Village of King City becoming a town?

Photos by Barry Wallace

King City is well on its way to increasing from 5,000 residents to 10,000 residents, in short order.   New home construction has continued throughout the winter in several parts of the village, and now that spring is upon us, things should really begin to boom.   The pictures in this blog entry were all taken in the Royal Collection subdivision, located on the south side of the King Road, west of the railways tracks.   Developments in four other locations, in the village, are also under way, with more still to begin.   This phase of the Royal collection has townhomes  up to $696,000 and detached homes priced up to $917,000.   Despite appearances, as seen in the photos below, a few of the homes are already occupied.   Meanwhile, the condominium apartments (pictured above and immediately below) have many units occupied.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

The arrival of spring...plus a week

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Humber River at Kinghorn

Days above freezing have the East Humber River, seen above where it slides under Jane Street at Kinghorn, is in full spring flow.   Nights below freezing, however, have left non-flowing  farm and garden ponds frozen over.   The pond in the picture below is on the north side of South Summit Farm Road, about a kilometre south of Kinghorn, where still water stays frozen.

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BarryWallace

Old barns are new again

Photo by Barry Wallace

I photographed this Dufferin Street barn  as it finally appears that its reconstruction and additions have been completed.   Oh that every new or renovated barn in King could be treated with such affection and appreciation for the designs of yesteryear.   Single-storey stables clad in lifeless metal must be praised for their functionality.   But as for appearance, who really notices them after the first look.   The location of these lovely buildings above is directly opposite to the entrance of Seneca College's King campus.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Please ignore my previous blog entry.

My Barry the Birder blog has returned to its rightful place, but to get to it, one must include the word blogsite in the address.   It should be www.barrythebirder.blogspot.com.   One can also use just barrythebirder.blogspot.   The point is that the word blogspot has to be in there.   Thanks to my dear wife and second daughter for getting me out of this cyber-mess.   I admit I am a Luddite who has yet to figure out how paper-clips work.   My two blogs, 'BarrytheBirder' and 'CameraonKing' should now be returned to their singular spots and the twain shall never merge again.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Incorporating Barry the Birder

Two blogs become one

Due to recent technical difficulties, the other blog I have written for the past three years, entitled Barry the Birder, has been unceremoniously dumped by my service provider and I am at a loss as to how to restore it to its former position.   My wife and one of my daughters, who are fairly tech-savvy have worked very hard to fix things but it appears BtheB has disappeared into the ether.   I am righting things somewhat by planning to insert the occasional birding items and photos into my Camera on King blog.   I don't know if this will satisfy certain faithful readers (me included) but I'm going to try to make it work.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Highest point in King Township

 

The highest point of land in King Township sits on the north-east corner of Dufferin Street and the 18th Sideroad (above), a couple of kilometres north of Snowball.   Not only is this the highest piece of land in King, at 364 metres (1194 ft.), but it is punctuated by a Bell Canada tower that soars another 45 metres (148 ft.) above that.   Three locations are tied for the second highest place  (360 metres) in King.They include the location of the Doppler Radar tower just east of Hwy. 400 above the 16th Sideroad, a site just north of the Catholic Settlement on Jane Street, and Love Mountain in the Happy Valley area between the 6th and 7th Concessions of King and just north of the Green Lane.   Third place goes to Thornton Bales Park on the 19th Sideroad between Dufferin and Bathurst Streets at 359 metres.   Below is a summertime photo of the Bell tower.

  Photos by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

Another spring at Tannery Hill Farm

Photo by Barry Wallace

The barns and buildings of Tannery Hill Farm are still standing, but barely.   Since its glory days of the late 60s, the 70s and early 80s, as one of Canada's foremost Guernsey dairy herd farms , this King Township landmark, at the north-east corner of Highway 400 and the King Road, has been dwindling and disappearing in a drawn-out denouement.

When I moved to King City, as a young teenager in the mid-1950s, Tannery Hill Farm was about to be purchased by Henry Borden, a prominent Toronto lawyer.   When Henry Borden wasn't practising law, he was also running Brazilian Light, Traction & Power in South American,  and serving as chairman of the board of governors of the University of Toronto, among other things.   He built, along with farm manager Jim Schwarzt and Jim's son Don, one of North America's finest herds of prize-winning Guernsey cattle.   The farm was finally sold and the barns have been still and silent since then.   The Tannery Hill Farms lands are still providing crops for some tenant, while the owner is a large industrial corporation.
Sadly, King Township's agrarian heritage is physically disappearing; one board, one beam. and one barn at a time.

Freezing at night ~ melting in the day

                                                                                                                                                                     Photo by Barry Wallace

This water barrel near the back door is full and frozen and over-flowing, but is starting to thaw.   It's perfect maple syrup weather here in King Township - freezing temperatures at night and above freezing during the day.   Syrup-makers around here are saying there should be a bumper harvest this spring.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Hunter family old King photos

Dave Hunter of Parry Sound has forwarded some more old family photos of King City life in the last century.   Above are relatives visiting the one-time Cairns/Hunter home on Keele Street, a couple of doors north of the King Road around 1930.   At right, the home as it appears today.   Below are Dave Hunter's parents, Ralph and Verna, at the gates of the Sir Henry Pellatt estate, just north of King City, around 1940.   Thanks for sharing these photos, Dave.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Late winter in Holland Marsh

Photos by Barry Wallace

Vast sheets of ice (top) and clouds of marsh soil (centre and bottom) typify current conditions in the Holland Marsh, in northern King Township, with one day left in winter.

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Barry Wallace

Almost spring in Lloydtown

Photo by Barry Wallace

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Schomberg Farm Tour

Photo by Barry Wallace

Sunnyfield Farm, just north of Lloydtown, was one of the popular stops along the way, this past Saturday, as families enjoyed the Schomberg Agricultural Society's 9th Annual Farm Tour.   The Sunnyfield Farm specializes in the sport of Dressage (horse ballet).   Once again, my wife and I were successful in taking our two oldest grandsons on the tour without either of them getting a finger nipped by horses looking for carrots.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Built to last...

Kettleby Anglican Church

Marylake Gatehouse

St. Andrew's Presbyterian at Eversley

Faraway Close Farm ~ King/Vaughan Townline

Photos by Barry Wallace

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Stormy weather...in Antigua

Photos by Barry Wallace

Wouldn't you know it?   My wife and I traded snowy and stormy King City, Ontario, for a week on sunny Long Bay, Antigua, and still had to deal with stormy weather...well, for one day anyway.   The temperature barely got over 80 degrees, on the day in question, and we got sprayed a bit with Caribbean Sea.   What a nuisance.   

 Well, it's great to be back in the cool and bracing air of a Canadian winter...I think.

Barry Wallace