A few months ago, I blogged some images of my hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick in its best summer colours. While home for a Christmas visit, I toured the city again, this time with my uncle and in frigid cold weather!
The city has changed a lot over the years, but much beauty is still around for the determined photographer.
Again, the Loyalist Burial Ground catches my eye. Continue reading
In the past year, the Hudson’s Bay Company announced that Zellers was not viable for them anymore, and that Target Corporation would be taking over its lease agreements (though not the Zellers brand or company itself). This post documents a brief history of the establishment of Zellers decades ago, specifically in my hometown of Saint John, and its disappearance from Calgary where I now live.
Zellers began in 1931 as a “store for thrifty Canadians” with the purchase of 16 Canadian locations from a U.S. retailer. Within 25 years, Zellers had 60 stores. Like many retailers, the chain initially operated only in the downtowns of cities. It wasn’t until 1960 when Zellers opened its first suburban location.
One early Zellers location was Store No. 3 on King Street in Saint John back in the 1950’s. Credit goes to Hudson’s Bay Company Heritage Services for sending me this photo along with these details about the store: Continue reading
17th Avenue is one of Calgary’s hot spots for night life, restaurants, and trendy shopping. In the summer, the side walks are filled with people. In winter, there is still lots of activity, but less of it, especially on cold nights.
Fresh snow is visible on parts of the ground, but foot traffic has removed it entirely from the side walk. Continue reading
On Saturday, I attended events to preview Calgary’s brand new West LRT line which extends new transit service to the southwest quadrant of the city.
The new line will serve 100,000 residents which is larger than any city in Alberta outside of Calgary and Edmonton. It is also larger than any city in Atlantic Canada outside of Halifax and St. John’s, Newfoundland. 35,000 commuters are expected to use the West LRT daily.
The West LRT line has both above ground, underground, and partially underground stations which are a first for Calgary. Pictured above is the new above ground Sunalta station. Continue reading
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Denver on business. In many ways, Denver is like a slightly smaller, American version of Calgary. Both are driven by the oil business, have mountains nearby, and even have similar structures for public transit.
The Denver City & County Building is one of the main landmarks of the Civic Center neighbourhood which is home to many government buildings, museums, and other attractions. Continue reading
Last month, I participated in the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk which comprised 1,339 walks around the world. Each walk consisted of 50 people with a volunteer leader who toured a downtown or trendy areas. My walk was a combination of both in historic Inglewood.
Inglewood is situated along the Bow River and is just outside of downtown Calgary. It was once the city’s original downtown and has many historic buildings. We began in a pathway along the river, but our attention quickly turned to some unusual items in this residential alleyway. Continue reading
On a business trip in Denver, Colorado, I observed these birds in the city’s most well known park. Enjoy the video below, or watch it in HD on Vimeo.
This year, I had the opportunity to visit Maui. The weather and atmosphere were as beautiful and relaxing as I had imagined Hawaii would be. I became quite attached to the ocean views in restaurants along the shore and watching the colourful sunsets.
The pineapple (aka Maui Gold) is a staple in Hawaii. Maui farms pineapples for export, however the growing cost of production has dramatically reduced the number of farms on the island. Since pineapples are one of the few crops grown there, it is also one of the cheaper produce to buy. When shopping at a Safeway, it was common to see a bag of oranges for more than $10. A local told us she preferred eating out as opposed to making her own food, as it was cheaper.
The Banyan Tree is very significant in Maui as one of their historic sites in Lahaina centers around this tree. Here is a Banyan on a hike through Kipahulu. The tree has thick branches that reach out, perfect for those who enjoy tree climbing.
The climate in Maui varies throughout the island. Iao Park, where the above picture is taken, is in the mainland mountains is often overcast with drizzling showers (perfect to capture great photos).
The ocean is never far away in Maui. Few places on Earth are as far from other land as Maui is. The Hawaiian islands are almost halfway between Japan and San Francisco. Being far away from large cities in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I was able to vividly see distant stars on a stargazing cruise.
Unfortunately, when I visited Maui in April, it was near the end of the whale watching season. There weren’t that many whales left, but I did manage to capture a few pictures of the gentle giants.
The best I can discern from internet searches is that this a fiddlehead fern.
A visit to Hawaii isn’t complete without attending a luau. This party was accompanied with traditional dance and music, and an all you can eat Hawaiian buffet as the sun set. In this shot, you can see the beautiful mountains of Maui in the background as the lights set center stage.
They say that no two sunsets in Maui are ever the same. This was my view over a relaxing dinner.
