Edwards Gardens

The ice storm that ravaged through Toronto just a couple weeks back was unforgettable. In my 21 years of sentient being, I've only seen the city in such a state once - that one time our (then) mayor deemed it necessary to call in the military to assist the city to defrost itself, back in 1999. Fortunately for 6-year-old Dallas, that meant no school and more time playing Neopets, or whatever the hell I was doing.

This kind of a storm brought all sort of shenanigans from downed trees to record-setting wait times at the collision report centres. Maybe the latter isn't true because I'm just resentful of the amount of time it took for me to just report my rear-end collision that I still have yet to resolve, which will also be problem since I'm leaving the country today. But I digressed, the whole #darkTO business brought to light something beautiful, freezing rain. Accumulating over hours upon hours on anything exposed to the elements, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds were flooded by (filtered and unfiltered alike) photos of varying objects meticulously coated by the flash-freezing rain. 

With temperatures remaining well-below the freezing mark, the ice was persistent in its duty to remain frozen. Alas, when another layer of snow formed over the streets of Toronto, I prepped my gear, threw on my new Incase bag (which I'll be discussing at later date) and headed out at 7:30 AM on Boxing Day. 

While others are camped out at various stores and fighting for the very last final sale items at the point of sale in various malls in the city, I enjoyed my time in Edwards Gardens, running around in inappropriate winter gear, snapping away. Quiet, serene, and nature at its untouched form. 

Enjoy.

Prior to descending into Edwards Gardens. The amount of snow and ice that amassed on the forests is astounding.

Early mornings brought a beautiful blue hue donning the skies overhead. 

As aforementioned, downed trees were not a rare occurrence in Toronto for about 2 weeks.

There's something beautiful about winter in black and white.

Trees were harmed in the photographing of this image.

It's incredible how water manages to displace itself into even the smallest of areas, freeze over and form a visual symphony.

It's all about the intricacies and details. How nature interacts with the various facets of its surrounding environment.

I wasn't the only one intent on freezing the moment. Pun fully intended.

With all this snow, I had to take a silly photo - I'm not exactly an outdoorsy type of guy, so I might as well make the most of my camera's weather sealing.

Amidst all the snow, I suddenly became David Attenborough.

Canadian winters call for appropriate hoon-mobiles. Preferably turbocharged, 4-wheel drive, and silly wings.