in toronto, in degrees, that’s where it’s at – latitude, longitude and celsius. as for the 25 degrees, the weather network says it feels like 32 degrees, but up here on the top floor of a forest hill home, it’s feeling more like broil until browned.

hot!

luckily, i’ve had time in this town to be very summery, not fighting the heat. 3 hour brunch dates on patios, long picnics in parks playing “gentle” scrabble, then on to other patios strung with lights and ivy for hours of drinks with friends.

life is good in toronto. and the friday show was great (thank you all the good people there!).

getting here was a long haul – three 8 hour days in the car does not a lithe body make. but the scenery was beautiful! i think the last time i drove across ontario i was asleep for the lake superior bit. i wanted so much to pull over and greet the water with bare toes, but places to be, and so on…

we passed a few of canada’s “largest”, as one does on road trips. the giant geese in wawa ontario, and husky the musky in kenora. i didn’t see the claims to size at the time – driving by is not conducive to plaque reading – but research since has confirmed their “largst” status. they were of course situated as attractions and it made me wonder about the phenomena of having the “world’s biggest” whatever, and i recalled how many of north america’s i’ve seen – hockey stick, cowboy boot, teepee, easter egg… many more. “monuments built by communities to draw tourist dollars” – but why, as tourists, are we drawn to these? anybody?

the thing is, it’s not like that egg is really an egg. it’s just a sculpture. it’s the world’s largest sculpture of an easter egg – do you think that makes a difference? viewing them as sculpture, what is their artistic value? how would they be received as public art, without their fame being installed with their size?

sigh, so many questions. perhaps i should abandon myself to whimsy, celebrate a small town’s pride and make sure i get in the photo with husky next time.

these are things i ponder on ontario highways. pretty soon, we’ll be heading back on those same roads to return to the west coast. but this week, another toronto gig, sarnia, peterborough, wakefield, ottawa and st hyacinthe.

c.