The Nature of Things

The other day I took a break from the norm and did some sketching in Toronto's natural oasis, the Don Valley Brick Works. With such lovely fall weather, I just wanted to be outside! 

The Brick Works was originally a quarry that supplied brick to Toronto buildings for over 100 years. It cycled through a series of other uses, fell into disrepair, and then in 1994 a restoration plan was launched to develop the site into a multi-use public space.

The naturalized gardens of the Brick Works are now home to many species of plants and animals.

You can wander through the site on trails or this cool walkway that is suspended over the pond. It's a good spot if you're into turtles.

There's also a weekend farmers market and a lot of good food-related events going on. A while ago I was there for a blueberry pie tasting competition and it was a brilliant way to spend the afternoon.

I'll have to go back before fall ends to do a bit more drawing here when all the colours come out. Being a downtowner,  it's easy to forget about our city's wonderful ravine system and the nature that surrounds us.