Had to set the alarm to get myself up to do this; Saturday mornings are typically lie-ins for me. This walk had already been postponed once (last weekend), and the forecast for today called for rain. Not to mention there’s a transit strike on right now, so anyone who didn’t have a car or didn’t live nearby wouldn’t be able to come — it seemed like the walk was jinxed. But I figured I would go unless it was pouring outside, because I wanted to be outdoors this weekend.

The sky was looking pretty tame through the skylight (a little overcast but far from rainstormy), so I stopped snoozing the alarm and got myself cleaned up and motoring to Davisville Subway Station, the meeting point. There were 10 of us in total, a group of mostly locals who either lived nearby or biked over; only a couple of us had to drive.

We started off at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, a huge property on the other side of Yonge Street where I used to live for my first three months in Toronto. During that time I thought about visiting to take photographs, but I think it was too painful for me at the time. I did make an outing of it once when I was living beside the Rogers Centre, in February last year. I made a mental note to return by myself, because everyone was walking rather quickly and I was lagging behind so much I had to speedwalk to catch up again.

Other people had cameras, but I took the most photos other than Hanson (Hansen?), who is also interested in photography and was snapping away at the back of the group. We discussed camera equipment at great length while we walked, which would likely bore the others to tears, so it was just as well we were bringing up the rear!

The group followed the ravine trailways to the Don Valley Brickworks, which I’d passed many times to get to the Don Valley Parkway from Broadview. It was a former quarry and centre for industry that’s now being redeveloped into a park by a nonprofit organization called Evergreen. The group didn’t spend any time at the buildings — we veered back towards the trails, but I made another mental note to visit later, because the building complex is a treasure trove of photographic goodness. I might even do this tomorrow, or when it’s less overcast.

We continued along the trails back towards Yonge Street and St. Clair, stopping for lunch at my old neighbourhood pub (that I never went to!), the Fox & Firkin. Take a wild guess at what I ordered.

Could it be? Oh yes, the Eggs Benny, this time it was the Florentine (spinach).

Arliin told me about the Don Valley parklands and the ravine before, and it was an area I’d been meaning to check out for some time. It saddens me to think of all the spring events happening around Toronto that I won’t be able to do with Arliin: Doors Open, Wings & Wheels, the Ontario Walks and other outings she’d bookmarked for reference. She was like my events calendar coordinator, always emailing me links of restaurants to try and things to do and see. When I think of her I look over at Xena and Beano and ask them, “Do you miss her, too?”

Arliin knew how much I enjoyed photography and she probably knew I’d find the Don Valley a superb environment for taking photos, with its mix of urban and recreational areas.

When I was in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, I took some photos of gravestones with memorable quotes and notations. One of them I especially liked was this one: “To live in the hearts you leave behind is not to die.”

Photoset: [thumbnails] [slideshow]