Viburnum Opulus is the Latin name of this plant that has been growing by the front gate and is now about ten feet high. I don’t know what the locals call it, but PlantNet tells me it is also called Snowball, Black Haw, Guelder Rose, Red Elder, Gemeiner Schneeball, European Cranberry, and Crampbark. It has […]
Google Maps thinks this bridge is called the Walter Dale Bridge, but they are wrong. It is named after the nearby neighbourhood called Walterdale and it, in turn, is named after John Walter who was among the early settlers here. He operated a ferry across the North Saskatchewan River at this location. The original bridge, […]
In a recent blog post entitled “Look,” were photos of a wall mural that included some versions of dreamcatchers. Because of the size of the wall and the limitations of the camera used at the time, not all of the objects could be easily seen. As a consequence, today I returned to that wall with […]
Near Delton School in Edmonton, on 121 Avenue, is an interesting mural. It is on the side of a building that was once a retail outlet or perhaps a restaurant, but is now residential. The wall faces a small park. The art work is three-dimensional and made up of a combination of artifacts and bundled […]
Across the street from the Edmonton CFL football stadium, and beside the parking lot for the Stadium LRT Station, is a magnificent mural. It runs the full length of the Canadian Linen and Uniform Service building, which is about 66 metres (215 feet). I have not yet identified the artist and will be grateful if […]
In early May in central Alberta we are just beginning to see signs of spring. There are tiny green buds on the birch trees and when the sun shines on them they have a subtle green glow. The signs of beaver activity are everywhere. They have felled a lot of trees that lie near the […]
I am very fortunate to live only half an hour away from Elk Island National Park where there are about 400 plains bison and 300 wood bison. It is the only fully fenced national park in the country, and the fencing is necessary because the bison population is being actively managed. The fence is there […]
These painted particleboard fence panels have dried out over the years to create these interesting textures. I wanted to take a few pictures just to capture the details in case the home owner decides to take these panels out and build a new fence. It is a little bit of unintentional art in the ordinary.
This is one of many houses near Edmonton city centre that have become old and disused. Some are a hundred years old. They would cost a fortune to renovate and retrofit, so they sit empty. The boards across the doors and windows are an attempt to keep out the homeless, but in a Canadian winter […]
I have a fairly new camera and a very new lens which I tried for the first time today. After a walk to Borden Park, I sat down on a bench to get myself sorted out. Much to my dismay, I realized that I had left my camera on after I had used it two […]
Q: Who is dumber than a box of rocks? A: Someone who packs a box of rocks around for forty years. And who do you know who has packed a box of rocks around for forty years? Yours truly. That’s who. I have often picked up and taken home attractive rocks. Once, on a trip […]
Several years ago, I initiated a free library at my condo complex in San Jose. I asked the Home Owners Association Board for their approval, and they were kind enough to donate some shelving that was in the community room. I moved the shelves to a lounge area, put up a notice about it in […]
On a bright but chilly day this week I walked with my younger son through Strathearn and into Forest Heights Park. It was a longer walk than we expected, covering 4.7 km (nearly 3 miles), but very enjoyable. We saw some new views of the city and got caught up on all our news.
Suddenly today the temperature went up to 14C and nearly all the snow disappeared within a few hours. The sun was shining and the sky was blue as my eldest son and I went for a walk in Whitemud Park in Edmonton. The river still has a frozen surface, but everywhere else we saw bare […]
