Kevin Leonard
LightNews LightNews
banner
repusvek27.bsky.social
Kevin Leonard
@repusvek27.bsky.social
360 followers 340 following 270 posts
Retired | Anthropological Archaeology PhD, 1996, University of Toronto | husband to Sandra | father of two amazing daughters | one love
Posts Replies Media Videos
repusvek27.bsky.social
So cool how you get slush forming from the iced mug
A small mug of A&W root beer sits on a light wood table
November 13, 2025 at 11:44 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Dawn arrives in Toronto
Highrise buildings of the Toronto city skyline are illuminated by the rising sun in the east and the full moon sits in the upper right corner of a blue sky in back out the skyline.
September 8, 2025 at 10:30 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Canadians in the 25-40 age class are most numerous in our population pyramid. Don’t know what proportion of them are recent immigrants, but if the nation invokes conscription to defend our borders, the immigration surge so many Canadians have lamented suddenly will be seen in a positive light.
Population pyramid for Canada, 2025.
April 16, 2025 at 9:40 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
The 501 headed west out of Riverside into Corktown under a full moon on a Saturday night.
A modern streetcar painted red and white crosses an iron bridge over the Don Valley Parkway and the adjacent Don River on Toronto’s east side at night. On the bridge above the streetcar, the words “This river I step in is not the river I stand in” appear in white lights.
April 13, 2025 at 3:30 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
A crimson door with four panels in Toronto’s Canary District is illuminated by the setting sun. The door is very old, with vertical cracks in the wood and ornate hinges that have also been painted over, regrettably. The top half of each panel has painted grills that create four small windows. Overall, the door is practically square. It is set in a new brick wall that has a kind of golden glow in the soft, spring sunlight. Another cool feature is the rivets that reinforce the panels. The door has been preserved thanks to city heritage regulations, I presume and it was an entirely worthwhile endeavour, but it could use a new coat of paint. The impressive hinges and rivet heads should be cleaned and a preservative applied. In a new-built part of town, it really hits as a reminder of our urban heritage.
April 13, 2025 at 3:16 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
April fools day one day late in Toronto
April 2, 2025 at 6:56 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Birch bark soap label read: maskwiomin.com Maskwiomin Skincare Sydney, NS, Canada B1P 6A7 This is a therapeutic soap that enhances skin health and leaves hair lustrous and healthy.
April 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Before getting into archaeology, I spent 14 months north of 60° as a Meteorological Technician for Environment Canada. In May and June of ’85, I was at the High Arctic Weather Station in Mould Bay, Prince Patrick Island. King, the heroic station dog, was disabled from run-ins with polar bears.
The Canadian flag flies at the Mould Bay High Arctic Weather Station. In the foreground is King, a black and white husky dog who survived many battles with polar bears while keeping occupants safe. Behind this heroic canine is a green Bombardier Snow Cat. A second husky dog sits on the roof of the steel-panelled station building, with green trim around the windows. It's June, when the sun shines 24 hours a day. Screen cap from Google Earth showing location of Mould Bay High Arctic Weather Station, where met techs formerly released hydrogen-filled balloons that ascended to the stratosphere, transmiting humidity and temperature readings back to the station. Wind speed and direction are calculated by tracking the flight. Sea ice prevented boat access so people and supplies were flown in to the station on bi-weekly "skeds" (scheduled flights) weather permitting. Sadly, the last manned observations at Mould Bay were taken on March 31, 1997. An automated meteorological station is now in use. Back in the day, a geologist was also posted there to monitor a seismograph and take magnetic readings.
March 28, 2025 at 5:21 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Cold front from the southwest pushing moist, warm air aloft at the right time for the sun to create rainbows in east side Toronto.
View from the right bank of the Humber River Showing a bright rainbow over the east side of Toronto. A double rainbow facing east from downtown Toronto. A double rainbow in the background with the photo of the Don River and a bridge under repair in the foreground. The end of the rainbow showing the full intense spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green blue and violet in Scarborough.
March 16, 2025 at 9:27 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Fast ice at Jimmie Simpson Park in Riverdale #Toronto
A man in a blue fleece hoodie leans on a hockey net on a nice sunny day.
February 1, 2025 at 4:32 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Lyrics from “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” by Marianne Faithfull, RIP 😿
January 30, 2025 at 6:47 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Something I hadn’t thought of before: clearing vegetation around the sites furthers degradation.
🏺#paleosky
January 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Life imitating art
A 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle sits on a beige wooden table about half completed. The completed part of the puzzle shows an orange kitten gesturing towards a butterfly, which is just outside the picture while it stands on a partially completed jigsaw puzzle on a beige table. There is another kitten and a full grown cat, possibly their mother to the right of the orange kitten. An oil painting hangs in an ornate gold frame directly above the mother cat, a view of a bridge over a Venetian canal. A huge vase of multicoloured wildflowers and cultivated flowers, including buttercups and roses dominates the space above the cats. To the left is a blue curtain with orange floral patterns in front of a wooden grill window, looking out onto a water view with waves, and a small sailboat tied up at the end of a rickety wharf which leads to a boat shed that has a wrecked boat beside it. A real cat lounges on top of the unfinished puzzle - an example of life imitating art. The real cat is staring directly into the camera with her mesmerizing green eyes. She has white hair coming out of her ears. Her long and luxurious coat is a mix of dark and brown. She’s in the prime of life.
December 29, 2024 at 3:37 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
A man stands on the Queen Street bridge over the Don River at night with the CN Tower spiking through the Toronto skyline behind him. He’s fit looking but has a scruffy short grey beard. Wears faded Levi’s blue jeans with a black down vest over a grey fleece top with a Burberry scarf and green merino wool toque by Taiga. He has a slightly sardonic look on his face as he leans casually against a bridge pillar, with his left foot crossed in front of his right leg. He wears a red poppy for Remembrance Day.
November 4, 2024 at 12:59 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Black cat to boot
A Jack-o-lantern carved from a ripe pumpkin has large eyebrows, wide-open eyes and two bottom teeth. A candle inside makes the face glow in the darkness. My black cat stands in front of it, her tail visible beside the carved pumpkin.
October 31, 2024 at 11:12 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Beautiful tree canopy in Leslie Grove Park, Toronto
Looking up to a canopy of leaves in a Toronto park. Red and orange are probably sugar maple, not sure about the green leaves but the tree is huge.
October 22, 2024 at 8:28 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Halloween taken very seriously in Leslieville neighborhood in Toronto. Very competitive and creative.
A brick bungalow with fake skeletons, one even walking a dog skeleton on the green lawn. Pumpkins, corn stalks, ghosts, and a goblin round out the cast. Spider webs too. One skeleton is climbing up the porch and one is trying to get into the upstairs window. A flower bed that has all plants removed and replaced with three small fake human skulls, with fake hands and feet sticking up like they are part of the skull’s skeleton by. Pretty effective. Photo taken at night.
October 19, 2024 at 9:41 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Took a while but I listened to the whole thing. Now to start note taking on a written version. I love the tone of this book and all its implications for the field I ended up in. 🏺#paleosky
October 16, 2024 at 3:30 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Yonge and Bloor headed home
A slim man dressed in black stands in front of cream coloured subway tiles with the letters YO inset in black tile, at Yonge TTC Station in Toronto
September 28, 2024 at 1:14 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
“Lettin’ it eat” - my first and longest throw at the Throwers Club Meet in Toronto on September 14. 34.75 m, 76 cm shy of the record from men 65-69 in Ontario. Great bunch of throwing enthusiasts made it a special day.
September 17, 2024 at 4:13 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Jimmy’s Coffee on Queen Street East in Riverside, Toronto. First visit to this iconic cafe after walking past it for 2.5 years.
A small cup of Jimmy’s Coffee sits on a varnished wood table at a coveted window seat. Number one place for people watching in Riverside. In the background, a Toronto Transit Commission streetcar stops to pick up passengers and a bicycle rider cruises past, westbound on Queen Street East on a warm summer afternoon.
August 8, 2024 at 9:21 PM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Brownies and Guinness at my younger daughter’s for dessert.
Brownies with chocolate chunks in a freezer container with a tall can of Guinness 0 non-alcoholic draughty in the background.
July 2, 2024 at 1:05 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
A Canada Day feast at my older daughter’s place. First time using a George Foreman Grill. Really good results.
A George Foreman grill pilled high with shish kebabs of chicken breast, vidalia onion, red bell pepper, and cherry tomato. Shrimp with head on skewered in threes with two short bamboo sticks piercing the top of their backs. Three ears of sweet corn on the grill round out the first complement of the menu. The same grill with the corn still cooking, with asparagus spears with a short bamboo skewer through the bases of six spears, for ease of flipping. Longitudinal slices of ripe plantain have nice brown grill marks on them at the top of the photo. The plantain are looking really good now, the high sugar content browning up nicely. The corn also has nice brown kernels where it rested on the grill. Asparagus looks yummy too, basted with sesame oil for added flavour.
July 2, 2024 at 12:48 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
Read the paperback in the 80s and just finished the 🎧📚version, all 32 hours of it
From the Libby app used by Toronto Public libraries a screenshot of the novel Tai-Pan by James Clavell. The sun sets behind the middle sail of a three masted junk in Hong Kong harbour, the principal setting for this nautical themed novel set in the 1840s. Excellent narration.
June 14, 2024 at 2:37 AM
repusvek27.bsky.social
I don’t drink coffee often, but when I do, it’s the Atwood Blend.
Atwood Blend organic coffee by Balzac’s Coffee Roasters of Ancaster, Ontario, with a single serve French press full of brew, and a cup with greenish and turquoise glaze made by my elder daughter, on a glass stovetop. A coffee grinder is to the left.
June 4, 2024 at 11:26 AM