Jill Browne, from home and away

Tuesday, January 11, 2010

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

So cold the emergency brake froze in the on position.

Put outside briefly, the dog stood on three legs even when not peeing.

I watched from the comfort of a warm room.

And it wasn’t even that cold. Only minus 17 C or so. But it’s a dry cold.

Canola field under blue sky. Photo: Doug Bowman, CC License on Flickr.com

Monday, January 10, 2011.

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

It’s still winter.  In fact I think winter is only beginning.  It has its good side, winter does, but today I’m thinking of warmer things.

The cloud ceiling is still over us, and the temperature is down around -17 C.

Frost feathers starting to decorate our windows.

Makes me think back to the brilliant sunshine and the glow of the yellow canola fields.

I wrote Canola has a Glow of its Own back in those glory days of July.

Link to Doug Bowman’s photo

The weather is only scary if you have to drive. The highway east of Calgary was shut down when I woke up this morning, and it sounds like people were stranded, cars in the ditch, people being put up in the little town of Bassano wherever they could find space. The RCMP said they would be getting out there to help people “at first light”, which I love the sound of.

Last night the wind was dramatic.

It’s grey and cloudy yet again today.

It’s actually not that bad outside now, but I’m glad I’m not going anywhere.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

One of my good friends is Ranger Julie, who is a real park ranger.  She got the nickname when stationed up high on a mountain in a hut, watching for avalanches and helping hikers along their way. She’s seen everything to do with hiking, I’m sure.  The one story I remember is of a young Italian guy hiking in the Rockies with no food and no equipment, no tent, no sleeping bag, nothing.  He didn’t realize that Canadian hiking is a little more rugged than going from hut to hut in the Alps. By the time he reached Julie’s hut he was pretty hungry!

Imagine having a job that sends you out alone on horseback with a pack horse or two, for the summer, to live alone with the hikers and the mountains.  Sounds idyllic.  Julie doesn’t do that now but in the past she has.

It’s bloody hard work.

She got to be a ranger by paying her dues.  I think her first official parks job may have been on trail crew.

You know those trails and bridges you hike across?  Trail crews go out and fix those. Sometimes when I’m crossing a bridge or walking up some impossible slope holding on to a cable, I think of the poor fearless workers who built it. Ranger Julie and her pals.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Weather today:  Around freezing and overcast all day.  No sun.

There’s lots of choice for Vietnamese food in Calgary.  It’s one of the cheaper lunches, and leaves you full for the rest of the day.

My friend was shopping at Best Buy and suggested we meet at the nearby Pho.  It’s actually called Le’s Pho, 8180 – 11 Street SE, Calgary.  Forget the address.  Get to Heritage Meadows (between Deerfoot and Blackfoot, at the east end of Heritage Drive, down on the flats).  The Best Buy is at the south end.  Le’s Pho is across the parking lot.

I’m actually having trouble figuring out if it’s Le Pho, Le’s Pho, Le’Pho, but I know the location is right.

My friend had a big bowl of beef soup, I had the chicken on top of vermicelli.  We shared an order of salad rolls.  The total bill before tip was $24.05, and as far as I could tell it was a 50/50 split.

It’s one of those Vietnamese restaurants that you find all around Calgary.  Though the outside is kind of featureless industrial, the inside has the unmistakable ambience of “let’s not spend a lot of money on the furniture and decor”, which is fine by me.

I’m not a connaisseur of this food.  I like it once in a while, and I got what I came for.  No complaints.

It was odd that the waiter didn’t want to give my friend a knife to cut the salad roll in half, though.  He seemed to find the request a bit of an outrage but complied anyway.

If this map is ridiculously small, I believe you can enlarge it and it should show you where I mean.  The little arrow may be on the back of the building, though.  That’s just a Google Maps thing and I couldn’t change it.

Thursday, January 6, 2011.

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Weather today: Beautiful sunny winter day, temperature at mid-day just above freezing.

I’m meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow and trying to think of where we should go.  This put me on the track of thinking about coffee and the indy coffee spots I’ve tried around town.

The truth is, I drink a lot of coffee from Starbucks, because I like the taste, and I like the atmosphere, except when it’s crowded.

I also go to The Second Cup, which is a Canadian coffee franchise.  Like the taste, like the atmosphere of my two favourite Second Cup locations.

I know that some people prefer to go indy when there’s a choice, and I agree, it’s a good thing to do.

So, if you love coffee and you wonder where on earth to find an indy coffee place in Calgary, the first place I’ll suggest is Kawa, on 8th Street SW between 13th and 14th Avenue.

Kawa Espresso Bar

Why people like it:  the coffee.  This is for people who really enjoy the taste and smell of good coffee, and at least some (probably all) of their coffee is organic.

I like the coffee, but I will warn you that wherever you find parking around here, you’ll have to pay for it. I am happy with the decor but I don’t find it as inviting as some people do.

Kawa has some devoted, I mean really devoted, fans.  Their coffee is as good as people say.

More coffee places to come.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011.  Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Weather today: about freezing or a little warmer, no wind.  Major Chinook arch.

Breakfast

Breakfast for two was just over $30 with tip.  We ate substantial meals; enough to call it the main meal of the day.

Each had the same thing: a “Blackstone Bowl”, English muffin, beverage (coffee for me, diet cola for my friend).

The “Bowl” is a layer of potato wedges, a layer of chopped tomatoes, some slices of bacon, and scrambled eggs with cheese on top.

Not great, not terrible.  Is it the best you can do for $15?  I doubt it but I’ll have to start paying attention.

I’ve been going out for breakfast about once a week.  Should have a new restaurant to report on soon.

Ricky’s Restaurants, Calgary

A notice from the Whyte Museum in Banff came today by email.

Among the several programs and exhibits coming up, was a mention that William Waterworth’s prisoner of war logbook would be on display, along with additional material.  I’ve just emailed the museum to ask about the dates.

UPDATE:  The display is up already and will continue until mid-March 2011.  It’s in the Archives, not the Museum galleries.  The Archives’ hours are 10 to 12 and 1 to 5, Monday to Friday, but I would double check before going on a statutory holiday Monday.

I had the great privilege of meeting Mr. Waterworth at his home in Banff a couple of years ago.  Sadly, he died recently.  This came as a surprise to me. When I met him, he was in great shape, despite having just had foot surgery.  My belated condolences to the Waterworth family and friends, should any of them happen to read this.

My meeting happened because I was a volunteer researcher for a museum exhibit called “For You, The War is Over“, which showed something of the prisoner of war experience for two groups of men: Alberta men captured as prisoners of war in Germany, and German men held as prisoners of war in Alberta.  Through that project, I met a few of the dwindling number of surviving prisoners living in the Calgary area, and some of their families.

Mr. Waterworth’s log book, which I was very honoured to have been shown, is relatively rare.  When the Allied prisoners were released, they faced a long, hard march back to friendly territory.  Men died on the trail, with their friends unable to save them.  They typically didn’t carry anything that wasn’t useful, so many log books and other personal items were left behind.

Another Calgary flyer, Barry Davidson, brought his PoW log book home.  Through the generosity of his family and the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta, you can see Mr. Davidson’s log book online.  The books have some similarities, and some distinctly personal touches.

Mr. Waterworth’s log book is a family heirloom.  Thank you to the Waterworth family for allowing others to see it.

Those who fought in the Second World War, and in wars before and since, regardless of where and how they served, literally put their lives on the line for the rest of us.  They are all heroes.

Whyte Museum website

Excerpt on the Whyte’s website about the logbook: “Bill Waterworth’s Wartime Log”

Barry Davidson Prisoner of War logbook on the Bomber Command Museum of Canada website

Monday, January 3, 2011

Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Home

It just occurred to me (doh) that in most postcards people talk about the weather.

I’ll start mentioning it daily if I remember.

Since the New Year started, we have definitely felt wintery, but not all that cold.  What does that mean? At the warmest part of the day it’s been around -5 degrees C, just enough below freezing to be convincing and for the snow not to melt.

We have had a fair bit of snow so far this winter, but not like the storms elsewhere, like in eastern Canada and the US, or in Europe.

There’s a layer about 8 inches deep (let’s call that 20 cm) most places, though the depth varies with the wind, the tracking down by people’s feet and cars, and the shovelling from one spot to pile it in another.

Today was pretty bright and sunny.

Sunrise: 8:40 a.m.

Sunset:  4:42 p.m.

The new Bow Building dwarfs Calgary's downtown landmarks (Photo: Jill Browne)

January 3, 2011

Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Home

The new Bow Building isn’t finished yet but it already dominates Calgary’s downtown skyline.

Designed by the firm of Sir Norman Foster, the building was commissioned by energy company EnCana.  It’s 58 stories high and larger in scale than Calgary’s other office buildings.

On the plus side, the building is said to have some environmentally-friendly design features.

The big negative, as far as I’m concerned, is that the opportunity to take hundreds of  jobs out of the downtown core has been lost.  Calgary is a flat, sprawling city.  Most people depend on their cars to get almost anywhere.  Now even more people are going to be going downtown, further taxing our public transit and limited downtown parking and roads infrastructure.

I don’t see how this can possibly be considered environmentally friendly.

In spite of my vinegary attitude, I do love the surprising picture, linked to below.  If you know who the photographer is, please tell me so I can credit them properly.

Link to picture:

Workers at the Bow Building, Calgary