My barber and her bike...

                                                                                                        Photo by Barry Wallace

This 'biker chick' is my barber in King City: Palma.  Apart from her two daughters, Palma's pride and joy is her hot Harley.   She occasionally rides her Harley to work if the weather is good and she doesn't have a pile of stuff to take with her.   Her partner and her daughters also ride bikes, so its a family affair.

Please comment if you wish.
Barry Wallace

PA Day for grandsons at Around The Bend...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Linda and I spent a PA Day with two of our grandsons at Around-the-Bend Farms last Monday.   It's become an annual fall tradition for us and it's always fun.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Nobleton skyscraper...

Photos by Barry Wallace

Highway 27 and MacTaggert Drive

Steel is up for a new 3-storey, multi-tenant, commercial building in northern Nobleton, on the south-west corner of Hwy. 27 and MacTaggert Drive.   A sign is up on a construction fence announcing that a St. Phillips Deli - Bakery - Cafe will be one of the new tenants.   Nobleton residents may be familiar with St. Phillips locations that already exist in Kleinberg and Maple.   Looking at the erected steel in the north-west corner there appears to be a section of the building that looks like four storeys! 

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Areas of Canada moving to limit woodburning...

Photo by Barry Wallace

Burning pallets in the Holland Marsh

Starting in October, Montreal has acted on a 20-year-old air pollution problem that started with the ice storm of 1998.   35 people died and 1,000 were injured in what was considered one of the worst disasters in Canadian history.   At it peak, more than 3 million people were without power, some for many weeks.  Citizens rushed to install wood burners to remain warm and prepare for  a repeat of ice and snow storms.   Over the past decade Montreal has been plagued by winter smogs from home wood-burning.   The city had to act as 38% of particle omissions came from home wood-burning.   This winter only fireplaces and stoves that meet the latest standards can be used and new rules will ban wood-burning during smogs.  Cities across Europe also struggle with air pollution from wood-burning.   In the UK wood burning now accounts for nearly 40% of harmful particle emissions.  Clean Air Zones, set up after London's 1952 smog, should ban open fires in most cities and define standards for stoves (though not as strict as those in Canada), but they appear to have fallen into disuse.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Oak Ridges Trail ~ Seneca ~ late September

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Please comment if you wish. 

Barry Wallace

New MPP opens King City Office...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Newly elected MPP for King-Vaughan, Stephen Lecce has opened a riding office in the old bakery on King Road, in the centre of the village.   Mr. Lecce has been made the Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford.

Please comment
if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Bumble bee in a state of torpidness...

Photo by Barry Wallace

Do bumble bees sleep overnight in flowers?

For the past two weeks or so, I have observed bumble bees seemingly spending nights huddled deep in the petals of the Rose of Sharon flowers blossoming in our backyard.   When I go out early each morning to the garden and observe the Rose of Sharon blooms, I have seen bumble bees buried deep down into the flower petals, motionless and ... well, sleeping.   When I touch them a few times, they start to slowly stir themselves.   After several seconds they begin to twitch a bit and move tentatively backwards from the petals.  They give themselves a few shakes and then just sit there, as though asking: "where am I?".   They do eventually move on.   If dear reader, you have any knowledge of this behaviour through your own observations, I would love for you to post a comment here.

Barry Wallace

King City Library begins transmutation...

Photos by Barry Wallace

Site preparation for the new King City Library is well underway.   The view above looks south from the public school, across King Road, towards the high school.   The large sign seen below is mounted on the construction fence fronting the site.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Schomberg Community Farm fading into fall...

                                                                                             Photos by Barry Wallace

Please 
comment
if you wish.


Barry Wallace

Laskay Hall ... more pictures

Photos by Barry Wallace

Here are four more pictures of the Laskay Hall during the official grand opening last weekend, of the historic building at the King Heritage and Cultural Centre in Kinghorn.   These photos are in addition to the photos that appeared in this blogsite last Monday.   Scroll down six entries to see those photos again, if you wish.

Please comment if you wish.
Barry Wallace

ASK members tour Seneca's new Magna Hall

Photos by Barry Wallace

Members of Arts Society King were tour guests at Seneca College's new Magna Hall on Wednesday of this week.   The tour was lead by Maria May, Dean, Faculty of Applied Arts and Health Sciences.   In the photo above, ASK members are seen outside a huge gymnasium and beside a 3-story climbing wall.  

The largest classroom has 200 seats

A multi-use auditorium that will be available for public use also

Library books are placed on rolling, contractible shelving to maximize usable floor space.

There are three levels of nursing programs at Seneca using several, sophisticated, electronic manikins

Seneca students have no excuse not to be fit, with exercise equipment that may be made available to the public also.

Seneca's Magna Hall is three stories high and some views provide remarkable perspectives.

Teri Hastings, Executive Director of Arts Society King
and her husband Ken Tanner

Well-known community activist Carol Field 
and her husband Bob

ASK's Teri Hastings (left) with Maria May,
Seneca Dean (and tour guide extraordinaire) 

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace