Ashley L. Duffus

***REBEL – the Rehab Champion by LIFEspan at Rumsey Centre***

Raccoons Reimagined @ the CNE

August 30, 2019 in Toronto, Public Art

On our most recent visit to The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), we walked by the Princess Margaret Fountain and discovered these colourful raccoons. We took pictures of all of them because they were decorated so uniquely. There are 4 days left until the CNE shuts down for another year so if you are planning to going, be sure and visit these amazing raccoons. They are very detailed both front and back.

Elora, Ontario

August 25, 2019 in Day Trip from Toronto, Ontario

The drive from St. Jacobs to Elora was about 25 minutes long. Not bad at all. It was getting late in the day which made the lighting great for photography.

Our first stop was Victoria Park to see the gorge. Here there was a cul-de-sac to park on (overflow is directed to a nearby parking area). We walked along a tree-lined path and were able to see glimpses of the Grand River below. I loved the trees and their roots. They made for some interesting pictures.

Village of St Jacobs

August 22, 2019 in St Jacobs, Summer, Ontario Travel, Day Trip from Toronto

Here’s our continuation of our day trip to St Jacobs. Our blog on the Farmers’ Market can be found here (St. Jacobs Farmers Market). We didn’t have much time to explore the village of St Jacobs but we did get to go for a little walk. We managed to go into a few shops as well. Most stores have a no photography sign up in them so I did respect that.

St Jacobs Farmers' Market

August 17, 2019 in Ontario Travel, Day Trip from Toronto, St Jacobs, Farmers Market

St. Jacobs Farmers' Market is a popular Ontario tourist destination. It’s known as the largest year-round farmer's market in Canada. I got to explore the Market one Thursday this summer and these are the pictures I took while doing so.

Taste of the Danforth 2019

August 14, 2019 in Event, Toronto, Summer

This year’s Taste of the Danforth took place August 9th to 11th. We attended Saturday afternoon-night as well as Sunday evening. Great entertainment, food and fun! We will let our pictures do all the talking.

Caribbean Carnival Toronto aka Caribana.jpg

Caribbean Carnival Toronto 2019

August 06, 2019 in Toronto, Event, Parade, Summer

Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival’s Grand Parade took place on Saturday August 3rd on Lakeshore Boulevard West. I ended up near the main stage and got to see the mas bands competition. What an experience! High energy and great vibes all around. More pics below.

Beaches Jazz Festival 2019

July 29, 2019 in Toronto, Event, Music

I attended the Beaches Jazz StreetFest on Friday night with a friend. We started off at Woodbine Avenue and Queen Street East. The first group of musicians we saw was the Samba Squad, a drumming group lead by award winning percussionist, Rick Shadrach Lazar. This group is very skilled. They had quite the coordination! I wanted to stay to see more but we had to move on and check out some more music.

Festival of South Asia 2019

July 13, 2019 in Event, Toronto

Today I went down to the Festival of South Asia in Toronto’s Little India. (Gerrard Street East and Coxwell Avenue). As soon as I got there I saw Mayor John Tory along with Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher. They were being introduced to local business owners by Tasneem Bandukwala, TD Festival of South Asia Executive Director, and Gerrard India Bazaar Manager.

The street fest was just getting underway and it wasn’t too busy at this point. I was able to take in all the sights before it got crowded. There were racks of colourful clothing between yummy food vendors. I also spotted lots of activities for kids - a sidewalk chalk area, bubbles, jump rope to name a few.

York Street and Station Street (just south of Front Street)

2019 Toronto Raptors Championship Parade

June 17, 2019 in Sports, Toronto, Parade, Event

I had the opportunity to attend the Raptors Parade and I’m glad I did. It was a day to remember!

I took the subway to Union Station and walked along Front street over to York Street. I walked a bit north to see I could find a spot but the crowd was insane. I decided to walk south on York Street.

There were plenty of free spots under the bridge. I found one and stood for a while as it was getting close to 10am. I wanted to make sure I had a decent vantage point in order to take pictures. I took a few shots but made the though decision to move as it was dark and there were pillars blocking the view.