Interesting places in The Leslie Street Spit or Tommy Thompson Park:

Leslie Spit Swing Bridge		Toronto Harbour Lighthouse/Leslie Spit Lighthouse
Aquatic Park Sailing Club

Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
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Top photos chosen by u all:

The Frog Prince
Made by fesign
Best Viewed Large For a group called Poetry and Pictures International (poem beneath photo) THE FROG PRINCE by Lesley was a young Princess Not of Royal blood, I guess. But Daddy was the King of News An anchor Man with his own views It earned him Kingly revenues! Their home looked like some ancient tower And represented daddy’s power. The garden too was very splendid With great high walls it was defended. These kept out the papparazzi So none of them were saying, “grazie”. But Lesley had to play alone Or call friends on the telephone. She liked to play with golden balls And romp around in overalls. She often threw them in the air And tried to catch them as a pair. Now one day a precious ball fell in the water. Her dad, much too busy to search for his daughter. She sat beside the pond and cried. T’was not as though she had not tried. The ball had vanished deep inside. Then out of Daddy’s water feature Emerged a green and slimy creature. Not a lizard or a newt (Some famous people find those cute). Addressing her upon a log Was an amazing talking frog. He offered her a special deal. I promise you that this is real! He’d go dive and fetch her ball. It would not take him long at at all. Then she would take him in her house And love him just like her pet mouse. In fact, to love him rather better. He wrote it in a slimy letter. He must dine upon her table And share her food, if he was able. Then afterwards to share her bed With little pillows for his head. Now Lesley, she really just wanted her ball. She hardly considered this froggy at all. Preposterous to keep a deal With a talking frog. Come on. Get real! The frog disappeared and came back with her toy. She cared not if it were a girl or a boy. She ran away, back to her house, Which made our froggy grouse and grouse. “You promised you would take me too. Now what am I supposed to do?” Slowly he hopped up to her door Requesting honoring his score To Lesley this was just a bore. How could any frog expect A human child to show respect. Frogs are meant for vivisection She’d done it at her school inspection. But dad has heard the froggy croak He does not find it just a joke. For he’d done a programme on animal rights And knew of the animal terrorist’s fights. “Now Lesley, let this frog come in. No, you can’t put him in the bin. I’m not risking bombs being thown at my home You must understand he’s a frog, not a gnome. If you agreed to make this deal Then froggy has to share your meal And he will have to share your bed If that is truly what you said. So froggy got to share her plate. Her food, which once had tasted great Had suddenly lost all its flavour For frog it was a meal to savour. But how’s a girl that’s so well bred To take a slimy frog to bed? She has to take him to her room She wants to crush him with a broom But daddy says that he must stay. Poor Lesley can’t throw him away. The two of them get into bed Its not as if the pair are wed. She puts a bolster in between. Do you think that this girl is mean? But frog insists he sleep on her pillow Or, he declares, her father will know. To lesley, that’s the final straw. She hurls the frog against the door The froggy makes a dreadful squelch. Lesley lets out a satisfied belch. But what is this upon the floor? Its dark inside, so she’s not sure. Its much too big to be a frog Our Lesley’s suddenly agog. The frog’s become a sexy male He pulls himself up on the rail. “I guess,” he says, “ We need a chat” But that is not quite where she’s at. Talking with frog’s is bad enough But talk with men, that really rough! She pulls the stranger into bed The man is happy to be led. She reckons that her dad’s agreed And so the two begin to breed. Next day he takes the girl away. He has a place where they can stay. A witch had put a spell on him, A relative called Uncle Jim. His world was covered up with slime. He hoped he’d be released in time. If any girl would honour him, But not for all his features grim. She’d had to get into a lather To find she could oppose her father. And now at last our tale is ended And all of this abuse is mended. At least that is the way I see it Unless of course you don’t agree it.


wild strawberries
Made by postbear
the last two weekends i rode out to the leslie street spit and picked wild strawberries. i initially forgot to bring a decent sized container, since i was there mostly for the ride and to take photographs, so i ate everything i picked, which was no penalty at all. this past sunday i took two large yoghurt containers (750 grams, about 3.5 cups) and filled them, along with stuffing my face. here are a few strawberries on the stem. these taste like strawberries, by the way, not like supermarket horrorshows which taste like water and futility. these are also tiny - the biggest of them is about the size of your smallest fingernail, a fair-sized pea or a disclaimer made on a suspect product advertisement (let's say 1.5 cm across). it took me over three hours to pick them, with the odd break to move my bike along with me and ward off curious humans. while picking i thought about how much i'd have to be paid if i were to sell them, and i couldn't come up with an answer. obviously the usual absurd figures would be acceptable (millions of dollars for my berries? sure!), but as the figures crept toward the possible, i knew i'd refuse all offers. there would be no point in doing this hard work (and while fruit picking is generally difficult, wild strawberries are just a giant pain in the ass) - the heat, bug attacks and back and knee pain would make me charge a stranger many hundreds of dollars, and if said stranger had that kind of money to toss around, i'd certainly veer straight into highway robbery just out of spite and robin hood tendencies. wild strawberries are often (i'd guess almost always) guarded by hills of grumpy little ants with big jaws, and despite my insect repellent (sprayed on shoes and socks, too), i was bitten many, many times. the mosquitoes also got me, as did a whole host of flies - i would have paid for some rain, to be honest. i'll shoot the pickings later, i've hulled, cleaned and eaten some, but had no time to shoot. last night a friend told me he'd bought some wild strawberries (or a small, wild-ish cultivar) at his local farmer's market here in town and only paid four dollars for a good-sized basket. good deal, especially since the adjacent stall was selling the big waterbomb ones for a dollar more per basket. i will settle for a million per container, so if you are rich and foolish, get in touch. oh, and if you want to pick your own, you'll have to wait for next year. these were pretty much done when i was there on sunday. i'm not telling exactly where my field is on the spit, but they jump around at times - one prime location three years ago has nothing in it this year, and a couple of other spots varied in their fruit production. final teaser: i'm eating some now, all on their own and warm from the sun.


No fear
Made by Jamuudsen
This is the Nikon 300 mm f4 IF-ED without any teleconverter in place. It's a great lens by itself. Autofocus is said to be slow, but it grabs things pretty well on the D70 when it isn't dimmed by a teleconverter. With the converter on, it's manageable, but barely -- i.e. fine for birds on the ground in the open, but probably useless for warblers in close quarters. I'll give it a try on songbirds later this summer anyway, and see what happens. The semipalmated sandpipers on the spit today were incredibly tame. I sat on a log, set up my tripod quite low to the ground, and within fifteen minutes they were beginning to forage within six feet of me -- closer than my closest focusing distance with that lens! No matter -- it was magical to watch them without having to rely on optical gear. This was the same tiny beach that gave me the last weekend. I'll be visiting it more in the future.


Brick Beach
Made by Dr. Ilia
The now defunct Toronto Harbour Commission (THC) began construction of the peninsula in the late 1950s. Its originally foreseen purpose was to provide a breakwater for Toronto's Outer Harbour, which itself was expected to be necessary to handle the increase in shipping on the Great Lakes after the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. However, owing to the containerization revolution of the 1960s, the need for an outer harbour never arose, and all cargo ships calling at Toronto still use the Inner Harbour, while the Outer Harbour sees only pleasure boat traffic. The need for the headland, however, did not disappear. In the 1960s and 1970s, development in Toronto proceeded rapidly, and the Leslie Street Spit was a convenient place to dump the endless supply of rubble and earth generated by all the building projects in the city. (from wikipedia)


Mistress of the Sea
Made by fesign
Best Viewed Large The Goddess of the Sea took a part on the creation of the world, due to an old belief, in which life began in the water. In some myths Eurynome, the creator-goddess of everything with her partner - the snake Ofion, represented such couple. But according to Homer the Mistress of the Sea was Tethys, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, the wife of Oceanus. She was the mother of the three thousand daughters and three thousand sons of Oceanus, the origin of the gods and the origin of everything. Eurynome was hold as one of their daughters, who created in Arcadia the first man of the world - Pelasgus. That is why she was also worshipped at Phigaleia in Arcadia, as Pausanias confirmed. ~ Encyclopedia Mythica


Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night
Made by fesign
Best viewed large on black Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise. Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these sunken eyes and learn to see All your life You were only waiting for this moment to be free. Blackbird fly Blackbird fly Into the light of the dark black night. Blackbird fly Blackbird fly Into the light of the dark black night. Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise. ~ Lennon/McCartney


The Death of Eve
Made by fesign
Best Viewed Large Model: M de LA P She prayed to God: Lord of all powers! Remove not Thy maid-servant from the body of Adam, from which Thou didst take me, from whose limbs Thou didst form me. Permit me, who am an unworthy and sinning woman, to enter into his habitation. As we were together in Paradise, neither separated from the other; as together we were tempted to transgress Thy law, neither separated from the other, so, O Lord, separate us not now. To the end of her prayer she added the petition, raising her eyes heavenward, Lord of the world! Receive my spirit! and she gave up her soul to God. ~ Louis Ginzberg


American golden-plover
Made by Jamuudsen
Shouldn't these guys be in South America by now? I only found them by accident -- I was looking at some fragments of building marble and wondering if they could make an interesting photo when I heard them peeping. They weren't inclined to flush and they weren't very active. In this kind of setting they can blend right in. _______ I haven't been on Flickr in some time now ... but I did squeeze a day at Leslie Spit in yesterday. Most of the migrants are gone and the new winter birds are still skittish, but I was lucky enough to find some exceptionally friendly golden-plovers accompanied by a black-bellied plover. I have never had a chance to shoot either in good light, so I was pretty happy.


northern saw-whet owl
Made by qmnonic
Tommy Thompson Park / Leslie Street Spit, Toronto, Ontario Size: Size: 18-21 cm (7-8 in) Weight: 65-151 g (2.29-5.33 ounces) Cool Facts: The Northern Saw-Whet Owl was named for it's loud, persistent night-time song during breeding season, which may carry on for hours at a time. Its defense upon discovery is to sit still and not fly, leading people to perceive them as tame. Source: South Dakota Birds, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology - my first owl!


A Vagabond Song
Made by fesign
Best Viewed Large On Black Model: M de LA P THERE is something in the autumn that is native to my blood— Touch of manner, hint of mood; And my heart is like a rhyme, With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time. The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry Of bugles going by. And my lonely spirit thrills To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills. There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir; We must rise and follow her, When from every hill of flame She calls and calls each vagabond by name. ~ William Bliss Carman


Maroon
Made by fesign
Best Viewed Large On Black Tommy Thompson Park, Canada The park is located on a man-made peninsula that extends five kilometres into Lake Ontario. One of the most significant features of Tommy Thompson Park is the colonization and succession of various plant communities. These wetlands, meadows and forests now support many threatened and unusual species. The park has become well known as a significant nesting and staging area for a wide range of birds and other wildlife. In total, more than 290 bird species have been observed on site.


Sunrise over the Spit
Made by syncros
Here's something to warm you up from the impending Snowpocalypse. It's a picture shot from a canoe on a beautiful summer morning paddling around the Leslie St Spit with William Self and Michael Mitchener. If civilization survives the storm, why dont you come out and warm up with a cappuccino at Voulez Vous Cafe on Thursday night when we have an opening of photos shot during these sunrise canoe trips? The show will be on display for the month of February. Consider yourself . Large


beach ~ Leslie Street Spit, Toronto
Made by Sally Hunter (gingermaddy)
Beach of building bones. Tommy Thompson Park is located on a human-made peninsula that extends five kilometres into Lake Ontario. One of the most significant features of the park is the colonization and succession of various plant communities. These wetlands, meadows and forests now support many threatened and unusual species. Read more: www.tommythompsonpark.ca/ & en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Street_Spit


Don't view if snakes, mice, or blood make you squeamish!
Made by Jamuudsen
Titled for the delicate souls on my RSS feed. Spotted by the eagle-eyed We took turns lying on the ground and getting in close with our macro lenses. This was one of my first chances to use my hand-me-down Nikkor 105 2.8 AIS in an action situation. I nailed the focus in 85% of my shots, so I'm obviously getting used to working manually without focusing aids. I can't believe how sharp this lens is -- it beats everything else I own. This shot was handheld. Me taking this photo.


Beautiful Refuse #7
Made by jessi.bryan
Tumbled and refined in the surf for decades, beach glass is a perfect example of nature taking the refuses of man and sculpting it into beautiful pieces of art. This small area of beach found on the eastern shores of the strip is lined with hundreds of pieces of beach glass, though it is rare to come across well-rounded pieces. These particular three took some hunting in order to acquire these gems. Very large pieces of metal such as the one in the background line the shore and are grounded in the sand. Please view this series as a set =)


Regrowth pt 2
Made by syncros
A new photo from my Urban Voyageur travels by canoe at sunrise with Mike Mitchener and William Self. I took this photo near the Leslie Spit where a number of trees were cut down, but new life is sprouting from the stumps. We're having a during the month of February at Voulez Vous cafe. Drop by the opening on the night of Thursday February 3rd or anytime during the month to enjoy their excellent coffee and the show. large


An Alternate Dimension
Made by William Self
Hopefully with this I have created one of those images that will make you take a second look. I've taken a regular shot of a boat that was anchored in the Leslie Spit this morning and flipped it around hopefully to add some interest to the shot. This was the CBC Radio 3 Image of the Day for August 17th, 2009! This image is part of a series shown on BlogTO where I have written a short essay about canoeing in the lake.


Blown Kinglet
Made by Jamuudsen
Processed and posted specifically for the excellent new 'Bad Wildlife Photography' group. I hope it's bad enough! Late last summer, I spent much of an 8 km trek along Toronto's Leslie Street Spit trying to get a decent photo of one of the thousands of Golden-Crowned Kinglets that were flying through. They're tiny, and most were just a little too shy to come close. This is what happens when the perfect pose comes along -- but the photographer forgets to adjust the shutter speed. I kinda like it.


Leslie Spit - Off the Beaten Trail
Made by William Self
Here's a little spot on the Leslie Spit that you cannot see by foot. This is near the bird colony on the northern shore of the spit. There's so much wildlife in here to see - and lots of creepy looking birds perched high atop the trees as well. This image is part of a series shown on BlogTO where I have written a short essay about canoeing in the lake.


Outing
Made by fesign
Best Viewed Large This is how Pipacs gets a ride on my bike when I go out shooting pictures around Toronto. She is such a good dog. She stays in the basket without fuss unless I get too near water. Then she gets excited because she loves to swim, so I have to be careful. Here she was exhausted from swimming all day in Lake Ontario.