The eclectic art of Phyllis Vernon...

SEAHORSE PATCHWORK (23"X30")

King artist Phyllis Vernon constantly shifts in her styles of art and the media in which she works.   Her latest presentation of work at The King Heritage and Cultural Centre in Kinghorn, features her enjoyment of painting fish and coral gardens of the sea.   The paintings reveal a mixture of realistic and abstract art. Her current efforts at Kinghorn will be on display until the end of September and may extend through the first week of October.   In addition to her evolving subject matter and variety of art media choices, her artistic skills keep getting better and better.

    

LIGHT SHOW (17"x23")

                                                                                                                         Photos by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

The Great Barn at Eaton Hall Farm

DESTROYED IN 1966 FIRE

This photo was one of the items on display at the museum as part of the 'DOORS OPEN' presentation this past Saturday.   I have seen this photo several times in the past but always in a small format.   The photo on display on Saturday was a large format version and its effect on the viewer was an impressive one.   The photo above does not do justice to the original.   One is momentarily transported in time by the large-format version of this monumental structure.   I was fortunate to see this barn as a newly arrived teenager to King City, so long ago.   

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Barry Wallace

Towering Gray Birches on Dearbourne trail

                                                                                                                             Photos by Barry Wallace

The trail pictured above is only 300 metres long but it connects the two sections of Dearbourne Avenue, between Keele and Jane Streets, just below the 17th Sideroad.   Decades ago, Dearbourne Avenue was open to vehicles all the way between the two concessions, but that was back in the 1950s.   Now, halfway along those 300 metres, there is another trail which heads south over the King Ridge for about 500 metres, where it connects with the north end of Fog Road, where King City Lodge is located.   The area is heavily forested and among the numerous tree species here, there are hundreds of Grey Birch trees upon the tightly rolling terrain.   

In the photo above, a Gray Birch is seen between two White Birches, while in the picture below the lower trunk of a mature Gray Birch is seen.   Below that is a photo of soaring, mature Gray Birches that at least 70' high.   The normal maximum height of a mature Gray Birch is 40'.   Gray Birches have been known to reach 80' in very uncommon situations when all the factors involved in tree location and growing conditions are ideal for exceptional growth.   This is one of those locations.   For anyone interested in the trees of the Oak Ridges Moraine, this is an opportunity to see a remarkable evolution in our own backyard.   The north-south portion of this trail appears to be on private land, but there are no 'private property' or 'no trespassing' signs to be seen.   The trail is well-worn and shows signs of trail-motorbike usage.   Walkers here should be prepared to leave if asked to by the landowners.

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Barry Wallace

A buzz on the backyard hibiscus...

Photo by Barry Wallace

Quart of honey means 48,000 miles of flight

"A bee culturist has figured out some interesting data concerning the work of bees in gathering honey.   He calculates that a quart of honey represents no less than 48,000 miles of flight between the hive and flowers.   Also, that in June, which is the busiest month of the season, the workers of one colony easily cover as much as twice the distance between the earth and moon in one day.   The distance of the moon from earth is 237,400 miles.   Therefore the gathering of about 10 quarts of honey means, totaling the flight of all the workers of the colony, a flight of some 475,200 miles." 

- - Popular Mechanics, December, 1911, p.889.

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Barry Wallace

LCBO store to open next spring

 Photos by Barry Wallace

The new King City liquor store being erected in the King's Ridge Marketplace will open sometime during the spring of 2017, likely in April, according to a Liquor Control Board of Ontario media relations coordinator.   Steel for the new building was erected recently, adjoining the west side of the newly opened Coppa's Fresh Market.

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Barry Wallace

What's in a name?

Salamander Park ~ King City

Tucked away behind the new Coppa's supermarket in the King's Ridge Marketplace, is a small park on Tatton Court with a newly installed sign identifying it as Salamander Park. What a delightful name!   It is one of only two, of the 25 parks in King Township that isn't named after a place, person or event; the other being Fox Trail Parkette in Schomberg.   The Jefferson Salamander is an endangered species in Ontario, where it is a specially protected amphibian. 


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      Barry Wallace

The Rosary Path at Marylake

                                                                                                                             Photos by Barry Wallace

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