Walk at Edwards Gardens

After lunch (and coffee at McDonalds) I parted ways with my friends and went over to Edwards Gardens to take some pictures. I hadn't gone there in a while and wanted to take a few shots.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't that great. It was overcast with spotty showers. Every now and then I had to scoot back to my car until the rain stopped and I could get back out.

The cloud cover actually wasn't that bad. It toned down what would have otherwise been a harsh sun. Not that shooting in direct sunlight isn't good either. It's just different.

I spent a couple of hours in the park. Part of it chasing a Monarch butterfly with beat up wings around (mostly unsuccessfully). Part of it trying to photograph a cute bunny rabbit who was munching on grass (again, mostly unsuccessfully). But, mostly, I was shooting the wide variety of flowers they had there.

Fun.

Fall Walk

Last Saturday I went to Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek for a walk to see the fall colours. I have to say they were spectacular. In conjunction with the bright blue skies, the leaves looked like they were on fire under the afternoon sun.

I walked over there from my parents' place. They live about 10 minutes away on foot. Not only was it a bit of extra exercise (which is good for anyone). But, the parking situation at Edwards Gardens was a mess. They had torn up at least 2/3 of their parking lot for resurfacing. So many visitors had to find spots on the surrounding side streets (there were a few wedding photography sessions going on).

As usual, the park was in immaculate condition. The lawns were well manicured and the flowers and other plants looked beautiful. I strolled around for the good part of an hour taking pictures there before heading down the path to the Wilket Creek side.

The scenery there was just as spectacular. Just in a different way. The star of the show here were the many colourful trees.

Now I've complained over the past few years that the leaves on the trees aren't as vibrant as they used to be. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the pollution or something. And while that may be the case, on this day, they still stood out against the lovely, blue skies. I think I got some really fantastic shots. Check out my Flickr.com page in the near future to see them.

Anyway, it was a really nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It's too bad autumn will be ending soon and we'll be stuck with the dreariness of winter for the next few months.

My Toronto - Edwards Gardens

Edwards Gardens is a botanical garden located on the southwest corner of Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto, Ontario. It is also the site of the Toronto Botanical Garden, a private not-for profit organization previously called the Civic Garden Centre.

It is a former estate garden featuring annuals, roses and wildflowers and an extensive rockery. It is located on Wilket Creek, one of the tributaries of the Don River West Branch. The estate's title was once held by Alexander Milne, a Scottish weaver who settled here after the War of 1812 and left in 1832. The land and the woolen/saw mills was obtained by Rupert E. Edwards in 1944 and created his country home. Edwards home was left in neglect and was purchased by the Municipality of Metro Toronto in 1955 and became Edwards Gardens in 1956. The Civic Garden centre was relocated from another Milne property, the Milne home on Old Lawrence Avenue.

Edwards Gardens is one of several parks located in Toronto's ravines, many of which are connected by hiking and cycling trails ending on the shores of Lake Ontario. The park's manicured lawns and well kept flower beds make it a popular destination for wedding parties to take photographs. ~ Taken directly from Wikipedia

My friend Cortina

My friend Cortina is visiting from Hong Kong. She's in Toronto visiting her sister Caroline for a couple of weeks. Before that she was in the Vancouver area visiting her other sister Sylvia for two weeks as well.

On Monday we met up briefly at Edwards Gardens. Cortina went there her sister Caroline and her niece Jesse. I was nearby at my sister's place so I went by to meet them. We hung out for about an hour or so taking photos of the plant life there. I have to say there wasn't a lot of colour when we were there. I imagine they'll start planting all the nice flowers when wedding season is in full swing.