Nature - Gotta Love It

Spent some time on beautiful Mazinaw Lake recently.

For those not in the know, it is about three hours north east of Toronto.

It is part of a very interesting ecological formation in the area.

Mazinaw is the north-south lake in the middle left.  While all around it are east-west lakes.

I realize I had mentioned this before, so for a refresher on this see Home Alone.  [Pay no attention to the Home Alone references or cliff jumping imbeciles.]

So on this trip we got a litle more serious and found some very interesting cultural artifacts.

As this lake - allegedly - was formed by massive faults in the earth's sedimentary crust, the sheer walls go straight up 300 feet and, beneath the water, straight down 300 feet.

I'm surprized my cheap cellphone camera doesn't capture it better.

As we were motoring along, our guide - and host - pointed out something that looked to be pictures or paintings on the walls of the cliffs.

[For those of you that read the previous post, the aforementioned imbecile likely jumped right over one.]

According to legend, these paintings depicted the Ojibwa spirit Nanabush - born of a human mother and spirit father.

He, or similar characters to him, also existed in Algonquin and Cree culture.  But only if you can believe Wikipedia.

These drawings have been here for hundreds of years.

As we were working - okay, fishing - later on, came across a better depiction of Nanabush.

Can't you see him?

Is that better?

How about now! as our guide & host points him out to the inept photographer.

There.  Nanabush often take the form of a rabbit. 

Of the wascally variety, as he is known as a trickster.  And a shape-shifter.

You can identify him by his two large ears.

Well.......beep beep, that's all folks.

Oh Oh...I've Seen This Movie Before

Lovely turn of the (last) century apartment building near the University of Toronto.

It's great that the U of T keeps so many of its heritage buildings.

Oh oh......

Or does it.

Hmmm.....bricked up windows.....

Beside a parking lot......

Spells.... b'bye?

Well, maybe not.

Here is its neighbour.

Well......I guess that's better than nothin'.....

Come On.....

Man, someone was working overtime in the Drugstore Translation Department to come up with this one.

Pay me half the money and I guarantee I can come up with something plus bettre.

One In A Continuing Series

Out for a stroll and see that a beautiful new condo is going to be built.

Looks great.  Except for a couple of things.

First, looks like it is being built behind a tiny, old Gothic styled church.

And they're keeping the church.  That's great.

Except for the fact that the church is not that tiny, as there are multiple buildings in behind.

[The church section shown in the top photo shows the tower, which you can just see on the left in this pic.]

And the condo is going to be built just about where that black box is.

You wascally wabbits!

Second; looks like you will have beautiful views in all directions.

Oopsie.....looks like the promotional material forgot one little item.

The 20 storey building right beside it.  (The building in which I toiled for 15 years.)

So here is the view you won't be seeing it from your new living room.

But we saw it from the model suite in that 20 storey building.

Maybe you can get to know these guys.

Correction

As we lowered our gaze from the Toronto downtown skyline, we noticed construction activity directly below the model suite.

With super slow mo, infra red enhancement, we identified what looks to be the outline of another tower.

We asked the charming sales associate what that was.

"Oh, that's a another tower being built", she sort of smiled.

"How tall?"

"20 storeys", she grimaced.

"Won't it block these million dollar views?" (Our 1,600 square foot 1.5M$ model is on the 10th floor.)

"We were told no.  Or only a little bit."

Oh you wabbits make me wery wery angwee.

No!!

No!

No way!

Unh uh!

Forget it!

Nada!

Bupkis!

Get lost!

Now I won't be able to sleep knowing that idiot is out there.

He's already called the yet-to-start Pan Am Games a "fantastic success".

Scram!

I'm Opening A Bar In Calgary!

When Alberta elected the NDP by mistake last month, it opened the door for a whole bunch of new policies to be tried.

One of them is a minimum guaranteed income, or Mincome.  Everybody would get a guaranteed annual $20,000 to $30,000.  Not bad!

Calgary's mayor, Naheed Nensh, is volunteering his city to pilot test this experiment.

Well, I think Gordon Lightfoot is going to get a bump up in his royalty cheques, as soon every grifter in Canada will be singing Alberta Bound and taking the next Greyhound west.

So with 20 to 30 grand in your pockets, you get yourself a nice apartment, some cowboy boots and a string tie.

But like any self respecting grifter knows, you need something to do all day.

Welcome to Jimmy's Bar & Grill!

More bar than grill, I suspect, unless you can grill pickled eggs.

I'm sensing a whole new business climate out there.

Move over Oil, there's a new liquid in town.

What Would Happen.......

....if we shut down the Canadian Senate for six months and just see what happens?

Would anyone notice?

Go home, Senators.

I guess we can keep paying them during the pilot test.  But don't charge anything!


And then, try it for six more months.....

And then......

Next - on to Parliament!


Morning Update:
From The Great-Minds-Think-Alike File

In this morning's paper: I guess I'm not alone in my wishful thinking.

What Was That?

[Note: Not the same "What was that?" as yesterday's Men's Sex Maze post. At least I hope not.]

About midnight, loud crash boom outside my window.

Woke up this morning, decided to investigate.

View From My Window

Yonge Street closed in all directions.

Just in time for the morning rush.

Something happened.....

Lots of hook and ladders and tow trucks gathered.


680 News?!

Wow, I've never had their roving reporter outside my building before!

Hey, I know that guy!

I actually listened to him this morning on the radio, right from there I guess.


Yowza!

According to buddy outside my building, a cabbie was smacked head-on by an allegedly drunk driver.

Both front ends mashed together pretty good.

Lots of guys in hospital and driver under arrest.

Never a dull moment in my neighbourhood.  [I'm getting tired of typing that.]

Hey?!

"What was that?"

"Owww..."

"Is that what I think it is?"


"What the....?"

"Holy......!"

Overheard at a recent event.

Never a dull moment in my neighbourhood.

And I wonder how you qualify for the "or less" feature of the $10 Entry fee?

Location, Location, Location

These two businesses are across the street from each other.

So either the owners of the Cardinal Funeral Home are very savvy businessmen....

Or the practitioners at Toronto Western Hospital are not very good doctors....

I know they are good at deliveries, as I was born here, but after that......

And I hope that arrow in the top picture is not pointing to what I think it is.

Wow

At 17 I think I was either still trying to undo a bra clasp with one hand or make a bong out of a corn cob pipe.

Kids today......