TLTV Ep 65 - Centennial Park (Toronto/Mississauga)

Centennial Park is a huge park complex located near the Toronto-Mississauga border. It contains many recreational options for visitors, including: the Etobicoke Olympium (a large athletic centre that houses an Olympic-size pool, fitness and weight training facilities, and an indoor running track), a 3,500 seat stadium, Toronto's largest outdoor go-kart track, a golf course with driving range, botanical gardens and a greenhouse, picnic areas, sport fields, and baseball diamonds. It also a ski and snowboard hill -- one of only two ski hills in Toronto and the only where where you can see the downtown of both Toronto and Mississauga.

TLTV Ep 64 - Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (Part 2)

We're back at the 48th annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. In this second of two parts, we'll see more of the amazing amount of activity going on at the event. We'll then head down to street-level to mingle with the crowd of people in attendance. Finally we'll spy one of the craziest little vehicles we've ever seen -- it actually drives on city roads!

TLTV Ep 63 - Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (Part 1)

This is the 48th annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, held outdoors on a warm summer weekend on the grounds of Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto. With 500 talented visual artists and craftspeople participating, this is the largest event of its kind in Canada. In this first of two parts we'll get an elevated look at the event from a vantage point above the crowds. Then we'll zoom in to check out more of the hustle & bustle of this large gathering. In part 2 we'll go down and mingle with the huge crowds attending the event -- stay tuned!

TLTV Ep 62 - Echoes Of Africa Festival (Newmarket)

The Echoes Of Africa festival was recently held at Fairy Lake Park in Newmarket Ontario on Saturday August 29th. The festival was organized by the Canadian and African Business Women's Alliance (www.caabwa.com), an organization which brings training to low income and immigrant women in the region. The festival's objective was to promote cultural literacy by exposing attendees to the art, drama, music, dance and culture of Africa. As well, it was a great opportunity for those involved to showcase their products & services to the crowds in attendance. On a beautiful summer day the festival drew many many people who bought original African products & crafts, watched amazing performances, and met a lot of truly wonderful people. Take a look...

TLTV Ep 61 - Marie Curtis Park (Part 2)

In this second video from Marie Curtis Park we'll venture further up the Etobicoke Creek before heading west to check out a very old water tower in the adjacent fields. We'll view an old police target shooting range that is now partially covered with graffiti, and we'll end up down by Lake Ontario to see some windsurfing before saying goodbye to the park's geese and ducks.

TLTV Ep 60 - Marie Curtis Park (Part 1)

Marie Curtis is a gem of a park, located near the Toronto-Mississauga border, by the shores of lake Ontario. It includes a beautiful river that flows down to the lake, and is spanned by a bicycle bridge that doubles as a spot for fishermen to try their luck. There are a huge amount of ducks and geese at this park too. In this first of two parts, we'll check out the river and bridge, and we'll follow some of the birds as they enjoy the park.

TLTV Ep 59 - Riverwood (Mississauga)

Located in central Mississauga and nestled predominantly along the east bank of the historic Credit River, the 150 acre Riverwood property is a special place. A unique all-season destination, visitors enjoy walking paths comprised of 200 to 350 year old trees and mixed old growth forests. Riverwood also offers a bird terrace, an art studio/visual arts centre, a wetland area and a variety of other historic buildings. Visual Arts Mississauga offers art classes, educational programs, as well as many other learning opportunities. With woodland trails, splendid wildlife and glorious views, Riverwood is an ideal site to observe and enjoy the best of what Mother Nature has to offer. In this video we'll get a look at the paths through the property and visit the MacEwan House Art Studio and the Visual Art Centre. We'll meet some friendly creatures and one rather large predator along the way. We'll see some nice boardwalks and bridges before climbing the stone stairs to Chappell House (the home of The Riverwood Conservancy) which is surrounded by colourful gardens.

An Inspiring Person Comes Knocking

One of my favourite portrait photographers is Zack Arias (www.zarias.com). In the past few days his blog has been host to a large public conversation on "jumping off the dock". That is, making that scary leap in life. The message is not to be afraid of your past or of the future, but to go after what you want in life. It was amazing to see the outpouring of responses from people who are standing on that dock, afraid to jump off. They are afraid, or simply don't know how to go about it. They wonder if they can make it. They hate their desk job that seems to suck the life out of them. They fear rejection. (You can check out the blog post and all the amazing responses here: http://www.zarias.com/?p=388 ).

The next day a door-to-door soap salesman knocked on Zack's door, or as Zack puts it "Our dog started barking and our door bell rang and God showed up on our front door in the form of a soap salesman. I opened the door and was bombarded by a well crafted 100 MPH sales pitch and I knew immediately that he was the response to many of the thoughts and questions on the blog."

Zack sat down with this man, Derrick. This guy is a convicted felon working door-to-door in the Georgia summer heat, peddling a product that is a tough sell. Rough job, huh? Well, watch the video below for some inspiration. Seriously, watch it.

TLTV Ep 58 - Etobicoke Creek Trail (Part 2)

Finishing up our brief look at the beautiful Etobicoke Creek Trail, we'll pass a few more bridges, spot some colourful graffiti, and spy some thsitles wafting in the late afternoon breeze of a summer day.

TLTV Ep 57 - Etobicoke Creek Trail (Part 1)

The Etobicoke Creek Trail runs alongside the Etobicoke Creek, which is located in the west end of the city of Toronto, near the border with the city of Mississauga. Even though the trail is close to businesses and Pearson International Airport, you hardly notice it from walking through this picturesque valley. Plenty of wildlife can be found along the meandering banks of the Etobicoke River. Other sites include lush fields, cliffs along the riverbank, and a few pedestrian bridges. This place is an absolute great place for a leisurely stroll.