August 20: Island vibes a short ride away

I am falling into a bit of a rut—cycling either east or west along the lake shore.  For a change, I take the ferry to the Toronto Islands.  The 15 minute ride takes me far from the downtown bustle.  Though I see the islands every morning, I seldom visit. I disembark at Ward’s Island, a small island community with cute cottages enhanced with singing wind chimes, artsy patio furnishings, and flowers almost gone wild. No cars in sight: homes are accessed by bicycles or on foot on streets the width of city sidewalks.  

The larger island, Centre Island, has a formal garden and fountain, reminiscent of the 1960’s era.  A pier extends into Lake Ontario. Centreville, the amusement park is closed. A few kids have the water park all to themselves.

Quiet prevails at Hanlan’s Point—a rarity prior to the pandemic proclamation.  Porter’s Q400 fleet grounded for now. Nor is there noise from the amusement park and baseball stadium of yesteryear, where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run. 

 

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/09/06/the_mystery_of_babe_ruths_home_run_ball.html

August 10, 2020: Life in the interim—Part 1: Ecuador January 2020

As promised, I will give you glimpses of life in the past 9 years since I last blogged actively.  I will start with more recent events and work backwards towards 2011.

 

January, 2020:

 

The Galapagos Islands have been on my bucket list for a long time but travel to Ecuador, let alone the Galapagos, was costly and unwieldy logistically—flight through an American hub, overnighting, then another flight. Air Canada introduces a new route:  direct flight from Toronto to Quito for less than $500 CAD round trip.  Carpe diem! Three weeks in Ecuador in January 2020! 

 

Ecuador is much more than Galapagos. Even before the plane touches down, I am treated to Cotopaxi standing tall in the early morning light.  The plane drops between the surrounding mountains, below the mesas and gaping fissures, giving the illusion that the airport may be a bunker.

 

I wander through Quito’s UNESCO designated old town centre, visit the equatorial line (Mitad del Mundo), get pampered at Pappallacta hot springs, immerse myself in Kichwa culture in an Amazonian ecolodge, spend hours watching the antics of macaws, shop in Otovalo’s market stalls, then finally head to the Galapagos. 

 

I visit several islands,  spotting boobies, showy frigate birds, Sally lightfoot crabs clinging to rocks, marine iguanas sunning themselves, as well as the rarer Galapagos short ear owl, a school of dolphins, hammerhead sharks, rays, and turtles.  What I didn’t see were giant tortoises in the wild—did not realize they were not on my itinerary!  I try to alter my itinerary to correct this but alas, not without major disruptions and unknowns. I come to terms with this omission.  One cannot expect to get everything in life.  And the wildlife I did encounter was still spectacular.

 

 

I head to Cuenca, a chill place to just hang out. Nearby, is Ingapirca. I recall how my first glimpse of Macchu Picchu stirred emotions deep within me. Wandering through Ingapirca, a significant yet relatively obscure Incan site, to a lesser extent, still moves me.  

 

I work my way north to Baños to cycle down the Ruta de las Cascadas to the Pailón del Diablo.  Mostly downhill but with the altitude, even my cycle-fit body thinks I am climbing. The sheer volume of roiling water is by far one of my most memorable sights in Ecuador.  I overnight in Quilotoa to experience the achingly beautiful crater lake.  Three weeks packed with lots of sights.  I return home just in time to hear reports of the first COVID case in Canada. What a way to end my travels in the pre-COVID era.

August 6: Remembering Hiroshima 75 years later

Lovely twilight beckons.  Instead of lazing inside, sheltered from the crowded waterfront, I head out, an evening stroll’s path to be determined by whim.  At Toronto City Hall’s Nathan Phillips Square, I come across a small ceremony marking the 75^thanniversary of the Nagasaki bomb.  Small group, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing launches lanterns into the pool while 3 native women drums.  The event is patched into some other event purported to a larger audience far away.  In my search for the patch, I discover Setsuko Thurlow.  

 

Setsuko Thurlow is likely the Canadian Nobel laureate that you’ve never heard of.  Or more precisely, she is one of the founding members of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) coalition, which received the Nobel Peace Prize.  She is a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb 75 years ago.  In 2017, through ICAN’s efforts, UN passed the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.  Later that year, ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons". 

 

https://www.icanw.org/setsuko_thurlow

 

Years ago, I visited Los Alamos.  Fascinating.  I dialogue with my American aunt, who views that the use of the atomic bomb was justified. I differ in this view.  The number of civilian casualties, the long lasting effects of an atomic bomb, unproven need of use of such force in the war made the use of this indiscriminatory weapon immoral.  Now it is also illegal.  

Hiroshima's Atomic Dome, visited in March 2019

August 3: A very short lesson in geology

 

I seldom visit the Evergreen Brick works, more because of inertia rather than lack of interest.  Today, instead of riding by the entrance, I decide to head in to explore. I have enjoyed previous visits: the memorable Picnic at Brick Works fundraiser event in 2010 when some of the top chefs in Toronto provided tastes of their skills. I still remember the simple yet delicious tomato soup made by Teddy Corrado that led me to declare him one of the top chefs in Toronto.  Then to stop by for Jamie Kennedy’s superb fries, done to perfection using a two-day process. 

 

Until the 1980’s, this area was a quarry and brick making facility that supplied many of the significant buildings of the city: Massey Hall, Casa Loma, Old City Hall, the Queen’s Park.  The factory shut down and was heading towards urban blight as many factories that become obsolete. A developer bought the site.  One can imagine the uproar: condo buildings rising from the Don Valley: a doom worse than abandoning the site to the fate of neglect. After a long and expensive process, the site was acquired by the city in 2010. Now it is protected with a heritage designation.  The buildings are is dedicated to showcasing cleaner lifestyles:  farmers’ markets, artisan markets, do-it-yourself bike repairs, exhibitions on better city planning. 

I wander past the buildings to paths wending past ponds and streams. A sign makes known that this ecosystem is of importance and recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site.  Really? Is there a world heritagesite so close to home that I did not know about?  I check out its claim.  Alas, I don’t think it is. I search extensively and cannot find any proof that lends truth to this claim. No matter.  A pleasant day it was.  

 

https://www.evergreen.ca/evergreen-brick-works/

eBook on the history of the site:

https://www.evergreen.ca/downloads/pdfs/Transformation-EBW.pdf

August 5: Huffing up the hill

Many times I have zoomed past the chimney of Todmorden Mills heading north from the downtown core on the DVP.  I slow down today, travelling at bicycle speed and even stopping.  

 

After 3 months of daily cycling, I am ready to tackle the Pottery Road hill. Cyclists use this short but steep stretch for their hill climbing workouts.  I huff part way up to find a perfect stop to catch my breath: Todmorden Mills.  This collection of buildings is the remnants of a mill and larger community. A community theatre is here, a welcome change from the wide range of professional theatre in Toronto, the 3^rdlargest theatre city in the world (after London’s West End and New York’s Broadway).  Of course, no show is on.  Nor will there be any scheduled in the foreseeable future.

 

I continue to the top.  One repetition is good enough exercise for the day.  I might tackle this hill again.  Or maybe ensure that I am heading in the opposite direction on my next ride on Pottery Road.

August 2: Waterlogged

No sunscreen needed.  I am dodging raindrops which soon becomes dodging lightning bolts.  Though soaked, the freedom to cycle unencumbered by any other user of the road is exhilarating. The cop at the end of the closed roadway asks me if appreciate him closing down the road just for me.

 

I head over the Humber River bridge to explore the conservation area.  Storks and herons, among other water fowl, do not seem bothered by the rain.  Not quite the fauna I encountered on my recent Galapagos visit but pleasant nonetheless. 

 

I stumble upon the Air India Flight 182 memorial. One day 35 years ago, June 23, 1985, a bomb was activated over the Atlantic Ocean. This memorial is relatively small and hidden to mark the largest mass killing in Canadian history: 329 lives were lost. On this rainy day, I am the only one here.  But even on a sunny day, how many take the time to come and remember those lost in this deadly act of terrorism? Ten years after the attack, June 23 was declared National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. But only just now, I become aware of this.

https://youtu.be/pJhUsmznY2k