Treasure Hunting

On my way to the bread store today I met this gentleman. He was standing alone in the middle of a field absorbed in his work...treasure hunting! We chatted for a while and the whole time he was busy listening to the sounds in his head phones and bending down to check out what he had detected. In the ten minutes we were talking he found a dollar in quarters and a metal zipper pull.

His most interesting finds in Canada were a 1898 coin and a NorthWest Mounted Police uniform button. The most valuable items he finds are lost rings. He tries his best to reunite the rings with the owners but many have lain in the ground for years and older rings have few official marks to identify them. He also told me that he sometimes gets asked to help trace items like discarded weapons in unlikely locations...but today he was just out enjoying the warm sunshine!

Steaming Along

Yes it's a traction engine!
And the wheels make great shadows!
This is another shot from Heritage Park...that outdoor museum in the south of Calgary. One of the neat things about this museum is that they often have working vehicles of various kinds operating. The building in the background is the station...where the steam train pulls in and just below the station is the working paddle steamer in which you can take a short trip on the Glenmore Reservoir.

Canoes

You know spring has arrived in Calgary when the canoes start appearing on cars! I found this one outside a coffee shop in Kensington. The Bow River flows through Calgary and provides some easy canoeing for a weekend afternoon. Just tie your canoe on top of your car and head down to a launch site. There are many more rivers just a short drive out of the city too. Canadians love their canoes...this one looks like it's seen some action!
Don't ask about the British phone booth. I have no idea why it is there!

Working Wednesday

Working Wednesday #2
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Okay...this is Canada, so I guess I'd better get the Mountie photo over and done with!

This guy is actually not a real member of the force but works at Heritage Park playing the part of a Northwest Mounted Police Officer (who were the precursors to the RCMP).

Throughout the summer season the park employs people to act the part of everyday folk from Alberta's history. This young man was taking care of the Mounties Police Post and gaol the day we visited...and doing a great job! He was delighting the kids by handcuffing them and throwing them into the cell you can see behind him...they all giggled furiously and bounced straight back out again!

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The Northwest Mounted Police played a critical part of Alberta's history being among the first settlers in Alberta. Established in Manitoba in 1873, a year later the 275 mounted police officers marched west, to southern Alberta, to establish a permanant post at FortMcleod and deal with whisky traders who were operating among the First Nations peoples. Soon after they became the Federal force of today.

Yes it is snow!

Just so you know...this is spring in Calgary! The season when our weather is completely unpredictable. Three days before this we had brilliant sunshine and +23c and then yesterday this! When you leave for work in the morning you'd better be prepared for every eventuality because the weather can turn on a dime!

Canada Olympic Park - the Icehouse

Any guesses?
Bet you've never seen anything quite like this!
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This is the indoor luge, skeleton and bobsled track at Canada Olympic Park. It's not actually a full track but is a short section for practising one of the most critical parts of the sport - the start.

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The ice house was built to allow athletes to make many more attempts at their start without having to hurtle down the full length of the outdoor track. It's the only fully enclosed refrigerated building in the world...and it's big! At 143 m long is is almost the length of a soccer field and is four stories high. Nine kilometers of steel piping is used to cool the three tracks and a unique monorail system automatically returns the sleds to the start area allowing for continuous training.

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You can watch athletes from all over the world training there in winter - it would cost too much to cool it to approrpriate temperatures in the summer I think.

Share The Flame!

Street Art Sunday #2

I guess this isn't exactly street art since it's obviously inside a building! It is in a public space however, the lobby of the Petro-Canada Tower to be precise.

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The tower has fifty-two floors and fabulous views of the Rockies from the offices at the top - I'm told. This statue stands in the lobby which is always open to the public because it forms part of the +15 walkway system. In winter (when it gets a little chilly....say -40c) many of the downtown offices are connected by a series of indoor, heated walkways 15 metres above ground. That way it is possible to travel from office to office and cover many city blocks without ever having to expose yourself to the frigid temperatures.

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The two guys in the statue are holding the Olympic Torch from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. The statue is called 'Share the Flame'.

Petro Canada announced this week that they have commisioned a 25 foot totem pole to commemerate the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Long Friday Lunches

I took this shot looking down the stairwell at Art Central downtown.
Art Central is one of my favourite hang-outs when I'm in the city core...it's three floors of funky art boutiques and galleries and my favourite print shop ever (Uppercase).
On the lowest floor is a curved arcade of tiny studios available at a low-rent (at least that's what the blurb says though that's hard to believe in Calgary) to struggling artists and many are often working there...especially in the afternoons. I don't think artists get up early!
But today I loved the patterns made by the table and chairs on the concrete floor...another time I'll focus on the studios.

Retired Lion

This ferocious lion used to guard the Centre Street Bridge.
The bridge was built in 1916 and featured four huge lions, two at each end of the bridge as guardians. Centre Street leads directly to Chinatown after crossing the river and local legends claimed that the lions came alive after dark and roamed the downtown streets...though I'm not sure what they were looking for.
The bridge was closed for one year for restoration in 2001...a major disruption to traffic flowing into the city centre. The orginal lions were replaced as part of that restoration.
This magnificent beast now guards the modern, blue glass city hall...where he looks just a little forlorn. I patted him on the head and fed him some candy!

One for the Boys

Big trucks...there are lots in Calgary!
This city has yet to fully embrace some of the environmentally friendly lifestyles of Europe and other parts of the world... and you see lots of big trucks on our streets. This is an extra big example! I'm not sure what the two shiny pipes up the side are for. Exhaust pipes I assume.
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Oh...and I don't even want to tell you that it's snowing today...so I won't (but it is! Lots of fluffy white snow!)
I took the shot of the truck on the weekend - when it was hot and sunny.
That's Calgary for you...we sometimes get four seasons in a couple of hours!