Category: Canada

What Was Once Home Is Now A Destination – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Saskatoon skyline at night
Saskatoon at Night

We spent 15 absolutely brilliant years in Saskatoon and Martensville, Saskatchewan. We made many, many friends in our time, including a whole bunch of the lifetime variety.  We love heading back to “the scene of the crime” at every opportunity.  Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon are among the best kept secrets in North America.  I can, with startling accuracy, tell if a person is from Saskatchewan  as they have a certain way about them, and I hope some of it rubbed off on us.

The tale I am telling here is a visit we made with our young cousin Lauren, from merry old Englandland.  She was here for a 6 week visit and one of things we did with her was take a trip to Saskatoon to both show her where we had spent some time living and to visit the Sasktel Jazz Festival.

First treat for Lauren was the drive, 6 and a half hours from Calgary to Saskatoon.  They just don’t understand these distances in England, or sitting in a car for that long.  It turned out she enjoyed the drive and was surprised at how not boring it was.

Arriving in Saskatchewan

Once arrived we did some touring around.  After all, I own this town.

I Own This Town

We took a walk up 21st St towards the Midtown Mall area.  They take the Jazz Festival very seriously in Saskatoon.  The downtown turns into one giant stage with music everywhere.  The streets are even renamed for the duration.  It was one of the best things about living in downtown Saskatoon when we lived there.

Jazz Street, Saskatoon, Sk

As we continue down 21st, we turn and look at one of the coolest hotels I have ever stayed in, or seen, the Bessborough Hotel.  An old railroad hotel, it was built in the 1930’s and has a palatial air about it.  The Jazz Festival main stage is in the Garden at the rear along the South Saskatchewan River.  One of the best places I have ever been to listen to great live music.  We have seen Divine Brown, Jacksoul, Little Richard, Carlos Del Junca, Colin James, Jack Semple, Kool and the Gang amongst others at this venue and loved every one of them.

Bessborough Hotel

We used to sit across the street from the hotel at the Spadina Free House, on their deck, on Saturday afternoons and count brides. Our record was 7.  The hotel, the river park and the bandstand are favourite locations for wedding pictures.  Nothing better that a cold brew on a hot day with that building as a backdrop.  Its architecture is so unique that it actually cause a hazard at times during the year.

Heads Up

By this time in the day, the girls were getting kind of bored of shopping and found something interesting that they could do while doing that female bonding thing.

Lori and Lauren Look To Bond

And finally, the music.  Not a great video, but hey it’s just a post. Kool and the gang performing live.

We completely enjoyed this trip and especially liked being tourists in our old home town.  Great place, great summers, great music.  If you have a chance, see Saskatoon during the Jazz Festival.

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Elbow Falls and Cobble Flats, Alberta

Northern lights over the city of Calgary, Albe...
Northern Lights Over Calgary, Alberta

We have been spending the summer fairly close to home this year.  That may sound unlike someone who likes to travel and wonders “Is It Possible To See It All”, but one must remember that we live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a veritable smorgasbord of things to see and do, all within hours of our home.  On this journey, we travelled about an hour west to K-Country (Kananaskis Provincial Park) and visited Elbow Falls, and continued west to Cobble Flats where we lunched prior to returning home.  We were entertaining some guests from Winnipeg on this run and as we had never been here, we decided it was the place to go.

First stop, Elbow Falls.  The video doesn’t do justice.

The area is very tourist friendly with a paved path along the river, protected by guard rails.  There is a large picnic area, but one has to arrive very early to get a spot.  A nice peaceful area to spend a day though.

Roger and Wendy

As the picnic area was full, we left and headed a bit further west, ending up at Cobble Flats.  A beautiful spot for a nice lunch.  A beautiful creek with a picnic area along the creek.  we grabbed a spot and had a great time enjoying the surroundings and company.

The area is surrounded by beauty in every direction.  It is great to live in this part of the world.

The Creek
The View
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Remembering Jack Layton

Jack Layton making NDP transit announcement.
Jack Layton

Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, Canada’s official opposition party. passed away this morning at the age of 61.  He had stepped down as leader in July to fight his personal battle with cancer and vowed to be back in time for the next parliament in September.

On a national level, he was likely Canada’s most popular political figure.  His style was very personable and he seemed to above the fray.  He connected with people with his down to earth personality.  He projected honesty and stirred a belief that he deeply cared about people, which was reflected in his policies and beliefs.  He dragged the NDP from oblivion to its’ current status.  He forced them from being the “Left Wing” soldiers to being a viable alternative to Canada’s Liberal Party, the strategy that transformed from perennial 4th or 5th place finishes to second place.

On a personal level, there is not a chance that I could ever vote for him, and in fact, the very idea that he was head of Canada’s government in waiting scared me.  This had nothing to do with him, but with his politics.  I always enjoyed listening to him.  I didn’t agree with 99,9% of what he said, but he said it well. In many respects, I have been one of his and his parties more vocal critics.  That , though is the very nature of politics.  One speaks out against or for what you or someone else believes.  This discourse usually creates consensus and moves our society down the path to the future.  Jack Layton definitely tried to move the discussion down his road, and I respected him for that.

Canada has lost a great personality in it’s political rainbow.  He will certainly be missed by most everybody.  So long Jack.

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Hanging Out at Heritage Park – Calgary, AB

The pathway along Glenmore Reservoir
Glenmore reservoir Image by elliottzone via Flickr

One of Calgary‘s major attractions is one of the biggest outdoor museums in the world, Heritage Park.  It is basically a town from the early 20th century set along the Glenmore Reservoir.  A beautiful setting for an outstanding piece of history.  The buildings on site are historical  and have been donated or purchased and moved to the park.  Once here they have been restored and turned into exhibits.

When one enters the park, the first exhibit is Gasoline Alley, a museum of restored vehicles and pieces from early gas stations.

Gasoline Alley

Restored vehicle in Gasoline AlleyFrom Gasoline Alley, it is off to the town site itself.  There is everything from fully staffed general stores, candy shops and bakeries to a pool hall and post office.  Each is staffed with well informed park personnel who are willing to answer questions and point out the features and history of each building.

Main Street - Heritage Park

The video below is taken in the Blacksmith shop and is indicative of what happens here to teach people about our history.

Then there are the vistas where one can sit and watch sailboats and the bustle on the reservoir.

Glenmore Reservoir

All in all, Heritage Park is a great way to spend a quiet day in the middle of a large city, without knowing you are in a big city.  There is something for everybody, whether it is history, antique cars or old trains.  If you are in Calgary, make it a point to visit this terrific exhibit.

Lake Louise – The List

Living in Calgary means being close to one of the icons of travel, Lake Louise and of course, the classic picture of one standing on the edge with the majestic view behind you.  We have now been there many times with guests and have taken the picture on multiple occasions.  So, without much fanfare, I have compiled the Lake Louise Post of Fame.  I will add to this on each opportunity (or as I find old pictures).  I also encourage our friends and relatives to contribute their own photos to the cause and I will update the Post of Fame.

My post, we get to be first
Jason & Tera
Jeff & Charmaine
Lori & Ethel
Lauren - The Ice Princess

Canada's Best Places to Live

Chinook arch over the city of Calgary, Alberta...
Calgary with a Chinook Arch - Image via Wikipedia

Money Sense has ranked 180 cities in Canada on several criteria to come up with the best place in Canada to live.  The winner, and I am sure they are sucking up to someone, is Ottawa-Gatineau.  In Alberta, Edmonton at number 8, beats out my city, Calgary at number 16.  Guess we will have to get our murder rate up and our weather crappier so we can catch them next year. Coming in at number 180 is, dum ta-de dum, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.  I am sure they are quite happy to know they live in the worse city in Canada.  Full list is here.

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Jeff and Charmaine Make It Rain in Alberta

My brother Jeff and his wife Charmaine stopped by for a quick visit here in Calgary and decided to bring along some extra water that had been lying around in Manitoba.  It was a deluge from the time they got here to the time they left.

We did as much as we could with the cards we had been dealt and managed to squeeze in Lake Louise and Banff before they left to go south.

Lake Louise May 24, 2011

From Lake Louise, we headed down to Banff and checked out the Banff Springs Hotel.  A very impressive building.  The photo is taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic application.  Very cool effects.

Jeff and Charmaine at the Banff Springs Hotel

We finished off with a quick stop at Bow Falls in Banff and then headed home.  It was great to see them and hope we have better weather next time around.  I apologize for the video quality, but, hey, it was raining.

Listening to Sara Bareilles

Cover of "Little Voice"
Cover of Little Voice

Another artist that kind of snuck up on me.  I bought her CD based on an appearance on Letterman.  She seemed to be a very talented singer, player, songwriter, and we were in the mood for something like this in our collection.  “Little Voice” is the name of this particular CD and the song we heard was “Love Song“.  We listened to it a few times and put it away.  Then, through the miracle of iPod, I uploaded the disc and her songs began to play oon a random basis.  I kept thinking, who is this, and was rewarded each time with the name Sara Bareilles.  This CD and her new one “Kaleidoscope Heart” are now staples in any mix we develop.  I am thinking she is for real and look forward to more of her material.

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Winnipeg Jets – Update – July 2

Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Glass during ...
Tanner Glass - Image via Wikipedia

The draft is done, the team is named, the uniform and logo are being worked on.  I would think that 95% of the world is happy that the Winnipeg Jets is the name chosen.  A lot of history in that name and it would have been a shame to name them anything else..

Free Agent season opened on July 1 and the Jets did not exactly make a splash.  Having said that, there really wasn’t anything there to make a splash with.  Better to save the cash, see what you have in the fall and move towards next year with the youngsters already in the system.  The goaltending is in good hands, the young defence is in great shape and signing a big name forward would have been a waste at this point. Lets face it, Brad Richards would have been an interesting pick up, but in reality, he would have added nothing to the team.  One other point to make is that Winnipeg will not be playing in the East in 2012-13.  The style of play in the West has some subtle differences, so it is a smart play to stay the course and work towards signing Western style players next year.

The 2 signed so far are decent depth players, which we are lacking and in fact, of all the Canucks in the playoffs, Tanner Glass was one of the few who impressed me.  Yes, his type of player is common, and yes, he will never be an all-star, but how many Canadian kids with heart do the Jets have at this point.  He will do well on the 4th line and was cheap.  Derek Meech is a solid AHL defenceman who is reaching the age where he could easily become a solid NHL player.  He is also a hometown guy which is always a plus.  He will make the team and will be a decent contributor.

Of the guys that are left,  Teemu Selane is an obvious choice.  A link to the past could be a path to the future.  Signing him is pretty much a no-brainer.

Late Breaking, the Jets have just signed defenceman Randy Jones.  He last played with Tampa Bay Lightning, but missed the playoffs with an ankle injury.  Another solid, but not spectacular signing.

A Jamie Langenbrunner or John Madden type of veteran would also be a reasonable pick up at this point as a veteran leader and bridge to the future, but only at the right price.

http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=370594

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=370720

Listening to Jordan Cook

Saskatoon skyline at night
Image via Wikipedia

This week is the week for The Saskatchewan Jazz Festival in Saskatoon.  Not only does it bring in the name acts, it also showcases Saskatchewan talent.  One of these talents is Jordan Cook.  For some reason, the province has been blessed with many talented musicians who continue to impress.  The list is long, but some of these are, Northern Pikes, Colin James, Jack Semple, Deep Dark Woods, Kyle Riabko the list is endless.  There was a show last night in Saskatoon that I would have loved to have been at.  It featured Jordan Cook and The Sheepdogs.  I have already done a post on The Sheepdogs, which I have linked to below.  The video attached is Jordan Cook playing live.

 

http://joebeans2002.com/2011/05/19/listening-to-the-sheepdogs/