Jordindian

My 11 year old nephew from Bangalore asked me to see a youtube video of Jordindian called "How students study for exams?"

I enjoyed this video and discovered that they have made many more all of which I loved.

I do hope people who see this article check out Jordindian's youtube videos and enjoy!

I am thrilled to see such creativity  coming from Bangalore, my hometown!!! How come I did not know of them before??? Their videos seem to have been around for a while!

(One of the two main chaps in this video is from Jordan; the other from India)

Woke up today morning....after checking What's up, went straight to Jordindian youtube...fun way to start the day...get into a jolly mood...the perfect way to uncrank my cranky self!

Rock Glen Conservation Area, June 21, 2020

One of my childhood fantasies was to discover fossils. It came true today! Here is the brief story of our fossil discovery adventure.

Place of Fossils: Rock Glen Conservation Area. 8680, Rock Glen Road, Arkona, Ontario
Distance from my home in Toronto: 258 km, about 2.5 hours drive (cost in gas: maybe 50-00 or less)
Entry fee: 4-00$ per person
Lots of parking available. Lesser people than I expected (on a Sunday)...probably not as popular due to it's distance from the more populated cities of Ontario.
No mosquitoes, not hot or humid (at least today) and makes for a very pleasant walk.
You should take your own food and water as the nearest place to get food is in London, which is at least 55 km or 45 minutes drive away.(you drive through fields and farms to reach this place and the few ? villages we passed did not seem to have any eating places). There is nothing available at Rock Glen to eat.

Some great things about this place: you can walk in the river (from below the fall onwards) for quite a bit...it's not deep and surprisingly the rocks in the water are not slippery! It was such a pleasant experience to walk in the waters searching for fossils without worrying about slipping on algae covered rocks! The greatest thing of this place is of course the FOSSILS and the fact that it's legal to take them! I saw a huge rock (about a quintal) with the fossils visible on the surface when walking down from the waterfall. We had taken a hammer for this very purpose and tried to chip but gave up after a few seconds...I did not want to destroy that and hoped that the sight of the fossils on this rock in our path would give the joy and excitement to others walking down  this path.
Peering at the rocks and pebbles strewn on the path by the river, we did not spot any fossil for the first few minutes and then my husband found his first fossil! I found many rock-colored things but they could not be rocks as they had  unusual shapes...I assumed these were fossils and on googling, discovered that they are coral fossils.

The earth here some kind of sedimentary rocks which disintegrate so easily...you can break a rock with your hands...it comes off in layers like shale. the fossils are embedded in these layers of mud.

After a while we felt a bit let down that we had found only one perfect ( by perfect I mean symmetrical and unbroken) fossil and commented to a man walking by with his kids. He said no, there are plenty of fossils and his kids had found quite a few. He then looked down and immediately found a fossil! Though we demurred, he generously gave it to us! He believed that it's easier for kids to spot the fossils than us adults as 'they are closer to the ground'.
As we walked by the river we came across a spot on the bank with a ton of loose pebbles and rocks. I sat down and sifted through the pebbles with my hand and found so many fossils!

We probably spent more time driving back and forth ( at least two and half hours one way)  than at Rock Glen (2 hours).

 above is a rock with fossils embedded in it...not sure if they are visible in this photo

 above is one of the many fossils we found...more than 400 million years old!

Above is the waterfall...lots of people, kids and even babies enjoying the waters...bathing, playing, splashing around!

above is one of the barns we saw on the way...I love these barns! It's ideal for a hoarder like me.

Rattray Marsh Conservation Area, Mississauga June 20, 2020

Saturday, June 20th, went to Rattray Marsh Conservation Area in Mississauga, for the first time.

Despite the heat and humidity, had a good time. Lots of people, swimming, canoeing, boating, picnicking, playing or just walking around. 

The homes around this place are beautiful! Real posh! 

Got a delicious takeout at Indian cuisine by the lake (naan and Jalfarazi) and ate at the park near the library close by.  Another spot worth a visit closeby is the Port Credit neighbourhood which we had visited in the past. Ended the day trip with cool ice cream from an ice cream van in the park and a slightly embarrassing encounter with a stranger  (whom we mistook for a pan-handler) who politely declined the 5$ we offered. 

At this marsh, I discovered that the driftwood, which I thought were 'inflexible and rigid' because the 'fibre' in the wood has been removed by the years in the lake's waters are actually flexible! I saw a 10-12 year old, standing at the end of a branch on a driftwood log in the lake...the branch was going  gently up  and down! 

Hidden oasis at east end of Front street and Bayview Avenue

Front Street Promenade

Constantly seeking new stimulation and desire to avoid walking in the same old spots and trails, we decided to explore the spot where the Don river enters Lake Ontario. Drove south on Bayview Avenue until we reached this lovely quiet spot...a green space, with sculptures, beautiful new high buildings amid lovely red brick old buildings which were factories at one point in time. 

This is the area where the Pan-Am Games Athletes village was built for use in 2015.

 Above :one of the lovely old brick buildings and below is a modern one...each with it's own charm in this lovely part of Toronto. I cannot believe that we, living in East York are a mere 10 minutes drive away from this spot and discovered it only today! ( we had cycled on the Don Valley Trail, by the Don River, parallel to this area  when this area was being built.)

Graffiti on Queen Street June 18, 2020:

Took these photos on queen street (Toronto, Ontario) during an evening stroll.
I love this place and am deeply saddened to see this once bustling street, looking empty, with shuttered shops and eateries struggling to make a living with a bare minimum of customers.

Walk on Queen Street June 18, 2020

After spending the whole day in a series of Zoom meetings, my husband wanted a break...so we walked on Queen Street. Here are a few photos

I work so close to this Kim's Convenience store and yet recognized it only today as the store in the TV show! I recognized it today as my niece (in USA) had only a few days ago, asked if I watched this show...and also as I was puzzled to see 2 young Asian girls taking selfies in front of this store...I was puzzled why they are taking in. front of a convenience store and then it hit me that this is the famous Kim's convenience!