Toronto, Ontario; Gravenhurst, Ontario
Fortune Seafood Restaurant: Family dinner on holiday weekend, with everyone back in town. Lobster, peking duck and a series of course. Tofu casserole with shrimp an unfortunate order for a vegan with an shellfish allergy, we added a late request for a mapo tofu dish. (Fortune Seafood Restaurant, Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario) 20190901Royal York Hotel: Overflow room @AmericasForum #tgf @HeatherReisman hosting @geoffreyhinton @YoshuaBengio on questions of #ArtificialIntelligence. Dual podiums and video cameras in the Canadian room. International attendees, security and metal detector checks on the conference level of building. (Royal York Hotel, Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20190905East West Futons: Remote viewing of product selection for futon cover, videoconference on smartphone for opinion from home. Agreed on smoothest fabric in upholstery grade, available in grey. Replacing an older futon, we tried out three models and selected the firmest. While it’s possible to order online, it’s worth the drive uptown to see and feel furniture in person. (East West Futons, Cartwright Avenue, North York, Ontario) 20190908Hooked Inc. Leslieville: Birthday celebration @Ryan_Ing fish cooking chef @dreid63 class @hookedinc. Hot smoked and cold smoked salmon, potted prawns appetizer; rockfish en papillote; pan fried crisp skin rainbow trout; roasted garlic new potato salad; carrot fennel salad; slow roasted coho salmon in mustard sauce; halibut steamed with hot oil green onions and ginger. Bonus selection of salmon sashimi varieties for guest of honour to compare subtleties. Struggled with quantity, leftovers brought home in 2 minute walk. (Hooked Inc. Leslieville, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20190909Hooked Inc. Leslieville: Bonus sample of variety of salmon sashimi, for birthday in cooking class. Warned that one species isn’t normally recommended raw, but knowing your fish makes the difference. (Hooked Inc. Leslieville, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20190909Riverside neighbourhood: Vegan double chocolate cheesecake and frozen peach cookie, as celebration after an exceptionally meal of fish by private chef educator. Brought home pickles recently canned with local ingredients. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20190909Nelson Mandela Walk: First day onsite as @RyersonU Chang School continuing education student, encountered construction in progress, east side of Jorgenson Hall towards Podium building. Picked up Onecard student identification and CESAR Handbook. This is the first higher education institution where I’m taking classes and haven’t taught (at least yet). (Nelson Mandela Walk, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario) 20190910Sawdust City Brewing Co.: Dull fall day to be sitting in the oversized Muskoka Chair, summer in cottage country has passed. Climbing the structure has been made easier with safety ridges for traction, but it still takes nerve to dangle legs over the front. The shape is different than an Adirondack Chair, the back is rounder and the arms are wider. (Sawdust City Brewing Co., Muskoka Road N., Gravenhurst, Ontario) 20190914Gravenhurst Public School: I recall going to the “new” modern building of Gravenhurst Public School at Grade 4, having spent kindergarten though Grade 3 in an older structure. Walking two blocks west from our restaurant on the main street seemed so much farther with shorter legs. Fond memories of kind teachers, plus one so strict that she was nicknamed “Sarge”. Graduated to Gravenhurst High School next door. (Gravenhurst Public School, Mary Street S., Gravenhurst, Ontario) 20190915Lawrence Park neighbourhood: Full-sized bed doesn’t fit in microvan as futon did, fortunate to have winched straps to tie down on roof and day without precipitation. Cascading furnishings through extended family ties, as their teenager is taller and still growing. Minor spectacle driving downtown via Bayview Avenue. (Lawrence Park neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20190917Sala Modern Thai Kitchen: Dinner hosted by houseguest first met by sons on vacation in Thailand, coming across the ocean for the first time for a new world experience. Long dialogues in Thai language with restaurant owner on food preferences and allergies. Food prepared in sauces that seems lighter than those I have recently recalled. Dessert with birthday song for RDI. (Sala Modern Thai Kitchen, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20190918Lukumum: Enjoying gelato and tea at sidewalk cafe, after dinner at Greek restaurant a little further west. Friends dating back to university days, discussing our children living away from home, and places in the world that we’ve travelled. Temperatures warmer than usual, anticipating potentially the last of days of small pleasures outside. (Lukumum, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20190921
325 Muskoka Road S.: In the 1960s and 1970s, the sign facing east used to read Kent Tv, Furniture & Appliances. The second window upstairs on the south side is the bedroom that my brother Ben and I shared through primary and high school. I left town in 1976 for university, came back briefly in 1984 with DY after leaving graduate school (the first time), and hadn’t slept here again overnight until last month. We’re clearing out artifacts of a generation that is passing. (325 Muskoka Road S., Gravenhurst, Ontario) 20190929
