Scarborough Waterfront Walks Lately

Now that the sun doesn't rise at 5am any more, we've been more eager to actually get up for a sunrise down at the lake. Miss being in Whitby where it was a few minutes walk there but get up the motivation to do the 15 or so minute drive down to the Scarborough waterfront. December 21st was a nice temperature, unlike a couple weekends before, when it was barely withstand-able temperature wise.

We'd never walked west along the beach from the main cathedral bluffs but the long tail ducks were calling to us so we ventured along the shores at the base of the clay cliffs. Love the long tail ducks and I especially love their sound! We noticed quite a few small pebbly pieces rolling down the sides of the bluffs, didn't think much of it as they were small. Though there was a lot of past evidence that rather large chunks had fallen at some point, we weren't too alarmed. There was even a pile as tall as me almost, that had obviously built up from a consistent supply of falling gravel that fell along one path, which was kind of cool to view.

As we got further west, it became slightly more alarming as we saw some rather larger, golf ball sized pieces falling and bouncing off outcropping sections of the bluffs at or just above head level. Decided that was enough, time to turn back now, when one smacked me at the edge of the left side of my glasses, stinging my cheek and making me realize I was lucky my glasses were intact, not to mention my eye too - doh!

The marina would be safer, what can happen there, so we headed over. Sometimes Buffle heads can be seen there though they're timid, and there's always the wide array of mallards, trumpeter swans, gulls, pigeons, and american black duck hybrids. As we approached the marina, walking through the parking lot, I spotted a a rather large dark looking shape in a tree, beeline sight wise for the marina where all the pigeons and ducks hang out. The red tailed hawk perchance? No, a cooper's hawk. Quite the thrilling surprise sighting. The hawk sat there for a bit then flew over to a higher tree at a different angle. It sat up there for a long time, not moving till a group of pigeons flew near and were approaching the beach. It moved fast then and the ducks freaked out, though it was a bit too early to get the pigeons, they took off, never having landed, when they saw the hawk swoop towards them. After that, it flew into the top of a farther tree.

Another creature we had hoped to get a glimpse of is the red fox. No such luck on the real cold morning, nor the mild weekend, but we did spot the little guy through the bushes, far off from where we were, running through the under brush then about 40 mins later, coming back to check out the area and potential food sources near by. He looks to be quite healthy with a very pretty face. One day I hope to get one or 2 good photos of the fox but no matter, it is quite a pleasure just to spot him.

Someone I Wish I Had Known

My husband and I listen to an internet radio station called Radio Paradise. I can recall the first song I heard on it, that I ended up loving and saving to an on line playlist. It was Eros by Mich Gerber. Since then, most of the music that was once foreign seeming, is now so familiar that the station is starting to sound like the top 40 Hits of some local radio station lol! Ok, well not exactly, but familiar none the less. Some songs are new world, some main streamish and some vintage, some obscure. Too much Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen (sorry, not my cup o tea) and they love David Byrne and Dire Straits,  but anyway .... love the station. Beth Orton is one discovery I made via RP though, whom I love, and Leo Kottke.

There are Forums where people comment on the music, good and bad, sometimes funny. I am not one to bother wasting the energy and time anymore getting into it with strangers, especially on subjects as subjective as music (not to mention politics, religion, what is art, etc.) because really, what is the point? However, it is interesting and entertaining to read the comments off and on, try to predict them upon hearing a particular song, etc., and make some silly comments of my own here and there. Having done so since about 2011 or so, I ran across a member called Cynaera. Mostly, I began to notice RIP, miss you Cynaera, etc. comments. Although I really never got to know her, and came late to all these posts, though she was still participating on the site when we found the station. One day, I ran across something that indicated she was ill. Then, I saw a post that basically made me realized she passed away. Though I never knew her, it struck some sort of cord at the time, and I looked a little bit further. I think the main reason I took the time was that I saw how a lot of members, both surly and friendly alike, respected her.

What I saw is that we did not have the same tastes, we may have rarely agreed on anything, but something about her garnered respect and I wished I had known her. I found through her profile, which lead to her Blog. Sadly, she was gone when I looked into it, and it is on an old Live Journal platform that I think may no longer really exist the way it did then. But it is still up, as is her profile on RP. I spent over an hour one day reading some of her posts. Reading it again today after about a year or so has passed, seeing less and less reference to her posts, less quoting of her posts on RP, a reference to one tonight brought me again to her Blog, after about a year since last looking at it. Not sure how long it'll be up there, and I guess unless a path lead one to reach her Blog in a specific way, maybe it wouldn't really have much meaning. However, for as long as it lasts, I have linked to it, for no other reason other than I feel that others miss her and I can slightly feel why, just from what little exposure I had to her, which was infinitesimal really. RIP Cynaera.

Her Blog

Blog Post about the RMG Exposed Show 2014

Discovered an interesting blog post on this year's RMG Exposed show at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa. I am so looking forward to going! It is a 1960s theme so I can wear my vintage 1960s Niccolini tapestry coat!

RMG Blog post by guest blogger Raechel Bonomo

Rosetta Fall Day

Sunday, we headed down to Rosetta McLean Gardens in the afternoon. Surprisingly, there were still lots of colour, lots of flowers, and there were additions of mums and other fall themed flowers, the waterfall on the rock was still going. We even saw a Monarch flying around though pretty much we're sure that one now may not make it to Mexico before snow.

There was a silver lining on the lake at the horizon, very beautiful. Lots of seagulls were hunting. A few people out still looking for raptors. We didn't spot any ourselves.

There were still a lot of golden crowned kinglets. We also saw a lot of white throated sparrows but they are very timid and keep low to the ground, flitting through open spaces quickly, preferring the thicker cover, and going after the seeds and berries on bushes. They are lovely birds. Their sound always brings back deja vu for me for the Ontario nature commercial/announcements that used to be on TV, their sound is so very "Ontario" to me :-)

We had a thrill watching all the American gold finches in their winter colours, going after the seeds of the dead echinacea flowers. so cute! I see that in summer they are so yellow, maybe because you often see them eating the seeds of sunflowers and such, while in this season, their duller coats match and blend perfectly with the dead and dying browns, creams and faded golds of the flowers they harvest from. Keeps them safe while eating.

The leaves were gorgeous, the day was so very Fall feeling, the epitome of a fall day. Such a beautiful park to have in Toronto.