Photo updates, February & March 2024

It’s been a trying few weeks, so I didn’t manage to post February’s photo round-up at the start of this month… which means this is a bumper edition 🙂

TOPW: Winter Walk at Ward’s
It’s been a while since we last did a photowalk on the Toronto Islands. We took the ferry to Ward’s Island and ambled west to Snake Island, and then back along the boardwalk on the far side so that we could look east to Tommy Thompson Park.
TOPW: TTCing from Vaughan
Less walking than usual, and an interesting contrast to the Ward’s Island walk, this TOPW outing started at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station. We spent some time shooting outside then inside the station, before taking the train to the next station (Highway 407 subway station). We took some photos inside and outside the station, then got told by an overly officious that we couldn’t shoot without getting permission from head office, so we ignored him and carried on! We did the same (photographing, not dealing with jobsworths) at Pioneer Village station and finally at York University station.
TOPW: Winter Stations 2024
Winter Stations “is an international design competition to bring temporary public art installations to The Beaches” and this year there were nine installations, although some I found quite underwhelming. In fact, reviewing my photos to pick a couple for this post reminded me that my favourites are not of any of the stations! One reflects the weather (I planned the walk, so of course it rained!) and the other is a statue that’s been outside the library for many years.
SPWG: Ireland Park and Bathurst Photo Walk
I don’t often get the opportunity to go out with the Small Photo Walk Group (an offshoot of TOPW) but I needed take a break and get outside. It was misty when we set off towards Ireland Park but it started to clear because I could take many shots. Ireland Park isn’t very well known, despite being open since 2007. It’s dedicated to the Irish Famine Immigrants of 1847 and is related to the “Departure” sculptures in Dublin; both were created by Rowan Gillespie. Each sculpture has a name; there’s “The Jubilant Man”, “Pregnant Woman”, “Woman On Ground”, “The Orphan Boy”, and “The Apprehensive Man”.
Wander around Bridgepoint
I had an appointment near Bridgepoint Hospital so I had time to grab a few shots, including one of the old Don Jail which is now an admin building for the Hospital. I tried some panning shots as the pigeons dive-bombed me, but the grey birds against a grey building and a grey sky didn’t work out as I’d hoped.
TOPW: Bathurst, Ireland Park, Spadina, and Wellington
The second TOPW walk of March covered some similar ground to the SPWG route, but there was no mist this time. After Ireland Park we headed up Spadina, through The Well, and ended at Northern Maverick brewery.