Jill Browne, from home and away

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The robins came in droves over the weekend. It was also snowing the whole time. The whole scene was unusual. Robins and snow aren’t supposed to go together. Snow in April is not particularly welcome (though not at all uncommon). Robins in flocks, very unusual for me.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Looking north toward the Centre Street Bridge, Calgary. Photo by Jill Browne, February 22, 2011.

We’ve been on daylight savings time for a while now. Why it started in early March is a good question but OK, it did.

This means it stays light later in the evening, and that’s nice.

Going to work in the morning, for those who have to travel any distance, is still dismal and dark.

This picture from February could have been taken today, a month later.

The picture is of Centre Street, looking north. In the distance is the Centre Street Bridge, crossing the Bow River. It’s a two-level bridge. Every year, usually on the first day of the Calgary Stampede, someone who can’t read road signs will drive his RV, or attempt to drive his RV, across the lower deck and get stuck because the bridge clearance is too low for his vehicle.

Some day I hope to get to the scene and watch the RV extraction process. It’s sort of a rite of passage. (Watching, not being the driver.)

Starbucks at the Westin Hotel, Calgary. Photo by Jill Browne, February 22, 2011.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The picture shows the Westin Hotel on 4th Avenue SW, downtown. It’s still one of the leading business hotels, with a great location for people who have meetings right downtown.

I haven’t visited the Starbucks in there yet.

Fourth Avenue Flyover and Langevin Bridge, Calgary. Photo by Jill Browne, February 22, 2011.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Winter. Snow. If you’re getting tired of hearing me say it, imagine how I feel.

I have been hearing robins over the past week or two, but today I saw my first one. Poor guy, up there in the spruce tree in the snow.

The picture is from February, though the day looks much the same as today. We were going east on Memorial Drive, stopped at the light at Edmonton Trail, and I took this picture of the 4th Avenue flyover. You can also see the older Langevin Bridge behind it.

The Langevin Bridge is named after the same gentleman as the Langevin Block on Parliament Hill, Sir Hector-Louis Langevin. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from Quebec, and one of the Fathers of Confederation. He was also the Minister of Public Works and left office because of a scandal. His department was the subject of an inquiry in 1891, and he stepped down that year.

It strikes me as odd that a Quebec politician from any party would have a bridge named for him in Calgary. Even in the early days, we had more than enough luminaries to cover the infrastructure.

Langevin was the minister who petitioned Parliament for a bridge across the Bow River, and that is why his name is on it. So says a brochure from the City of Calgary, “A Snapshot of Calgary’s History”. The petitioning was in 1885. The bridge was built in 1910, twenty-five years later.

You can just tell there’s a lot of juicy 19th century politics behind the scenes here. I wonder who in Calgary felt such loyalty to Langevin as to put his name on the Calgary bridge so long after the fact, and why.

Chamber of Commerce Building, Calgary. Photo by Jill Browne, January 3, 2011.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Snow. Had lunch with an old friend at a Mexican restaurant with a pagoda-shaped sign where the Chinese restaurant used to be. Fun lunch, yucky weather.

I took this picture in January. The old Chamber of Commerce building is the home of the Chamber, and a beautiful building it is. It’s been integrated into the modern skyscraper behind it and can be reached via the Plus 15.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

It snowed and snowed and snowed.

To quote Dr. Seuss, “Snow, snow, snow. All that snow has to Go!”

Monday, March 21, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

A week ago I went to the Calgary Zoo for the day. It was bright and sunny, a perfect spring day.

The lions were basking on the rocks. We ran into Kelly, a Zoo educator I’ve known for a few years and found out the lions can bask on the rocks all year round if they want.

The baby giraffe was cute but it was the hyrax that stood out unexpectedly. Usually these little grey guys are few and far between. But this day we saw them piled up on each other in groups of five and six, looking like piles of grey rocks. I guess that’s the point.

Fun day at the zoo.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Big buzz on Facebook, friends waiting for this big moon.

Mother Nature was not kind to us. The skies were cloudy all day, all night.

Was there a big moon up there?

I’ll take it on faith.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Big hurrah, there was more grit in the box at the fire station. In fact, it was even sandy and not just the sharp little pebbles I posted about before.

This winter. Man. It’s snowed and thawed and snowed and thawed more times than I can remember from other winters.

Everyone is sick of it.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The poor weather was good luck for us: we got parking on the street in Kensington.

Let me repeat: we got parking on the street in Kensington.

I actually avoid Kensington, even though it’s one of Calgary’s more interesting commercial spots, because of the parking. Yes, I am a bit more picky. A lot more picky about parking than anyone else in the world. I don’t care. If parking isn’t easy, why go?

So, poor weather = good parking.

Moving on to the actual food experience, I would go to Wake Bistro again. We sat in a table by the window with a view to the goings-on outside, such as they were.

I had the bacon, eggs, special breakfast, all great, and with an added touch of homemade mango jam. Tasty.

I’d go back.

Had a little stroll in the rain for a few minutes, over to Pages. Bought books.

Admired the green velvet cupcakes in the window of Cravings the cupcake place. Well, green cupcakes. Not something you see every day but perhaps inevitable on March 16. St. Patrick’s Eve.