I Will Take the Sun.... (gallery walk scenic route)

Yesterday I posted several photos of the scenery Kim and I explored while partaking of the Annual Gallery Walk.  Today is the conclusion of the scenic route we enjoyed.

I will take the sun in my mouth
and leap into the ripe air
Alive
with closed eyes
to dash against darkness 

E.E. Cummings

 On our way to the Gallery Walk, a tour of the downtown art galleries, we passed a little bar of sorts with the most interesting stools!

Above and below are photos of some Maples in the vicinity of the downtown/west area of the city.  One in particular was planted in 1910!

Heritage Maple 1910.  Where two large branches join the trunk, a little mountain ash has taken root.

 Angled to the side, I saw what Kim saw.  A large face is evident in this growth on the trunk of the silver maple.

 A bright red door flanked by equally brilliant planters just shouts "personality!"  I love the bravado!

As many of you will remember, I have a fondness for wrought iron so I had to take a photo of this gate.

 Mountain Ash are so vibrant this time of year!

 This beautiful home has already been adorned with some Halloween cheer.  Too bad so many street signs dot the intersection around this home.

A sumac grows in the right hand side of the bed near the steps of this duplex.  Sumac are not 100% reliably hardy here in zone 3, as a landscaper advised me years ago when he came to the garden centre to purchase another for a client whose sumac didn't survive the winter.  They must really love sumacs.  I've always thought they'd be perfect near a pond, lending the architectural lines so often enjoyed in a Japanese themed garden.

Autumn has barely become evident.  We've had a very late and gorgeous Indian summer but now Autumn seems to be confused with winter as evidenced by the flurries we saw this morning which melted within hours of falling. I hope Old Man Winter is not too impatient and stays away for a good while yet.

How's the weather where you live?  Did anything exciting happen this weekend?

Autumn Splendour (as suggested by Kim)

Today my good friend Kim and I participated in the annual Gallery Walk which consisted of visits to several galleries in the downtown core.  It was a blast, so much talent in a central area was thrilling to behold!  If only I had a few thousand dollars extra, there are some beauties I'd love to bring home!

The splendour I am referring to in this post, however, is not that of man's imagination, but rather that which nature shares in a kaleidoscope of vibrancy.  In the vicinity of the galleries are several homes and parks with an abundance of fall colour which I share here.

 Cotoneaster is a wall of reds, oranges and yellows with dots of purple-black berries.

I have always loved weeping Norway Spruce, as seen in the foreground here.

 Grasses have definitely grown on me over the years! 

 This is a lovely specimen, of which there were a few in this garden.

 'Can you see the Inukshuk nestled in behind the bushes?

Too bad I couldn't have the black bag removed but focus, if you will, on the copper door.  

That is a work of art unto itself!  It was likely special ordered and made of perhaps copper or some other fine metal.  It suits the house perfectly!

The roses are still in bloom!

This homeowner erected a modern piece of art in view of their front window.  

Juxtaposed against the willow bench, it is quite the contrast.

Above, a pretty little barberry and below a fire brilliant burning bush.

I love the airy bush in the background here.  I have no idea what it is but you will see a close-up of it later and perhaps you can help me identify it.  

"Dig in the Garden"

A cucumber vine!  I have never seen nor heard of this vine before but Kim advises me that she's heard it is highly invasive.  Obviously it is not self-clinging.  Note the chicken wire through which it is climbing.

Here's the beautiful airy shrub mentioned previously.  So pretty!

There are several birdfeeders nestled amongst the mature trees.

 "Sit and Rest Awhile"

Above and below: larch - the only "evergreen" to drop all its needles every fall.

Autumn can be cloaked in splendid shades and this year has proven spectacular.  I have more photos from today's trip that I'll share tomorrow.  Until then, wherever you are, I hope you are well and snug as a bug tonight. It will be below zero here, the snow has melted, and the wind is mild.  It's been a good day!

Well-trained Tree

My husband took this photo and commented on how well-trained this tree is.  At first I was like "what?" He was referring to how all the leaves fell in a perfect circle along the drip line.  The owners of this very obedient tree swore they did not rake it into position so, it is a very well-trained tree!

It's snowing here today and promises to do more of the same this upcoming week.  This morning I ran outdoors, jacket over pjs, and moved the bbq to the eastern side of the deck to hopefully prevent more selective wind design, brought in the outdoor rugs and put away the hose and sprinkler in the shed.  There's a good chance we won't be seeing bare ground here again for the next few months and I still haven't raked.  Mind you the poplars and most of the trees in our yard are still fully foliated.  I do hope the snow will melt and gardeners like me in this city will have ample opportunity to put our gardens to rest for the winter.  Fingers crossed!

We Had Selective Wind the Other Night!

The wind Tuesday night was crazy here.  So crazy that it blew the barbecue that requires three people to move it, clear across the deck.  From one side to the other.  There was no propane tank inside it at the time, which is probably a good thing.  I heard the ruckus and the howls of the wind woke me several times during the night, but never would I have imagined I'd find the barbecue on the east side of the deck, snugged up in between the wrought iron chair and the deck railing.

Wow!  That was some wind!  Oddly enough, a lot of the trees still have their leaves, including the tower poplars in the back yard.  The garbage can was blown off the deck too, landing at the side of the house.  Who would have thought that items up near the house would get rearranged but furniture away from it and unsheltered would remain in the same spot?  Neighbours garbage put our the night before hadn't budged!  Selective wind, that's what it was!

Silhouette

New England Trees in the Fall Tour

Fall Mosaic Marking One Year (one autumn to another)

Photo Credit: Upper left photo taken by my sister, two sunset photos taken by my son, the remaining are mine

Adding Colour to Your Fall Garden

Better Homes and Gardens has a phenomenal slideshow of trees and shrubs that you will likely want to add to your garden for fall colour.  Here is the link:

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/trees-and-shrubs-for-fall/#page=1

Enjoy!!

Three Flowered Maple - I love this tree!!!

Actions of Toronto Bureaucrats Against Occupy Garden Plot is Cold and Bad PR

I recently came across this bit of information about an Occupy Gardens plot that was destroyed in the city of Toronto.  Just days before a harvest celebration, someone came in and demolished the plot, discarding all the plants and potential harvest into dumpsters, and replaced it with sod.

Granted, Occupy Gardens did not receive permission to plant a vegetable garden in a public park but the actions taken by unnamed individuals comes across as cold and vindictive.  Why no previous discussion took place and why it took so long (5 months of growing) before it was destroyed is unknown.  What is known is that the potential harvest was thrown away.  Discarded.  It could have fed some very needy families.  Why wasn't the food bank given the vegetables?  Why weren't people consulted?  Why?  Why? Why?

If this is an image Toronto officials wants to portray, that of ruthless and thoughtless destruction of what could only have benefited many, then they achieved that.  I wonder what their constituents will have to say when it's time to vote in council?  

Not pretty Toronto.  It's time for some good PR, don't you think.  And an apology and some sort of amends wouldn't hurt either!

To read more about this see:  http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/toronto-destroys-occupygardens-free-food-garden.html