Sunday, June 15, 2014

A Visit to Toronto Island

Ken and I took the ferry to Toronto Island yesterday.  It was the perfect day for it.  Not too warm or too cool.  I managed to get away without sunscreen because I wore long sleeves and a big hat.  Hooray for not being sticky!


Amazingly, there weren't very many other people on the island.  It was remarkable. I'd all but stopped going because the crowds had gotten so thick recently.  When there aren't people absolutely everywhere, the pastoral beauty of the parkland is stunning.  (Click on any photo if you would like to see a bigger version.)


If you squint at the photo above, you can see a hint of lake at the horizon.



Gorgeous, right?

We walked the boardwalk from Ward's to Centre.  View looking out:


and looking ahead:


Centre Island is where the amusement park is.  It's all very small-scale and twee, with old-fashioned-style rides, like the swan boats.



We saw goslings and ducklings, thus:



And at Far Enough Farm, one of the attractions, we befriended some goats.

Mountain goat shows off climbing skills:


Regular goat shows off begging-for-treats skills:


We also met Billy the gruff goat, who at first scared me by aggressively head-butting the fencing around his enclosure.  I would not have willingly stuck my fingers through the fence after his display of machismo, but two brave/foolish girls did, and it turns out all he wanted was to have his face and neck scritchy-scratched.  Once they left, he turned the other cheek so that I could scratch that side.  Silly Billy!

After Far Enough Farm, we agreed that in fact we had walked Far Enough, so we reluctantly headed back to the ferry dock.  It's bizarre that such a place can exist minutes away from the dense downtown core of the city.  

Thank goodness that it does.


10 comments:

LL Cool Joe said...

Ha ha the mountain goat cracked me up.

What beautiful photos and the weather looked wonderful too. Nothing seems quite so beautiful in the pouring rain and wind does it? Glad you had a good time!

DarcKnyt said...

Wow, what a terrific respite from the hustle-and-bustle of the city, right in the middle of it! A GREAT place to spend a day, it sounds like. I'm not a fan of big crowds either though - that would deter me too. :)

Glad you had a great day and those were some terrific shots too!

Ron said...

Wait... what is this thing "hat" you spoke of... is it magical non burning witchcraft???
Looks like a fun time, glad you enjoyed time with the animals.

Lynn said...

Looks and sounds like a lovely time. There is actually a franchise of stores in the south called Goats on the Roof - where there are actually goats wandering around on the roof - your goat reminded me of that. :)

Granny Annie said...

You got some great pictures that would make nice screen savers on your computer. Now I really miss having goats. Of course the billy just wanted some attention. Glad you got to pet him a bit. Goats can be very demanding critters and also very loving pets.

Sparkling Red said...

Joey: They don't look like agile, graceful animals, so it always surprises me to see one bound up onto a roof like that.

DarcKnyt: One of my favourite trips to the island ever was on a rainy day. My friend and I practically had the whole park to ourselves.

Ron: Yes, that's exactly what it is. Actually you could make one out of aluminum foil...

Lynn: Seriously? Where do I submit my application to be the resident goat-herder?

Granny Annie: I didn't even take any pictures of the kids (as in, baby goats). Boy, were they ever cute.

Vanessence7 said...

Ahhh! What a lovely day! That really looks like such a relaxing place, so serene. I could spend a lot of time in those pictures.

I'm so glad you got a chance to unwind like that! You've had some stressful times and deserved a break. :) *Hugs*

Unknown said...

"Adventures in Sparkland" has been included in Sites To See #380. Be assured that I hope this helps to point many new visitors in your direction.

http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2014/06/sites-to-see-380.html

Jenny Woolf said...

And how amazing that you seem to have had it almost to yourself.

I found your blog via Jerry, by the way. He always finds such interesting sites.

Jenski said...

If I find myself in Toronto, I'll add this to the list of things to see!