Wow, right in the open. And what’s up with those two looky-loos on the side?
One of those days where I wish my eyes were a camera, because it doesn’t matter how hard I try, I can’t capture how beautiful it is, mid-June, when everything is bursting with life. I mean, even the bugs are busy creating life, right out in the open, with two bonus onlookers!
So yeah, gorgeous, warm, and sunny. This was a solo walk, so I started from Victoria Park promenade, down into the golf course, along river valley road to MacKinnon Ravine, and then back up into Glenora/Oliver.
MacKinnon Ravine under a crazy beautiful sky
Along MacKinnon Ravine trailI can’t NOT take a photo of the fountain in Alexander Circle…. My favourite view from the MuseumI liked it so much, I took another photo!View from the Museum (on the west side)Paul Kane Park, a block from where I live. A red-winged blackbird has a nest in there, somewhere!
Just a short walk, to Tom’s and then back. Somehow, it didn’t rain on me, although the skies were very rumbly and dark. This is the only kind of cloudy sky I like, when it looks like it will storm (even if it doesn’t).
Blue sky to the east. My favourite view from the museum is coming along…
A lunchtime walk in the river valley along River Road, MacKinnon Ravine, and Glenora. Once again, micro-spikes were a must. I did not eat lunch at the same time. I’m incapable of to doing two things at once. I would hyperventilate.
A view of our unfrozen river
It was spectacularly nice. Not super warm (about -2C) but blue sky and sunshine. I’m glad I went when I did because it was starting to cloud over by the time I was finished, about 90 minutes later. I need my blue canopy.
The river itself is not quite as frozen as it should be this time of year. One open area below the Groat Bridge sounded like it was deep in mid-spring melt.
Looking up from MacKinnon Ravine at the people (I think) standing on the grounds of the museum
I’ve turned into a bit of a blue sky walker. If the sky is blue, I’m walking. If it’s overcast, I’m pouting. Luckily we’ve had a lot of blue sky lately. It’s been beautiful.
A killer view
Saturday, Tom and I went for our usual walk through Glenora and into Ravine Drive. A not uncommon event in our lives, especially in this ridiculously warm weather we’ve been having since mid-December.
Tom and I, Prisma’d
An Edmonton Journal confirmed what I was thinking about this ‘winter’ – that it’s very reminiscent of the winter of 2011/12. It helps to have a walking blog, but during that winter (apparently meteorologists define winter as starting from Dec 1) it was warm and largely snowless, meaning the snow that had previously fallen either disappeared or turned to solid ice.
It’s a dilemma for walking because the sidewalks are clear but many of the streets still have sheets of black ice. Do I wear micro-spikes? On long walks and in the woods, yes. Walking to the store two blocks away? No. Very much like the winter of 2011/12, which along with this year (so far) is one of three warmest winters ever recorded. We did get snow in February and March of 2012 but it stayed relatively warm.
What you can’t see is all the sparkle in the snow and snowmen
Gorgeous Christmas Day walk with Tom in and around Glenora, Ravine Drive, MacKinnon Bridge, and Laurier Heights.
It was supposed to be cloudy and below zero, but it was bright, sparkly and just the right balance of festively nippy and sun-warmed. Altogether beautiful, in other words. Many people out walking, lots of friendly ‘Merry Christmas’ exchanges. It was very cheering, especially considering that I spent my entire Christmas without my family. Just Tom and me.
The Alberta covid restrictions meant that I couldn’t get together with my family as per usual, and by usual I mean, every year of my life. So even though Tom stayed over, I opened presents (from my family) by myself in the morning and made Christmas dinner by myself, just for Tom and I.
A view from Ravine Drive that never disappoints….
I am grateful for that relationship, but Tom isn’t very Christmassy. He indulged me by watching A Christmas Carol, Charlie Brown Christmas, and It’s a Wonderful Life, but it’s not the same as being with family, with all our shared histories. The bright spot was an hour and a half Zoom call in the morning, and the walk in the afternoon.
There are always pretty spider webs on bridges early in the morning
We embarked on our walk at 5:30 in the morning, BEFORE coffee, to beat the heat. It was cool (13C) and beautiful. Later in the day, it was 27C so good call on our parts. Also very easy to socially distance when there is nobody else on the sidewalks!
An early morning skyThe light is SO beautiful this time in the morningTom, taking a photoAwash in green and purpleThe long shadows of the morning sunNote the green worms…
