Africa
Address: N4, Alzu Petroport,
Date: October 2018
Website:  www.alzu.co.za

  We left Johannesburg and we were headed towards Kruger National Park.  We were still more than half way to our destination when our tour group stopped for refuelling at Alzu Petroport.  So far we had not seen any large mammals on our trip and did not expect to see any until we were closer to the Kruger boundary.  What awaited for us at the rest stop was very unexpected.

Alzu Waterhole.

  Behind the rest stop was a large watering hole surrounded by animals.

Dehorned Rhinos

  The closest animals to us was a group of southern white rhinoceros.  Sadly all of these rhinos had been dehorned due to the poaching threat.  Don't worry the horns will grow back in a few years.

Their Future Is In Our Hands.

  The Petroport has a small museum set up explaining the plight of the rhino.  In the photo above there is a hippo skull on the left and a rhino skull on the right.

The Best Kind Of Firearm.  Disabled.

  Rhinos are hunted mainly for their horns.  The horns are made of keratin like our toes and fingernails.  Killing a rhino for their horn is like killing a person in order to clip their toenails.

Rhino Sculpture.

  The Petroport also has a lot of artwork around the grounds.  There was a large rhinoceros sculpture outside.

Nando's For Rhino Survival

  On our way to the washrooms there was a beautiful rhino mosaic on the wall.  This mosaic was sponsored by Nando's which was one of the restaurants in the Petroport.

Facing Down The Elephant.

  After visiting the facilities we came outside again onto a balcony.  Below us was a charging elephant bursting forth from the gift shop.  From the balcony we could get a better view of the animals.
 
Eland.

  We could see cape buffalo as well as a group of eland (above).

Red Hartebeest.

  Far back along the fence was a group of antelope called red hartebeest. 

G'Day.  Hakuna Matata Mate.

  For some reason there was an emu.  Emu are native to Australia.  Emu are the second largest bird in the world after the African ostrich.

Cape Sparrow.

  We also saw a few smaller birds like this cape sparrow which flew onto the fence.

The Greatest Swallow.

  Greater striped swallow swirled around above our heads.

Who Wants Round Spots When You Can Have Triangle Ones?

  As our tour group prepared to depart we had to leave these animals and the very entertaining Petroport behind.   We spotted a triangular spotted pigeon up in the rafters as we left the balcony.  Soon we would be spotting wildlife in the Greater Kruger area.  We never did see any wild rhinos, but hope that there will still be some to see when we have a chance to return.

Do Not Touch Our Rhinos.

Map of Our World

Post # 234