JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

The Maple Leafs in Intercounty League action at Christie Pits. The team derived its name from the triple-A minor league Leafs (1895-1967 - the team moved to Louisville, then Pawtucket, where they continue as Boston's farm team). Dad frequently went to games at long-gone Maple Leaf Stadium with his grandfather in the early 1950s. He often rattled off period lineups with no prompting, starting with managers Burleigh Grimes or Bruno Betzel. A treasured signed ball still sits in the basement back home. Taken near the beginning of a Toronto Psychogeography walk that stretched from the Pits to La Paloma at St. Clair and Lansdowne, July 27/06. - JB

Scrolling through Slate the other day, I came across an article about how hard-core sports card collectors and investors ruined that hobby. It gave me a chuckle, as that was the mentality that drove me away from a childhood passion. Dad was one of those kids whose mother got rid of his collection. He apparently had two 1952 Topps Mickey Mantles, though not in any condition even then to be worth much (he was a happy man when we bought a set of 1952 Topps reprints). He bought some cards in the early 70s, either out of childhood nostalgia or laying the groundwork for any future child's collection that wouldn't be given away because they weren't "educational". I started buying packs when I was five and remained hooked well into my teens. The card pictured above is from one of my favourite sets, 1981 Topps baseball. Those early sets are the ones I treasure most, the ones I've come closest to completing. Topps baseball and football cards would have come from W...

One of the first results from Amy's newest hobby, backyard gardening. There is enough room on her property for a sizeable vegetable patch, which is doing fine. Monster zucchinis quickly appeared, including this one I brought back last week. The size of a small torpedo, it served as an ingredient in three dishes (lasagne, chicken rogan josh and goulash soup). Not bitter at all. As for her other plants, peas were sprouting, a lone jalapeno appeared ready, bell peppers were on their way and carrots seemed lost amid the giant weeds Amy has fought a steady battle with. Fingers crossed I'll be able to raid the patch Labour Day weekend. - JB

Variety. A concept you don't hear touted much as a format anymore. Hearing the term makes me think of variety shows, the kind that died off on TV in the 1970s - renting episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour and Pink Lady and Jeff at local video emporiums easily explained why. If this ad were produced today, the headline would be "Entertainment lives...", "Culture lives...", etc. Variety seems reserved for light rock or preprogrammed radio that tout their "better music variety", even if that means playing the same 63 songs on repeat instead of 60. The artwork and colour scheme scream early 70s, down to the unidentified musicians in the bottom right corner, in vests, t-shirts, crazy facial hair and peace symbol. Several of the shows listed were mentioned in our previous trip back to '72 on CBC Radio . A few notes about the others: Based on the info in the ad, Family Favorites (note Canadian spelling not in use!) sounds as if it may have been t...

It's not often that I have to use the TTC's late night service from downtown. Whenever I do, it's rare that the ride on the 320 Yonge, affectionately known as the "Vomit Comet" ( 2003 Toronto Life story ) goes without any hitches or strange moments. I spent Saturday night at a party east of the Don. Fueled by a combination of 3/4 of a bottle of Waupoos Seyval Blanc , 2 cups ginger ale and a bit of sparkling wine, I was tipsy, which most people can attest is a rare condition for me. I wandered over to Gerrard and Broadview to catch a streetcar to take me over to Yonge. It was just after 2, figured I'd be home by 3 at the latest. Yeah, right. When I hopped off at Yonge, I heard a screech that I hadn't heard in the while. A crowd of passengers were entertained by Toronto's foremost proponent of the power of push-ups, Zanta! (in case you're unfamiliar with Zanta, check out photos from The Narrative , podcast from Molar Radio ) Several packed bu...

While in the same neighbourhood as today's Photo Du Jour ... Armando's has long been a family favourite for Mexican food. Just off the main "Mexicantown" strip, or at the part most Canadians head to, it offers up tasty versions of the standards. The tables are topped with ceramics, the entrance covered in signed photos of the 1984 World Champion Detroit Tigers. Canadian at-par coupons first lured us over, which Dad clipped out of the newspaper by the fistful. Armando's one of the few places I've ever seen my family wash down large amounts of booze, thanks to cheap pitchers of margaritas. It's also the first place Amy drove to after passing her drivers test, just beating out the graduated license system. We often go for the lunch buffet. Mexican food in Detroit tends to be heavy, so it's best to pick any restaurant for lunch and spend the rest of your day burning off the meal. Armando's buffet generally includes tacos, beef burritos (with...

Ladies and gentlemen, the latest trend in hip hangouts - the floorless bar. Picture taken at Scotten and Vernor Hwy, Detroit, July 15/06 - JB

Part 1 Day two of the trip began in the Camden Markets, which will be discussed in a general entry on Camden Town coming soon. One of the biggest changes I noticed was the explosion of fast food stalls. After passing a few, I began to wonder if they were all operated by the same vendor. The cuisines and menus varied, but the staff looked alike, pitches offering samples were closely related, foil mini-cake pan containers were the same and signage was similar. I went with "moroccan food", since its offerings weren't dominated by delights from the deep fryer. This stand served up a variety of meat and couscous dishes. I tried the lamb, drizzling half with harissa sauce, half with mint. Proved a good choice - the lamb was lean and flavourful, the vegetables well cooked, the mint sauce enhancing the dish. I ate in an open area of picnic tables, where all of the accents were North American. Dinner that night was near Covent Garden, where I wandered for half-an-hou...

Another piece of my childhood appears to be a goner, as plans have been announced to demolish Tiger Stadium in Detroit. I drove by "the corner" on Saturday. to catch a glimpse while it remains intact. A brief history: professional baseball had been played at Michigan and Trumbull since 1895, when the Tigers' predecessor in the minor Western League moved to the spot (the league changed its name to the American League in 1900 and declared itself a major league the following year). The original field on the site was Bennett Park, named after Charlie Bennett, a star catcher with Detroit's short-lived National League Detroit Wolverines in the 1880s, who lost a leg in an accident. In 1912, wooden Bennett Park was replaced by a new steel and concrete stadium, Navin Field (named after team owner Frank Navin ). Several expansions over the next two decades brought the stadium to its current size. The name also changed, to Briggs Stadium (1938, after owner/auto executive ...

Even though my body and canned soup generally have issues with each other these days, I don't mind the occasional can of an oddball flavour. Not sure what to expect at security, I decided to only bring back one can o f any o f the soups tempting me from the shelf at the Ca mden Town Sa insbury 's . Trying to remember flavours I liked that are not/rarely available hear, I settled on dependable old Baxter's. One coin flip later, a can of Royal Game found its way into my cart. As usual, my worries didn't come to pass. Heathrow security had no problem with the soup, chuckling that I could leave it in my backpack. Packaging : tasteful black fading into foresty background, complete with tartan cloth and regal-looking deer. The back has a miniature of the front, plus a backstory for the contents inside. I'll never forget the story about my grandmother Ethel, making this soup in her kitchen. It's the very first recipe she created & what a soup to st...

The first of several vintage CBC radio and television ads found in the Warehouse's back room... Having survived changes in the radio market from the onslaught of television, CBC Radio was in the midst of its so-called "radio revolution" in 1972, This entailed moves such as dumping short shows for longer ones and interviewing guests by phone instead of in-studio. Ratings rose. Several of the shows featured in this ad are still on the air today. Those are: Ideas (launched in 1965), The World at 6 , Symphony Hall (1962), As It Happens (1968) and Cross Country Check-Up (1965). Other notes about those pictured: Sunday NHL Hockey : The radio version of Hockey Night in Canada , moved over to Sundays once the Saturday telecast took hold. The Entertainers : a long-running variety program, originally hosted by "Our Pet" Juliette in 1972. Juliette (Sysak) was a singer who gained famed from her TV show, which aired after Hockey Night in Canada in the 50s a...

Busy weekend in the city, with at least 10 official events, fans going wild after Italy's World Cup victory, usual summer happenings, etc. Naturally, I escaped it all by heading to the Leslie Street spit, aka Tommy Thompson Park . While I usually explore the spit by bicycle, this time I felt like a quiet walk away from downtown. Being late afternoon, I didn't reach the end, but put in an hour's worth of strolling and photo taking. Trailers next to the disposal gates. Surprised to see a Bell phone. The park is constructed from a combination of dredging from the harbour, fill from construction projects and the remnants of the peninsula that once linked the Toronto Islands to the mainland. Perhaps the loneliest turnstile in Toronto. Wonder how many people use this for a quick laugh. Along the south shore lie mounds of rubble that resemble memorial sites, an impression created by the shredded ribbon of white police tape flying over each pile. These add to t...

Growing up, I looked forward to the boxes of chocolates Mom made for Christmas. Sitting in white boxes in the dry sink in the basement, labelled for easy identification, it was hard not to sneak the occasional treat filled with cherries or whatever else she tried her hand at that year. Those memories came back while trying my hand at making chocolates during a workshop last week at JS Bonbons . Left to right: the tools for the evening; dipping balloons in milk chocolate to produce bowls; my bowl forming; dipped strawberries (I make no claims to be able to pipe pretty patterns on any food item); a pan of truffles (the choices were rum, maple, lavender and rosemary). Lessons learned: * I have lost the ability to tie a balloon. * Rosemary and chocolate are a good match. * When celebrating a new job, like the organizer of this evening, a food-making workshop is a terrific idea. The final result. My bowl held together after it was loaded with samples of all of the tr...