Year of The Pig

1. Hawaiian Pigs
2. Babirusa
3. CNE Pigs
4. Miss Piggy
5. Miss Piggy
6. Red River Hog
7. Tamworth Pigs
8. Pig Pot at the ROM
9. Pigman at the Campbell House
10. Warthogs

  People born in the Year of the Pig are said to be thoughtful, polite, reliable, courageous and ready to help others.  They can also be naive, and self-indulgent.  2019 is the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese zodiac.  To celebrate here are 10 of our favourite swine encounters. Oink Oink.

1 ) Hawaiian Pigs

Dan's Green House is located in the town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui, in Hawaii.  They have exotic plants and rare birds as well as mini pigs.  We got a chance to spend some time with these two little guys.  Aren't they just the cutest?

2)  Babirusa

Speaking of cute, we are sorry but babirusa are just the opposite.  They have long legs, weird curvy tusks and look like all of their hair just fell out.  They are only found on a few islands in Indonesia and are unforgettable.  We saw this pair at the Toronto Zoo.

3)  CNE Pigs

When the Canadian National Exhibition comes to Toronto at the end of each summer so does "The Farm".  You can experience the sights and smells of livestock.  There are always lots of pigs and usually one big sow who spends her day constantly feeding her litter of piglets.

4)  Miss Piggy

In Queens, New York the Museum of the Moving Image has a Jim Henson Exhibition.  Miss Piggy is one of our favourite Muppets and favourite pigs.  Here she is in her wedding gown ready for her big day.

5)  Miss Piggy

This Miss Piggy is a crashed freight plane.  It can be found in Churchill, Manitoba still sitting where it crashed in 1979.  Miss Piggy the Muppet made her debut in 1974.  We have read that the plane is named after Miss Piggy because it was overloaded or it once carried a cargo of pigs.

 We think it should be called Miss Piggy because of its flat snout.

  By the way Miss Piggy, your engine is way over here.  Also watch out for polar bears hiding amongst the rocks and wreckage.

6)  Red River Hog

The red river hog is a colourful African pig.  We like its whiskers and red coat.  It turns out that we have a fondness for animals with red coloured fur.

7)  Tamworth Pigs

Based on our previously professed love of red furred anuimals you can see why we like Tamworth pigs.  They are one of the oldest breeds of pigs.  You can also see the curly little tail in the photo above that makes pigs even more appealing.  These pigs are from Toronto's Riverdale Farm.

8)  Pig Pot at the ROM

This pig shaped vessel was at the Royal Ontario Museum.  We imagine it could be filled with some sort of liquid which could then be poured out of the spout in the snout.  We didn't make note of what was listed as its intended purpose and often the museum uncovers artifacts whose purpose is only assumed.

9 ) Pigman at the Campbell House

We took this photo of the Campbell House Museum in Toronto.  The Campbell House was built in 1822 and was actually moved to where it sits today.  Looking at our photo later we noticed something odd.

There was a well dressed pig man on the grounds.  We hope he was there for an event or promotion at the museum. 

10 ) Warthogs

We took a trip to Africa and encountered many wild warthogs.  We watched them come and go at a waterhole in Greater Kruger in South Africa.  We also watched them mow the lawn in Zimbabwe beside the mighty Zambezi River.

Because warthogs have such short necks they usually have to kneel down on their front legs to eat grass.  In the video below, various African animals eat beside a waterhole until the warthogs come and take over.

  That is our list of favourite pigs.  We took part in some celebrations at the Scarborough Town Centre for the Chinese New Year.  You can celebrate and enjoy pigs all year long.

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Map of Our World

Toronto Zoo , A'Zambezi Lodge , Tremisana Safari Lodge , Riverdale Farm , Dan's Green House , CNE (The Farm) , A'Zambezi River Lodge
Campbell House , Miss Piggy
Scarborough Town Centre , Museum of the Moving Image , Royal Ontario Museum
Chinese Zodiac

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Post # 241

Super Dave King Of The Road

Location: Ajax, Ontario, Canada 
Address: Westney Road & Concession Road 9
Date: Jan 2019
Website:  bobeinstein.com

   Since the passing of Bob Einstein we have been watching a lot of Super Dave clips online.  One of our favourites is when Super Dave plays piano on top of a bus to help get rid of profanity on the highway.   Knowing that the show filmed in Scarborough and Markham, Ontario we thought "We could find that place.  It couldn't be that hard?"  So we put a couch on our car and gave it a try.

We noticed Westney Road on a sign behind Super Dave when he and Fuji arrive after being introduced by Mike Walden.

  In this picture you can see the stop sign where Super Dave's tour bus was parked.  The tour bus is parked facing oncoming traffic and headed north. The idea is that Super Dave is going to go on a week long tour singing songs from the top of the bus.  He has everything he needs.  On the roof of the bus is some patio furniture, a barbeque an exercise bike and a piano.

  Super straps himself onto his piano bench and asks Fuji to put on his favourite song.  That song is Roger Miller's King Of The Road.  It isn't long before we see the bus drive past the pond in the photo above.

"Trailer For Sale Or Rent. Rooms To Let Fifty Cents."

  The bus heads up the road and Super Dave is really enjoying himself singing along.  He is having sensational fun.

"I'm A Man Of Means. By No Means, King Of The Road."

  Now no matter how many times Super Dave gets hurt doing something, we still find it incredibly funny.  Westney Road goes under a train bridge.  Super Dave's bus is just tall enough to make it.  Unfortunately someone singing and playing piano on top of that bus won't fit through the tunnel.  A sign on the bridge states that it is 3.4 metres tall.  That is about 11 foot 2 inches.  A coach bus can be between 10 and 11 feet high or even more.  You do the math..

    Super Dave, his patio furniture, his barbeque, exercise bike and piano all get crushed against the bridge and fall into the road.  We know this is the right bridge as it has the 1911 date on it like in the video.  It is also a safe bet that this is one of, if not the oldest bridge in the area.

  We also determined that Super Dave was travelling north when he hit the bridge as we checked both sides. The photo above is of the opposite side.  The deterioration of the bridge has continued but it is obvious to us that the south side is where the Super One collided.  There is also far too much graffiti inside the bridge and sadly none of it was even Super Dave related.

  This last photo was taken while standing where Super Dave lay crushed in the road.  He clears a piano key out of his throat and changes his song to "On The Road Again".  Thanks for the ride Super, it was hilarious.

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Map of Our World
King Of The Road

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Post # 239

Remembering Super Dave

Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada 
Address: 171 Town Centre Blvd
Date: Jan 2019
Website:  bobeinstein.com

  Super Dave Osborne was the greatest stuntman the world has ever known.  Actually he was far better at making us laugh than he was at successfully completing a stunt.  Super Dave was the creation of Bob Einstein and we have been laughing at the same joke for decades.  What will go wrong with Super Dave's stunt today?  Super Dave always starts out cheery and optimistic and then things go wrong and he ends up injured and censored.  Bob Einstein died January 2nd, 2019 and we thought we would highlight the Toronto connection with his beloved character.

     Super Dave was a regular on John Byner's comedy television program called Bizarre.  It was during Bizarre that Super Dave filmed his memorable CN Tower stunt.  Just one year after stuntman Dar Robertson jumped off the tower as Christopher Plummer's stunt double in the movie Highpoint, Super Dave prepared for his jump.  Super Dave is standing outside at the top of the tower with announcer Mike Walden.  Mike would be Super Dave's announcer throughout the Super One's career.

  The stunt has to be called off due to high winds, but as Mike goes back inside the tower he hits Super Dave with the door.  We see Super Dave flail as he falls from the tower.  He lands in a parking lot that used to be just about where Ripley's Aquarium is today.  To add insult to injury, the ambulance runs Super Dave over and drags him underneath the vehicle.

  Bizarre was filmed at the Glen Warren Studios in Scarborough.  The buildings are still there today as CTV Studios.  The studios are located at number nine Channel Nine Court since 9 is the channel that the station broadcasts on.  One of us has been inside the studios to watch a taping of a television show called Circus which aired in the early 1980s.  In 1987 Super Dave was given his own show and it also filmed at CTV.

  One of us was also lucky enough to see a taping of the Super Dave show when it moved to its new location at the Markham Theatre.  The show was filmed in Markham, Ontario up until it ended in 1991.  Each week there were specials guest performers along with a Super Dave stunt.  Super Dave would attempt his stunt strapped in with genuine Saskatchewan seal skin bindings but things never worked out as he planned.  We always knew something was going to happen when Super Dave attempted a stunt.  We would have a good laugh.

  If you still need a little more of the Super One while you are in Toronto then you need to visit Super Dave! Convenience at the corner of Coxwell and Gerrard.  It has everything you expect from a convenience store.  Lotto tickets, candy bars, milk, magazines and more.  While you are there you can stand out front and give a big thumbs up with the words Super Dave up above your head.  Higher up still, in comedy heaven, you will find the legendary Super Dave.

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Map of Our World
CTV Toronto , Markham Theatre
CN Tower , Super Dave! Convenience

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Post # 238

Runnymede Theatre

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.

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

  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.

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.

  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.

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

Map of Our World
Runnymede Theatre

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Post # 237

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.

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

  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.

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

  Or "Three Little Pigs".

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

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

  Santa was out on a boat in the river.

There was a glowing red eye Terminator Santa.

 

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

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

 

 

 

  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).

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

  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.

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Map of Our World
Simcoe Christmas Panorama

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Post # 236