Are you are looking for a unique wilderness space to explore in the midst of an urban jungle? Do you want to spot a red tailed hawk, a beaver or a coyote within sight of Toronto’s skyline? Have you ever thought that an urban park is just a park? Then you need to make your way over to the foot of Leslie and Unwin here in Toronto and visit Tommy Thompson Park.
Over the years, I have spent many leisure hours traversing the trails and have watched this park grow. It was conceived as a breakwater to protect Toronto’s shoreline. Originally known as the Leslie Street Spit, this park was built with construction waste. Natural processes have shaped this area into an “accidental wilderness”. You can read more about this unique park and its origins at this link: Accidental Wilderness - Nature of Things.
As an artist, this park is a gracious source of inspiration. I never grow tired of it. This past Saturday’s changing sky added a spectacular backdrop to my photographs and once again changed my view of this familiar landscape. Near the end of our hike, we spotted a red tailed hawk casually perched on a branch overhanging the roadway.
For those of you reading this blog, I hope you enjoy these photographic images and any paintings of mine inspired by the accidental wilderness of Tommy Thompson Park.
Beautiful sky backdrop to the city skyline.
Someone’s home away from (my) home.
Sky and Ice.
Red tailed hawk (thanking us for stopping by).
Came across a set for movie shoot - that is the first time I came across this type of activity in the park.
Exploring the movie set.
