A Toronto Island Pedestrian Bridge and its Scribbled Reflection

We slide into our saucy little powerboat - ours for the next hour and a half - and stow our cameras and other necessities safely at our feet. After a noisy sprint across Toronto's inner harbour, steering comfortably clear of the airport buoys and avoiding the path of the ferries, it is now time to explore. With the throttle pulled down to a hum, we cruise the channels of the many islands that sit in awe (or is it nonchalance?) of that instantly familiar yet metamorphic urban skyline. Rows and rows of sailboats float impatiently on either side of our path, their masts growing up out of the water like stiff reeds, sulking at having to spend this refreshing afternoon suffocatingly moored to dry land. Fingers of elodea that wave to us as we float above their tall stalks become more plentiful as we make our way through the waterway, unwittingly wrapping themselves around the propeller, and only releasing upon being spun in reverse!

It is neat to see evidence of the city on these natural, unassuming land masses, with the City of Toronto's city hall logo visible on everything from Fire Station 335 to a solitary blue recycle bin, not to mention the presence of the CN Tower looking uncharacteristically out of place protruding from this most agrestic of landscapes!!

It has turned out to be a beautiful afternoon, much sunnier and dryer now than in its preceding hours. We ride along our liquid trail beneath many things: the string of red and yellow shaded seats of Centreville's Sky Ride, distinctive bridges such as the one in my photograph which I believe stretches out to Olympic Island, the occasional Porter flight, and of course, a picturesque blue sky satisfyingly accessorised with fleecy white clouds. We leave nothing in our wake but a gentle ripple, and perhaps a few cares that we really didn't need to bring back to land anyway..