Showing posts with label Our World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our World. Show all posts

Monday, January 18, 2016

Playfair Preston Company #2

 Mural under the sign seen HERE

This is the continuation of the mural I showed you last week.

Funiture

And as you can see, the Playfair Preston Company sold more than just clothing and dry goods.

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Canadian National Railway

 Right side of mural

Up from last week's mural and across the Street, Canada's other national train hangs high above a building. I was surprised to see a green engine. Today CN Rail is a freight train and the engines are orange.

 Left side

Whereas the CPR mural is depicted in summer, CN is shown in winter.

The entire mural

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Fergusson

Wood carving celebrating Adam Fergusson one of two founders of Fergus, Ontario

According to the Dictionary of Canadian Bibliographies, Adam Fergusson "was a lawyer by training and a country gentleman by inclination."  Fergusson was born in Scotland but emigrated to Canada with his family in 1834 after having been sent a couple of years earlier to "Upper Canada" (now Ontario) to check out agriculture here. Obviously, he was impressed by the farming possibilities. (Remember he was a hardy Scot!)

Front view from the street side

A year later, he and James Webster purchased a large parcel of land, some of which became the village of Fergus.

Side view

Three year later, Fergus commanded a militia unit in the Rebellion of 1837. He was loyal to the British Crown and in 1850 was opposed to Upper Canada being annexed by the United States, preferring to remain under the British flag. He worked hard to improve Canadian agriculture and at the same time worked to establish political reform, attempting to safeguard the interests of the common people.

As seen from the back

In 1841, Lower Canada (Quebec and Labrador) and Upper Canada (Ontario) joined to create the Province of Canada until July 1, 1867 when the Dominion of Canada was formed uniting Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Sadly, Fergusson never saw this union as he died five years earlier in 1862.
More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.


Monday, December 7, 2015

Orangeville Opera House

 Black & white photo of Orangeville Town Hall, 1930 (cropped a bit)

I'm a big fan of before-and-after photos so was delighted to find two vintage ones of the old town hall in Orangeville built in 1876. The photos have been enlarged into murals and hang on the outside of a business across the street from the now renovated building.

 Colour mural/large photo of Orangeville Town Hall, 1963 (cropped a bit)

On the same wall but just below the above B&W photo, hangs this colour photo, which was taken 33 years later than the one above - notice the cupola is missing.

Town Hall now an opera House

The third photo was taken by me in the fall, 2015.  After extensive restoration and renovation this building opened as a opera house/theatre in 1994.

I am joining Monday Mural HERE
More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Seed Heads

 Coneflower Seed head WITH seeds #1

There's strong evidence that finches have been in my gardens lately, and I admit I am fascinated by the different designs they create when eating the seed heads of purple coneflowers

 Coneflower Seed head WITH seeds #3

 I don't cut the coneflower stems down until all the seeds are gone.

 Coneflower seed head WITHOUT seeds

I think the finches have been very hungry!

Ornamental grass seeds

I leave these up for winter interest in my gardens. To tell you the truth, I don't know if the birds eat these seeds or not.

I am  linking to  NATURE NOTES.  

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Midland Harbour Mural

 Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons

This mural is said to be the largest outdoor historical mural in North America. Well, you do have to admit that 250-feet by 80-feet is BIG! The settlement depicted here is what the French Jesuit settlement would have looked like in the 1640s, the first European settlement in Ontario.

In Midland Harbour on Georgian Bay

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Orangeville Rail Station

 Canadian Pacific Railway train at the Orangeville station

This mural by Allen C. Hilgendorf is painted on four pieces of wood and hangs high up on the westerly side of a store (possibly a restaurant) on the main street in Orangeville.

The Barley Vine Rail co. - a restaurant, formerly the repurposed Orangeville Rail Station

Built in the late 1850s, this station sports a "witches hat" common in the Victorian era. It's one street south of the main street in Orangeville and has a good-sized parking lot.  I didn't see any rail tracks, though, so I'm thinking it may have been moved to this location. The chimneys are gone , the foundation is now concrete, and the building has a slightly different shape from the one in the mural.

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Logging Mural

 Mural on Parry Sound business next to bridge on the Seguin River

The town of Parry Sound owes its beginning to the logging industry as depicted in this mural. Parry Sound had several mills, one of which was situated on Georgian Bay at the mouth of the Seguin River, which provided power for the mill as well as water to float logs to the mill.

Logs neatly piled on a skid to be hauled away over snow by horses

During the 19th and early 20th centuries  trees were felled and piled onto skids from September until the the snow got too deep. For the rest of the winter, logs were hauled out of the woods to frozen lakes and rivers.

The horses 

Once the ice thawed, the logs were pushed and rolled into the water to be driven driven to sawmills, each log marked with the name of the company whose workers had cut them down.

Logs moving over water

At each mill, logs were cut into boards then piled on docks to dry and to wait for ships to take the lumber to such cities as Toronto, Cleveland and Detroit.

I am joining Monday Mural HERE

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Serendipity Princess

 Paddle wheeler on Georgian Bay (Lake Huron)

The day I made this photo, Serendipity Princess was docked in Midland and ...

 The paddle wheel up out of the water

judging by the mop hanging over the railing someone must have been cleaning it so it would be ship-shape for it's next tour - a 90-minute narrated cruise around historical Penetanguishene.  Note there are three decks, which includes a patio on the upper level.

Closer look at the paddle wheel

Apparently there's room on this paddle wheeler for 265 passengers!

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Canadian Thanksgiving

 Fall decorations

Today is officially Thanksgiving here in Canada, although many families have already celebrated on Saturday or Sunday.

 On the other side of the steps

I hope all my Canadian readers are enjoying a wonderful weekend!

Two non-traditional pumpkins - a closer view

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Model Super Cub

1/3 scale Piper Super Cub

One of the the surprising finds my husband and I have had travelling the backroads along the many commercial sod fields of Beeton, Ontario has been the model airplane aficionados allowed to play there.

Climbing

And what nice guys (so far I have only met men) these model airplane enthusiasts are!

Safe and sound after landing

Chris, the owner, explained that this is a balsa model built from a kit. Powered by a gas engine, it has a 144-inch wingspan so is not a tiny toy. And the propeller is 20 inches long.

The owner is retired but still a kid at heart

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Back in Time

 Lawn ornament outside stable in Loretto, Ontario

There used to be a horse statue out in front of the horse-drawn carriage but the day I made these photos, it was gone.  Still I wanted to take photos of the carriage as I have never been so up close to one!

 A front view of the carriage

I cannot imagine riding in such a buggy - but it does sound kind of romantic...though bumpy.

 Cushy seat

A cushioned seat would help make the ride a bit more pleasant, methinks. In good weather on a smooth road the ride might be fun!

Convertible top

The top doesn't cover much so I wouldn't want to travel in this carriage on a rainy or snowy day!  I'm sure some spring and autumn days might be quite pleasant with the top down, though.

Please visit Through my Lens at Mersad Donko Photography.
More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, September 21, 2015

South Simcoe Steam Train

Engine 136, the second oldest steam locomotive in Canada

My husband and I visited Tottenham yesterday to check out historical steam locomotive #136.  Since August 2011 during summer and early fall, #136 has hauled an excursion train along four miles of track between Tottenham and Beeton. But in 1883, #136 worked for Canadian Pacific Railway when CPR became a Canadian transcontinental reality.

Flagman at one of several road crossings

What fun to hear the old engine - running on coal - chugging along in the distance! The engine's horn gradually grew louder and a flagman appeared to stop cars and trucks from crossing the tracks.

Engine 136 crossing a road

South Simcoe Railway has run excursions since 1993. South Simcoe Railway is run by volunteers, all of whom have operational qualifications and must regularly re-qualify.

Locomotive engineer

South Simcoe Railway is the oldest operating heritage railway in Ontario.

At another railway crossing

We didn't ride the train yesterday but plan to do so soon!

Please visit Through my Lens at Mersad Donko Photography.
More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Tugboat on Trent

Trent on the Trent-Severn Waterway

Historic, the tugboat Trent began working for Parks Canada in 1948, towing heavy machinery and other machinery up and down the Trent-Severn Waterway, which links Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay (Lake Huron).  It also doubled as a work platform for diving operations.

Trent was retired in 1970, but in 1980 it went back to work, this time with a travelling exhibit promoting the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Perhaps you can tell by the photo that it was a hot, muggy day when I made this photo!

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.


Monday, September 7, 2015

Port Whitby

A beautiful day to be out in a boat

BYE-bye, summer fun.



Oh, wait! We may still have some warm weekends ahead!

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Also, please visit Through my Lens at Mersad Donko Photography.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Straw and Hay

"Square" bales of straw, two different sizes

It's haying and straw baling season and has been since the crops have been ready to cut. Do you know the difference between straw and hay?

STRAW: the stalks of grain products  - such as wheat, oats, rye  - after the grain has been harvested. It contains few seeds so is not nutritious for animals but does make good mulch and bedding material.

Closeup of baling the smaller size

After a few tries, I caught a bale in mid air...but just barely.

"Round bales of hay

HAY: grasses - such as timothy - or legumes - such as alfalfa - baled for animal feed. The more protein the hay contains, the more valuable it is.



More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.

Also, please visit Through my Lens at Mersad Donko Photography.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.