Caribana Events

Here in Toronto, we have the annual Caribana Parade that takes place first weekend in August and various events leading up to it.  This is a Caribbean celebration that has been taking place for over 40 years and involves floats, mas bands that prepare for a whole year and steel pan bands.  My son has been playing in a steel band called Pan Vibrations since grade 3 and every year they participate in the Caribana parade as well as the Pan Alive competition the night before.  Three years ago I helped out with the parade and managed to shatter my knee cap in a weird accident so I have stayed away  for the last few years but I still go to cheer for them at the Pan Alive event.  I helped to lug around pans while they set up for the performance.  So I took along a few helpers...

 But for sheer colour and plumage I would have to go back to the parade and take shots of the wonderful mas bands and the colourful kings and queens of the parade. That's for another year.

What Was on My Desk

A few pictures of what was on my desk after my NY trip.  I have been trying to change them once a week although sometimes I really enjoy the ones on there and leave them on a bit extra.  Everyone at work gets a kick out of seeing what I bring in although I have to say that the ones that have gotten the biggest reaction are the various Monster High dolls.

Here we have Youthquake Poppy and her new best friend Darla Daley.

Of all the Integrity lines of dolls, I must say that Poppy is my favourite.  It could be that the 60's resonates with me as I am a child of the 60's or that I love the fashions and the inspirations from that time or just that she is the cutest thing.

More NYC

While walking up Broadway we noticed a new exhibit of bodies posed on tall poles.  They were repeated throughout  the walk and I took a few shots of the different poses.

2nd Post for NYC trip

I know that it's been a few weeks since I posted but I was away on vacation (will have pictures of that soon) and then back to work.  It astonishes me that every summer seems to go by faster than the last one and now here we are on Labour Day and school starts tomorrow and fall is creeping around the corner.  Even with the hot, hot days we had this year, I still want to keep it going for abit longer. 

But I did want to post a few more pictures from my July trip to NYC.

 This is actually a beautiful, soulful, statue that was temporarily put in Union Square Park done by a Spanish artist.  No little people in site but I kept taking pictures of this girl.  He said he was inspired by a young girl in Barcelona.
Next one of the ticket booth at Grand Central Station.

We were in the Meatpacking area and made a pit stop at The STandard Grill, as it was just too hot to walk around anywhere and we needed refreshments.  They had a rather large clown toy in the front and I had to pose one of the Lalaloopsys there.  She is rather lost on his foot.

One quick shot from the pool of the Hotel Gansavoort Park Avenue where we stayed.

A few from Washington Square Park on a day when people were frolicking in the fountain even though signs say you can't. 

WE had to try out the new Beer Garden at the top of Eataly as it had just opened.  A very cool spot accessed through an elevator in the store/restarant on the 14th floor. 

And finally on this post, we went to see the second part of the High Line which had recently opened and which would take us to 30th.  A great way to go for a stroll and look out on the Hudson, people's apartments and the neighbourhood. 

 Finally had to stop for some lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar.  Really enjoyed this place as I had meant to eat there on previous visits and had never made it.  The cowboy decided to menace all the noodles in the place.

More coming up in a minute.

New York July 2011

Well since I went to New York for my birthday, we went again for my husband's BD.  Actually we have gone to NY for his birthday the last three years.  I LOVE NYC!!  Now that you know that we can continue.  Every time we go, I try to find new restaurants to eat in and new shops to explore, which is not very hard to do in NY.  I took a few travelling companions with me and managed to find them in all the pictures.
First off are a couple of pictures as we went to the Toronto Island airport in the early morning and can see the beautiful city coming alive behind us.

Finally we're back in Soho wandering around the streets in the heat.  Somehow, New York seems hotter than Toronto with the warm air blasting up from the streets, the sidewalks and the cars and buses going by.  Here is Auzzie saluting from a post box.  Then at Kidrobot, one of my usual haunts, I saw this great Dunny.  No little guy in the picture as I don't think you could find him anyway.  These artist Dunnys are so original and innovative.

And the first day there I took my son to see "How to Succeed in Business without really Trying" which stars Daniel Ratcliffe, (Harry Potter) and which explains the what seemed like thousands of teenage girls in the audience and John Larroquette, who I have enjoyed since watching him on TV's Night Court.  I have never been to a Broadway play and we had really good seats and loved it.  So amazing to see them so close and Daniel didn't do a bad job of singing and dancing.  The young girls loved it.

Finally some food pictures.  Once again it was Restaurant Week in NY and we had reservations at various places but we started with some seafood.  Next morning we found a breakfast diner called "Big Daddy's.  Talk about nostalgia.

To finish off the post today, Auzzie decided he wanted to pose with the Flatiron Building.  We have one here in Toronto too which is funny but none the less here he is.  I was afraid that he would fall back on the telephone box and I wouldn't be able to reach him but hubby brought him back.

More coming soon.

What's on my desk - a few weeks ago

I haven't posted what's on my desk for a few weeks now and before leaving on vacation in July I had Rising Sun Kyori on my desk.  Kyori has always been one of my favourite FR characters and I have her in most of her incarnations.  I quite like RS as I have a fondness for tanned dolls and I love the accent colours of her jewellery and shoes.  She has a sultry look under her bangs.

 And Ciao decided that she wasn't happy travelling around the world with different hosts, but that she had to get into the desk action as well so here she is next to the giant that is Kyori and also a great shot of, what else, but terrific shoes.

One more from California

Here is one last picture that showed up from California.  Look at the surfers in the background and think about how fast the summer is going by...

 Goodbye beach for now.