In the garden...

Chipmunks have no manners

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Flowering Crabapple and Chestnut...

Photo by Barry Wallace

When I was young, I liked autumn's colours best.

Now that I am old, I like spring's colours most.

Be that as it may, I am quite content,
With the way things change.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Oak Ridges Trail ~ at Marylake

Pristine and peaceful on the edge of King City

Keeping the trail clear of blow-downs

Herald of sunny spring days

 Greenery over streamlet 

New oak saplings replace old stumps

Photos by Barry Wallace

Wee creature's home

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Barry Wallace

King Township sees the light...

                                                                                                 Photo by Barry Wallace

New and better streetlights for King villages

Over 2,000 streetlights in King Township will begin this week to be converted from HPS to LED types, improving visibility and safety, reducing pollution and using significantly less power.   King City is first to get the new lights (see photo of Keele Street above) followed by Nobleton and Schomberg.  The project is to be completed by the end of September and should pay for itself, through reduced maintenance and power consumption within nine years.  During the light replacement phase, existing poles will be evaluated to consider any existing deficiencies (straightening or replacing).

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace  

Dog lovers abound in King...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

New sign joins familiar landmark on Hwy. 27

A couple of new carved canines have joined the pack of mutts that have, for several years, greeted visitors and caught the eyes of passers-by at 16200 Hwy. 27, a little north of the 18th Sideroad, south of Schomberg.   I wonder 'howl' they'll all get along?

Please

 comment

if you wish.

Barry 

Wallace

New Schomberg plaza showing its shape...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Kingsgate Place to open this summer

North-west corner of Hwy. 27 & Dr. Kay Drive

This new shopping plaza will open this summer directly north and across the street from the Brownsville Junction Shopping Centre, no doubt creating more heavy competition for the commercial sales and service shops of nearby Main Street.    

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

King Road ~ between King City and Nobleton

Photo by Barry Wallace

A few colours made sublime

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Barry Wallace

168th Schomberg Agricultural Spring Fair

Photo by Barry Wallace

See you there this coming weekend...
www.schombergfair.com

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

King City Secondary School...

Photo by Barry Wallace

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG AT HALF-MAST

I spotted this lovely blossoming tree at the front entrance of the high school in King City on Tuesday, and decided to photograph it.   I quickly noticed that the Canadian flag beside it was at half-mast.   I slipped into the school and asked about the flag and was told by the office staff it was in sympathetic memory of the deceased in the latest high school shooting in Texas.   Pax vobiscum.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Revitalization of King businesses nearly done

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Attractive makeover almost complete on King Road

The Humber Valley Dry Cleaning shop and the convenience store beside it, in the centre of King City is almost complete.  Mark and Sarah Yoon who own both properties and who operated the dry-cleaning business for many years before letting a long-time employee take it over for several years, have returned to run the business.   The physical make-over of the two buildings was partly funded by King Township's 'Partners in Progress' revitalization project.   Will present customers still be seeing the friendly and hard-working Liberty?   I've been told she will be working at the dry cleaning shop a few days a week in the near future.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

!6th Sideroad ~ just west of Keele Street

Photo by Barry Wallace

Early morning after the rain

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Barry Wallace

Sculpted by nature - on the King Ridge

    Photo by Barry Wallace

  Do the trees hear?
  Do the trees listen?
  Do the trees speak silently? 
                                                            
                                                          Please comment if you wish.
                                                  Barry Wallace                                                             

More scenes along Oak Ridges Trail

Photos by Barry Wallace

Red-bellied Woodpecker (above)

Wind-blown fallen tree (above) takes out fence and stone wall.   Below right, another tree falls between two huge colourful boulders.

 An ephemeral pond at the side of the trail will probably disappear by the middle of summer.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Oak Ridges Trail between Weston Rd. & the 7th

                                                                                                                    Photos by Barry Wallace

Trail-side Mayapple gets ready to flower    

Recent high winds have brought down several trees on the  the Oak Ridges Trail and Oak Ridges Trail Association members have been busy doing maintenance work.   Below  are O.R.T.A. members Ed Miller and Bill Fines of King City  working on downed trees.

Above is a photo showing the remains of a trail-side campfire.   The Orta website states that camping is not allowed on the Oak Ridges Trail.  That likely rules out campfires as well.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Grosbeaks may spend the summer in our yard

Photos by BarrytheBirder

We've never had a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks nest in our yard or spend the summer in our backyard

but this may be the year.   In the past they sometimes showed up for one day in the spring.   This year, a male and female, plus a one-year old male have been with us for a week.  We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Please comment 
if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Site in centre of King City finally flattened.

Photo by Barry Wallace

The future is just around the (4) corners

The large plot of land on the north-east corner of Keele Street and King Road intersection has finally been razed of all previous structures, with the exception of the late Bob McLeod's historic King City Bakery (top left).  The view in the picture above looks south-west from the rear of the senior's apartments, at the west end of Dew Street.   Hoop Street, which curved through this property since time immemorial, has to all intents and purposes disappeared.   No development plan have been put forth before the Township of King but one is surely in the works.   One can hardly wait to see a proposal...a bold new vision of residential and commercial perhaps?   The property is under the ownership of the same developer that owns the demolished auto repair site on the west side of Keele Street, a couple of doors south of Hogan's Inn.  The same developer built the large subdivision at the end of Station Road, west of the GO Station. 

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Wild Turkeys usually very wary

    Photo above by Barry Wallace

Photo below: Jeff Morrison

I photographed the Wild Turkey, above,  in a  field just south of the King Road, on the west side of Dufferin Street.   Wild Turkey hunting season in Ontario is April 25 to May 31.

Normally Wild Turkeys are very wary  birds and do not wander out into large open spaces, especially alone.    They prefer to flock together with others of their species, and run or fly for cover in forests or brush when alarmed.   Since their re-introduction to Ontario several years ago, they have become immensely prolific.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Green grass and warm sun...

Photo by Barry Wallace

Our furry, black cat, Jaime, is seen above blissfully enjoying what finally appears to be the arrival of nice spring weather.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace 

Spring flowers ignore chilly nights...

Photos by Barry Wallace

Tulips look a bit like roses in our flower beds

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

King Road and Keele Street Intersection

Photos by Barry Wallace

Old market building demolished

The former King City Market building on the north-east corner of King City's 'four corners' bite the dust on Wednesday of this week.   It was the last building on the site to be taken down, with the exception of the old King City Bakery.  The building was built sometime in the 1950s and served as an IGA grocery store for many years.   I believe plans to develop the site include restoration of the old McLeod bakery building plus new residential and possible commercial development.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace