Queen and Portland aftermath of the fire...

RIP Suspect
Originally uploaded by Jape Wisteria


queenfire!
Originally uploaded by nice+smooth ultramedia.

We don't normally post other peoples shots but this will be an exception. These pictures were taken by several Toronto Flickr members who were close to this 6 alarm blaze. Follow the image links to see more.

UPDATE Feb 28_08: Duke's Cycle is posting a running diary on their site of the day-to-day behind the scenes of getting back to business after the fire.

Some of what was lost:
Duke's Cycle shop (levelled. A great 90 year old family business. That's where I bought my last bike.)
Suspect Video On Queen (they still have Suspect on Markham, but a very large stock with many obscure and hard to find films were lost)
Preloved (they just got their lovely spring collection ready)
National Sound (40 years in business, one of the few shops in Toronto still repairing turntables)

Here's a stitched-together image of the block BEFORE the fire posted by Kevin Steele:

Saturday in the neighbourhood...

posted by Arna and John:

Gladstone Late Afternoon...

Taken by John van Bruggen, on the way to Canzine 2007. Read more about the event here.

Here's more about the event, for Nick who asked :)

Artist Max Douglas was there (Arna's son), showing off his ambitious new book, THEREFORE REPENT (a partnership with writer Jim Monroe). We hung out with Max, (family day!) and picked up a poignant graphic trio of HUNG books by Shannon Gerard and a really funny little (really little!) book called Transit Tokens by John Martz (he of the called notorious TTC ANAGRAM MAP). We also got a trippy PINPAL PAPER DOLL. There was lots more to see and do- you could have a 'hate letter' written about you if you so desired, and read the latest SHAMELESS magazine. We somehow missed seeing the room installation by TARA BURSEY, but we heard it was dark. Tara's work always challenges the viewer.

Kensington market walls...

Posted by John and Arna:
Saturday we visited The Beguiling bookstore for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. Had a nice chat with the talented Michael Cho and picked up tickets for Scott McCloud who spoke at OISE on Sunday night. Good weekend all round...

Saturday was also JANE JACOBS DAY in Toronto ( see Nick Sung's post on Jane Jacobs here) and we did our own walk from the Annex to Kensington Market and along Nassau Street which is full of funky cafes, music stores and a cool Tshirt shop called Hardboiled.

At the back of a store on the corner of Nassau and Augusta, we found this wall covered with collaged posters 'n graffiti that made fine photo material. John took these shots.

SunsetTunnelMountainTrail

Posted by Arna.

Just came back from Banff where I was lucky to spend 4 days in the fresh air, and experience an amazing story conference. Got my head clear and came back to Toronto to finish a board that is keeping me very busy for the next three weeks. I'll post more about the conference in the next days.

Thanks to Warren Leonhardt who encouraged me to go. Thanks to Chad Kerychuk and Ken Bautista who put the conference together.

Big thanks to speakers Ronnie Del Carmen, Kris Pearn, Josh Staub, and George P. Georgeadis for your energy, insight and inspiration.

This photo was taken on the way up Tunnel Mountain Trail. I am now walking hills in our neighbourhood to get in better shape so the next time I'll make it to the top of that trail!

Broken Glass

posted by Arna:

We stumbled on this (Well, not actually! It's a figure of speech...thanks Clive :)) when walking in our neighbourhood last summer. Michelle says it looks like a fish, and I agree:

As seen on Queen West...

These storefront pix were taken by JVB just before Christmas. Clicking one of these thumbnails will take you to our Flickr page. Once there, click 'all sizes' for a larger view.

Variations on a cat theme...

Posted by Arna:

Images from morning warm-ups with our cats...

snail in the big world...

Posted by Arna:

A snail's pace. No, this is not about how slow my current storyboard is going. That's maybe a subject for another post. Or not.

This is what I saw on a Go Train platform on a rainy Toronto Sunday morning this week. I hope the little guy wasn't stepped on. It was heading towards the safety of the brush behind the platform. Slowly.

Up next...

Posted by Arna:

A random collection of photos all taken at night during Bloor Street walks:

Dorothy Van Bruggen

1934-2006

Sadly and suddenly, John's mother passed away on September 21st, in her 73rd year. We can't believe that you're gone and we miss you, Mom.

Bobby/Beany...

For Warren and Hobo Divine. The origin of the Peter Pan-nequin:

Yorkville images...

Out for a walk in the Yorkville neighbourhood in Toronto, we happened upon these interesting sights. A glass sky...

...and three ladies deep in conversation.

An even more screamingly obvious tribute to Mr.Warhol...

More Pop Poppies...

Breaking down the shapes with Photoshop, I like the happy accidents. The way the flowers are suspended on the almost too thin stalks:

Posted by Arna.

Poppy Pop Art...

Because we couldn't resist...

Posted by Arna.

Poppy Power!

We have a big fat poppy plant in our front yard. The flowers came into bloom two days ago, but they don't last long. They are about 7 inches across. These shots are pretty much as they came out of the camera, not touch-ups. The scarlet is so saturated, it almost repels the green at the edges!

Photos:

Top one: afternoon, JvB.

Second, third: 8 am, Arna.

Fourth one: afternoon, JvB.

Bottom one: afternoon, Arna.

No T.O. transit today...