Home and Garden Expo 2011


Image by Wildstar Beaumont
"Home and Garden Expo 2011" SL "Second Life" RFL RFL2011

Home and Garden Expo 2011


Image by Wildstar Beaumont
"Home and Garden Expo 2011" SL "Second Life" RFL RFL2011

Autumn Flowers


Image by likeaduck
Fall gardens and meadows.

garlic chive flowers


Image by postbear
in the garden of riverdale farm, a small clump of garlic chives in flower. east end of winchester street, cabbagetown, toronto.

like local library branches, the riverdale farm faces severe cuts and possibly being closed if the right-wing idiots in city council get their way. the audit of city services conducted by kpmg was stupidly short-sighted and failed to account for ripple effects in any way, as the firm was (unsurprisingly) not asked to look beyong the initial step of cutting expenditures.

toronto, like most cities, makes many millions of dollars via tourism, some of it internal (local residents travelling across town, people within an hour or two of the city coming for entertainment) and a great deal of it sourced nationally and internationally. places like riverdale farm, allan gardens, waterfront parks, the islands and so on may seem incidental or unimportant all on their own, but they add huge value to the city. eliminating them or severely trimming their operating hours transforms a unique city with distinct attractions valued by broadly varied demographics, thereby reducing the value of the city as a tourist destination. this attacks the hotel, restaurant, bar and many other industries, not to mention local transit (both public and private), general shopping and any other business that depends on even a sliver of the money from people who now come here, but who will choose other destinations with more and more varied lures. businesses are also less likely to consider opening up franchises, plants or stores (yes, i’m fixating on economic factors here – these are the arguments that permeate the skulls of the people who remain unconvinced) if their staff will have diminished offtime lives or if the corporate heads feel that the area has done little to attract educated, progressive people. infrastructure matters a great deal, and one layer of infrastructure is the network of amenities and services that workers, tourists and local citizens have to make their lives easier, more fulfilled and appealing to them and their friends, families and colleagues, many of whom come to visit and want to explore a dynamic environment, not one that devoid of unique properties.

clearly the clown ford brothers and their sycophants on city council have a vision for the city, but it is a grim, money-driven one that has no vision of the character of a place they grudgingly call home. i hated the amalgamation of the city when it happened, and the terrible decision that was is apparent more and more with this idiot mayor and troglodyte council. this disgusting clown of a mayor has nothing but contempt for anyone and anything not whitebread, uninflected and devoid of personality, so his insight into the values of the downtown core and other areas of the city beyong his grey compound are worthless. toronto thrives on diversity and has for a long time – these attacks on small, unique attractions are in line with his hatred of pride day and people who aren’t heterosexual and white like him.

fuck ford, his brother, the rest of the right wing and kpmg for this myopic and bullshit report. every single person who voted for these assholes or support them in any way should have their livelihoods threatened the way these cuts threaten the lives and paycheques of decent people who value diversity and don’t want toronto to become a fucking strip mall populated with multinational chain outlets staffed by people who want to drive home after work and watch television.

fuck those who want to kill riverdale farm and sign the petition here, then email your city councillor and the nasty fraud of a mayor (Mayor_Ford@toronto.ca) to tell them you won’t tolerate it.

further, the local libraries are also under attack by this filth. join team atwood and help preserve literacy in toronto while pointing out to rob ford and his sycophantic shitheads at city hall that libraries are important and deserve funding. online petition here, which i signed and added this comment to:

Rob Fraud and the rest of these moronic reactionary fools are prime examples of the reason why we should be investing in more and broader forms of education and not closing libraries. A learned population would not vote for these hateful imbeciles in the first place.

Cut Flowers


Image by Mountain-Top
fresh from the garden.

NYC – Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden


Image by wallyg
The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, formerly known as the Abigail Adams Smith Museum, named after the daughter of President John Adams who once resided here, is a wonderful example of 18th century Federal style architecture with rugged stone masonry and attractive brick-work.

Smith’s folly, or "Mount Vernon on the East River," as it was called by the owner consisted of a 23-acre farm planned as a country-seat for Colonel William S. Smith and his wife, Abigail Adams. Colonel Smith purchased the property in 1795. In 1798, the property was purchased by William T. Robinson, who completed construction of the stable in 1799. The mansion burned down in 1826 and was never rebuilt. That same year, the stone stable was concerted into an inn known as the Mount Vernon Hotel. In 1833 the hotel was bought by Jeremiah Towle who converted it into a private home for his family. In 1905, as the area became more industrialized, the building was purchased by Standard Gas Light Company (today’s Con Edison). In 1924 the building was purchased for the Headquarters of the Colonial Dames of America, who saved it from destruction and restored the interior to Federal style.

The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden presents the period of the Mount Vernon Hotel which operated from 1826 until 1833. It has been opened to the public since 1939. The Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of art and artifacts, and the historical research of objects and subjects pertaining to the interpretation of the Mount Vernon Hotel, and related information in America in the first half of the 19th century, particularly the hotel industry, the pursuit of leisure, travel, and the customs of Americans within the context of the history of New York City. The public can now admire the 19th century furniture, the Aubusson carpets and the objets d’art. One of Abigail’s gowns is also on show.

Colonel William S. Smith was the son-in-law of John Adams. When Adams served as the administer at the Court of St. James, Colonel Smith served as the American Minister at the Court of St. James, Colonel Smith served as secretary of the Legation. He wedded Abigail Adams Smith in 1786. Colonel Smith served as an aide to General Washington and General Sullivan; as Inspector and Adjutant General to General LAfayette.

The Abigail Adams Smith House was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967.

National Register #73001223 (1973)