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Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts

Friday 20 August 2021

Clover Hill Park

Primrose The Donkey Clover Hill Park Toronto

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 50 St. Joseph Street,
Date: June 2021

    Primrose the donkey was born prematurely in England in 2012.  She needed to wear casts on her front legs until they grew stronger.  A nice pair of pink casts were made for her.  Now Toronto, Canada has a statue of Primrose in its Clover Hill Park.

Primrose The Donkey With Pink Casts Toronto

   When we saw some photos of the Primrose sculpture, we couldn't resist to go down and say hello for ourselves.

Rabbits And Snails Clover Hill Park

    Primrose is not alone.  There is a group of wooden sculptures sitting on the other side of the park.  There is a small colony of rabbits and a couple of snails.

Wooden Raccoon Clover Hill Park Toronto

  Not that Toronto needs more of them, but there is also a wooden raccoon sculpture.  We were happy to visit all of Primrose's little friends.

Mushroom Seats In Clover Hill Park Toronto

  To add even a little more magic to the park, there is also a cluster of mushroom seats.  You could even perch up on top of one like the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland if you wanted.

Primrose Donkey Sculpture Toronto

  The real Primrose is all grown up now and no longer needs her casts.  If you want to see her at her cutest you can visit Clover Hill Park on Bay Street where she will forever remain that little preemie donkey.


Map of Our World
Primrose , Clover Hill Park

Post # 302

Tuesday 20 April 2021

Assiniboine Park

Assiniboine Park Zoo Entrance

Location: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Address: 55 Pavilion Crescent
Date: Oct 2014
Website: www.assiniboinepark.ca

 Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba is more than just a park.  We were in Winnpeg as part of a trip to Churchill, Manitoba to see polar bears. We were in Assiniboine Park to see more polar bears and the other annimals of the Assiniboine Zoo.  Before we even reached the zoo, we soon realized that there were lots of animals to see throughout the park.
 
The Pavilion in Assiniboine Park

    The Pavilion is a beautiful building that operates as an art gallery. Admission was free and we went inside to take a look.  We knew already that the building contained one of the world's most famous bears.
 
Pooh Gallery Assiniboine Park

    The second floor has a gallery dedicated to Winnie the Pooh.  Winnie the Pooh was a black bear cub from Ontario who was rescued by a Canadian Lieutenant called Harry Colebourn.  The bear was named Winnie after Harry's hometown of Winnipeg.

Statue of Winnie The Bear and Harry Colebourn

    Just outside of The Pavilion is a statue dedicated to Winnie and Harry.  Winnie was eventually taken to England and lived in the London Zoo.


Winnie The Pooh dolls Assiniboine Park

  A.A. Milne wrote the famous books about Winnie the Pooh. The stories included his own son, Christopher Robin and his dolls.  The bear doll was named Winnie after visiting the real Winnie at her home in the London Zoo.  Above are some early Winnie the Pooh dolls.

Assiniboine Park Gallery Art
 
    The other floors of the gallery contained art from other artists from Manitoba and highlighted the culture and history of the province.
 
Assiniboine Park Polar Bear Art

    There were more bears of course, such as this polar bear that was part of a collection of nature paintings.  This painting reminded us that we were still headed to the zoo to see some real bears.
 
Serpent Bush Assiniboine Park

  Next to The Pavilion is a Nature Playground.  We found more creatures here all made of wood and plants.  There was a serpent.   

Yak Bush Assiniboine Park
Sheep Bush Assiniboine Park

    There was also a yak bush and a sheep with big googly eyes.

Winnie The Pooh Assiniboine Park

    Just in case you had not yet had your fill of bears or Winnie the Pooh, there was a bear shaped bush.  We had not yet had enough so we headed over to spend the day at the zoo.

Red River Ox Cart Assiniboine Park

   After a long but enjoyable day at the zoo we headed back to our hotel.  As we left the park we saw one last animal.  A giant ox sculpture sits at the entrance to the park.  This ox is pulling a Red River cart which was used for early trade, travel and work in Winnipeg.  One last history lesson that didn't involve bears before we ended our day.


Map of Our World
Nature Playground , Red River Ox Cart 
The Pavilion At Assiniboine Park 

Post # 298

Saturday 20 March 2021

Winter in Algonquin

 Spruce Bog Trail In Winter.

Location: Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada
Address: Spruce Bog Trail
Date: Feb 2019
Website: www.algonquinpark.on.ca

 While Algonquin Park is known for moose and bears and wolves, in the winter it is all about the little guys.  We visited the Ontario provincial park with a goal to try and see one little critter who is quite active during the winter months.  We were on the trail of the American Pine Marten.

 Chickadee At Algonquin Park in Winter.

  We started our search on the Spruce Bog Trail as there had been reports of marten spotted here. A chickadee welcomed us as we started the trail. Things looked promising.

 Animal Tracks in Algonquin Park in Winter.

  We came across some small tracks in the snow.  Things looked even more promising.  We are not the best at identifying tracks, but we believe we have marten tracks in the photo above.

Grey Jay in Algonquin Park.

    Next we were greeted by one of the guardians of the forest. A grey jay flew to a nearby branch to watch us on our hike. "Can you show us where the pine marten are hiding?" we asked. The grey jay flew from branch to branch in front of us leading the way. After a short time he flew off. We didn't come across any marten, but we always enjoy a visit from a curious jay all fluffed up for winter.   

A Snow Fly Walking In Winter Algonquin Park.

  As we were scanning the snow looking for marten tracks we noticed something unexpected walking across the snow.  It was a snow fly.  We never expected to see insects during the winter months, but that is when the adult snow flies live.  They have glycerol inside them to prevent their bodies from freezing in the cold weather.

Pine Marten Fur in Algonquin Park.

  When we returned to the parking lot after our hike, we learned that we had just missed a pair of pine marten running around in the snow at the edge of the lot.  While we had been out on the trail they had been putting on a show.  We hung around for a little while just in case. Still we had no luck and decided to see what was going on at the Visitor Centre.

Porcupine In Tree At Algonquin Park.

    At the back of the Algonquin Visitor Centre is a large viewing area that looks out across the valley below.  We noticed a group of photographers interested in something in the distance.  In the center of the photo above is a porcupine at the top of a tree (trust us).  Unfortunately, there are not too many porcupine in Algonquin.  They are preyed upon by the slightly larger relative of the pine marten, the fisher.  Fishers themselves are a rare sighting in the park.
 
Common Redpoll in Algonquin Park.

  There is also a bird feeder behind the Visitor Centre which sometimes attracts martens looking to eat some of the bird seeds. It never disappoints as various birds come and go.  A common redpoll (above) is one frequent winter visitor. 

Pine Grosbeak.
Pine Grosbeak.

    Another bird we had never seen before is the pine grosbeak.  The male is the brighter red coloured one.   We had seen a lot of different things today, but it was still the martens we had our sights on.

Mew Lake Campground.

  We had one last place we wanted to try in our search for the marten.  We headed to Mew Lake Campground where there is an old airfield and of course camping.

A Pine Marten in Algonquin Park.

   No sooner had we pulled the car into a parking spot when we spotted something in the rear-view mirror.  At last!  A pine marten had just climbed over the snow bank and onto the road.

A Pine Marten in Algonquin Park.

   We stepped out of the car and the marten ran back into the woods.  We stayed still and it wasn't long until the marten showed itself again and continued searching through the snow.  A marten is about the size of a small cat but with much shorter legs.

Snow Fleas in Algonquin Park.

   After spending some time with our new forest friend, we started to head back to our car.  We noticed something that looked like pepper in the snow.  Upon closer examination we realized it was snow fleas or springtails.  Another winter insect.  As we watched them we could see the fleas hop off the snow and disappear into the air. 

  Suddenly, something flew near us and at first we thought it was a moth.  We had seen enough insects that day, why not a snow moth?  Something else flew towards us and we realized it was a group of chickadees.  They took turns swooping in and landing or almost landing on us.  They must have thought we wanted to feed them.  As they flew closer to our faces, we decided to take cover and call it a day.   It truly was a day full of small creatures, but the marten was definitely the cutest animal in the forest that day, or some might say any day.


Map of Our World
Algonquin Park (Mew Lake) , Algonquin Park (Spruce Bog)

Post # 297

Monday 25 January 2021

Kim's Convenience

Kim's Convenience In Toronto

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 252 Queen Street East
Date: February 2017
Website:  www.cbc.ca

  A convenience store changed the outside signage in order to be used as part of a Canadian television show.  That show is Kim's Convenience and it first aired in 2016.  The show is now entering its fifth season and follows the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Kim as they try to run both the store and their family.

Mimi Variety is Kim;s Convenience.

   The real Kim's Convenience used to be known as Mimi Variety.  It is used for some external shots for the show even though most of the taping takes place in a replica store built inside a studio.  When we visited the real life location on Queen Street East,  it looked just like any other variety store in Toronto.

Kim's Convenience In Toronto

   The Kim's have two children, Janet & Jung.  Jung worked at HandyCar Rental.  In one episode Mr. Kim has a life size cardboard cutout of his son advertising the car rental business.  He puts it outside the front door and two neighbourhood kids steal it.  Mr Kim chases them out onto Seaton Street (above) to rescue his son's likeness. 

Kim's Convenience in Toronto

  If you find yourself in downtown Toronto you can pay a visit to the store.  Just don't expect to find Umma and Appa inside.


Map of Our World
Kim's Convenience

Post # 295

Friday 25 December 2020

Winterfest

Winterfest Canada's Wonderland

Location: Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Address: 9580 Jane Street
Date: Dec 2019
Website: www.canadaswonderland.com

  Canada's Wonderland amusement park started out as the summer place to go for rides and thrills.  When the kids went back to school in the fall, the season ended.  Next they started operating later and later in order to stay open with reduced hours up until Halloween.  In 2018 they realized, "Why is the park closed during the most wonderful time of the year?", and Winterfest was born.  Now being in Canada in the winter means it is too cold and snowy for most of the rides to operate, but that didn't stop them from turning the park into a winter Wonderland.

Winter Wonder Mountain At Canada's Wonderland

  The centrepiece of the park is Wonder Mountain.  In the summer it has flowing waterfalls and cliff divers.  In the winter a cascade of twinkling lights flows down the mountain. Everything was the same but with a wintery twist.

Festive Funnel Cakes.

  A must have treat when visiting Wonderland is the funnel cakes.  You can't go wrong with some deep fried batter topped with strawberries and ice cream.  Festive funnel cakes let you enjoy new flavours like Eggnog Gingerbread and Candy Cane.

Medieval Fare Transformed into Elf Village At Canada's Wonderland

  We entered Medieval Fare which was temporarily being called Elf Village.

Tinker's Toy Factory At Canada's Wonderland.

  One of the many shows was called Tinker's Toy Factory.  It was good to get inside the theatre and watch a show as well as for a chance to warm up.

Winterfest Mug

   Another way to keep warm was with unlimited hot chocolate refills in our Winterfest mug.  All you had to do was line up at one of the many stations across the park and get your mug topped up again and again.

Candy Cane Lane At Canada's Wonderland.

   Every section of the park was decorated and covered in lights and Christmas delights.  We walked down Candy Cane Lane where Snoopy and Woodstock rode their sled across a rainbow.

Charlie Brown's Tree Lot.

  We came across a line-up going into a group of Christmas trees.  We couldn't see through the trees to see what was going on.  We decided to join the line and find out what awaited us at the end.

Peppermint Patty & The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

  It turned out that this was Charlie Brown's Tree Lot and everyone was lined up to have their picture taken with Peppermint Patty and a thin little tree with only one ornament.  As we know, that little tree is full of Christmas spirit.

Wonderland Christmas Tree

There were also giant Christmas trees filled with lights.

Christmas Lights At Canada's Wonderland.

Just about every tree in the park was draped in glowing bulbs.  It really was an impressive display.

Giant Christmas Lights

We wouldn't even dare to count how many lights might have been used to light up the park.  We would say for Wonderland to expect an oversized electric bill, nuch like these oversized lights.

Canada's Wonderland Poutine

 We started getting hungry again so what better to eat than some Christmas Veggie Poutine.

Elf On A Reindeer Penguin At Canada's Wonderland

Around the park were many Christmas characters.  There were elves and reindeer and even elves on reindeer.  There were also some penguins dressed for the cold.

Gingerbread Man Canada's WOnderlandSnowman Canada's Wonderland

There were men made of both snow and gingerbread.

Present Of Lights Canada's Wonderland

   There was a giant present made of lights.

Snowball Toss Game At Canada's Wonderland 
 
Even the games were themed for Christmas.  The Milk Can game was renamed the Snowball Toss.  If you won you might go home with your very own bouncing Abominable Snowmonster from the Rudolph Christmas classic. 

Llama Decorations Canada's Wonderland

  If you didn't win a prize, you could still go home with some Christmas decorations from the shops.  We liked the Fa La La La Llama ornament.

Reindeer Canada's Wonderland.

  As we headed out of the park we thought we heard a clatter.  Was it the hooves of reindeer landing on a roof?  Maybe it was the clickety clank of people being pulled to the top of a roller coaster?  Either way Wonderland had provided us with some thrills for yet another season.


Map of Our World
Canada's Wonderland
Post # 294