Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Winnipeg Timeraiser

I'm heading over to the Tavern United tonight for the kickoff of the Winnipeg Timeraiser event.
One of my pieces was chosen as an auction item and tonight everyone is getting together to meet and learn a little more about one another.
The Winnipeg Timeraiser is happening on May 30th. If you're looking for something to do with your volunteer time, check it out.
If I understand everything correctly, a number of organizations are in attendance with information on what they do, giving volunteers a chance to find something that matches their interests. Then people will be given an opportunity to bid on artwork using volunteer time for a specified charity. If your bid takes it, you win! Your artwork will hang in a corporate office somewhere (one of the event sponsors) for a year and when you have completed your volunteer hours, the work goes home with you.
Hence, time raiser.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Downtown

One of the interesting things about Winnipeg is our fascinating Exchange District. According to Wikipedia, Winnipeg has one of the most historically intact early 20th century commercial districts in North America. This may be a bit of a joke to those on the other side of the Atlantic, but some of the buildings date to the 1880's. It's a pretty cool place to wander around with a camera at any time of year.

The uniqueness of the Exchange is echoed in many small, intimate spaces throughout the area, east and west of Main Street. Whether it's windows or doors, stagnation, modernization, flyers, graffiti, you name it, it all seems to have its own special character in this neighbourhood. There are places so quiet, that look so undisturbed in their own way, the thrill of coming across them is a bit like finding that undiscovered beach in some remote tropical paradise. Only colder. And without the water.

But you get the idea.


































Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Lake Louise, Alberta

My love affair with the Rocky Mountains continues. We rented a house in Canmore, Alberta and enjoyed three days of skiing in Lake Louise. It was a marvel to be at the top of a mountain, with peaks as far as the eye could see, then skiing down, sometimes without my toque, sometimes with my jacket open. Warm, sunny, clear skies, good snow, no wind, and no (serious) mishaps. What a great way to spend a spring break.



Canmore is a pretty nice and new looking place with condos everywhere, including the Safeway parking lot. But they do have a nice view of the mountains. Our large log house was on the west side of the town and we found it difficult to tear ourselves away from the view some mornings.



The hot tub in the back yard made it easy to come home to in the evenings. Some nights the moon was so bright it would keep us awake. Every morning I sat on the deck and waited for the sun to touch the peaks on the west side of Canmore.



Skiing at Lake Louise is kind of expensive (when you're used to Manitoba hills) but kind of exhilarating (especially when you're used to Manitoba hills). From the summit, it can take up to twenty minutes to ski down to the lodge, much longer if you pause to enjoy the view.



 The gondola and chair lifts are comfortable, quick, and rarely had lineups more than a dozen people long (and when the chair lift seats six, that's not a long wait).




The view from the lifts is nearly as remarkable as from the top of the hill.



I'll probably have more to say about this in the future, but if you're ever on the fence about Lake Louise, leap off with both feet and get up there.