Toronto Necropolis

Back in July of this year, I went on a ROM Walk of the Toronto Necropolis.

This cemetery is comprised of 18.25 acres, and was opened to replace Potter's Field, which at one time was situated on the North West corner of Bloor and Yonge Streets.

Pictured here is the plaque located at the entrance to the grounds.

The Chapel, the Porte-Cochère, and the Superintendent's Lodge were all built in 1872 by Henry Langley.

This was a good time to photograph the Chapel's steeple, all covered with ivy.

To the right of the Chapel is the entrance way or Porte-Cochère, and the Lodge for the grounds keeper or superintendent.

When Potter's Field became completely full, the City fathers moved everyone to the Necropolis.
Some of Toronto's earliest settlers and quite a few famous Torontonians are buried here on these grounds.

This picture is the tombstone of William Lyon Mackenzie.

You can also find Ned Hanlan, George Brown and Thornton Blackburn; buried here; but the most recent funeral would be that of Jack Layton.
The woman standing in the forefront is our guide on this walk.

Finally, I do not know who this man and his family were, but I was attracted to the sleeping lions that circumvent the tombstone.

Eaton's Goes To War

Recently, while riding the subway, I noticed a poster/advert about the men who served in World War One.
It was posted by the City of Toronto, and contained a web site address for the Mackenzie House.  

Here I could see that they were interested in collecting personal stories about the Eaton's employees who enlisted in the war.

It had a link that allowed you to view the soldiers and their portraits. 

Apparently, Eaton's took pictures of all their employees who left for the war, and displayed them in the Toronto store.

 

I was delighted to find my uncle's picture among the hundreds of other portraits, and I"snipped" it for my family collection.

So I sent off a little note and included my only picture of Henry William (Cecil) Axbey to the folks at the Mackenzie House.

I received a fairly prompt response, and was asked if I would agree to an interview.

Of course, I said yes, and arranged to meet Mr. Beaton on the following Monday.

I put some information on a flash drive, and took the Memorial Cross with me to the interview.

He recorded the little bit that I knew (from talking with my Aunt Doris) and took some pictures, then scanned my picture of Uncle Cecil.

When we were done, he gave me a pass to the museum, and advised me that the exhibit would be ready in September of 2017.

Muskoka

My sister came in from B.C. in August.
She wanted to have everyone together during that time, so she rented a cottage near Georgian Bay.

Unfortunately, the Wrights could not make it.

But my niece and her two girls were able to stay for a few days. 

So Leona and I took Lucy and Nico out in the canoe.

The cottage had a BBQ, so we had chicken and fresh corn on the cob....delish!

Nico made a shark from a few objects found on the beach.

After Michelle and the girls left, Leona and I hiked along the dirt road and came upon some hummingbirds. During our trips in and out of the cottage we saw two small black bears foraging for berries along this roadway.
Later that day, the setting sun provided us with a very picturesque dappling across the bay.

On another day, we traveled into Bala and toured around....admiring the falls.

Enjoying ice cream at a local shoppe....

We also took time to tour a Cranberry Marsh and Farm, nearby.

They also made wine from the harvested cranberries. After tasting their wares, we purchased some Blueberry/Cranberry wine and some White Cranberry wine.

All in all we had excellent weather for the six days, and we were treated to some gorgeous sunsets!

Chihuly

The Royal Ontario Museum currently has the Chihuly Exhibit, from now and until January 2, 2017.
Being a member, has its perks, since I was able to preview this show before it opened to the general public.

The sculptor, Dale Chihuly used sand, fire and his own breath to create these pieces of coloured glass.

 The exhibit is pretty awesome, and as you can see, I took lots of pictures.
 

This is my favourite:

Here is another boat, but this one is filled with glass globes.

This sculpture is called "The Persian Trellis"

 This is a close up of the roundels in the ceiling:

Note: All photos were taken on my smartphone.

So...in order to see more of his works, and get a more personal view, visit the ROM.

Imperial Oil Building

Last Thursday, Heritage Toronto organized a mural presentation and plaque unveiling at the Imperial Oil Building.

This Modernist-style edifice was built in 1957, and was the head office until 2005, when the company moved to Calgary, Alberta.

It was sold to Camrost Felcorp in 2010, and converted to condos.
Despite the construction work. much of the interior was left intact, including the two murals.
They were painted by Toronto-born artist R. York Wilson, and are each 32 feet by 21 feet. They depict the "Story of Oil", beginning with its formation in prehistory, and ending with its discovery and eventual use in industry.

This picture shows one of the clocks, with its gold mosaic tile background at the entrance way.

Another photo in the lobby, shows the original Royal Mail box.

There were several dignitaries present for the unveiling, including the CEO of the developer, Scotiabank (plaque sponsor), HT staff members, York Wilson reps and the local City Councillor, Josh Matlow.

Finally, here is the plaque commemorating the 19 story pink granite building at 111 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto.