After years, no decades, of waiting for a non-chain coffee shop to open in the north east, imagine my surprise at discovering two in ward tastawiniyiwak in the last 4 days. I hear there is actually a third, which I haven't visited yet. When I first moved to Edmonton as teenager in the 90s, my parents wouldn't let me drive south of the Yellowhead. My sister and I scoured the Yellow Pages for any place with "cafe" in it's name, to only find a bar right off Yellowhead Trail. Then in the early...
25 days ago • 2 min read
It's been a year since the municipal election. Last night, I felt just like I was running again because there is no shortage of important work to show up for. Below are some opportunities in north Edmonton. Packingtown Bike Club September 26th - 1:00 pm - meet at the Canco Station (132 Ave & 66 St) Drop-in ride; all ages and abilities. Ride to Giovanni Caboto Park with possible stops at Earth's Refillery Coop and Cafe, Paper Birch Books and other shops depending on interest. Look for route...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I recently got a new basket and reinstalled my saddlebags on my bike. Without them, there was an additional friction to using my bike for errands. Even so, I still had to convince myself to ride to the store and back when we were running out of bread last week. The total trip took only 29 min but even more important were the human connections that I made in those short 29 minutes. I met and chatted with a junior high student from my workplace, who was unlocking his bike at the same time as...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I spent a good part of the '90s scouring secondhand stores' men's t-shirts and recently took the hobby up again, in service of taking both the advice of Timothy Snyder to take responsibility for the face of the world and of Jared Wesley to reclaim my own identity as an Albertan. I was looking for shirts that weren't overtly political but that show my pride in being Albertan. A small act in service of democracy. Another small act for Alberta's democracy is signing up for Forward Weekly's...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Back starting in 2020, we transferred many of our health care providers to our neighbourhood. Before that, I really didn't even realize that was an option. So many small businesses were invisible to me. Now we have two pharmacies, two dentists and a physiotherapist that we feel comfortable with, all within walking distance. Even so, today I had an internal battle between walking and driving to the dentist. Thankfully, walking won out. I was able to see kids biking and talking, notice...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
A picture of my children on the land in Saskatchewan. Earlier this summer, I read a news story about an artist in Saskatchewan dropping her phone out of the plane that her husband was flying, while she was trying to capture images of Saskatchewan landscapes. I wanted to see her work, so looked up her website and immediately started sobbing at the images I saw. I was hit with recollections of the place that first held me and the people who first held me there. Lately, in this place that should...
2 months ago • 2 min read
A few days ago, I was out for a walk at sunset along 132 Avenue. A lot of other people were out there, as well. I've noticed that often around sunset there are families and groups of friends out, enjoying and gathering in the 3rd space that the avenue has become. More than once, I've seen a group of mothers gathered with their lawn chairs, while their kids bike, scoot and play at the playground along the avenue. It's not unusual for this group to be close to 50 people. It's absolutely...
2 months ago • 2 min read
I won’t write much today but will instead leave you all with this image and map of some hidden gems that Packingtown has explored this year. I’d love to add your hidden gems to the map, feel free to email me about that little parklet you love, or the bench that is a good place to rest. Hidden Gem map Packingtown Bike Club August 15th - 1:00 pm - meet at the Canco Station (132 Ave & 66 St) Drop-in, leisurely ride; all ages and abilities. Returning to my first love, 132 Avenue. I have heard...
3 months ago • 1 min read
In the past week, I was startled seeing both of the above while out, not very far from where I live. I took the image on the left. The image on the right represents two different times I saw groups of preteen boys riding nearby. First, I saw two boys very similar to the above photo and expected to see a parent following behind. When none came, it felt like spring 2020 when wildlife reemerged in the cities. And then I saw a similar group a few days later with no parent in tow. To be clear, and...
3 months ago • 2 min read