Monday, February 28, 2011

Rolly Derby International!



It was a double header at the Hanger on Saturday nite as TORD team Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, or D-VAS



hosted Nickel City Roller Derby team Sister Slag.



The D-vas had some prior history with Tord, but was rebuilding as a team, much like the new Sudbury team.

Both Jammers were fighting hard for the points,



while the refs kept a close eye on all the action.



the first half was a close one, but by the end of the second, the D-VAS pulled ahead for a 71 to 38 win.

Next up was the Killamazoo Derby Darlins from Michigan





vs the TORD Allstar team, CN Power!

This was an international event, with the DD's coming up from Michigan to battle the Tord all stars.

CN Power includes players like Land Shark, a super fast jammer.
Here she is breaking her way through the pack for points!



and Defecaitlin, who was also a fast mover on the track!



The Tord Juniors were on hand to sing the Canadian anthem



While Penny Whistler prepared for the match!



While the scoreboard quckly showed that CN Power was dominating the event, there were still girls flying across the track!









In the end, CN Power dominted 197 to 35 over the DD's, but as always with Derby, after a hard fought battle, both teams celebrated together. Here, the Michigan team had the CN Power girls pose with a team mascot,





before some joined the CN Power team for a team picture!

Is it, uhm, hot in here!?!

Sex a Palooza!
What can I say. Would I really miss a chance to check this out? Not likely!
I hit the Internation Centre for Sexapalooza, a show I caught on TV last year during an episode of Dragons Den (they didn't get a deal!).
With the lights low, a crowd of people, a wide variety from young to old, single, couples, and groups, were in checking out the various displays. Boy, were there ever a lot of dildo's! Some that were in displays looked, for all intense purposes, were designer versions!




On stage there were old style burlesque and a lingerie show,



a pole dancing display...whats better than one girl pole dancing? Two girls!




while other displays were set up in the multitude of booths, including these cool shirts for sale!



And of course, lots of models!











Including Sunshine Girl Calendar girl Ashley!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Family Day, Weekend Edition

Well, as a blatant election ploy, the premier created "family day", a day off for the province in February.
So, taking advantage of the weekend, I made some trips around the GTA.
First stop was the Devils Punchbowl, a 37m high waterfall right on the escarpment, very close to Battlefied House, which is a famous location from the War of 1812.
The falls plunges into a massive circular valley which has been cut over thousands of years. There are trails down to the bottom, and we got pretty close to the base, but high flows, and lots of ice prevented us from getting right in there. Perhaps it will be easier in summer/fall.
During low flows, the smaller flow freezes and creates coated trees,



as well as a "volcano" of ice. The high flows from the wammer week partial collapsed the existing volcano.



Next stop was Tiffany Falls. In winter, its a popular ice climbing route, and we hoped that there would be climbers today.

Walking up the icy trail, the large flow down the creek kind of warned us



that no one was climbing!!



A stop at Burlington Beach near the lift bridge found that you could walk out onto Lake Ontario from all the shore ice, which had built up.



During the evening, I checked out the toronto skyline.
One of the best places to see the skyline is near the old Docks entertainment complex. Unfortunately, there is little parking (well, there is, but its 15 bucks!), so I went to Cherry Beach. Heading west to the shore, my view was blocked by a large docked freighter, the Quebecois.



Turning south, I took a shot of the ice covered harbour.



I moved up the street to the lift bridge and took another shot,



drove to the CNE and took a shot of the windmill,



before heading to Humber Bay Park, for a different view of the city.





Harbourfront had family day activities, from the classic ice skating,



to the Toronto All-Star Big Band ,


to Olympians Jayna Hefford and Greg Westlake



Jayna had her gold medal with her, and I asked what she did with it. She replyed that generally she keeps it in its little fabric envelope (below the medal) and carrys it around with her! Very cool!



Harbourfront also has lots of the tourist tall ships around the harbour, docked for the season.



Across the bridge you will find Pawsway, a place the celebrates the relationships between man and their animal companions, brought to you buy Purnina.

On hand was Tre Smith,



who is the Events and Education Manager for Pawsway. He became famous as a reality star in The Lofters, and then became a Humane Society enforcement officer. With the battles between the SPCA and the Humane Society, and his previous delaings with an animal cruelty incident, he was all over the TV. Fortunately, all that is behind him now, and he really enjoys his new job at Pawsway.
At the facility, you can buy any type of clothing that your dog may need,


there are pit stops for both man and animal,



and for family day, a dog demo featuring dogs doing an obsticle course, as well as frisbee catching!





Folks hoping to avoid the cold at Harbourfront could also check out the various artisians working on their craft. Here, two people are blowing glass, and creating a vase. The heat, event from a distance, is intense!





I also checked out Col Sam Smith Park, which has a new skating rink, only instead of an oval, its a pathway, which winds through the park. On hand were a bunch of "sheep",



some of which were humping!



while trying to avoid the dangerous wolf!



A three person team, Suspended Animation Circus, performed as well.



I must say that with the cold, and the requirement to have full use of their hands, these three put on a great show, and I'm amazed how well they did considering the cold.