Pop!

How is everyone doing? Things are opening up here in Toronto. This morning, Buddy and I went to the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

We saw many of Andy's iconic pieces. Buddy counted the number of Campbell soup cans in this piece. There's 100! Andy painted this by hand, but used stencils to help him with repetition.

There were lots of portraits of celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe. Buddy liked how colour this set was. While there are eight portraits here, the full set includes ten portraits.

Buddy asked me if I can make him a wig like Andy's. This self portrait is from the 1980s.

The exhibit is on until October 24. If you check it out, let us know!

Summer Picnic

We had a lovely summer picnic at the Beaches, care of Suresh Doss. The picnic featured delicious South Indian dishes, many which were new to us.

Clementine loved the tiffan box from Anitha’s Homestyle Kitchen. Her favourite appetizer from the box was the masala vada (fried fritters with chana dal, onions, and herbs).

The main dishes were prepared by Minerva Tiffins. This sambar idil (savoury rice cake in lentil soup with peanut sauce and spices) was very filling.

The other mains included puri bhaji (friend bread) and pongal (rice and lentils).

We had mango lassi shortly thereafter. It was so delicious, we finished the whole thing before taking a photo.

Clementine really liked that the dessert was monster size. It was served in a small clay pot, which we were able to take home with the tiffin box.

We are now back home with happy tummies. Suresh will be hosting other picnics this summer. Sign up for his newsletter on his website for more details.

Quarantine Life

How is everyone holding up? We just finished week five of quarantine life. Maggie has been keeping busy at the condo.

She has been trying lots of new cookie recipes, including this one for buckwheat chocolate cookies from Bon Appetit.

She has also been reading books. Dear Girls is the last book we got from the library before it shut down because of COVID-19.

Every now and then she watches movies on Netflix. Shout out to Chris for adding us to your account!

She waters our plants.

And she takes afternoon naps with B.

Stay happy and healthy!

Stay Safe!

Hi friends. We hope you are in good spirits and good health.

We've been staying home for the past month, only going out for necessities. B's mum made us fabric face masks for our weekly grocery run. Even in times of crisis, we represent our favourite basketball team - the Toronto Raptors.

Please stay safe and take care!

CHAMPIONS

Spencer, B, and I are so pleased that the Raptors are the NBA champs!!!

Spencer was calm, cool, and collected as he watched game six. I on the other hand was stress eating - polishing off a whole sleeve of arrowroot cookies in the final quarter.

We the North! We the North!

Doors Open, Again!

Last year, I did Doors Open with Bernie. This year, Colin joined me for an afternoon of exploration. We visited only a few sites, but they were all excellent! The first one was 401 Richmond. I have passed by the building several times but have never gone in. It had some cool art on display, as well as a nice rooftop patio.

Our second stop was 1 Spadina Crescent, home to U of T's Faculty of Architecture. Colin and I did a self-guided tour. The students' works were super impressive. Here's Colin looking down Spadina Crescent toward the lake. 

Our last stop was the Bata Shoe Museum. We spent a decent amount of time here. Colin's favourite exhibit was "All About Shoes: Footwear through the Ages". General admission is $14 so it was great to visit the museum for free.

Doors Open

Bernie had an exploration-filled afternoon as part of Doors Open Toronto. He had a peaceful visit at St. James Cathedral...

...he checked out the "Notes in the Night" jazz exhibit (and live music) at Market Gallery...

...he toured the gallery's fine art storage vault (and really enjoyed the curator's talk - very informative!)...

...and he visited the house where William Lyon Mackenzie lived.

To learn about Doors Open events across Ontario, click here.

Cherry Blossoms

Q trekked to High Park to visit the cherry blossoms today. They are not in full bloom yet, but he wanted to see them before it's too late. Nature makes Q smile!

All of the Lights

Maggie braved the wind earlier this evening to check out the Toronto Light Festival. There were 21 installations from around the world. This one was very popular. Doesn't Maggie look angelic?

We The North

Snowman is ready to cheer on the Raptors today!

He's hoping for a big win in the 6ix!

ROM Ink

Colin's been playing way too many video games lately so I thought a museum outing with be good for him.

I wanted to check out one exhibit in particular. Before heading to the exhibit, we said hello to the futalognkosaurus dukei (dinosaur) in the atrium.

The exhibit is all about tattoos. It features a visual history of body art, markings, and ancient tools. This is from the United States...

...this is from Japan...

...and these are from Algeria.

One of the cool things we learned was that it some cultures, only women could be tattoo artists!

Tattoos: Ritual. Identity. Obsession. Art. is on until September.

A Little Night Music

Buddy and I went to Roy Thompson Hall last night to see the National Arts Centre Orchestra from Ottawa. The highlight was Gabriela Montero, a guest pianist who did some impressive improvisation. We snuck in this shot during intermission. Buddy is looking forward to listening to more classical music in the future!

Live from the ACC

The Mins went to a basketball game tonight! Unfortunately the Raptors didn't win but we had a fun time. Thanks, Dad for the tickets!

Overnighter at the Shangri-La

We had the opportunity to stay at Toronto's Shangri-La at a fantastic price. Spencer and Dumbo were game for a swanky overnighter. They each brought a magazine to read in the afternoon...

...did a bit of work...

 ...took a bath (Spencer was insistent on wearing a shower cap!)...

...and watched TV in bed!

Happy weekend!

It's tea o'clock!

Maggie is an afternoon tea expert! She loves joining my mum and I to places in Toronto. A while back we went for high tea at the Holts Cafe. Our favourite part of the tea service was the jam from Kitten and the Bear.

We would love to hear your suggestions for other places to enjoy afternoon tea! We've been to a decent amount, but are always game for trying something new!

Brunching with Bernie

Remember Bernie's foodie tour in the summer? One of his pit stops was Maman. The ice cream sandwich was delish!

Yesterday, Bernie had brunch with B and I at the new Toronto location. The restaurant decor was charming and the food, super. Bernie is hoping to score another ice cream sandwich next summer on home soil!

Turner

J.M.W. Turner: Paintings Set Free is the current exhibit at the AGO. It features rare works on loan from the Tate. Norham Castle, Sunrise was the Mins' favourite painting.

The Mins enjoyed learning about "one of the most radical and influential artists of the 19th century". The Mins also enjoyed having a staring contest with the silhouette of Turner.

You have until January 1, 2016 to check out the exhibit. Enjoy!

Afternoon Tea at The Grange

Q, my mum, and I went for afternoon tea at The Grange, a.k.a. the original home of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Q and I ordered Tropical Green tea while my mum ordered Citrus Calm. Both were quite good. The savouries and sweets were excellent too. Our tummies were very happy!

Despite it being cold and rainy, we had a nice view from our table. This park is fittingly called The Grange Park. For photos of the park back in the day, click here.

Shangri-La Staycation

Mini and Maggie were spoiled with a five-star staycation at the Shangri-La. While I was at the hotel's health club, they had a fun time hanging out in the room.

They climbed the fluffy pillows on the ginormous bed...

 ...made tea to go with their Milk Bar cookie for a snack...

...read Lost Horizon by James Hilton (the book that inspired the hotel chain)...

...watched TV (sometimes in the bathroom)...

...and took a nap!

Those Bluffs!

Buddy wanted to explore a new place in Toronto so we decided to go to the Scarborough Bluffs. He loved the views!

Down on the peninsula, Buddy found a cool fossil.

He also found a nice spot in the shade to relax. What an enjoyable afternoon!

Happy Victoria's Day, fellow Canucks!