Approaching the longest day of the year.  Sky is lit around 5-ish a.m. and stays the same till 9:45-ish p.m.  Nothing is better than out for a walk at 7-ish a.m.

There I went…   Air fresh.  Birds chirping.  Walkers in groups or single.  Weather just right…not scotching hot, not windy, not chilly.  No rain too.

Then 2.5 hours of chit chat over morning dim sum specials with friends.  Cleared old cans of paint, old cell phones and expired medicine at home and took them to recycle on this Environment Day organized by the district.

Back home around 2 p.m.

A fruitful morning.

Not to forget…photo!

Enjoy “my trail” of this morning…..

Thought I could take advantage of the summer weather (25-29 C) and took a day off to Center Island today.  I went; but the island was closed due to the high flooding.

I walked the same waterfront but further down to the west and made 12,900 steps today.

What used to be a walkway next to the lake was under water today.

Petals of pink flowers (don’t ask me what kind) were being blown off the trees.  Yachts were rocking to and fro.

Toronto Lakefront of today…

That strip between Bay Street and Spadina Avenue is more than just a promenade, water and trees.

It is a transformed area.

Enjoy this park, garden, man-made beach, man-made wetland, marinas, wave deck, schooners, restaurants, pubs, supermarkets, neighborhood centers, canoe and kayak clubs and the whatnot of today.

This is a good place to see for the tourists and a superb place to own your condo too.

Initially, I was planning to go down to the Humber Bay park; but with the weather forecast of 20% to 30% of precipitation, I switched to go somewhere in the city where the run for shelter was short.

I picked Riverdale Farm in the neighbourhood of the urban Cabbagetown.

The Farm is in fact, a park in itself.  I spent about an hour and a half there, a place that I have never had the time and luxury of visiting.  (Logic follows that I did not bring my children there before.)

The first time I heard about Ward’s Island was from a co-op student who worked for me back in the 80’s. He lived on Ward’s Island.

I had no interest then to find out about the island.  Or even if I had gone, I wouldn’t have appreciated the houses there like the way I did this past Monday.

I spent time walking alley by alley, going very slowly to savour the charm, the uniqueness of the locals’ homes and the serenity and peacefulness of their cottage-like environment.  Not too many tourists bother to wander into this eastern part of the “Greater Centre Island”.

I fell in love with the area.  The hour-long wait for the ferry to and back to Toronto was worth it.

I invite you walk with me to enjoy these cottages in the city…..on the Ward’s Island and the Algonquin Island. (Please click the image.)

When the kids were small, the whole family would go out there for the rides at Centreville and for quad-cycle rentals.

The last time I was there was with two of my teenage children in the 90’s.  That day was misty.  We simply went for a walk.

Now that the children are all grown up and left home, it is a different feeling and venture to go “picnicking” at Centre Island by myself.

This past Saturday, I drove down to the Scarborough Bluffs again and hit a few more parks there.  The Guildwood park was one of them.  I forgot when I was last there.  It must be many years ago.

A day with gorgeous weather.  Not cold. Not hot.  Sunshine although with grey clouds from time to time.

These drives were beneficial.  I got to know the whereabouts of a few prominent landmarks.  I also had a better understanding of the neighborhood along Brimley, Midland and Birchmount south of Hwy 401.

Great trip.

Please click the image to enjoy the park.