Kensington Market Mural and Artist

I've just returned home to Manila from a frenetic month in Toronto and Los Angeles. It was an unexpected trip, in countless ways terrific, especially for being able to reconnect with old friends and family long not seen, as well as to connect with new friends, including fellow bloggers Halcyon and VioletSky! 

But while I did almost always carry a camera, I didn't have a spare moment to compose, post or blog hop these past weeks.

I accompanied my lovely friend and hero Ruth on a number of her exciting explorations for her calendar of free multicultural activities in Toronto and her blog. If you live in the Toronto area, these are quality sites to subscribe to.

On one of our excursions we dropped by Kensington Market, one of the city's most vibrant and multicultural neighborhoods. That is where I saw this artist painting on canvas on a mural-filled wall. Thinking that his style looked similar to the mural, I asked him whether he had painted the house and was surprised to hear him say no. So I can tell you no more about this colorful mural I post for Mural Monday.

Toronto, 2012

Reflections in Toogood Pond

Right next to the historic village of Unionville founded in 1794 (in the Town of Markham, Ontario) there is a 33-hectare park with a partially naturalized pond and a marsh. With a university pal I had not seen since 1979, I took a leisurely stroll around Toogood Pond today. 

While we reflected on the years gone by, I also captured a few reflections for Weekend Reflections. A Great Blue Heron with three turtles on a log, a beautiful summer's day sky, and another turtle on a log surrounded by green foliage.

 

Markham, Ontario, 2012

Tony the Greek Mural

Meet Tony the Greek. (No, not the infamous contract killer turned snitch.)

This part of a brick wall mural is a commissioned portrait of Tony Kiriakou, owner of the building and a diner called Wexford on Lawrence corner Warden in Scarborough (now part of amalgamated Toronto). The diner was first run by his immigrant parents and has been open for breakfast since 1958.

Toronto, 2012

This post is not intended as a recommendation for the diner, which I did not even see, let alone eat in, when I drove by a few days ago. I got my mural details by calling a Lebanese bakery shown online as being at this address and the now former tenant was wonderfully informative.

It IS intended to join Monday Mural, where you'll find links to more fun and fantastic murals around the globe.