Margin Notes: Moose, Dogs, and Leaves

A Ronald McDonald moose was found outside the McDonald's Canadian headquarters near the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto, Ontario on 15-October-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - In 2000, Toronto launched a "Moose in the City" project (its web site still exists) that placed 326 moose decorated by artists throughout the city. Surprisingly few of them still exist nine years later, but I stumbled onto one outside the McDonald's Canadian headquarters building this week. Personally I found it a bit disturbing to find Ronald McDonald with four legs.

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A resident was noted to have placed a water dish for the canines in the neighbourhood near Jane and Annette in Toronto, Ontario on 6-October-2009

It turns out that St. Paul, Minnesota does not have a monopoly on providing its four-legged friends with water. Earlier this month, a water dish for dogs appeared in my own neighbourhood on Annette Street. So far, I have yet to see it patronized by any local canines.

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Perhaps it's getting too cold for dogs as it did freeze in the past week, but one thing I have not understood is that as soon as the temperature dropped to 10 C, a significant number of women started appearing in downtown Toronto with winter boots and sunglasses on. There was no snow on the ground or in the forecast, there were clouds in the sky blocking the sun, and frankly it wasn't even cold enough yet for me to wear a winter jacket. I don't understand the fashion statement. This morning, though, I wouldn't have questioned the look at all--the sun was out and shining brightly, but it was close to freezing. I guess they were just weeks early.

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Canadian Pacific "Expressway" train #122 to Montreal crossed the Humber River in Toronto, Ontario on 18-October-2009

The autumn colors are not early in Toronto. While the leaves are starting to turn, the scene along the Humber River has yet to reach peak color, as demonstrated by the shot above of a Canadian Pacific trailer train crossing the river earlier today.

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The Canadian Pacific has announced its Holiday Train schedule for 2009. Tuesday, December 1st looks like the big day in Toronto, as both the US and Canadian trains pass through town.

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Another railroad seems to be doing a good job of reaching me in advertising. BNSF (which doesn't stand for Burlington Northern Santa Fe anymore) is now an underwriter of the PBS NewsHour. They were already on my good side for their reasonableness in allowing steam operations and other special events, but they moved up another notch by supporting about the only decent television news program in the United States.