Didgeridoo - Lesson

Didgeridoo - How to Play

The Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon, Ontario

This beautiful geological formation is found along the Niagara Escarpment. It was an accidental find really. We were looking for a restaurant near Bolton and discovered these rusty-coloured rolling hills and gullies of shale.

The badlands are found Northwest of Toronto and is well worth the trip if you're in the area. There is parking along the road leading to the site. It doesn't take long to traverse this barren geologic wonder. that was once covered by a lake which dried up thousands of years ago. The surrounding forest is spectacular in the fall with the changing colours of the leaves.

Humber Shores, Lake Ontario

My favourite place in Ontario is along the Humber Shores area in the west end of Toronto that runs West of Windermere to just east of Royal York. 

To Tip or Not to Tip? Are North American Restauranteurs Stiffing Their Staff?

By Irene Fantopoulos

From the film Reservoir Dogs to ordinary folk like you and me, whether to tip and how much is the question that plagues North Americans. Sure there is the issue of how much do we/should we tip hairstylists, manicurists, cabbies and the mail man, but they aren’t part of this discussion.

I don’t necessarily mind tipping for excellent or fairly good service. But what I do mind is when restaurateurs prescribe that I must tip or be a social pariah. Why do wait staff appear to  have just escaped from the pages of a Dickensian scene – hungry and needy.

Images from The Big Easy (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Here are some memorable moments from Angelo's and my trip to New Orleans (March 29 - April 2).

Watch out for the gators!

Typical latticed balcony.

A wedding...

Top 10 Things to Do in New York City on a Budget

I’m often asked, is New York City expensive?

Well, yes it is, if you go for haute couture or haute cuisine. But it doesn’t have to be. In a recent trip to NYC, I focused on discovering some free or relatively inexpensive things to do.

Here are my recommendations:

Ten Super Foods to Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer

There is a lot of information out there saying to “eat this,” or “don’t eat that.”

These foods will help with the common cold. This herb will help with digestion. How can one surf through these competing messages and make the right choice when it comes to combatting the prospect of prostate cancer?

In 2011, Cancer Canada reported 25,500 cases of diagnosed prostate cancer and 4,100 deaths. The probability of developing this insidious cancer, over one’s lifetime, is one in seven.

So what can men of all ages do? Well gentlemen, after reviewing a number of sources, I have distilled the myriad of information into 10 super foods that could potentially reduce your risk of prostate cancer.

The Inner World of Artist Frida Kahlo and the Outer World of Artist Rivera Diego

 by Irene Fantopoulos

Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego (1886-1957), Mexican artists, husband and wife and major contributors to the art world in the first half of the twentieth century. 

Much of Diego’s work encapsulates the two revolutionary worlds that dominated his life: the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920 and the Russian Revolution of 1917. While he is known mostly as a muralist, his art focused on rural Mexican life and his support of communism. He believed that labourers and peasants should be free from oppression, a nod to Karl Marx. He painted 200 murals for the Ministry of Education, Mexico City.

Toronto City Hall Zip Line

Toronto City Hall gets is wings. For a limited time and just in time for the Grey Cup Festival this weekend take a 20 second ride on the tallest zip line in North America. 

The ride is 130 feet in the air and you get a unique view of the financial district and Toronto City Hall.

ZIP LINE HOURS:

Saturday, November 17: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday, November 18: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Monday, November 19: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Tuesday, November 20: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Wednesday, November 21: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Thursday, November 22: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Friday, November 23: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Saturday, November 24: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Dairy Free Love

The one woman show is making its tasty debut in Toronto for 10 shows in November and December.



For more information and tickets, go to www.dairyfreelove.com.

Autumn Colours Along the Humber Shores

By Irene Fantopoulos

Summer's final curtain call has set on Humber Shores. As always, the seasonal changes come abruptly with little warning other than a date on the calendar. As I look to the east, the angle of the setting sun makes the distant city sparkle, the light reflecting off the windows of buildings and skyscrapers along Toronto's skyline. 

Birds of Florida's Gulf Coast: Caught in Action

There is no shortage of birds along Florida's Gulf Coast. The following is just a sample of the many water birds find in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Predatory in nature, they lie in wait and swoop upon their prey without mercy.

As fish dive up in the water, the birds are quick to grab them with beaks made for the purpose of grasping their prey. Swoop and soar - that was the pattern of many of these birds. A major virtue is their patience as they wait for the right moment before nabbing their meal.

Gulls

Florida's Gulf Coast: The Cycle of Life

Today is the first day of fall, but the heat of the day won't release itself from the final throes of summer. The rains come and go, mostly during the night, but they leave behind a path of destruction. Many jellyfish line the beaches, offering themselves unwillingly to the numerous species of birds, such as the American Oystercatcher or the Sandwich Tern. 

SANDWICH TERN

AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER

CRAB SCURRYING AWAY FROM THE WAVES

VARIETIES OF JELLYFISH

Ursula Handleigh

Based around a residency in Syracuse, NY at SPARK Contemporary, Adrienne Crossman and Ursula Handleigh created work responding to their surroundings.

See this exhibition September 14th at 7 p.m. at XPACE Cultural Centre, 58 Ossington Avenue, Toronto.

Humber River Art: Part II

By Irene Fantopoulos

I took a walk over to the Humber Bridge today to see if any progress had been made since last week regarding the completion of the interactive sculpture of two squids suspended off the arch of the Bridge.  I couldn't tell if I was looking at the final product as there was a sign saying there is more to come.

Colourful globes that appear to be Christmas decorations, are threaded through the wires. I believe they depict water bubbles coming out of the mouths of the squid. That's my guess.

Humber River Art

By Irene Fantopoulos

Here's what's going on in the Humber River these days. I've written about this area in previous blogs. The news this week is that new interactive art will be added to the Humber River Bridge.

The art is a gift to the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada by a group of local volunteer artists along with interactive arts which will be on display over the next two months on the iconic Humber River Bridge, shown above. Pictures of the art to follow in the coming days.

They are looking for contributions as all of the work: the mounting, the rental of equipment and the art itself is donated for free. Click on the links below where you can check out their video describing the project, their next steps and what contribution you can make!

Humber River Discoveries

by Irene Fantopoulos


There is so much natural beauty just beyond the shores of Lake Ontario, that I feel it is incumbent upon me to share my Humber River trails discoveries to the west of the City of Toronto in Canada.

This time, my explorations led me to dedications and monuments that pay tribute to people who have left their mark upon Canadian soil over the years. Some are known. Many are unknown.

Jumping the Weir at the Étienne Brûlé Park, Ontario, Canada

Étienne Brûlé Park, runs parallel to and along the West and East sides of the Humber River. It is named after Étienne Brûlé (c. 1592 – c. June 1633), an early French explorer in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area.

The park is accessible by car from Old Mill Road or by public transit to the Old Mill subway station or, one can walk to it from either Pasadena Gardens or Lundy Avenue.

Spring: A Time of Awakening Along the Shores of Lake Ontario

Humans and birdlife alike, share the bounty found along the Martin Goodman Trail along the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto, Ontario. 

The Trail is 20 kilometres long and runs from the Humber River, near the Palace Pier in the west, to just west of Victoria Park in the east. The focus here is the part of the Trail that starts near the Grand Harbor condominium complex in the west to the Sunnyside Pavilion Cafe in the east, about six kilometres.

Boardwalk looking west toward Palace Pier

Swan tending to the gulls

The path boasts two main watercourses: the Humber River and Mimico Creek. The Humber River is a tributary of Lake Ontario and runs to the west of the City of Toronto. Although the main artery of the Humber River runs approximately 100km (from the Niagara Escarpment in the northwest to Lake St. George in the Oak Ridges Moraine near Aurora to the northeast), many creeks and tributaries feed into it.