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While most TFS walks start with coffee and end with beer, this walk started and contained beer from start to finish. With the help of fellow co-host Bill, I selected a series of breweries across the eastern part of Toronto, starting with the Great Lakes Brewpub on Lower Jarvis and ending at Godspeed, located at Coxwell and Gerrard. Sadly, since I started planning this walk, one of the breweries closed at the end of June (Saulter Street). Bill Smith suggested Radical Road as a replacement. The bonus is that Radical is right along the route, so there was no need to make any changes. TheRead More →

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Through the balance of 1813, neither the Americans nor the British made any significant gains to achieve victory. The biggest issue was with the overly cautious commanders on both sides; Major-General William Henry Harrison failed to exploit the rapid retreat by the British Army after their defeat at the Battle of the Thames. He chose to establish a loose beachhead along the Detroit River. Similarly, the Americans had only briefly pushed their advantage in the Niagara region but ended up only able to maintain a small occupation force in the region bolstered by over-enthusiastic traitors. On the British side, Major-General Francis de Rottenburg had nearlyRead More →

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There’s a delightful irony in publishing this post on the 4th of July, a post celebrating Canada. I started working on this post in April after hearing about a list of the ultimate Canadian travel guides being put together by CBC Radio. Now, my travel within Canada is limited. I’ve only visited a handful of provinces. I wanted to put together a post about my seven favourite places I have visited in Canada during my various travels. Some I have visited more than others, but all seven hold a special place in my heart. These are also presented in no particular order. Stratford, Ontario IRead More →

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We wanted to stay close to home this year for our main summer vacation. The one place my wife and I had been talking about visiting is Kingston, Ontario. As a city, it is one of the older urban centres in Ontario. It is home to numerous historic sites, not to mention some stunning architecture and natural landscapes. We only spent three full days in the city, but we got to see a lot in that time. We visited Old Fort Henry, took a river cruise on the St. Lawrence through the 1000 Islands, and explored the Pumphouse Museum. We then spent some time inRead More →

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The western division of the British Forces in North America was in a tough spot, as was the Naval Squadron on Lake Erie. Both were starved for men, arms, and supplies. Despite several requests to their superiors, both Major-General Henry Proctor and Commodore Robert Barclay were forced to divide what little they had between them. For Proctor, the failure to dislodge or delay the army of Major-General William Henry Harrison by land left a rift between him and the Indigenous forces under the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. He had holed up at Fort Amherstburg and hung all his hopes on a naval victory on Lake Erie.Read More →

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In: Between Darkness & Light
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This isn’t the first time this location has appeared on the blog, I featured it back in August 2022 during my big Railway project. But that was in the context of its railway history so it is only fair that I share my personal history with this location as an urban exploration. What makes this location important is that it was one of the first locations I was able to fully trace its history from start to current using a piece of paper and the Internet. And second I successfully captured a 4×5 sheet of this building less than an hour after finding out IRead More →

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One of my favourite events to attend in the GTHA is Hamilton’s Doors Open event. This was my first experience with architectural tours and has for many years been my birthday present to myself. My original plan for this year was to hit up locations in Ancaster and Dundas. I wanted to check out some of the historic churches in those communities, but what struck me as interesting is that not a single church was listed as being part of Doors Open Hamilton this year. So I went back with what I knew, downtown Hamilton and the industrial sector. I got in four locations thisRead More →

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Easter was late this year, but that’s how it all works; we’re tied to a lunar calendar that is constantly changing and shifting. It has been many years since I went chasing a sunrise, and because Easter was late this year, it was an early start to my morning while Heather and the little guy slept. It was out to Rattlesnake Point to attend an early morning service with Southside Community Church, Redhill Church and one other that I can’t remember. I took my D750 and carried along my 24mm, 28mm, 50mm, and 105mm lenses. I also took the chance to use manual exposure, especiallyRead More →

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The first six months of the war had not gone as planned for the United States. Rather than a swift capture of Amherstburg, Niagara, and Kingston, the swift actions of the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock resulted in the capture of Mackinac Island, Fort Detroit and Michigan Territory down to the River Raisin, and a repulse of the invasion across the Niagara River which cost him his life at the Battle of Queenston Heights. The death of General Brock was a significant blow, as his replacement, Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, proved to be a far less effective administrator and military leader. It got bad enoughRead More →

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Lieutenant-General George Prevost, Governor-General of British North America, was displeased with his subordinate, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock. General Brock had disobeyed his orders, and instead of sticking to defence, he had gone on an offence and captured both Mackinac Island and Detroit from the Americans. President James Madison was unhappy with the results of the first months of the war, especially the surrender with little to no fight by the defenders. But what got Prevost was that Brock had received high praise for his actions and a knighthood. And with news that the Orders-In-Council were being repealed and the main complaint and the source ofRead More →