Do you know where this is?

Photo by Barry Wallace

This grand looking weather-vane is located high above the entrance to The Residences of Spring Hill, the 4-storey adults' condominium, at the south-west corner of the King Road and Burns Boulevard in King City.  It is just east of the new King Township Municipal Centre.
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Barry Wallace

Keeping us in touch with each other...

                                                                                                                   Photo by Barry Wallace

We may live in a hyper-electronic digi-world but telephone linemen still have to climb up poles.   This one was high up, doing his job in a light rain on Thursday morning of last week,  on Jane Street at the King Road in Kinghorn.  Looks a bit complicated, right?  Thank goodness someone knows what they're doing.

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Barry Wallace

                                                               

At the four corners in King City...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

This charming collection of irises is to be found in the park at the northwest corner of the King Road and Keele Street in King City.   It reminds me of the kind of iris my maternal grandparents used to grow on their farm, south of Barrie, when I was a kid about 65 years ago.   This may be a new variety, but it sure looks like the old-fashioned, classic iris I remember on their farm.   It takes me back in a very pleasant way.

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Barry Wallace

Bodacious blue Bentley

Photo by Barry Wallace

I stopped putting photos of exotic cars in this blog space about 6 months ago, because the novelty of such cars in and around King was wearing off.   Everyone seemed to be driving  $200,000 vehicles with top speeds of over  300 kph, like the late-model Bentley 2-door Super coupe (above), parked across the street from my house a few days ago.   I couldn't have hoped to compete for attention with my 17-year-old Jeep Liberty which I recently donated to a kids charity.  Even my new Ford Escape, which the auto sales manager told me "went like stink!', doesn't turn any heads.   Oh well, I'm actually too old anyway to be driving any car that goes like stink!
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Barry Wallace

At the King City Cemetery...

 Photo by Barry Wallace

Spiraea gives beauty and grace

to burying ground 

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Barry Wallace

New King Township Administrative Centre

Photo by Barry Wallace

Plantings and landscaping are slowly enhancing the new King Administrative Centre

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Barry Wallace

Schomberg...hotbed of community art

Photos by Barry Wallace

A 55 ft. art installation is being painted on hoarding, in front of a redevelopment site on Schomberg's Main Street, opposite The Grackle coffee cafe.   The artist is Andrea End, of Richmond Hill.   The mural presents a transitional scene from forest to garden, with lots of Monarch Butterflies.   Her work complements the nearby flag artwork on the Main Street utility poles (see photos below).   The artwork should be completed by the end of June. 

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Barry Wallace

Female hummingbird at the kitchen window...

                                                                                                           Photo by Barry Wallace

Each visit ... an uplifting moment

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Barry Wallace

More of the Happy Valley Forest...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

In the Happy Valley forest...

Photo By Barry Wallace

Small hidden reservoir for wee creatures

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Barry Wallace

Whatever will be, will be...

Photo by Barry Wallace

Site preparation of the land on the west side of Keele Street, between Hogan's Inn and The Roost cafe, in King City, continues to progress surely if not speedily.  The land was last occupied by the King City Garage, which was demolished and now seems to be being leveled for some unconfirmed development.   Curiosity is rampant.

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Barry Wallace

Summer in two days...

Photo by Barry Wallace

It seems the rain barrel has been full all spring.

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Barry Wallace

Paintings by King artist Phyllis Vernon...

                                                                                                   Photos by Barry Wallac

Now being viewed at the Roost Cafe in King City 
on Keele Street, just south of the King Road

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Barry Wallace

Father's Day at Dog Tales Sanctuary

Photos by Barry Wallace

Where there's a will, there's a way

Piggies like to go for walks also

One of two identical white donkeys

Young visitors bring their own adorable pooches

 Heavy horse stables...

A good salt lick...

Personalized licence plates are often spotted at the Dog Tales Sanctuary parking lot, as evidenced by the three pictured here.   They can be manipulated spellings or abbreviated sentiments or representative abbreviations.  The bottom one pictured at left is my own personalized licence plate, which stands for BarrytheBirder.

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Barry Wallace

Joy in the June garden...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Bleeding Heart

Spiraea bough

Poppy bloom

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     comment 

     if you wish.

    Barry

    Wallace

80 years ago this month...

Photo postcard from Cairns family collection

Royal Train passed through King City

The postcard above is from my wife's family's collection of old photos.   It was 80 years ago, on May 17, 1939, that King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth started a transcontinental royal tour of both Canada and the USA, ostensibly to promote international friendship and solidarity, in the face of looming war that broke out later in the year.

Their royal train passed through King City as they headed to western Canada.   Their tour of both countries ended on today's date, June 15th, 80 years ago.


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Barry Wallace   

It's a challenge getting on the land in King.

Photo by Barry Wallace

Rain, rain go away.

Farmers want a dry day.

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Barry Wallace

Time seems to stand still on 400 widening...

 Photos by Barry Wallace

The reconstruction of the King-Vaughan townline overpass at Hwy. 400 (above) and the 16th Sideroad underpass of the 400 (below) seem to have taken forever, so far, and one municipal spokesperson muses that the King-Vaughan overpass may take another year.

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Barry Wallace

Dufferin Street and King-Vaughan townline

Photo by Barry Wallace

Contented cud-chewers

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Barry Wallace

Recognize this King City biker?

Photo by Barry Wallace

Former King Township councillor Cleve Mortelitti

I came across Cleve at the King City Shoppers Drug Mart a few days ago and was very much taken with his Honda Valkyre motorcycle.   For the uninitiated (like me) this Valkyrie has a 1500 cc SOHC flat 6 engine with a top speed of 211 km/h.   Just like Cleve, when he was a municipal councillor, this bike is SERIOUS!   It's a few years old, but has low mileage and looks brand new.   I love that cream and green paint job.  Happy motoring my friend.
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Barry Wallace

Southwest corner of Keele Street and King Road

                                                                                                Photo by Barry Wallace

THE CLIMATE CAN CHANGE...CAN WE?

This large installation, with a message, recently appeared amidst the spring plantings in the public parkette on the north side of Hogan's Inn in King City.   I asked one of the township employees who was watering hanging planters above the sidewalk about it, but the young woman said it was not a municipal item.  Interesting...

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Barry Wallace

Cold spring has been great for tulips...

                                                                                               Photos by Barry Wallace

Our tulips seem to have been blooming for ages during this long cool spring, plus some of them just keep getting bigger and bigger.   The bloom pictured here is 17 cms. (almost 7") across.   It's very showy and admired constantly.

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Barry Wallace

Feeding a big baby bird...

Photos by Barry Wallace

Linda and I are being entertained constantly by the  many European Starlings and their youngsters at the backyard feeders.   The babies are as big as the parents and like all young birds are insatiably hungry.   Four or five young birds will mob a single adult for food.   

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Barry Wallace

Reading Pierre's Berton's 50 books...

I've read 36 so far...14 to go.  Pictured at left is the fourth book in his grand history of the Canadian west.   The four books in this series are by far the best of the 36 read so far, in my opinion.   I now know a history of Canada I never knew before.   Getting the last 14 of the 50 books is getting tough.

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Barry Wallace

First juvenile Starling...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

The photo above shows a juvenile Starling in our backyard.   My wife and I have never noticed one before ... ever ... anywhere.   It was very insistent on being fed by its parents, even though is was the same size as them.

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Barry Wallace

Flowering crabapples can be white, pink or red

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Finally...the Flowering Crabapple has bloomed.  It seems late...but worth the wait.   When this tree blooms,  it is the highlight of the season for us.

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if you wish.

Barry Wallace