Sibu Pegasus Power

Photo Finish Friday: family

2012-01-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

I will be in trouble for this! This is what the 3 of us looked like before the internet and blogging changed our lives :) I can't remember the year, sometime in the late '80's or early '90's I think.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Sibu

2012-01-24T00:38:00.001-07:00

Well, the vet didn't really have a lot of good news. She thinks it could be one of a few things, but, without blood work (Minimum of $120.00 that I don't have) she can't really be sure. It could be kidney problems, thyroid problems, diabetes or cancer. There is no guarantee that the labs would give us an answer and no cure for any of the conditions...they can be managed with medications that I can't afford though. We are going to leave well enough alone for the time being and I will just have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he eats and drinks. In the meantime hopefully I will get a job that will allow me to afford the blood work and whatever medications. She said that his kidneys are small and there is a mass in his abdomen that could be a kidney, but it has a strange shape to it. So, I am just going to enjoy his company as long as he is happy and comfortable and take each day as it comes. Which means checking to see if his chest moves 3 or 4 times a day.

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday: Bright!

2012-01-20T01:30:00.000-07:00

Please click to enlarge

The flash went off - Sibu was not very happy! We go to the vet on Monday afternoon to see what's going on. He has lost between 2-4 lbs, too much for a ten lb cat and he is still being finicky about whether he will eat or not. I wish I could drop 20 - 40% of my body weight in as short a period of time.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is brought to us by Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: New Snow

2012-01-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Please click to enlarge

We had snow overnight. I had good timing this morning....the snow removal guys just went by, so the side walk is clear now. It was the only way I knew we had new snow :)

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Art Gallery of Alberta

2012-01-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Please click to enlarge

This is the Art Gallery of Alberta, taken back in August. The first time I have been near the gallery when there hasn't been a festival or something blocking the view of it. So many people hated the design when it was proposed and the price tag that went along with it. I think they did a fabulous job and it was money well spent.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brain child of my cousin Leah, at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Bokeh

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Please click to enlarge

This is from last year, because frankly, I haven't had the time this year to go out and take any Christmas photos.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Happy

2011-12-16T11:39:00.001-07:00

I stopped to take a rest while in the mall the other day and was admiring the decorations. I decided I had to share even if I only had my cell phone with me!

You may have to click to enlarge :)

Have a good weekend all!

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: What was old is new again

2011-12-02T00:37:00.001-07:00

This is the Alberta Hotel, newly reconstructed in downtown Edmonton. It stood on this spot from 1903 - 1984, when it was taken down, piece by piece to be later rebuilt. The pink building that you can see behind it in the second photo is the reason for all that work. That is Canada Place and they needed the room in order to build it. Canada Place opened in 1988 and 23 years later, they have finally gotten around to rebuilding the Alberta Hotel.

This is a local photographers Flicker account of the reconstruction, take a minute to have a look (his shots are much better than mine). The only article I can find on it is here.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Reflecting

2011-11-25T09:28:00.001-07:00

Brake lights reflecting in a stainless junction box next to the LRT.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the concept of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: The Mac

2011-11-18T11:52:00.001-07:00

This is the river side of the Hotel MacDonald. (I edited out the neon sign that was peeking around the chimney.) We had to go through the hotel and lounge to get to the patio, but, it was worth it.

Have a great weekend everyone.

PFF is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Remembering

2011-11-11T11:51:00.001-07:00

This was a fun day we had sometime in the '70's! We managed to stuff Dad back into his R.C.N.V.R. Uniform - even though he couldn't get the top done up, the pants were fine! Mom even swooned all over again!

I am proud that my dad, a landlocked-farm-boy, volunteered to join the Navy during WWII. He spent a lot of time feeding the fish in the Atlantic.

I am happy to take the time today to remember all the men and women that have sacrificed their lives, that we may live the lifestyles that we have today.

Photo Finish Friday: City Bison

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-06:00

This is some art work behind the Shaw Conference Centre, discovered while wandering around with my friends from down east.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is brought to us by my brilliant cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Dawn patrol

2011-10-28T00:12:00.000-06:00

Yes, I was up in time for the sunrise! This must have been the day of my surgery and here it is just over a month later and I feel so much better! Of course, the dawn is that much later, so it is not a problem seeing it now :)

Have a great weekend all!

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Baby

2011-10-21T11:52:00.000-06:00

We went out to Elk Island Park again before my surgery and found this lovely pair in the paddock.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: drive-by shooting

2011-10-14T10:55:00.000-06:00

I liked how this tower looked in the dusk.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Giving Thanks

2011-10-10T10:50:00.001-06:00

It is Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend as most of you know.

This year I have plenty to be thankful for. I am thankful the someone figured out how to replace bad hips; that I live in Canada and didn't have to come up with thousands of dollars to pay for a hip replacement. I am glad I chose to live in a city that has a new state of the art facility for hip & knee replacement - even though it is on the other side of the city, I didn't have to travel from another city to get here.

I am glad I have friends that were willing to give me a place in their home (and even give up their bed) so I could get a bit stronger before being on my own. They are being so good to me, they are even taking my laundry to their house to do it for me and still helping me in the shower. I don't know how you ever repay that much kindness, but, I intend to try my best. Neither of them want their names plastered on the internet, so I will leave it at that.

I am healing quickly and feeling like I could take on the world! Of course, I will wait the specified healing time of 6 weeks before trying anything stupid, like walking without the walker or the crutches! Lord knows I do not want to have another surgery on the same hip because of something I did.

That is what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. Well, that and breathing and having a roof over my head and the usual list :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Gratitude Monday

2011-09-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a page from my cousin Leah's book today and talking about gratitude.

I am grateful to live in Canada, where an elective surgery for replacing my hip with an artificial one is covered by health care.

I am grateful that Alberta Health Services & the Red Cross have a program called STELP (Short Term Equipment Loan Pool). So that I can get a walker and a bathing seat and grab bar for the tub, along with a raised toilet seat and handles to go with it, all without paying for it. I can then return it all in 3 months or less when I am finished and the next person can use them.

I am grateful to have good friends that are willing to take me to hospital and bring me into their home afterwards, so that I have help for the first few days after my release. They have already been helpful, running around with me to get the various pieces of equipment that I need, sitting in the Dr.'s office to learn what is going to happen with the surgery and afterwards. They will continue to be helpful for the next couple of months also, helping me with grocery shopping and whatever else I can't do alone.

I am grateful that my wait for surgery isn't any longer than the Dr. originally said it would be. Oh and here is an article on where I am having it done.

I am going in on Friday and probably won't post for awhile. I will let The Bag Lady know how things went, so check out her blog for news.

In the meantime, have a good week everyone!

Photo Finish Friday: Dragonfly

2011-09-09T05:30:00.000-06:00

We had a picnic in the park the other day and while photographing a plant for my friend, this handsome fellow chose to land nearby. You can see his wings are a bit tattered, it was a very windy day. Amazingly this was shot with my only lens, the 18-55.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Flower!

2011-09-02T10:36:00.000-06:00

One of my neighbours handed me this flower as I was going past her place with a prospective tenant. Sadly I can't remember what she called it, but, it smelled heavenly!

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: deflated

2011-08-26T00:24:00.000-06:00

Inside the Shaw Conference centre the other evening with friends and saw this.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Athabasca Falls

2011-08-19T09:34:00.000-06:00

I must confess, this was my camera, but not my hand/eye that took the shot.

I was so worn out, I didn't dare try to go down to see the falls, I wouldn't have made it back up. My friend kindly took my camera and took a few shots with it. Darn good shots too! Click to enlarge.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Flowers

2011-08-05T12:22:00.000-06:00

This is the first time in years that we have been on the hwy when the flowers have been blooming in the ditch. It is either too early, too late, or the mower has gotten to them first. We have Indian Paintbrush, (Fireweed I think), Daises, Purple Clover and Wild Tiger Lilies. Probably more too, I just can't tell.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Elk

2011-07-29T10:58:00.000-06:00

And there were two more in the bush.

Have a good weekend all!

PFF is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Jasper's New Totem Pole - Part II

2011-07-21T14:26:00.000-06:00

I managed to choose a good bench to park myself on, I was able to see most of what was going on and hear the speeches that were made after the raising. The sound system was not very good and there was no way I was able to hear the speeches that were made before the raising. I did mange to see all sorts of of lovely costumes, so here are some crowd photos from Saturday.

And from the speeches after:

The totem on Sunday when the biggest crowds and the ropes were gone.

Have a good day all!

Jasper gets a new Totem Pole

2011-07-19T16:43:00.000-06:00

My friends & I went to Jasper this past weekend to watch the new totem pole being raised and we had a wonderful time. Up until 2009, there had been a totem pole by the railways in Jasper (94 years actually). It was however about 140 years old, it had sat elsewhere for the first portion of its life and then been purchased by Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and placed in Jasper. The Jasper Raven Totem Pole was repatriated back to the Haida Gwaii in 2010.

Totem poles are not something the First Nations Tribes in this area create and there was a huge uproar over putting another totem pole in Jasper. Some links; here, here and here. It seems to have been settled out a bit at least as there were no demonstrations and lots of participation by the tribes of the area and the Gwaii. Here is the story of the new totem and the brothers that designed and carved it.

And it wouldn't be a post by me if there weren't some photos ;)

They were still carving and painting on Friday when we arrived. We spent so much time Friday night walking around the town and looking at the totem and the new site that I was pretty much useless on Sat & Sun for walking. We figured out from my friends pedometer that we walked about 6-7 miles (well, meandered) over the course of the afternoon/evening. I used my friends as walkers the next two days, or sat on a bench under a tree. (Very frustrating!)

I managed to hobble over and get these shots of the pole going up:

I heard that the people pulling on the ropes all got to keep a section of rope for a souvenir. It was hauled up by manpower, the crane was there only as an emergency stop should it fall.....it weighs 9600 lbs. There were only a couple of times that it seemed it was going go awry.

Sadly as I was stuck on a bench I didn't get shots of the procession of chiefs and other dignitary's. However I will post more tomorrow (or the next day) this is long enough for now.

Have a great day all.

Photo Finish Friday: Fledgling

2011-07-15T05:21:00.001-06:00

One of last weeks babies decided to try his(her?) wings. I'm not sure how long he was on my patio, but I had been hearing a one note peep going on all afternoon and it was driving me nuts!

I took a few shots then went outside to see if I could do anything, he scooted under my planter which gave me an opportunity for a better photo. I put a thin stick up at an angle to the bottom of the trellis, but he didn't figure that out. It probably wasn't high enough anyway. Mom and dad came by a couple of times to try to get him going, but, I didn't see them succeed before it got dark. Doesn't mean he spent the night under the planter though, but at least he would be safe from predators there. Here I was thinking of replacing that planter, I had better not ;)

Have a good weekend all.....I won't be around to reply as I will be in Jasper! Yes, I am going to the mountains ;) I'll catch up on Monday.

PFF is the invention of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Hungry?

2011-07-08T02:08:00.000-06:00

As close as I dared to get with my Sony.

Then I got out the Olympus to use the high powered zoom and managed to get two babies ;)

Have a good weekend all.

Pff is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Canada Day

2011-07-01T14:10:00.000-06:00

Happy Canada Day one and all!

Photo Finish Friday: Enough with the rain!

2011-06-24T01:06:00.000-06:00

This is the first time in the 6 years I have been here that mould (moss, lichen, whatever) has started to grow on the concrete that edges my patio (which faces East, btw). We are getting more rain tonight and showers throughout the weekend.

I also just discovered that I am even dumber than I thought. For the first time, I have deleted photos before I downloaded them....this was going to be a cute baby bunny photo! Ah, well! I am sure I will see another one around eventually.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Pretty in Pink

2011-06-17T01:45:00.000-06:00

This was taken a few days ago. I noticed the other night they are all open, but didn't have a chance to get out again with my camera before the rains started. By the time the rains quit, they will probably be all done. Such is life ;)

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Edmonton Clinic

2011-06-10T11:08:00.000-06:00

South

North

These two buildings are the new Edmonton Clinic at the U of A. It is to be a place for learning, research and patient care. The video on their website talks as though they are one building, but, there is an historical building (the old nurses residence) they couldn't tear down between the two.

Have a good weekend all. PFF is the brainchild of Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Festive

2011-06-03T01:06:00.000-06:00

Click to enlarge

University of Alberta Hospital. Not sure why the flags are up on the expanse of windows, but I thought it was interesting.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Startled me, it did!

2011-05-26T12:14:00.001-06:00

There is a small building across the school yard from where I live and it houses a gas line pressure release valve. I know this now, because it decided to release last night and startled me. I had just turned on my toaster oven and turned when the first venting occurred and my first thought was: what did I do? My second thought was: what are the tenants up to now? It sounded like it was right outside my patio door.

Being the brave (or foolish) person that I am, I put on a sweater and ventured outside and at first I couldn't see anything, but, it was so much louder! I was thinking: invasion? The air was vibrating, so maybe the air force was playing around, but they would have to have been really, really low and have figured out how to do it rhythmically. Then I noticed something between the branches of the trees (and the poor scared rabbit that didn't know where to go) so I walked along the grass and sure enough there is a jet of (what I thought was) steam shooting into the air every few seconds. I tried to get a video, but alas I had not yet used the movie feature on my camera and it was on the default setting of ~~won't work on your computer~~ AVCHD, which is for viewing on your HD TV (which I don't have) or making Blue Ray discs (which I also don't have).

One of the other tenants in the building got a pretty good video though and posted it to YouTube.

After listening to that for about 20 minutes, the knock came on the door telling us to evacuate, that it is a gas leak.... by the time I was dressed and stuffed Sibu into his carrier, got my cane and drugs etc. people were coming back in. It smelled worse outside and we were told to wait inside, they would knock again if we needed to go.

Another 30 minutes later.....it finally stopped! Five minutes later, doors were knocked on and we were told to get out, 10 minutes later we were told to go back in again.

Good thing we didn't have to go out again, I am pretty sure I would not have caught Sibu a third time. I am surprised I got him the second time.

I am pleased with the tenants in the building, there was no panic and I am pretty sure everyone left as they were asked to do. I am also glad to live in this wing as I believe the other wing got a bit of the odour, which I did not.

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday: Buds

2011-05-20T12:48:00.000-06:00

Sunset tipping the tops of the branches with gold.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF if the creation of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Moon

2011-05-06T10:19:00.000-06:00

This was from a couple of weeks ago, taken with my only lens the 18-55 ;) Click to enlarge please.

Have a good weekend all.

Pff is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: First taste of...

2011-04-29T11:46:00.000-06:00

...grass!

This season's anyway ;)

Have a good weekend all!

PFF is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Holster

2011-04-22T10:21:00.000-06:00

I made a holster out of an old bag and a bit of cardboard tube, to stop my camera from weighing so heavily on my neck and banging on my hip. I made it long enough (I hope) for a zoom lens when I get one.

Happy Good Friday/Earth day all :)

PFF is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Installing Spring

2011-04-18T10:33:00.002-06:00

INSTALLING SPRING...

███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 44% DONE.

Install delayed....please wait.

Installation failed.

Please try again.

404 error: Season not found.

Season "Spring" cannot be located.

The season you are looking for might

have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

Please try again.

A friend sent me this and it was so appropriate, I had to share.

Have a good day all.

Hilary from The Smitten Image, very kindly bestowed upon me the Post of The Week award. Thanks Hilary.

Photo Finish Friday: Pussyfooting!

2011-04-15T13:25:00.000-06:00

Sibu is so prim and proper when he is snuggled up in the blanket on my bed.

Have a good weekend all ;)

PFF is the brainchild of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

What a difference!

2011-04-12T09:57:00.000-06:00

In just a few days we have a lake out the back. Somewhere under there is a sidewalk. The lake extends almost all the way to the parking lot on the left.

This is what our covered parking looks like in the spring! The water in the mains underneath freezes and the melt from the roof backs up and floods it. This was after the company had come and steamed the pipes to get them flowing again and our maintenance guy had spread de-icer all over. You couldn't pay me to park under there.

Have a good day all ;)

Photo Finish Friday: Grass!

2011-04-08T10:53:00.000-06:00

Yes! We can see grass! (Under the tree)

Which you would never know, based on what is still on my patio ;) Actually this was taken a few days ago and we have had plenty of sun and wind to hurry the melting along.

Have a good weekend all ;)

PFF is the inspiration of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Specs!

2011-04-01T00:44:00.000-06:00

I have new glasses! I was told by the optometrist to try progressive lenses, that they would solve the problems I've been having with the screen being to far away to see correctly. Well, that problem is solved, however, the side to side vision will take a bit of getting used to - I seem to have to move my head to read a paperback. Very narrow field of focus, just the edges of the page are out of focus. Oh well, I am sure I will adjust eventually.

Oh, don't click to enlarge, that just gets scary ;)

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: My walking stick

2011-03-25T00:52:00.000-06:00

I saw the specialist on Wednesday about my hip and he will be replacing it. The waiting list is about 6 months long and the Dr. told me to use a cane in the meantime. Here is my new cane, please click to enlarge.

Funny that I am not a big fan of red, but they didn't have anything else that was interesting. A variety of solid colours and a mottled green or a black and silver swirly pattern. Oh, or pastel bubbles - none of which were me. So, unless I can find a purple one and exchange them, this will do the trick. As long as I don't trip over it and break my neck, I think we will get along just fine ;)

And because I like the song (and the video is cute) have a listen here:

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Spring cleaning

2011-03-18T00:21:00.000-06:00

I noticed our neighbours were back last week, pulling out the old, getting ready for the new season. Too bad there is still about two feet of snow on the ground!

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday - Mmmm

2011-03-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Pasty...it's what's for supper...for at least 4 meals ;)

Have a good weekend all!

PFF is the brainchild of cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail

Photo Finish Friday: Old & New

2011-03-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

New taken with the old

Old taken with the new ;)

No, I can't afford it, but I am so glad I got it (on sale)! Now, I just want some decent weather so I can get outside and play... inside is boring (except for the cool things it will do). Someday I may even be able to afford more lenses for it.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday - Bourbon Street - Alberta Style

2011-02-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

In the last little section of WEM, they seem to be slowly getting rid of the traces of the original concept, but there are still a few to be found. Click to enlarge.

There used to be little balconies above most of the store each with mannequins, some were jazz musicians, some were just party goers, there were the little joker sconce/hand things everywhere and there were more of the masked faces. I suppose though that each chain has to conform to the rest of the stores, so there went the balconies and masks...I assume in the reno that is going on they will rename it and get rid of the rest of the the iron works and lamps.

Have a good weekend all.

Pff is the brainchild of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

My Town Monday: West Edmonton Mall - Part IV

2011-02-21T01:03:00.000-07:00

I have saved what I think is the best part of WEM for last ;) If you have missed the other posts you can find them here: Part I, II, III. The Lagoon is the world's largest (again) indoor lake. It is home to the Santa Maria - well, a replica anyway; Deep Sea Derby (water bumper cars); and Marine Life, an underground aquarium. You used to be able to ride around the lagoon in the submarines, but they seem to no longer be using them.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

The Santa Maria

At Christmas it gets stuffed with toys for the underprivileged children of the area.

You can also rent it for parties

The exhibit area for the Sea Lions (formerly for dolphins)

and one of the submarines

The bumper boats & entrance to the aquarium on the right

A very long shot into the cavern area where they were feeding the seals, or brushing their teeth? (the ropes are from the bridge in the photo above)

Well, those are the highlights of North Americas largest mall. I was taking these photos in the early morning, so there were very few people about and nothing was open yet, except the coffee shops. It took about two hours, to walk the mall, mostly from the second floor with small ventures down to the ground floor.

People can spend two or three days there trying to see & do everything there is to see & do. People get lost in the mall and in the parking lot, so write down where you parked and the entrance number you came in...then find a map to carry with you if you come to visit.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour ;) Have a good day all.

For more MTM, drop by the blog.

Photo Finish Friday - Merry-Go-Round

2011-02-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have memories of playing on this type of merry-go-round as a child, but I only vaguely recall riding a carousel maybe once, no idea where or when. I don't think they came every year with the fair. We lived in a fairly remote location when I was a kid and the fair only had a few rides with it. By the time I was a teen, it had expanded (and the hwy had been paved) to include more rides, but by then I was too old - or cool, or something for the carousel ;)

Have a good weekend all!

PFF is the brainchild of Leah (my cousin!) over at The Goat's Lunch Pail

My Town Monday: West Edmonton Mall - Part III

2011-02-14T06:38:00.005-07:00

If you haven't been boggled enough by Part I & Part II, here we go again. This is for the more active amongst us. West Edmonton Mall has an indoor waterpark, called oddly enough World Waterpark.

This tropical paradise boasts the world's largest indoor wave pool and tallest indoor permanent bungee tower, as well as more than 17 unique waterslides, ranging from beginner and intermediate to advanced and extreme, and play features.(From their website)

I have never been there. I love to swim, but I hate crowds and it is always crowded. Except when it's not open yet ;)

click any photo to enlarge

It is on the south side of the complex, so gets natural daylight, but, only has the one viewing window, so the photos are a bit limited.

If you prefer skating, there is an Ice Palace too. NHL sized rink, that also gets plenty of natural daylight.

I think that is Ringette the children are playing there.

On the second floor around the rink, are several tropical fish tanks, these are the best photos I could manage with the sun pouring in through the roof.

I will have to go back one day to see if I can get a better shot of some of these fish. They are so pretty, but, the reflections in the morning are intense.

Have a good day all.

For more MTM stop by the My Town Monday blog.

Photo Finish Friday: Carousel Horses

2011-02-11T00:52:00.005-07:00

I thought I would show you a few more of the carousel horses, but can anyone tell me what has happened to blogger's editor all of a sudden? I have had to switch back to the old editor in order to post the font I want to. Um, click to enlarge, please.

Have to use the old photo uploader too... aaarrrrgghhh!

Have a good weekend all...maybe by Monday they will have it fixed ;)

PFF if the brainchild of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

My Town Monday: West Edmonton Mall - Part II

2011-02-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, I gave you a bit of an overview of WEM. One of the areas in which to lose you children, ~~or your life~~ or yourselves is Galxyland. It is a theme park within the mall... it has 23 rides and play areas and the world's largest indoor triple-loop roller coaster called the Mindbender. It was originally named Fantasyland, but then Disney caught wind of it and the name was changed after a big legal battle.

Here are a few photos of the rides inside - click any photo to enlarge.

Side shot of a balloon Ferris wheel

The Mindbender

Another roller coaster that runs throughout the area

Not the shooting gallery I mentioned in the previous post ;)

Roller coaster for the little kids

Twister

The swing was always my favourite ...

after the carousel of course ;)

I am not sure of the names of all the rides and I didn't take photos of all of them either. There is a haunted house area, a little ground train that runs through the area, a theatre, an area for video games and oh, just so many more.

Have a good day all.

To enjoy more MTM, drop by the MTM blog.

Photo Finish Friday: Sunrise

2011-02-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Sunrise from the hotel room window overlooking the waterpark.

(Thanks Sis, I'd never have gotten this shot without you)

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the creation of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

MTM: West Edmonton Mall - Part I

2011-01-31T04:32:00.011-07:00

Yes, part one! You may have heard of the mall we have here in Edmonton, some of you may have even seen it, or parts of it. It is the largest mall in North America. When it was completed in 1999 (phase IV), it was the largest in the world. It held that title until 2004 and is now the 5th largest world-wide.

From Wikipedia: West Edmonton Mall covers a gross area of about 570,000 m² (well over 6 million sq ft).^[1] There are over 800 stores and services^[4] and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. More than 23,000 people are employed at the property. The mall receives 28.2 million visitors per year; it also attracts between 60,000 and 150,000 shoppers daily, depending on the day and season. The mall was valued at C$926 million in January 2007.^[5]

If the mall had an apartment/condo complex attached, you would never have to breath fresh air! (Apparently they do have the permission and zoning for it, but haven't started yet) There is an Hotel, if you only want to stay a few days...or are loaded!

Click any photo to enlarge

They have about three food courts, many full restaurants, banks, any kind of shop you could possibly want, a shooting range and a casino. There is also a gym, a chapel, a petting zoo and a few nightclubs.

This is Professor WEM's Adventure Golf

Europa Boulevard (upstairs from the golf)

The dragon leading up to an Imax theatre, it actually breathes fire!

(just not at 9 in the morning)

Chinatown...just in case you can't read the sign ;)

One of a pair of vases and you can see the edge of the supermarket sign.

More art.

Lovely fountain, bridge and gate. (sign in front of the pond asks that you don't throw food or coins in the pond as it is not good for the koi.... sadly there are no koi there anymore.)

As you can see here, the fountains are in need of some work.

This is what they are replacing the fountains with.

And of course we have to have an oil themed statue. If it weren't for oil, we wouldn't need such a blatant show of excess.

Many things have changed since Phase I opened in 1981. There used to be birds (a beautiful white peacock, parrots and many other exotic birds - they couldn't take the noise though) and a car dealership. The area known now as Chinatown used to be the International Marketplace and had all sorts of cool little shops. But that is the way of malls, things have to change. Some things are pretty constant and I will be highlighting those in their own posts over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, to enjoy more My Town Monday posts, visit the MTM blog.

Have a good day all.

Future posts will be on: the World Waterpark & the ice rink; Galaxyland; and the Sea Life Caverns & lagoon.

Photo Finish Friday: left overs

2011-01-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

Confetti from New Years?

Have a good weekend all.

The PFF is the brainchild of Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail

MTM: Ice on Whyte

2011-01-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned that we have a lot of Festivals here in Edmonton. Well, they continue over the winter too - they have to, otherwise we would go crazy ;) One that I enjoy is the Ice On Whyte Festival. This year it was very international, with carvers from our sister city, Harbin, China. Other entries were from Russia, Armenia, The Netherlands, Alaska and of course Canada.

'Carousel'

'Who will be the first to see the Sun'

'Surprise'

This was the dragon slide.

There were many snow carvings and more ice carvings, they had several kiddie slides and an ice maze for the youngsters. There was also hot chocolate and live music. I have uploaded more photos to my flickr account.

Have a great day all.

For more My Town Monday posts, visit the MTM Blog

Photo Finish Friday - Phone Photo

2011-01-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded the photos from my phone ;)

This is my friends new office building.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of Leah (my cousin) over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday: Snow ?

2011-01-07T10:39:00.001-07:00

Looks like a snow mullet to me :)

Have a good weekend all!

PFF originated with my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail

Thank you Hilary for the POTW nod. I am very honoured.

Photo Finish Friday - Year's End!

2010-12-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

The tree the city put up, in green and gold for our football team colours. We hosted the Grey cup this year, sadly we were not playing in it though.

A not very great shot of the Legislature grounds and the Province's tree.

Another shot, different angle, better focus ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Holiday Lights

2010-12-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

As politically incorrect as it is these days to flaunt your Christmas Spirit, there are several places around the city that do just that. There is one street in the city that has been doing it for almost 40 years, we call it Candy Cane Lane and on their web page is a link to Flickr photos of the street.

The video below is Maisie's Christmas House on the north end of the city that we went and visited a few nights ago. (and there is a much better video of the decorations)

If you follow this link, there are a few other wildly decorated homes through out the city and the bedroom communities that we are going to try to get to eventually. We may not get there 'til next year though as some are pretty far away.

The great thing about all these places is that they all have bins to collect food for the food banks of the area.

I hope every one has a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Photo Finish Friday: Merry Lunatic

2010-12-24T01:52:00.000-07:00

This was last month's Hunter's Moon. Taken with my friends film Nikon with a telephoto lens. I think it came out (after some adjusting) quite well. This gives me hope for the eclipse photos I took with the same camera the other night. And makes me yearn for a DSLR so I can play with lenses and get immediate results. This waiting is for the birds ;) This last batch will be ready tomorrow, but I am not going near any shops until the 29th if I can help it!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Take care all!

PFF is the brain child of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Solstice Eclipse

2010-12-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

What an event last night was! The first lunar eclipse on the solstice in 372 years! In spite of the cold (-25 C wind chill) I dashed out and took some photos. This is from my digital and amazingly enough, hand held! My friends film camera with the big telephoto lens was on the tripod. I really hope I did as well with the film, but, I won't know for a few days.

Those were the best three shots. I even managed to get a few stars with the last one, so if you click to enlarge, the white spots aren't dust on your screen ;) I didn't stay to see the other side, I was frozen and tired. I also didn't manage to see any shooting stars. I imagine if I had been able to get out to the country where it is darker, I might have seen a few. Oh well, there will be more meteor showers in warmer temperatures long before we have another eclipse like this :)

Happy Solstice all!

My Town Monday - Christmas Windows on Whyte

2010-12-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Back to Old Strathcona we go. Not to see the architecture or the murals this time, but, to see the Christmas displays that they have put up in a few of the windows. They call it The Return of the Magic and I was quite impressed, never having seen this as a child.

The last large scale animatronic display in Edmonton was sometime in the '60's, according to the history on the site. Even if my parents had manage to take us kids down town to have a look, I would have been but a babe in arms. Sorry for the poor quality photos, but please click to enlarge.

The Nativity Scene

Santa's Workshop

Winter Wonderland Romance

The Honeytones Bear Band

The Candy Land Kids

Gnome Family Christmas

Snowman Stan & The Magnificent Monkey Band

The Christmas Eve Adventure

The Nutcracker

This last one was my favourite. I have linked each title to it's own page on the website, each page has a link to a story on the making of the display and a soundtrack to go with the scenes. Quite a lot of effort went into making these displays and I am proud to have them in my city.

The only thing I think would have made them better would have been music outside each store. There were a number of people that just walked by without even a glance, in spite of the three of us oohing and snapping photos. Yes, they provided more than one method to get the MP3 files, but I know myself, I didn't have enough room to download all of them for one night and several people I know do not even own them. That is minor though and we quite enjoyed ourselves.

To enjoy more MTM posts from around the globe, drop by the MTM blog.

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday - Lights

2010-12-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Whyte all all dressed up for Christmas.

PFF is the brain child of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Have a good weekend.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-12-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

So, this is what happens when you get up at the crack of dawn!

Have a good weekend all!

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-12-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Keeping an eye on the trail!

From back in October when we went for a walk in the dog park.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Have a good weekend all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-11-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

Playing with my food :)

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Have a good weekend all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-11-11T20:39:00.001-07:00

OOPS! I don't know what I did with the first roll of film, but it didn't turn out, or at least the lab didn't think they did. In spit of being told they were dark shots. You can see the moon on the negative in about three shots, the rest of the film is pale grey except for a couple of sections that are medium grey. Oh well, at least they were kind enough not to charge me for it. Lets hope the other roll turns out when I am finished with it.

In the meantime, I took this with my digital while I was playing with the film camera.

Sadly the zoom on my camera, while amazing, is not the same as my friends Nikon, there was so much detail looking through that lens. Well, I will try again.

Have a good weekend all.

Lest We Forget

2010-11-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already seen this and the website it's on. I thought it worth running today.

Standing Strong & True (For Tomorrow) Official Music Video (HD)

Please take a moment to remember our armed forces, past and present. If it weren't for the dedication with which they serve, we would not enjoy the freedoms we have today.

My Town Monday: Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

2010-11-07T00:16:00.000-06:00

Wow, it has been awhile since I did one of these. This post was inspired by a wonderful photo taken by someone else. I wasn't aware this was going on on Saturday or I might have tried to go there myself and take a photo or two. None of which would compare to this:

Darren Kirby kindly allowed me to post his photo and a link to his Flickr page. I think y'all should check out the rest of his fabulous photos.

This was the cattle drive through down town Edmonton. I just love the juxtaposition of the cattle and the ranchers on their horses, against the new and ultra modern Art Gallery of Alberta.

This marks the start of the Farmfair Agricultural Showcase here in the city, which is held in conjunction with the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Yep, we's cowboys here and we remember that before there was oil, there were ranches and farms. Of course, if we keep building the way we are going, there will be no place for the cows or the crops, but, such is progress?

So, from the 5th to the 14th of November, if you visit Edmonton, you'd better bring your boots and hats, or you will just blend in with the rest of the city slickers.

For more My Town Monday posts from all 'round the world, click here.

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-10-29T11:15:00.000-06:00

These are but a few of the dogs we saw while walking in the dog park a few weeks ago.

Because I used B&W film, it is going to take 2-3 weeks to get them developed, so there is going to be a bit of a wait to see how badly I did trying to get moon shots and so on :( I still have 1/2 of another B&W to finish and then I will do a colour film.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-10-22T01:18:00.000-06:00

It is Friday, right? The last couple of weeks have been so busy trying to get the painting done, working extra hours at work, recovering from trying to paint so that I can paint some more. I have also been playing...I borrowed my friends Nikon SLR film camera, to remind myself how to use f-stops and apertures etc. because I want to start saving for a DSLR. I know there is nothing wrong with the camera I have, but, I also know I can make better photos. Of course, once I get the film developed, I may just tuck my tail between my legs and give the whole idea up ;)

So, until I see how those came out, here is a shot from the dog park we went to a couple weeks ago. (no, none of us has a dog)

Ha! You thought is was going to be a dog! No, it is a tree penis! By the time we found that in the middle of the path, I was tired and getting a bit punchy. According to the map that was on the trail, it went around in a big circle. The only problem is it goes around in several circles, some of which are only open for cross country skiing and we had to back track a few times before finding our way back to the open field. The trail in the wooded section is covered in roots and you have to walk with one eye pointing down to avoid tripping and one up to avoid getting whacked in the face with a branch. I will do a proper post on the dog park at a later date...once I have caught up with a few things around here.

So, hope you all have a wonderful fun filled weekend!

The PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

October, A Pink Photo Finish Friday

2010-10-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

October means Breast Cancer awareness month. I have turned my blog as pink as it's going to get and put up another badge as a reminder of this important cause. Men need to check their ta-tas too, so everyone help out your significant other with a simple check.

If found early breast cancer can be beaten. I can't site statistics, because I'm ~~lazy~~ not that kind of girl. If you find yourself with a diagnosis of cancer there are plenty of sites out there to help you understand what is going on, Breast Cancer.org is one that is helpful. There are also plenty of emotional support sites such as CommuniCancer, which provides support for any type of cancer.

You can also visit the Booby Wall for some very moving photos and dedications. I think I might just put this up this year.

Fortunately with a bra, it is not that obvious! (That is one of two things I own in pink, not my favourite colour.)

On that note I leave you with a partial new verse for this:

...one pointed North and the other pointed South.....

(We learned slightly different words than the link above)

Have a good long weekend all ;) Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks! Now, try and get that out of your head!

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail

Hilary of The Smitten Image has honoured this post as The Post of the Week, which makes me proud/embarrassed ;) and lets me display this:

Thank you so much Hilary.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-10-01T10:59:00.001-06:00

I got paint on the wall!

And the floor and the cupboards, but I washed that off ;)

Sadly it will need two coats and just doing that section, contorting myself to get behind the fridge and stove (galley kitchen) and on top of the cupboards, was enough to hurt me (hip especially) for two days. Good thing summer has arrived ;)

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brain child of my cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail

Special cake!

2010-09-23T12:13:00.000-06:00

I was not expecting much at all on my birthday yesterday, my friend is having me over for bbq on Sunday. However, when I got into work, one of our tenants came in and gave us a box with two Moon Cakes, to celebrate the full moon. So, I had part of a Moon Cake for my birthday! As it says in the link, the salted yolk in the centre is an acquired taste. The rest of the cake was quite gummy and very sweet.

It was also the first time in forever that my birthday was in summer and that there was a Super Harvest Moon on my birthday. Does that mean this will be an auspicious year?

Sadly I wasn't out in time to catch it close to the horizon.

A friend of mine believes that whatever you do on your birthday, you will do throughout the year (also New Years), so she makes sure to have a glass of wine and steaks etc. to be able to enjoy them throughout the year. Well, the last several years, I have managed to avoid doing things like laundry or cleaning on my birthday, but still have had to do the chores throughout the year. This year, I just went ahead and continued the cleaning (so I can paint). Does this mean I will not have to do any cleaning this coming year? Yeah, that's what I thought too. You can only win the lottery if you buy a ticket ;) And yes, I had steak for supper ;)

Have a good Autumn all.

Busy, busy, busy

2010-09-17T13:59:00.000-06:00

I have been working hard to get my apartment clean so that I can finally paint now that my hip is behaving itself. We were supposed to have an inspection today for bedbugs, so I timed it that I would have it clean(ish) for that, then I could paint after.

Turns out the fumigator thought she was only inspecting a few suits around a recently vacated suite that was a horror. So, now we have to re-book the inspections and follow much more stringent (no scent in the apartment for 24 hours, no smoking etc.) set of guidelines. Oh, did I mention they are bringing a dog around to sniff everything? No? Well, apparently, they have a dog trained to sniff out bedbugs. Bedbugs have only been a problem in our city in the last 2 or 3 years. Prior to that very few incidents.

I have decided to hell with that, I am going to continue on with washing and then painting the walls, if they happen to book the appointment for while I am painting, oh well. It has been cold enough that if I don't do it soon, it won't get done while I can still open windows.

I am 100% sure that I don't have them and 97% sure that none of the neighbours in the wing I live in have them. (I would even venture to say I am 90% sure of the whole building and 80% sure of the whole complex, but that would just be inviting trouble.)

So no photo this Friday, I have been trying to play with a few and hope to have them up soon though.

Have a good weekend all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-09-10T01:35:00.000-06:00

We went for a drive on Tuesday out in the country. We stopped at Legal, AB and had a look at their murals. They were all very interesting, but this is what caught my fancy ;)

For those too young to recognise the graffiti, check this link.

The PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Have a good weekend all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-09-03T00:34:00.000-06:00

Helping me make the bed! Yeah, that's it!

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Have a good long weekend all.

Up & Down

2010-08-30T10:44:00.000-06:00

My physio appointment on Friday was very interesting. Jo-anne, my therapist, had discussed my hip with the other therapists there and they came to the conclusion that (from what I described) it is possible that I have a loose piece of something floating around in the joint that impinges on it's mobility etc. So, she wrote a letter for me to give to my Dr. asking to get an MRI or a CAT scan done. YES! Thank you! I almost had to twist her arm to get her to give me the order for physio (which I then discovered I didn't need) and she just brushed me off when ever I mentioned something else is wrong with the hip than just arthritis. So, I'll be off to the Dr. in just a little bit.

In the meantime, Jo-anne pulled and twisted my leg... and I can walk! It's like a miracle! So, she is going to teach a friend of mine how to pull and twist, so that I can continue to walk after the 6 (yes - SIX) appointments are done. The city is so lacking in facilities & personnel that an MRI appointment may take up to six weeks and who knows how long it may be before I can actually get anything done if they find anything.

The acupuncture was interesting, the first needle she put between my toes, she hit a reflex point and my whole lower leg jerked, then it just hurt, so once she was done with the rest, she had to reposition that one. I am not sure if it helped any, this was after the pulling and twisting, so who knows.

My weekend was up and down though... my hip would be great for a long time, then it would just start to act like it had before, not supporting me etc. A few minutes of that and it would be fine again for a bit, then not, then fine, then not. I think the worst part was the getting into and out of my friends truck, just enough twist to aggravate the joint. But I was always able to walk it off! I am so happy!

Have a great (mobile) day all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-08-26T23:42:00.000-06:00

Sunsets

and moon rises.

Have a good weekend all.

The PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah over at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Physio & Birds!

2010-08-24T18:54:00.000-06:00

Well, I had my first physio appointment today for my hip. My therapists name is Joanne and she wants to try acupuncture on me next time! That should be interesting. In the meantime, she iced my hip and used a muscle stimulator then did some massage and gave me a few exercises to do. She isn't sure what is going on, but is not happy with the feel of the muscles in my thigh and the lack of motion. I think I will only get about 6 sessions paid for, so I hope it will be enough to do some good.

I was at my friends place the other evening for supper and while we were waiting for it to be cooked the birds decided to visit her yard & feeder.

He's very pretty isn't he?

Sorry for the blurry, but this is his back.

It sometimes gets a bit crowded!

So, they have to stand on each other! ;)

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-08-20T01:55:00.000-06:00

Ducks in Hawrelak Park.

I was just getting closer for a better shot and a kid on a bike came along the path they are beside. Such is photography, frankly, I'm surprised the geese didn't take after him.

Have a good weekend all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-08-13T09:48:00.000-06:00

Click to enlarge

This stair takes you from the river valley to street level. There was a pregnant Asian woman that went up and down about three times while we were having our picnic last week. I think she was more than ready to deliver and was trying to encourage the reluctant baby ~~to be born in Canada~~.

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Just stuff

2010-08-11T22:49:00.000-06:00

Awhile back I made a comment on Mary Anne in Kentucky's blog Living with the Sun, about fake wasps nests and how they can discourage real wasps from settling in as wasps apparently are territorial. (breathe) Here is a photo of my neighbours:

They are just paper and this is the first one I have seen that wasn't grey. I don't imagine it makes a big difference.

**********

Kcinnova made a comment on one of my posts about using Laughing cow cheese, and how she hadn't really come up with any other ideas. So, this is a simple snack:

These are corn cakes (70 cal/3) (or you can use rice cakes) spread with Laughing cow cheese (68 cal/3 triangles - 1/2 per cake) and then sliced cucumbers. If you eat things like tomato that would be good too I would think, or any veggie, I just love my cucumber. I was very hungry that day, usually I only have four, but as that is still only 208 calories + whatever cucumber adds, I figured it was okay. For the rice cakes, you kind of need one whole triangle, so it is a few more calories.

*********

The other cool thing going on. The apartment down the hall just was painted and the door for the storage room is in an awkward (to say the least) place, so the manager asked if they wanted it removed. The new tenants said yes please, so I asked if I could have it (one less door for me to paint when I get around to it) and it looks so good, I will now have to get off my kiester and get painting. I also lucked into white drapes from one of the other suites. I know that the manager would either leave them in place until either a tenant took them, or 'til they were disgustingly ratty, so I saved them from that (with permission). The tenant that left them had not hemmed them properly so I have been spending the last week picking the interfacing used to hem them (IKEA) off, then I will surge the raw edges and wash them until they are bright and clean. When I am done the walls will be turquoise and the drapes, doors and trim will be white. If I can ever afford furniture, I will aim for brown, chocolatey.

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday

2010-08-06T10:25:00.000-06:00

Dinner?

Have a good weekend all.

PFF is the brain child of my cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail

We went for a picnic

2010-08-05T09:59:00.001-06:00

Down by the river valley and Whitemud Creek on Monday. (click to enlarge any photo)

There was a BC fruit stand at the entrance to the park.

This is the bridge over Whitemud Creek.

It's a good thing we brought our own wood for our Smokies!

This fellow serenaded us while we were there.

Good thing his friend came along and was in a better position to photograph.

But it's this shot that leads me to believe these are Cedar Waxwings.

This was our reward after a big wind and dark clouds sent our feathered friends away (there is a bit of rainbow there).

As we were cleaning up, we spotted this lovely Hawk soaring above us. Sadly my zoom is not quite up to the task of getting a very clear shot. (Unless it is a Bald Eagle - except the tail isn't white)

Have a good day all.

Walking with the gulls

2010-08-02T11:34:00.001-06:00

Yes, we did! The gulls were congregating in a parking lot across from where we went to get our iced coffee last night.

And amongst them is this dark fellow. Well, we are just a bit too far away to see clearly if he is just a brown gull or something else.

Then a few of the came over to the lot we were parked in and while this isn't the dark one, he might be related. So, we decided to drive over and get a closer look (yes, drive, it is one of the busiest streets in the city, you don't cross it on foot).

I think he is a gull, but couldn't find anything in Wikipedia or WhatBird to confirm. He flies like a gull and has the same webbed feet, so if anyone knows any differently please let me know.

So many of them were sitting like decoys on a pond though and let us walk quite close to them. Then they walked along with us.

Have a good day all....and those in Canada that have the day off - enjoy!

Photo Finish Friday

2010-07-30T10:02:00.001-06:00

My window faces East, these are Nicotiana shadows on my (very dirty) blinds. Ignore the dirt and enjoy the patterns ;)

PFF is the brainchild of cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail

Have a good weekend all!

I don't measure...

2010-07-27T11:35:00.000-06:00

...so nothing ever turns out the same twice. That is a shame because last nights mac & cheese was delicious! Here's what I did:

Cooked the mac of course (I used rice flour pasta, but any kind of noodle)
In a skillet, I cooked some sliced ham (try bacon or back bacon - for those not Canadian, back bacon is what ya'll call Canadian bacon)

- take the ham (or back bacon) out when slightly browned, in the same skillet throw in a bit of butter (the tip of a table knife) to lift the stuff left from the ham (if using bacon, don't bother with this step - pour off the grease)
- throw in two triangles of Laughing Cow soft cheese
- add some crushed garlic (I use the jar stuff, because then it is on hand when I want it) about one or two cloves if using fresh
- sprinkle in some powdered ginger (or a bit of real stuff to flavour)
- add some onion, chives, leeks whatever is on hand
- add a splash or two of milk to thin
- add salt & pepper to taste

- pour hot over noodles, add ham and serve with a salad or crusty bread.

Remember that I cook for one so adjust accordingly ;)

Have a good day all!

Photo Finish Friday

2010-07-23T11:40:00.001-06:00

Thanks Hilary!

These are the little guys that nest outside my patio...been trying now for three years to catch this.

I now have the camera set to silent in case I can catch them again ;)

PFF is the brainchild of my cousin Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Have a good weekend all.

Rain, rain, go away

2010-07-20T16:41:00.000-06:00

This is after only a couple of minutes of rain yesterday!

That is under the pine that is outside my patio, the place that barely ever gets moisture. We have had so much rain the ground is crying "enough!".

Although I guess we are still pretty lucky, we aren't flooding yet. There are places that need it more than we do now though.

This is this afternoon and I just heard a very loud crack of thunder...so here we go again.

Have a good day, I hope you have just enough moisture where you are.

Food!

2010-07-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

I have been experimenting in making an oatmeal square that could substitute for breakfast when I run out of money, cereal & milk. As I am on a yeast free diet, (which means no sugar or wheat) this is the result. It might even be healthy!

1/4 C oats
1/2 C ground flax
1/4 C pumpkin seeds ( or nuts or fruit of your choice)
1 C spelt flour
3-4 tsp of powdered milk (not sure it makes any difference though)

1/2 C melted butter (haven't tried oil yet)
1/4 C Agave Nectar
1/2 C water (or milk & eliminate the powdered milk above)
1/2 tsp Mapeline (Maple extract for those not in Canada - or vanilla)

Mix dry ingredients, thoroughly mix in the melted butter, then mix in the remaining liquids (which you mixed together in the measuring cup).

Bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes, cut, cool and enjoy!

*****

As for Sibu, I still don't know where the chip is, my friend with the car has been sick. However, I either moved the chip and then the spot where it was just decided it was a pimple, or it was just a pimple to start with. The end result is the lump is gone and so is the redness.

I will have him scanned in the fall when he goes for his shots to see where the chip is though.

Have a good day all.

Micro chips

2010-07-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

Many years ago, when Sibu was but a wee little tyke, I had him Micro-chipped for easy identification, should he ever be lost...

...in a pair of jeans or something.

Like Kai's mouth. Although Kai was also chipped, so maybe that wouldn't have worked.

The usual practice is to place the chip between the shoulder blades, which worked very well. For a few years. I think it was about four years or so later, that I noticed the chip didn't seem to be there! I guess brushing him regularly will move the chip along... the vet found it near his tail, said not to worry, it's not unusual for them to move, but, (I love that) keep an eye on it.

The fact that he only scanned in the area it should be in before doubting I had had him chipped at all didn't inspire a lot of confidence. He was all set to chip Sibu again! I told him to keep looking!

I wonder how many places the chip has travelled under the skin of my cat? Right now it appears to be on the point of his chin, there is a red spot and a tiny lump. I am taking him tomorrow to the vet to have him scanned. I won't take him on the bus though, so that means I have to wait for my friend to give me a lift. When I was calling around today to see where I could take him, one vet clinic said they would charge me the $75.00 clinic fee.... just to run a scanner over him. I will be taking him to the other one - the one that won't charge me.

All this makes me wonder how many pets, when taken to the pound are NOT reunited with their owners because the chip has moved to an unlikely location?

The photos above are scans of Polaroids, so they probably won't enlarge much, the male in the photos is of one of my brothers. (My legs aren't that hairy - usually)

Have a good day all.

Photo Finish Friday (already?!)

2010-07-09T02:08:00.000-06:00

Ya gotta love Alberta!

Click to enlarge please.

You can pay to stay within spitting distance of a well head ;)

Esso, straight from the well head! (and don't forget the beer)

Have a good weekend all!

MTM: Edmonton High Level Street Car (corrected)

2010-07-04T15:08:00.001-06:00

It has been awhile since I've done one of these, But I vaguely remember mentioning the High Level Street Car in one of my other posts. We finally got around to taking a ride on it a couple of weeks ago and I even had my camera along!

The Edmonton Radial Rail Society has put in thousands of volunteer hours yearly to restore and locate cars. They run on a short section of track from Strathcona to Jasper Avenue as well as in Fort Edmonton Park. We took the run over the High Level Bridge and I can see we will have to go to Ft. Edmonton Park as well. That will be at least two posts worth too ;)

This is where we start, just behind the the bus barns and Museum. Click any photo to enlarge.

Here comes the Street Car.

Hmm, seems a little modern and plastic!

Is that German?

Yes, it sure is! This is the car from Hanover, Germany!
The trip is about the ride anyway.

Approaching the tunnel that runs under 109 St and some apartment buildings!

Once out of the tunnel you can almost believe you have left the city behind.

But no...there it is, just hidden behind trees.

To the East is our ball diamond, yes, we have a team... um... Edmonton Capitals (forgive me they were the Cracker Cats two years ago and I don't follow the sport) and they belong to the Golden League.
Oops! This is Kinsmen field on the South side of the river (hard to tell in the little photo). The diamond (Telus Field)for the Capitals would be behind the Rossdale plant.

This is the view to the West from the bridge.

This is the Rossdale Power Plant (it seems they are decommissioning it) and the Walterdale bridge which the locals call the 5th street bridge - because we're too lazy to say one hundred and 5th.

The dome of our Legislature building and a few of our high rises.

Picking up a passenger at the Grandin stop.

The end of the line....Jasper Avenue, surrounded by Apartments and office towers.

For $4.00 you can stay down town all day and take the street car back in the late afternoon...cheaper by far than the daily fare for regular transit - if you live near the Strathcona terminal. Regular transit is $2.75 and you get a 90 minute transfer.

Southbound for the return trip you can see the bridge for the LRT and in the background residences and other buildings (hospital) for the U of Alberta.

Oh, look! The LRT! Which to be honest I didn't even notice until I processed the photos... it probably beat us to the other side of the river. Behind that is the Royal Glenora Club and Victoria Park and behind that are residential high rises.

MTM is being hosted by Clare2e from Women of Mystery and it even has it's own blog now...My town Monday.

Have a good day all.

Photo Fhinish Friday

2010-07-02T12:04:00.000-06:00

Sadly, I forgot about the fireworks last night and when I finally remembered, I was already in my jammies. So instead, I give you the rainbow around the Sun that we saw while having iced "rainbow rooibos" (pronounced roybus) tea outside of Steeps.

Commonly referred to as a sundog it means the weather is going to change - damnitallanyway.

Have a good weekend all.

Silly Summer Parades and Canada Day fun

2010-07-01T21:23:00.002-06:00

We went to the Silly Summer Parade on Whyte Ave this year on Canada Day. Here are a few photos.

A Knight in shining...goalie pads?

Norwegian trolls

And from Brazil...

for Jay our Cynical Bastard

from Brazil we go to the dogs

to balloons

the Punjabi Cultural Society

to very trusting souls

I think s/he was a bee?

Heart & stroke Foundations "Big Bike"

The Hallow e'en Festival people reminding us that summer is short.

We missed the first part of the parade, looking for a place to park. The secondary reason for going was to check out a shoe store, sadly it was closed.

Hope everyone had a great celebration no matter what you did. I might post again with fireworks later.

Canada Day

2010-07-01T01:06:00.000-06:00

HAPPY 143rd BIRTHDAY CANADA!

Photo Finish Friday

2010-06-25T00:34:00.000-06:00

I thought I would join my cousin Leah in doing a Photo Finish Friday this week. A few other people have joined her in this, so check out her website, The Goat's Lunch Pail.

click to enlarge

Evidence that the anti-smokers have expanded their nefarious plans to include other minorities! Take away one groups rights and the rest fall like dominoes. (Sign on the back door of a bar.)

Have a good weekend all ;)

All cleaned out

2010-06-22T17:10:00.000-06:00

Got rid of the dust and the cobwebs. Did a bit of rearranging and decorating. Now lets see if I can blog somewhat regularly shall we?

I have a little video I cobbed together from the other day, I hope you all enjoy it ;)

Well, I guess I can't load videos now...so, here are the stills I took.

Sibu walking away just as I came back out with the camera.

Baby snuggled up between the foundation and a rock.

Sibu came back, then sneezed and spooked the bunny. That was, sadly, before I had the camera set to video.

Sibu kept pacing back and forth, trying to get a good view of the bunny from both sides of the tree trunk. I am sure he was a bit frustrated about being on the leash too.

Sadly, I didn't see this little guy hiding behind my plants until I had already gotten him wet - good thing I use a shower setting on my watering wand. I am sure it was cold, but it didn't hurt at least.

*****

So, is it me, or has the load video icon disappeared from blogger? and is anyone else having trouble, trying to get a new line using the enter key...mine pops back to the beginning of the line I just typed, or doesn't move at all!

That's all for now, hope you enjoyed.

Have a good day.