Alan Bray's collection to go on auction block

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Many hundreds of of people attended the free, 2-hour preview of items in the Alan Bray Collection this past Satrurday, on Bathurst Street in the south-east corner of the Holland Marsh. The auction is to take place over four days: June 7, 8, 9 & 10 in a huge tent out-of-doors.   People who had never seen the 28,000 sq. ft. collection of vintage automobile, service station pumps, old farm equipment, soda pop bottles, oil company signs, an iconic, well-preserved Conestoga Wagon, and what seemed like a million other items, wandered about amazed and speechless.   I hope these photos give an idea of the scope of this collection and the undertaking to auction it off.

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Barry Wallace

Downtown Pottageville.....

                                                                                                                               Photo by Barry Wallace

All is just ducky at Pathways to Perennials

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Barry Wallace

Coffee at The Roost ~ Keele Street ~ King City

 Photos by Barry Wallace

These two young ladies and a lovely Golden Retriever were enjoying a lovely late April morning, outside at The Roost Coffee Shop on Monday.   At the front of the heritage house premises, owner Cathy Wellesley has come up with some stunning yellow and orange daffodils.   Ah, spring's smile.

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Barry Wallace

We live in a green world now...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

...but a green Audi RS7 Sportback !?!

What the heck!   Why not?   I followed this German beauty into the King Ridge Marketplace parking lot on Saturday and just had to grab a couple of shots.   It's worth about $120,000 Cdn. and gets up to 190 kph (don't ask me about fuel efficiency).   I try not to put too many cars into this space, but King has so many spectacular cars cruising around, that it's hard not to include them now and again.   Especially when it's a drop-dead, apple green metallic Audi RS7.

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Barry Wallace

Cedar rails

    11th Concession ~ south of Cold Creek ~ photo by Barry Wallace

So they cut and carried cedar rails

and sectioned off their meadows.

Their fences lasted forever and then began to sag.

And in the end, as always, or for a while,

nature prevailed.

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Barry Wallace

King Road ~ south side ~ west of Weston Road

Photo by Barry Wallace

Refined and evocatively graphic gate design

I took a photo of this perfectly simple gate design when it was first installed, two or three years ago.   I'm running a new photo because I am just as impressed now with the design, as I was when I first spotted it.

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Barry Wallace

New version of old site...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

A large pictorial For Lease sign in the centre of the village of Nobleton shows a proposed retail/residential development adjacent to the historic Hambly house.   The 3-storey+ proposal would seem to dwarf the old Hambly House, which would apparently be retained.

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Barry Wallace

Yellow splash in Nobleton

                                                                                                                            Photos by Barry Wallace

DAFFODILS at NOBLETON FEED MILL

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Barry Wallace

Near Keele Street...

Photo by Barry Wallace

Small stream crossing on Oak Ridges Trail

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Barry Wallace

Chipping Sparrow ~ Spizzella passerina

Photos by Barry Wallace

Plump seems like an understatement

Pictured here is one of the many Chipping Sparrows that were at our feeders all winter.   It's spring now, of course, and the same Chipping Sparrows are still at the same feeders.   The one pictured here, having consumed its fill of Niger Seeds, decided to just roost for a while, until its tummy settled.   My Stokes Field Guide to Birds says the Chipping Sparrow is a: "Small deep-bellied sparrow with a high rounded crown, short bill...".   The one pictured here certainly seems to have the 'deep-bellied' part down pat.   'Chippings' are one of my favourite sparrows.   They're just so darned cute.

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BarrytheBirder

The evolving Rosary Path at Marylake

                                                                                                      Photos by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

Pretty spring carpet...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

I do not know the name of these small flowers, but each spring, for years and years, I have noticed them on the west lawn of Bob McLeod's old King City Bakery building, on the King Road in King City.   They make a charming and attractive spring carpet.

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Barry Wallace

Looking for Bluebirds at Cold Creek

Photo above taken last year at Cold Creek

EASTERN BLUEBIRD

Sialia sialis

My friend David Love told me about two weeks ago, that returning spring Bluebirds had been spotted in Vaughan, which immediately made we wonder if they had returned to the birdboxes at Cold Creek Conservation Area, on the 11th of King.   I visited Cold Creek on Good Friday to look for some, but only found a solitary Tree Swallow atop a box (see below, right).   

I returned to Cold Creek on Easter Monday but once again failed to see a bluebird.   I didn't see the Tree Swallow either.   What I did see while walking the northern trail, from the small pond back to the main entrance, was the Hermit Thrush, seen below.   It stayed in place long enough for me to get a photo, which helped identify it when I got home.   Hermit Thrushes are the only spotted thrushes that winter in the northern U.S., hence its early spring arrival in Ontario.

All photos by BarrytheBirder   

    More spring photos from Cold Creek...

 

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Barry Wallace

King Road ~ west side of Nobleton

                                                                                                               Photo by BarryWallace

BOVINE BUNNY

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Barry Wallace

Big changes on Hoop Street in King City

                                                                                                                                                                   

There hasn't been much to say about Hoop Street, in the centre of King City, for a long, long time.   But things have suddenly changed. All of the properties on Hoop Street (bordering the railway track), behind the King City Market, the old landmark McLeod Bakery, the CIBC and TD banks and the seniors apartment buildings have had their buildings and landscape bulldozed. There is isn't a tree, shrub or bush left.   There are piles of detritus that are in the process of being removed.   I believe at one time, the owners of the King City Market proposed a development which included a new market store plus four or five other new stores.   But what appears to be happening now would accommodate a much larger development proposal.   I haven't heard of any new schemes, but something certainly seems to be in the works.   I guess I'll have to make an inquiry to the folks at King's Planning Department or put in a call to my councillor, Cleve Mortellitti.   In the meantime, there are some picture here to show some of the scope of the landscape changes. Photos by Barry Wallace

The view above looks south from Hoop Street towards the rear of the old King Bakery.

It appears one house is still to be removed.

Hoop Street ends behind the King seniors apartments on Dew Street (seen behind fence).

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace