Jill Browne, from home and away

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Here is a typical winter scenario in Calgary.
Snow. Thaw. Snow. Thaw. Snow. Thaw.
When the thaw comes, the snow melts, of course.
This creates two things: the risk of ice on sidewalks and other dangerous places as soon as the melted snow, now water, freezes again; and dirty cars.
The slush and water from the melted snow mix with whatever dirt is lying around to create thin mud soup. This is just the right viscosity for car tires to spray around, and so all the cars out on the road get coated with brown mud.
The weekend can be a very popular time to go to the car wash and rinse it off.
Surprisingly, when we went today, there was absolutely no line-up. Yay, it was done in 10 minutes and feels so much better now.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

All I can say is it was a tiring week and I am really glad it’s Friday.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

OK, Christmas was almost two months ago. And yet, there is a stack of abandoned Christmas trees on the side of the road in a pull-through. Why? Because in years gone by, in the early weeks of January, the city has asked people to pile the trees there between stated dates. The city then took the trees away and ground them up for mulch. Excellent.

This year, the city did something different. They told us to put the Christmas trees out where the garbage goes, on certain stated days. They picked them up. They never whispered a thing about putting them in a big pile at the side of the road. They didn’t put up the little fences they had to mark where to put the trees last year. They didn’t put up a sign saying, “Christmas trees go here.” No, they told us what to do with the trees: leave them where the garbage goes.

Come on, people. You got the same notices I did. What are those trees doing at the side of the road?

I am open to hearing sensible explanations, but “Because they always did it” isn’t one.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Yippee! Wednesday. It’s become my breakfast out with Suzanne day. The rule is, never the same place twice.

It’s going to be a hard rule to keep, because I’ve really liked a couple of the places.

Today: Over Easy on Edmonton Trail. Never been there before.

Decor is fun and relaxing, a sort of 50s meets Danish modern with a blackboard on the ceiling for good measure. Nice big front windows.

Delicious omelette with artichokes and other good stuff (not on the regular menu, it was the special). Good coffee.

Reasonable price. I am a bad reporter. Too lazy to pull out my receipt and have a look but in the neighbourhood of $11 sounds about right.

The food was good, the restaurant was not empty but not packed, just pleasantly humming.

Very friendly, attentive servers.

Liked it and that’s no yolk.

😉

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

In addition to deciding to stop adding fluoride to Calgary’s drinking water, the City Council approved (by one vote, I understand) the building of a tunnel underneath the airport.

Without such a tunnel, the expansion of the airport will create a kind of barrier for those who want to get in and out of north-east Calgary.

The Mayor said it will cost more not to build the tunnel than it will to build it. I suppose the more comes from dealing with the stress on the rest of the infrastructure.

Now the city engineers and outside contractors have got a big job ahead, though in radio interviews the city’s engineer seems calm about it. Building a tunnel in and of itself is not an extremely difficult feat of engineering, and the city staff have already got a lot of the preliminary work done. The kicker is that the airport, which is federal property leased to the airport authority, is going to build the new runway starting soon. Barlow Trail closes in April 2011. It’s now February.

Expect lots of digging.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I confess, I’m writing this after the fact and the events may not match the dates perfectly. History may never forgive me.

Calgary City Council voted to stop adding fluoride to the water supply.

This is one of the hottest issues, perennially, in Calgary. We got fluoride added after a couple of plebiscites said, “No” and then one said, “Yes”, about 25 years ago. Before then, people who wanted fluoride for themselves or their children had to get it in little bottles and add it in drops to their water at home.

I was taught that fluoride is essential for strong teeth and bones, but that too much or too little is harmful. There is an optimal range, and that is what the addition of the fluoride to the water supply was aiming for.

One lady called in to the radio and said that by boiling water for babies’  bottles, parents were changing the fluoride concentration, I think by a factor of 40. I don’t know how that fits within the optimal range, or whether it’s true, but it’s certainly something to check out if you’re in that position.

Which we now won’t be.

I expect the health unit will advise us to add fluoride into our water at home if we have kids or perhaps if we are at risk of osteoporosis.

I don’t mind. I want it, and I’ll add it. I am happy to let people who don’t want it make their own informed choice.

I also hope those same people are scrupulous about their children’s diets and dental hygiene, because the absence of fluoride will mean extra care is required to keep the teeth and bones healthy.

Wonder how long it will be before we have another fluoride discussion.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Today is Groundhog Day. We haven’t got groundhogs and I’ve never heard of Prairie Dog Day, so nothing to report on the rodent meteorology front.

Another bright sunny day, even warmer than yesterday. Up to about 5 above zero, I think. Celsius.

The pictures I took yesterday of the new LRT and the downtown skyline show something of how parts of Calgary are getting high off the ground.

I remember being quite charmed the first time I encountered a quiet European tram at ground level. It was in Bremen, Germany. More recently, I had the horrible experience of driving in Toronto on the elevated expressway (not for the first time, it was just a particularly yucky ride). There is something so unbecomingly dominant about a road that puts cars above people, literally.

I like the new Vancouver rail line from the airport to downtown, and it’s elevated.

So, what’s the difference between the elevated car experience and the train experience? It must be the feeling of being about to be killed by other drivers that ruins the whole car thing for me. I feel safe in the train. I’m looking forward to riding the new C-Train when it’s ready.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Warmer today, even a little slushy

Central Mountain Air flies to the top and bottom of Alberta and British Columbia, and from side to side as well.

Here’s a map of their routes. Ever heard of Rainbow Lake? Fort Nelson? Smithers? Now you know how to get there.

The people at Central Mountain Air were brilliant at helping a Special Person get off their plane and into a wheelchair.

THANK YOU.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Cold today, still in the -20 area. Not enough to feel terrible but enough to want it to be just a little warmer. In Canmore, about 100 km to the west, it’s 3 above. That’s the kind of strange weather we get, thanks to being close to the mountains.

But enough about the weather.

I’m back at the airport, dropping off this time.

It’s dead here!

We have a very pleasant airport and I can calmly sit here typing, enjoying my coffee, while I wait for confirmation that the plane boarding went fine, or that the plane took off. Either will do.

And then home through the dark cold night and into a nice warm bed. Even though all I’ve done is drive up here and back, I feel a bit virtuous thanks to having been out, if only for a quick moment, in that bracing winter air.

Saw a guy with golf clubs in the elevator as we arrived at the airport. He had a golf shirt on, no jacket. Was headed towards the parkade. Silly man. It may have been hot in Palm Springs when you got on the plane, but you can’t bring it with you, Sunshine.

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.