Some scary orange skies over Calgary circa 2017
Flashback Friday: North central Calgary times
Going through files — if I can get my files in order then I can get my life in order, right — and found a couple of gems from my Calgary life back in 2017.
One is of the Rosso, one of the few local coffee chains that has bothered to open a location in the North (looking at you Phil & Sebastian). The South always felt cooler so it was nice to have a local spot to go to.
The other is from a Confederation Creek protest march. Those were the days of raucous watershed activism.
Sketchy
Back when I was out in Calgary, potentially when I was recovering from the acoustic trauma and concussion, I went to Banff and Canmore to sketch and meant to do something with those sketches. Well that time has come. I’m putting this one up on Redbubble and Society6 for whatever it’s worth.
In the loop
There is some really really nice housing in Marda Loop. I wish we had zoning more like this everywhere.
The area could still working on having actual high street zoning so that the whole of the mainstream all the way to and then along 14th could actually have retail and active frontages but overall it's a good hood in yyc,
Hidden bench, crouching view
I randomly found this hill while fleeing the Lilac Fest traffic frenzy. Turned out there is a sick view.
Reader Rock Garden in black and white
I thought it would be fun to try some of these Reader Rock Garden picks in black and white.
Pencil me in
These are some really cute pencil bollards outside Arts Common. A good solution for our security and public realm.
Reader Rock Garden
Some shots from my visit to the Reader Rock Garden.
William Reader was really important in the history of Calgary and his advocacy to keep the rivers public has had an enormous impact on the way I view public space and the way so many Calgarians experience their city.
It's a nice place. Not enough people know it's there.
East Village, Inglewood and Ramsay wanders
Some of these shots overlap with stuff I'm going to include in my Calgary Bay essay — I swear I'm working on it and it will actually happen. I was at the confluence and felt like it made sense.
I generally love Inglewood and Ramsay. They're nice fun communities, though a bit too nimby we love single-family homes for my liking.
Britannia and Sky
A couple of picks from when I met up with a friend for coffee in Britannia. It's a cool little pocket of shops with some apartment buildings.
The other is the Telus Sky rising over downtown and in front of the Bow.
YYC wanders
Some shots from wanders around various bits of Calgary.
The +15 dude is simply the greatest. Full stop.
I did a Chinatown tour a while back and it included the murals tucked away in some of those back alleys there. Not a particularly nice space — basically garbage, freight and parking — but has a lot of potential and is a unique aspect of the area.
Also, hit up the off to the side pathway with the peaceful wandering path and great views of the city and chances to take lots of water shots.
Loopy
Shots from Banff and K-Country in black and white.
17th wall
I am a fan of this wall on 17th
Lost + found
Black and white picks from my last day of the camping trip and my hike.
Get lost
Where I attempt to go on a hike. Feel anxious about highway driving — it's pretty terrifying. Have trouble finding the hike but feel all lugubrious. Ask for directions. Happen to be asking the author of the trail guide book I'm holding. She's super friendly. The hike turns out to be really pretty.
A year and a bit later I decide to edit the photos because I'm back to dealing with those sorts of things.
