Life's Little Moments

The message on our kitchen chalkboard says it all.

Life is made of the little moments.

Cardinal House chalkboard

The past week has been filled with many little and wonderful moments. Here's a quick snapshot of what we've been up to.......

My son Dallas, Richard and I headed down to The Beaches Jazz Festival last Friday. The festival has been running for 27 years, and was something my kids looked forward to each year. A 3.5 km stretch along Queen Street is filled with people who invade the neighbourhood to take in the sounds of the various bands. The restaurants are packed, food trucks and vendors line the curbs, and it becomes a sea of music lovers strolling each night.

Arsenals at Beaches Jazz

It was several years ago that we met Dr. Draw, an  electric violinist master (click HERE to view a youtube video). Eugene and his band play each year at the Jazz Festival, and it was five years ago that he performed for us at a private event we held - so it was great to catch a few minutes with him after his set. If Jagger played classic music on violin - he would be named Dr. Draw. This man has unbelievable energy and a very unique talent with the strings.

Ironically Dr. Draw played under a 'no stopping' sign; I couldn't help but think that there really as no stopping him.

We caught a few numbers by Paul James Band (here). This musician is like a cross between Springsteen and Bob Dylan. It turns out that Paul appeared with Dylan in 1999, and the two men remain friends. His energy had the crowd jumping and singing along with him.

And no matter where we go Richard runs in to someone he knows. It was while watching another band that he spotted a sound technician he knew. Kim and Company Band (here) was front and center at the edge of Kew Gardens park. This big band is a favourite for weddings and corporate events. And - WOW!!

Kim and Company Band

The smells of great food flooded the neighbourhood. We lucked out and managed to get on the patio at HogTown - ribs and fixins were on the menu. Thankfully we walked a lot. The sweet smell of corn was everywhere as festival goers wandered the street with grilled cobs in hand.

Then the next day..........

We shared dinner with special friends at one of our favourite restaurants - Cucci (here). My favourite appetizer there is mushrooms on toast - divine. It's always a special evening when we visit this local spot, and this time there was even a quick dance after dinner.


During the week.........


The weather was HOT ....... sizzling. But that didn't stop my sweet granddaughter Kya and I from having a girls day at Toronto Island. This is now our summer ritual for the past three years and Kya is a seasoned pro.
The island is a quick ferry ride over from the docks in Toronto harbour. You can see the planes land at Billy Bishop Airport and take in a breath taking view of the city from the deck of the ferry.

The CN Tower sits behind condo's along the lake edge.

Centreville is the amusement section of the island. They have maintained great old fashioned rides for small children. Kya's favourite it the log ride - this little daredevil has been taking the splash since she was three.
So off we went (twice) in the big log boat, floating along the river, then up and over the drop. Both of us squealing and laughing.

We rode the train, waved to everyone along the way and let our voices be heard when they rolled through the dark tunnel.

We took in the tea cup ride, merry go round and braved the ferris wheel (ha, we are both overcame our fear of heights) and roller coaster.

Pizza and ice cream provided energy for Kya to run around the water park. With temps hitting 35 degrees even Grandma got into running through the fountains there.

If you are looking for a romantic ride at the island, the Gondola is for hire (docked at the arc bridge).

We visited Far Enough Away Farm - Kya's LOVES this part of the island and goes crazy when she see's all the animals. We fed the baby swans at the pond, and then ..........we took one last zoom down the log ride before heading home.

Life's little moments all strung together to make incredible memories.

........... just in time for another weekend.

Pan Am Games 2015

July is turning out to be a month of celebrations here. Canada Day got the party started and we have welcomed the Pan American Games to Toronto this week. The opening ceremonies took place Friday night at the Rogers Centre - for those who do not live here this is 'The Dome' that is nestled next to the CN Tower. Concerts of epic proportions are held at this venue and last night it was a performance to welcome the athletes that had the town rocking.

Fireworks explode from the CN Tower marking the start of the Pan Am Games.

The building, planning and preparations have been lengthy in Toronto and the surrounding area. The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) may be struggling tolerating the highway changes made to accommodate the games, but the opening ceremonies has brought excitement to the city this weekend.

The Gold Medal 4 x100 relay team at the 1996 Atalnta Olympics carried the Pan Am torch across the city. Canadian track and field athlete Bruny Surin worked with the Cirque du Soleil team to help him overcome his fear of heights. The gold medal winner (attached by a tether) sprinted around outer rim of the CN Tower to pass the torch to Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey, who was wearing a parachute. 

1,168 feet (116 storeys) above the ground, the torch is passed and then .......

The magic of film creates the illusion that Bailey jumped with the torch, while a stunt double takes the step off of the ledge and lands on the domed roof of the Rogers Centre.
(More about edge walks at the CN Tower - yes, you can walk the edge - HERE)

Inside the Rogers Centre athletes parade their flags and wave to the cheering crowds. Cirque du Soleil presented the 150 minute opening ceremonies that featured 625 performers.

Over 700 Canadian athletes arrive for the games.

 

Canada welcomes the athletes to the Pan Am Games. (image Rick Madonik)

And of course no party in Toronto would be complete without participation from the CN Tower. Fireworks exploded from various points and created a spectacular picture of the city line.

Canada is off to a good start with 8 medals already - 4 of them gold. Let's hope that the home town crowds will bring good luck as we cheer on our athletes.

Good luck to all of the athletes from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America. It's your time to shine and Toronto's turn to roll out the carpet that leads to the winners podium.

image: Marcus Mitanis

24061

The number is well known.  It is the identification number of prisoner Jean Valjean, a man who has been in the galleys for 19 years. Five of those years imprisoned were for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister's starving family and 14 years served for various escape attempts.

For fans of the musical Les Miserables, just hearing the number spoken makes you want to break out into song. Don't think for one moment that fans are heartless, but this is a story that grabs you and won't let go. The music has a way of imprisoning the audience.

Ramin Karimloo at Jean Valjean

I gave Richard Les Miserables tickets for his birthday in May. The play opened a few weeks ago at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto and we went to see it on Friday evening {funny how those birthday tickets work - I might owe him another gift}.
Musical producer Cameron Mackintosh attempted to bring the production to Toronto two years ago but 'had difficulties filling certain roles', so he waited. The powerful cast is proof that the wait was worth it.
Ramin Karimloo, who hails from Ontario is known for the 'best' portrayal of Phantom, plays Jean Valjean. Mr. Karimloo reaches out well beyond the edge of the stage and grabs your heart with his powerful vocal range. I'm certain that every audience member had their heart sitting up in their throat when he sang 'Bring Him Home'.

Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean image: Matthew Murphy

Earl Carpenter, who plays Javert has a powerful voice and the scene with him standing at the bridge makes you want to reach out to grab him.

Earl Carpenter as Javert

Melissa O'Neil manages to steal hearts with her haunting rendition of On My Own. The exotic beauty brings just the right amount of spirit that is needed to portray Eponine.
Lisa Horner and Cliff Saunders who portray the Thenardier's, keep the story light with their antics. Saunders in particular flits and dances around the stage with what can only be described as leprechaun legs. The entire cast is perfectly suited in their roles and the performances were flawless.
The orchestra under the direction of Conductor James Dodgson fills the theatre with the mood of the story and embraces the audience through the rise and falls.


The not to be missed musical runs at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto until December 22nd. Tickets HERE.

For those who can't get enough of Ramin Karimloo's voice, his newly released CD titled Human Heart is available on the Sony Masterworks label. It includes Bring Him Home, I Dreamed a Dream as well as four songs Karimloo co-wrote.

Summertime Fun

I realized that it's been almost a month since my last post - the one where I was hoping for some sunny days. With a hiatus like that I've obviously enjoyed many summer days.

One of the highlights of the past few weeks is the day I surprised my Granddaughter and took her to 'a special park'. Kya loves when we go to the water park, as we did many times last summer.  But this time she was in for a real treat.

View of Toronto's skyline from Centre Island. Double tier ferry is part of the fun of getting there.

Just off of the shoreline of Toronto's harbour is a chain of small islands, one of the most popular islands is Centre Island. It is a beautiful park area with Lake Ontario wrapping around it and includes Centreville, a children's amusement park with old fashioned simple rides and a little farm. The park was built in 1967 with a turn-of-the-century old town theme.

But the first order of the day for Kya's trip to the 'special park' was taking one of the big double tier ferry's to the island. We parked the stroller on the lower enclosed area of the ferry and I took her upstairs to the open rail area. The look on her face was the same as so many people who take in the beautiful view of Lake Ontario and Toronto's skyline for the first time - she was in awe. Porter Airline jets flew in to the island airport over head just as we pulled away from the dock and added to the excitement of the trip.

Lower deck of the island ferry.

On the upper deck looking back at Toronto's skyline.

There are great rides that are perfect for smaller children and I was excited to see that Centreville has restored and renewed the activities, but they have not deviated from the theme. When we rode on the antique car together I was choked up,  it took me back many years to excursions that I took my own children on there.

Centreville - were 3 year old's are encouraged to drive.

The amusement rides are perfect for young children. Kya drove us around the track in the antique car, took the firetruck out by herself, squealed with delight on the carousel, drove the swan boat with a little help, and took two spins around the park on the blue railroad train {which she insisted is Thomas the train}. There are many other rides and some games at Centreville but these were the highlights of our day together.

Far Enough Farm is a small farm area in the park area that allows children to view a variety of animals. Kya was in full Doctor Dolittle mode 'talking to the animals'. She loved it and it provided a quiet period of time wandering through the farm area.

The trip around the amusement park area on the train gives riders a view of all the fun.

The Swan Ride at Centreville.

The island includes a great park area that is perfect for picnics, open beaches, a splash water park, bike rentals {also a double tandem bike for four}, and canoe rentals. Add ice cream to the mix and it made for a perfect day.

After the fun, lunch in the park and a messy ice cream cone we headed back to the dock for the ferry back home. I'm not sure who had more fun - me or Kya. It was so nice to experience the fun of the park with her, watch her excitement and reminisce about the trips I took there with my own children. I asked another guest at the park to take a picture of us together so we can look back one day at our first play date at the park. I know this will be the first of many trips for Kya to Centre Island.

Hot, sweaty and tired = a fun day!

Old Traditions with a new twist

Christmas windows at Hudson Bay Toronto

When my children were small we had a holiday tradition that started with visiting the Christmas windows at the Hudson Bay store in downtown Toronto. Our evening out included a walk over to Toronto City Hall to see the giant Christmas tree and I think a couple of times we even stopped to skate at the outdoor rink there.

After enjoying the Christmas lights and windows we would walk a few blocks down to the Spaghetti Factory as part of our evening out. The warehouse style family restaurant is full of vintage decor and is the perfect noisy kid friendly place, and my kids loved it.
It's been a many years since we have indulged in the Christmas windows tradition and we decided it was time to introduce Kya to the tradition. So my two children, my Granddaughter and I bundled up and headed out in search of Christmas lights.

Santa's reindeer at the Eaton Centre Toronto

After literally running around the giant tree at Nathan Phillips Square we wandered along the sidewalk at The Bay to enjoy the animation in the store windows. I love that the displays were a traditional theme. There is something special about the history of Hudson Bay that speaks tradition.

The huge display of lights on the south entrance of the Eaton Centre caught our eye and we decided to investigate the details. What a wonderful surprise.

The mall is outfitted with massive reindeer's that are made up with steel criss-cross cages that encase lights. You can walk under the belly of the reindeer and take pictures beside their legs.

Toronto Eaton Centre - Christmas 2012

The reindeer are positioned throughout the mall and they gaze over the railings to take a look at the shoppers on various levels. The center tree is a magical rainbow of lights that continually change colour.

I have to applaud the choice to decorate with an edge. Watching people stand under the reindeer, children running around the legs and everyone taking pictures..... it was magical. The size and scope of the reindeer is breath taking.

looking up into the Christmas tree

This is a new look for the Eaton Centre for Christmas, and there are people who prefer the Swarovski tree that usually displayed at Christmas. I think it was time for a change and I like the excitement and sparkle that they injected into the centre.

And for a healthy dose of tradition.................. we took one last peek at the Hudson Bay windows on the way to dinner.