Monday, February 27, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Fishbowl
Taken April 27th, 2003 somewhere in Scarborough, Ontario.
Ahh the beloved fishbowl, the pet name given to the now quaintly-named "New Look" buses built by GM from the 60s (when they replaced the "Old Look" models) up until the early 80s when they themselves were replaced by the "Classic" series of buses which looked nothing like anything previously built. So, bus builders beware. Today's "New Look" is tomorrows "Museum Piece" or, perhaps, tomorrow's TRUE "Classic".
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photoBlair
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10:09 pm
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Peek-a-boo!
Taken on November 6th, 2005 on Temperance Street, Toronto.
Two of the 80s most grandiose schemes for downtown Toronto are visible here. The complete red granite face of the Scotia Plaza is seen through an opening in the aborted stump which was to become the Bay Adelaide Centre. Numerous plans were made to resurrect the B-A Centre, but none have borne fruit, yet. I have an idea....bulldozer anyone? 
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photoBlair
at
9:39 pm
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Happy Birthday Baby!
Taken Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006 at the Keg Mansion, Toronto.
36 years ago today, a wee premature baby poked her head into the world. Lucky for me, she decided to stick around a while. Happy Birthday Suz!
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photoBlair
at
8:38 pm
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photoBlair
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7:28 am
Monday, February 20, 2006
Marian's Wedding
Taken October 15th, 2005 at the wedding of Marian and Devin, Newmarket, Ontario.
Despite having hired a professional photographer, Marian, a colleague of my wife's, asked if I could take some additional shots for her big day. This is a cropped version of a photo which nobody else even saw, let alone snapped. It shows the bride and groom in a tender moment at the head table. Ahh, young love.... 
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photoBlair
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9:24 pm
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Love's Crashing Wave
Taken December 3rd, 2005 on the Division Street Pier, Cobourg, Ontario.
My darling wife Suzanne indulged me on this brisk, frozen day by accompanying me to the end of the pier in an attempt to capture the day in all it's glory. Very "French Lieutenant's Woman", this one. After nailing the shot, I actually did a victory jig! Then we got back in the car.
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photoBlair
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7:45 am
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Everywhere!
Taken October 15, 2005 outside the ChumCity Building in Toronto.
The venerable old Ryerson Publishing House building, bought by CHUM for use as headquarters for their Citytv/MuchMusic operations in 1987, was beginning to show its age in 2005, so a massive restoration of the facade was undertaken. Here reflected on the scaffolding is light reflecting off the building on the opposite side of John Street (which, I might add, housed my ex-wife's divorce attorney's office. Grrr!). 
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photoBlair
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7:24 am
Friday, February 17, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Urban Legend
Taken August 8, 2003, out of the bathroom window of Room 809 at the Clarion Park Avenue Hotel, New York City.
In New York, they say that there are two things you never see: baby squirrels and baby pigeons. We never saw the squirrels, but each morning, in the windowsill of the adjacent office building, I would get a smile out of the downey baby pigeons waiting for their mother to bring back breakfast.
Of course, the sentiment was lost when I stepped outside and got breakfast plopped all over me.
Thanks, mom.
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photoBlair
at
8:44 pm
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Riverdale Airport
Taken Sunday, February 5, 2006 at Riverdale Farm, Toronto, Ontario.
Some guys are just natural show-offs, eh? Note the impression it's making on his friend.
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photoBlair
at
9:10 pm
Reflection
Taken October 5, 2003, outside 125 Commerce Valley Drive West, Markham, Ontario.
Upon learning that my office was shutting downtown and that we were being dumped in Markham, I decided to check out the new digs. Nice building, interesting pixelized reflection of the sky.
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photoBlair
at
6:34 am
Monday, February 13, 2006
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Workhorse of Industry
Taken Saturday, February 11, 2006 in Kitchener, Ontario.
Two icons of the industrial age, a diesel electric locomotive and an aging factory. One of the few in Kitchener which haven't been forced to close. Yet.
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photoBlair
at
8:34 am
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Red Rocket
Taken March 2, 2003 at the Russell streetcar barns, Queen Street East, Toronto
My streetcar/transit fetish gets well fed since I live around the corner from one of the two streetcar barns in Toronto. Here we see the 3 generations of streetcars which can currently be seen in the city. On the left, the 1978-vintage CLRV. In the middle, the articulate ALRV, built in the mid 80s. On the right, a restored PCC streetcar which was the mainstay of the TTC fleet until the early 80s, when they were gradually replaced by the CLRVs. Currently, the 2 PCCs that the TTC retain are used for charters and special occasions.
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photoBlair
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9:08 pm
Thursday, February 09, 2006
...15 at a time

Taken August 6, 2005. Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Cindy's Diner sits on a prime piece of real estate smack dab in the middle of downtown Fort Wayne. Their motto is "Serving the World...15 People At A Time!" Next time I should visit when they're OPEN.
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7:27 am
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Inspiration
Hope. Annex Laneway, May 14, 2005
I love you. Harbord Street, May 14, 2005
Never Say Never. Gerrard/Sackville variety store, February 5, 2006
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photoBlair
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7:27 am
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Not Playing

Taken Saturday, January 28th, in Etobicoke, Ontario.
The old Westwood Theatre near the intersection of Kipling Avenue and Bloor and Dundas Streets in mid-Etobicoke was one of my favourite summer hangouts during my youth. It was here that I saw Airplane! both the first and second times. (I'd arrived too late for the first afternoon show, so I saw half of it, then the second one). My mother worked for Bell just a bit to the east of the theatre over near Bloor and Islington and I would occasionally drop over to the Westwood, watch a show, then meet her afterwards for a lift home. Nowadays it sits vacant, the adjacent stores are just waiting for the owner of the property to inevitably sell to condo developers. Shame, really. The days of the 2- and 3-screen cinemas seem to be long past.
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photoBlair
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10:31 pm
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Room With A View

Taken Saturday, February 4th, 2006, near John and Wellington Sts., Toronto.
The condominium boom in downtown Toronto has meant that occasionally you'll find suites which face such scenic urban wonders as....power transformer stations! Now, one could debate the merits of being bombarded with high tension power day in/day out, but the juxtaposition of the two make for an interesting sight.
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photoBlair
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10:14 pm
Friday, February 03, 2006
Winter Shore

Taken the same day as "Winter Rails" (see below). Seeing as we're supposed to get a huge dumping of snow over the next 48 hours, I thought I'd remind everyone just how beautiful the season can be.
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photoBlair
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11:04 pm
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Adorable Deux
Pretty hoppin' for a two-year-old huh? Taken c. 1970 in the backyard of my grandparents' house in west end Toronto.
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photoBlair
at
11:56 pm
Feral
Last October, I bought a new camera, an HP R817. 5.1 MP, 5x Optical Zoom, and probably the most important feature, manual overrides for exposure, ISO settings and shutter speed. This pic was taken on November 1, 2005 along the shore of a man-made pond behind my Markham office. I was out for a stroll, looking for something to shoot when along comes this cat. It sat and stared at me while I slowly took the camera out of my pocket, pointed it in the cat's general direction, but because the display was in B&W, I couldn't tell what I was pointing at. I just snapped one shot and voila! No alterations, no cropping, no fancy settings, just aim in the cat's direction and snap. A few seconds later, two people came out of the woods, and the cat took off.
(In case YOU can't see the cat, look toward the top, a little off to the left side.)
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photoBlair
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1:58 pm






