This is the door to a store that once sold ceramic tiles that were made by a local artisan. I regret that I cannot remember what the store was called. The building was empty for some time and half of the tile store is now occupied by Raw Studios. This lovely pink door, however, is […]
Until COVID-19, I had a system for moving money from Canada to the USA based on my expectations of income and expenditures in each place each month. Then the pandemic hit and I suddenly found that my plans and expectations were dust in the wind. Now I have a balance on my US credit card […]
Concordia University (formerly Concordia College) in Edmonton, Alberta, is in an enviable location overlooking the North Saskatchewan River valley. It is a private university with some funding from the Government of Alberta. Originally, it was affiliated with the Lutheran Church and was founded in 1921 to prepare young men to become preachers and teachers. It […]
For the last couple of days, Sandhill Cranes have been migrating north and flying over Edmonton. The flocks are so large there must be thousands in each of them. I don’t have the right equipment to get a photo because they fly so high up in the sky and far beyond the capability of my […]
The recent news that one of my favourite resting-and-reverie spots was to be cleared to make way for something big and modern, reminded me that I took a few photos when I was there in January. So, here for your viewing pleasure and perhaps for posterity are the pictures I took. A developer has snapped […]
Yesterday I walked along a street in which the trees have been pruned to clear the way for the power lines. As time has gone by, the trees have grown bigger and the trees’ branches have spread further apart. It doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to see this as analogous to […]
Norwood Wesleyan Church in Edmonton is closed for the duration of the COVID-19 lockdown, but the members have chosen to send a message to the community in the meantime. In fact, they sent several messages and put them on the main doors. The first thing I noticed was that there were several coloured paper hearts […]
In my neighbourhood, there is a house with images painted on one of the side walls. All of the images are derived from popular culture and all have been carefully drawn and painted. At the top is Mary Poppins flying away with her umbrella. At the bottom is Forrest Gump sitting on his bench. To […]
Ada Boulevard in Edmonton’s Highlands neighbourhood is a popular place for walking and jogging. The area was developed over a hundred years ago and has beautiful houses all along the north side of the road. It is also the location of Concordia University, the McGrath Mansion, and the best treehouse I have ever seen. I […]
“The corridors of power are very dimly lit.” Peaky Blinders The longer we self-isolate and read or watch the news, the more we realize that we have elected some really dim bulbs. It doesn’t matter what country you live in, we are all finding out that we have some politicians who just aren’t up to […]
For Poetry Month and Earth Week here is a delightful blog post from the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area in Saskatoon. via a loving concern for the environment
It is hard to say whether this giant aluminum baseball bat is a symbol of Edmonton’s optimism or its nostalgia. Either way, it is big. For a long time, it was the biggest baseball bat in Canada, but a few years ago they built a bigger one in Saskatchewan. When it was created in 2001 […]
A house that had previously escaped my notice called to me today. I was actually looking for interesting doors to add to the Thursday Doors collection of Norm 2.0. When I saw this one, though, I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate for that setting because it isn’t the door that is intriguing. The interest […]
McKay Avenue School in Edmonton was in use as a school until 1983 when it was turned into an archive and museum for the Edmonton Public School Board. It was built in 1905 and originally served to house the Alberta Legislature after Alberta first became a Canadian province. It is named after Dr. William M. […]
Good murals add colour and interest to an inner-city neighbourhood. I admire the designs and appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating them. It doesn’t matter what city I find myself in, I always come across murals that draw my attention and engage my thoughts. A few days ago, I came across a […]
Clinkers are bricks that have been over-fired and have become misshapen. Clinker bricks used to be discarded by Edmonton brickyards but the owner of a hardware store saw value in them. In 1927 he used them to build his house. James Rutherford built a house eight short blocks from where I live and it is […]
