Saturday looks splendid for a walk so we are hoping to see a great turnout.
Creature Feature!
A side benefit of walking is getting closer to nature. The Leslie Street Spit is a prime location for spotting wildlife. Hares, cormorants, and a variety of birds are frequently spotted. Reptiles less frequently, and just this past week, Lou-Ann snapped a pic of this gal (?) possibly nesting possibly in preparation for laying eggs.
Birthdays
Happy birthday and schönen Geburstag to Rainer this coming Monday!
The date has been set so save it! Our annual poole party is scheduled for Saturday August 26th (Rain date: Sunday August 27th). Details will follow as we get closer to the day. Thanks Paul and Lou-Ann!
Offsite is Outta Sight
Our Scarborough walk was lovely as was the brunch that followed. Our next Saturday brunch will be anchored closer to our usual stomping grounds – location and date tbd.
There is also some interest in an evening let’s-catch-the-sunset on Centre Island during the week. Again, no date and time set at this point but def in the next month. Suggested after-walk refreshmenst could be at Irene near Sugar Beach behind the Corus building. Stay tuned.
Weekly Walks
The forest fire smoke may be a concern for some-many-all (?) so please carefully check the weather forecast. Temperature and precipitation are not a concern this Saturday, but the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) might help you decide whether or not you want to be outside (masked or not), or stick to the filtered indoors. Environment Canada has an app that can be easily set to send you a notification at whatever AQHI threshold you select. The first link above takes you to an article that explains what each level means, the second to the app site (also available free through your phone’s App Store).
Hopefully Thursday’s rain will dampen down the particulates. Pease sign as per usual. We are at Loblaw’s at 8.
Missed a few birthdays when posting this earlier…so here they are.
Happy happy to Trish on Sunday, and Susan right after on Monday. The beautiful weather is definite a gift to both. Enjoy!
Offsite Walk
Just a final reminder that group A is meeting at Colonel Danforth Park at 8 for a Scarborough-based walk this Saturday. Allow about 40 minutes to drive and let others know if you want to carpool. The parking lot is open and the eastern portion of the trail along the lake is no longer blocked by construction.
Anyone wishing to walk a shorter distance could start at 8:30 instead so we can all rendezvous for brunch. Please sign in to indicate your preference.
Brunch is afterward at Eggsmart, 4410 Kingston Rd, on the northwest corner of Lawrence E. and Kingston Road.
Group B is at Loblaw’s at 8. Those who prefer to stay closer to home base please sign in to let others know you will be there.
Inspiration
Thanks to Susan for this link to a great article in the Star about an amazing 95-year-old looking to set a new 5k world record in her age group. Well worth the read!
Go Girl
Courage to Barbara who is off to the other side of the Atlantic this Wednesday for a race that includes, dare I say it, HILLS!? All the best!
Next Saturday June (yes June) 3, those interested are walking from Scarborough’s Colonel Danforth Park south to Lake Ontario and partway on the waterfront trail, followed by brunch. This is a repeat of an event we did a while back. Details on location and directions will be sent by Google Groups email and posted on WhatsApp.
Please confirm either you are attending offsite (plan A) or Loblaw’s (plan B) so we make sure everyone is included.
Weekly Walks
The weather is getting better all the time. This Saturday shows sunny and a moderate in the a.m., so perhaps not yet shorts weather, but warming nicely later in the day. Loblaw’s at 8 and coffee on the terrace (aka picnic tables by the garden centre) for after.
As some of us have no doubt plans for the long weekend, Saturday could be a sporadic turnout, even without the 90% chance of rain predicted. Please sign in to let others know if you will tempt fate and show up (or not) Saturday at Loblaw’s, or go for a deferred Sunday walk, or stay home and eat chips in honour of HRH. Monday morning at 9:00 from Tims2 looms large as well.
Off Site Walk
June 3 might be a good Saturday for an offsite walk as the parks are reopened. Maybe from Colonel Danforth Park to the lake and back, followed by brunch at Eggsmart? Please weigh in…
As the days get longer and warmer, there is an opportunity to modestly increase the walking distances on Saturdays, even if there are no races on the horizon for most of us. The health/fitness benefits are fairly evident. In that spirit, and strictly voluntarily, this week will be a 10 km walk up to the lookout north of Danforth and Broadview. The spit is still too midgy.
As this is a familiar route, the turnarounds for shorter walks should be familiar.
Loblaw’s at 8 am. Weather looks good.
Oh Mama!
To all the moms and mums out there, a glorious day Sunday!
Saturday promises to be a nice day so there should be no excuse, however…
Two events May conspire to keep a few away. First the Coronation of Charles III gets under way at 4 am our time and will be in full royal swing by the time we walk.
This coming Tuesday, Cynthia celebrates! Let’s send her our best wishes.
Weekly Walks
The forecast is calling for some rain Saturday, although hopefully tapering off by the time we meet. Given how this past week revealed that the precipitation will sometimes pause for us, might it be worth the risk? TBD closer to showtime. Usual time and place. It would be fun to see the group work its way back to the numbers pre-pandemic. Cherry blossoms might even be out in Woodbine Park.
Subset of ST meeting up at Ashbridges Bay
Hot Docs
A few people in the group are booked in for Hot Docs, so this may mean a few missed walks, but excellent viewing. Enjoy!
We thought we had lost her to the rainy climes of Devon, but our gal Lynne is back. Fingers crossed she will be out Saturday (and the forecast rain never materializes) so we can all welcome her back to the fray in person. If the rain holds off or you are impermeable, Loblaw’s at 8. Sunday looks more agreeable if you prefer. Please let the group know your choice.
Weekly Walks
A reminder there are walks almost every day to fit your schedule. Most are in the morning – 8 on Tuesday and Thursday, 9 on Monday and Wednesday. Friday and Sunday are rest/cross training days for some, the latter also our swing day in case Saturday is rained out. If you are not yet joining any of these walks but would like to, just sign in and you can be brought into the fold. There is also a desire to shift some walks to evenings to help include those of us with day jobs and morning obligations. Watch for a post once that is confirmed.
Birthdays
Belated best birthday to Nishe last week! Upcoming is this blogger’s own b’day on Monday and the prodigal one’s on Friday. Yay!
Urban Jungle
Seeing wildlife when out is a great side benefit of walking. This creature was spotted this past week on a walk from the hardware store in the doorway of the Camino Bistro on Danforth and Dawes. Did it get lost on its way to Compostela?
This is not the dreaded orange dot. Although if you squint….
Weekly Walks
Saturday will be lovely for a walk, and no excuse (except if one is isolating 😖. Loblaw’s at 8, direction tbd.
WhatsApp Changes
For the sake of clarity and efficiency, it has been suggested to rename the Shore Things Lite WhatsApp group to “Weekly Walks” and purpose it specifically for coordinating who, when and where for walks excluding Saturdays. That is essentially what it’s been used for anyway but this would make it official. The group is of course open to all Shore Things. Let Jan know to add you in if you are not already.
The original Shore Things group would remain and dedicated to more social interchanges, birthday wishes, announcements, and any news that should reach everyone.
We are the Shore Things 