Frisaca, Toronto, ON

Frisaca (on Queen Street W/Bathurst Street) is new (they just opened about a month ago) so Gord and I checked it out this evening.

The bar is long and narrow and we sat at a table along the wall.  The music was loud (but not annoyingly loud) and there were a couple of TVs.  It had a fun vibe.

When we sat down, the owner or manager (?) came over to chat and gave us a sample of a wheat beer.  Margaritas are the Friday night special ($7).  I'm not a big tequila fan but the raspberry Margarita sounded good ... and it was!

Patricia was our server.  She was friendly and chatty and took good care of us.

We'll be back!

817 Sports Bar & Grill, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at 817 Sports Bar & Grill (Queen Street W/Niagara Street).  They just opened a couple months ago.

It's a big space with a long bar at the back and there are lots of big TVs for sports fans.

I ordered The 6ix pizza.  When Stella, our server, brought it, it was on the cool-side so I asked to have it put back in the oven for a bit to heat it up.  When it came back, it was better ... everything was hot and the cheese was stringy.  The Italian pepperoni was spicier than regular pepperoni and I was okay with that.  It was a good pizza and I'd get it again.

Gord ordered a Classic burger (with no tomatoes) and onion rings rather than fries.  I had an onion ring and it was good.  Gord said it was a good burger and he'd get it again.  The bun was soft, just how I like them.

Book ~ "Unconventional Candour" (2019) George Smitherman

From Goodreads ~ From modest beginnings, George Smitherman rose to become one of the most powerful politicians in Ontario and then plummeted, defeated by one of the most notorious: Rob Ford. This memoir takes readers on the roller-coaster ride of his career and his personal life as a gay man struggling with the constraints of society and family. 

Smitherman offers candid insights into the hardball politics of city hall and the provincial legislature, as well as the Liberal government under Dalton McGuinty, including accomplishments like prescription drug reforms and the green energy plan, and the so-called eHealth, Ornge, and gas plant scandals. He reveals how he lost the mayoral race but managed to rebound from that defeat, as well from the suicide of his husband.

George Smitherman is a Canadian politician from Toronto. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010.  He was the first openly gay Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) elected in Ontario and the province's first openly gay cabinet minister.  He resigned from provincial politics to enter the mayor's race for Toronto in the 2010 municipal election (Rob Ford won).  He was also a candidate in the 2018 municipal election, running for Toronto City Council in Ward 13 Toronto Centre (he lost to incumbent Kristyn Wong-Tam). He shifted his focus to the private sector and has participated in the start up and growth of several companies

I'm not political at all and don't remember Smitherman from provincial politics.  I think he came onto my radar when his husband, Christopher, who was suffering from depression, was found dead after going missing in 2013.

When I was reading this book, I didn't find provincial politics stories overly interesting.  I was more interested in his personal life ... growing up in Toronto, coming out as a gay man, marrying his husband and adopting two children with him, dealing with his husband's suicide and eventually finding love again.  It was also interesting reading about him having to deal with Rob and Doug Ford (and what he thinks of them) and what it was like running for mayor in 2010 and for council in 2018.

I liked the writing style.  He seemed honest in telling his stories.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Trinity-Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

Cherry blossom (sakura) season is highly anticipated in Toronto each year.  There are a few places you can go see them and they don't last long.  The closest to us is Trinity-Bellwoods Park.

I walked to the park this afternoon to check them out.  As you can see from the crowd, I wasn't the only one with that idea!

Book ~ "Deception Cove" (2019) Owen Laukkanen

From Goodreads ~ Former US Marine Jess Winslow reenters civilian life a new widow, with little more to her name than a falling-down house, a medical discharge for PTSD and a loyal dog named Lucy. The only thing she actually cares about is that dog, a black-and-white pit bull mix who helps her cope with the devastating memories of her time in Afghanistan.

After fifteen years - nearly half his life - in state prison, Mason Burke owns one set of clothes, a wallet and a photo of Lucy, the service dog he trained while behind bars. Seeking a fresh start, he sets out for Deception Cove, Washington, where the dog now lives.

As soon as Mason knocks on Jess's door, he finds himself in the middle of a standoff between the widow and the deputy county sheriff. When Jess's late husband piloted his final "fishing" expedition, he stole and stashed a valuable package from his drug dealer associates. Now the package is gone, and the sheriff's department has seized Jess's dearest possession - her dog. Unless Jess turns over the missing goods, Lucy will be destroyed.

The last thing Mason wants is to be dragged back into the criminal world. The last thing Jess wants is to trust a stranger. But neither of them can leave a friend, the only good thing in either of their lives, in danger. To rescue Lucy, they'll have to forge an uneasy alliance. And to avoid becoming collateral damage in someone else's private war, they have to fight back - and find a way to conquer their doubts and fears.

Mason Burke has spent the last fifteen years in prison in Michigan for committing murder.  Towards the end of his sentence, he was put in a program to train dogs.  Lucy, the dog he was assigned, was scared and timid when she arrived at the prison but became a great therapy dog six months later.

Lucy was given to Jess, a Marine veteran, who keeps reliving her time in Afghanistan, seeing her best friend get killed.  When Jess arrived home in Washington, she has PTSD and is a widow (her husband, Ty, had gotten drunk and drowned while she was away).  All she has left is the rundown house and Lucy.

The local deputy was involved in a scheme ... and Ty had stolen some drugs from him.  The deputy thinks Jess knows where Ty had hidden the drugs before he died.  With his life on the line, he does all he can to pressure Jesse for the information and even takes her dog from her, promising to kill Lucy.

When Mason is released from prison, he just wants to make sure that Lucy is okay and in a good home before he can start his new life.  When he hears that she is about to be put down for attacking a police officer, he heads to Washington to do all he can to save Lucy ... and gets himself involved in trying to save Jess' life too.

I've read many books by this author and have liked them ... though I tried to like this one, I couldn't get into it.  I enjoy reading books about and with dogs so was cheering for Lucy and that's what kept me reading.  Maybe I didn't find the story interesting?  I didn't find myself drawn to the characters and didn't find them overly believable.  As I was reading, I found myself hearing them talk and act like backwood hicks out of a bad movie.

It's written in third person perspective with a focus on the various characters.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Jane's Walk - Exploring Toronto's Niagara Neighbourhood, Toronto, ON

I did a Jane's Walk this afternoon.  I've done Jane's Walks in the past and have always enjoyed them.  There are hundreds of walks scheduled for this weekend every May.

Jane's Walk is a movement of free, citizen-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), a writer, urbanist and activist who championed the voices of everyday people in neighbourhood planning and city-building. It encourages people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours.

I did the Exploring Toronto's Niagara Neighbourhood walk, which is my 'hood.  It was led by Brett Willemsen.

On this walk, we'll be exploring Toronto's Niagara Neighbourhood, its history and the importance of park space in the area. Learn about the history of the Massey-Harris Manufacturing Company, the Smarties Company, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). As well as see some examples of great and not-so-great park spaces.

The walk started at 905 King Street W, the former Toronto head office of Massey Harris.  Only the building on the bottom right remains and it's now condos and the surrounding area are full of condos.

Then

Now

We then walked to Massey Harris Park, on the west side of the building.

Budweiser Stage Presents: It Happened Here, Toronto, ON

Budweiser Stage Presents: It Happened Here has been in our 'hood for a couple weeks.  And it was free!

Relive the history at It Happened Here, an interactive exhibit celebrating 25 seasons of music at one of Toronto’s most iconic music venues. Music fans are welcome to get up close and personal with decades of memorabilia, interactive installations and photography from artists and performances throughout the years.

Tonight was the last night for it and Gord and I checked it out.  It was interesting to walk around seeing all the memorabilia and I'm glad we were able to see it.  It's amazing how fast 25 years have gone by!

There was a bar where you could buy cans of Bud.

There was lots to see!

Rhum Corner, Toronto, ON

I like dark rum and have passed by Rhum Corner (Dundas Street W/Bellwoods Avenue) many times ... this evening we stopped in to check it out.

We sat at the bar.  To try a variety of rums, we ordered flights ... you get a half ounce of each rum.  We started with Kal's flight as he was our bartender.  He was friendly and definitely knowledgeable about rum.  We liked his recommendations ... they had a bold taste.

The Six Brewhouse, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at the Six Brewhouse (Dundas Street W/Markham Street).  It's been open about a year and they brew their beer onsite.

Toronto Wolfpack 36, Bradford Bulls 16, Lamport Stadium, Toronto, ON

The Toronto Wolfpack RLFC is a Canadian professional rugby league club, based in here Toronto, which competes in the British Rugby Football League system.  In 2018, the club competed in the Championship, having begun to play in 2017 in League 1 and won a promotion in its inaugural season.  Gord and I have been going to the most of the games since 2017 and have been season ticket holders for the last two years.

The club is noted as being the first North American team to play in the Rugby Football League system, the first fully professional rugby league team in Canada and the world's first transatlantic rugby league team.  Their home stadium is Lamport Stadium (aka "The Den"), which is just a couple blocks from where Gord and I live.

Today the Wolfpack (11 wins/1 loss) were playing the Bradford Bulls (8 wins/4 losses).  The day started out grey and drizzling but the sun came out later on.

There was a singer outside Lamport Stadium as we were entering.

Our friends, Rona and Jacob, joined us.  It's the first time they'd been to a Wolfpack game.  They'd parked their car in the lot just south of the field and marveled at how they were able to get such a good spot ... until they realized that when the ball is kicked through the goal post, it could keep going to the parking lot and hit their car.  So they (Jacob especially) were nervous every time this happened.  Ha!  Don't worry ... their car was fine.

Rona, me, Gord and Jacob

The teams huddled before the game began.

Jefferson, the Wolfpack mascot, was roaming around the field.

Book ~ "Sunset Beach" (2019) Mary Kay Andrews

From Goodreads ~ Drue Campbell’s life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a twenty-year absence. Worse, he’s remarried - to Drue’s eighth grade frenemy, Wendy, now his office manager. And they’re offering her a job.

It seems like the job from hell, but the offer is sweetened by the news of her inheritance - her grandparents’ beach bungalow in the sleepy town of Sunset Beach, a charming but storm-damaged eyesore now surrounded by waterfront McMansions.

With no other prospects, Drue begrudgingly joins the firm, spending her days screening out the grifters whose phone calls flood the law office. Working with Wendy is no picnic either. But when a suspicious death at an exclusive beach resort nearby exposes possible corruption at her father’s firm, she goes from unwilling cubicle rat to unwitting investigator, and is drawn into a case that may - or may not - involve her father. With an office romance building, a decades-old missing persons case re-opened, and a cottage in rehab, one thing is for sure at Sunset Beach: there’s a storm on the horizon.

Drue is a 36-year-old server in a bar.  She doesn't really like her job or her boss and is fired.  Around this time, her estranged and successful father contacts her to let her know that she has inherited her maternal grandparents' rundown cottage due to the recent death of her mother.  Plus he offers her a job in his law firm.  With no other prospects, Drue moves into her grandparents cottage and works for her dad and his wife (Drue's former best friend but now enemy due to an incident in the grade eight).  Answering the phones and trying to meet quotas isn't Drue's idea of excitement but at least it's paying the bills.

Drue's interest is piqued when Yvonne, a former client of her father's, comes into the law office demanding what's fair.  Her daughter had been murdered on-the-job at the resort where she worked and Yvonne was awarded not a lot of money because it happened during work hours.  Drue doesn't think this is fair so starts digging into the case.  And in the meantime, she finds a box in her attic which included newspaper clippings about a woman named Connie who had disappeared 40 years ago.  She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her.

I've read quite a few books by this author and thought this one was just okay.  It is written in third person perspective and as a head's up, there is swearing.

I found the story a bit convoluted with the two mysteries going on ... finding out what really happened to Yvonne's daughter and ensuring she had proper compensation and figuring out what happened to Connie 40 years ago.  Considering she had no experience or inclination in the past, I found it a bit unbelievable that Drue could/would jump right into being an "investigator".  The "whodunnit" in the present case came out of the blue and I didn't really buy it.  I didn't find Drue overly likable and had a hard time believing she was 36 ... she acted more like 26.  And I wasn't buying the love interest in the end.

Toronto Wolfpack 2019 Season Member Launch Party, 3 Brewers Liberty Village, Toronto, ON

The Toronto Wolfpack 2019 Season Member Launch Party was this evening at 3 Brewers in Liberty Village ... and Gord and I were there (we have season tickets).

From 6:00pm to 8:30pm, players, coaches and staff were hanging out with fans.  The place was jammed!

Blake Wallace

Ashton Sims

Liam Kay and Ricky Leutele

Josh McCrone

The Craft Brasserie & Grille, Toronto, ON

After the Toronto Wolfpack game this afternoon, Roger, Malcolm, Mary, Gord and I had supper at The Craft Brasserie & Grille in Liberty Village.

Though we were greeted and seated right away, it took a long time for our orders for food to be taken and then for the food to arrive.

I ordered a Grilled Chicken Club sandwich (minus the onions and lettuce) with a side salad (with no onions).  I'd had this a couple weeks ago there and both were good ... so I was looking forward to it again.  Today, though, it was a disappointment.  The salad was drenched with dressing and had onions and some weird green thing.  I couldn't finish it.  When I brought it to our server's attention, she said she has asked to not put any onions on it and then walked away.  Um ... okay.  My barely toasted bread was soggy and there were no tomatoes.  Plus the bacon was barely cooked (so it was chewy).