Eagle along the River

The other day on the way to work there was a bald eagle flying along the river just in front of the Bessborough. I stopped and watched for a few mintues (I was late anyway). Tim and the kids had seen an eagle (I'm guessing the same one) a few days ago when travelling to one of their activities. I kicked myself for not having my camera with me.




Yesterday, I got back in touch with a friend I knew in Windsor (probably close to 20 years ago now - wow when it's dated like that it seems crazy!). He asked if I was still into photography. I like taking photos but never seem to have my camera with me - something is amiss there. Most photos I do take are of the kids and their activities and such. So I made the point of at least putting my camera in my pannier this morning so I would have it available if the inspiration arose. There are often so many nice sunrises, sunsets, ducks on the water, EAGLES, lots of interesting views on the way to and from work. There's no reason why some of those images can't be captured and posted here.

Of course, today the eagle was not to be spotted. This morning the temperature was about -25C with the windchill, so my hands complained quickly about being exposed to the cold to snap a few shots. Still I enjoyed the moment to capture these couple of photos. I always find the water with its reflections along the river lovely. Pretty nice view to have on the bike ride to the University. Thanks Rick - these ones are for you!

Ice Cycle 2012

On Sunday February 5, 2012 was the 3rd annual Ice Cycle in Saskatoon.

Tim already posted some photos on his bike blog - you can check them out here.

The weather for the previous two bike parades was really cold but this year it was super nice, maybe -5C or so. Sure beats -4oC! Not warm enough for wearing shorts like one guy I know, but I wasn't wearing my snow pants so you know it must have been warm!

We started off at the Farmer's Market then went up 19th Street...

along Spadina...

past the Bessborough Hotel....

up to 22nd, then to 4th Avenue (map of parade)

and ended up back at the market.

Here's a friend with his bike-mobile that was carrying three young children in the parade.

In the background you can see the climbing structure that was set up for kids to try. Last year ice climbing demos had been set up but alas with the warm weather this February, it would have been more like a waterfall. There was also a huge ice castle complete with slide for kids to enjoy.

Our happy cyclists after the parade were heading across the river for their Irish dance class and I went in the other direction to lead a karma yoga class at Namaskar Yoga in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Team in Training).

Spring has NOT yet Arrived

March 22nd and the spring bunny has definitely not arrived. Winter wonderland is more like it and the bunny must be hiding somewhere else warm.

Here are a few pics of my trusty Rocky Mountain as I headed home from work today.

It's taken some time to wear in this seat but I'm starting to like it. Never a good sign though when it's got that layer of slow with ice crusted underneath! Kinda like the streets actually...most of the paths have a layer of ice underneath all the fresh snow. Not a great way to ride home. I actually took the streets for most of the way as the traffic created for more slush than ice.

The "Peace" "Love" and "Happiness" stickers have been on this bike since about 1995 when I arrived in Saskatoon!

Tuesdays are always a scramble since as soon as I'm home, Finnegan and I head out to his Ukrainian dance class.

Tonight it was back to snowpants and trudging through the snow drifts.

Once back from dance class, I gobble down a quick supper and head out again to Hot Yoga on 20th to teach the 8 pm class (every other Tuesday night). I teach the 'Hot Foundation' class which is a set series of postures specific to Hot Yoga on 20th.

Dallas offers a great deal for new students to the studio - $20 for unlimited yoga for a week. Who needs to go to Cuba to escape the snow when you can sweat it out here!

Hoar Frost Morning

Here are a few photos from my bike ride to work this morning.

It was a beautiful (albeit still cold) morning with hoar frost on all the trees.

Hoar frost (also called radiation frost or hoarfrost or pruina) refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects, that form on cold clear nights when heat losses into the open skies cause objects to become colder than the surrounding air. What would we do without Wikipedia? Look it up in a book I guess!



This is the Victoria Bridge which has been deemed to be unsafe by the City engineers and so has been closed off to all traffic (pedestrian and vehicular) since this past summer. It would make for a perfect pedestrian/cyclist only bridge - to help connect the east and west sides of the city as a gateway from the Broadway area over to the River Landing and downtown areas. It would be an excellent chance to really show the City of Saskatoon is a city for the people (and not for cars), but unfortunately that's not going to happen. The City of Saskatoon apparently doesn't have enough other bridges for cars to cross. There's my little rant for evening!

Hmm... a bit of snow to melt when the weather decides to warm up. Which could be tomorrow. Riding home this evening, it was definitely warmer.

Here's a picture of the Vimy Memorial Bandshell. It was built in 1937 and dedicated on September 1 of that year to honour Canada's participation in the First World War at the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge. (I did not know that ....had to look it up!)

And of course, the Delta Bessborough Hotel (castle by the river).

Still Darn Tootin' Cold Out There

Here are a few pictures from the cold ride to work this morning.

Let's here it for clear trails!!!!

Brrrrrr.....it's a cold one out there today!

Sun coming up and mist rising off the river.

Here's the trusty steed - my Rocky Mountain Stratos - 18 years old and still going strong (still with some original parts!). Not a smart idea to have hands out of mittens for any length of time though!

The good thing about Saskatoon is that even though it gets mighty cold here in the winters, the sun is usually always out smiling and the clear blue skies make for really bright days.

Better get to work!!!

The Path is Clear

While the -36oC with the windchill is still downright cold for cycling, at least most of the trails were clear this morning, as I headed to work. I went up and around by the Farmer's since the paths near our house were still not ridable and then back to the Meewasin Trail. Coming home this evening, the 'force' must have been with me as the ride was smooth sailing (still cold!) but the paths were completely clear all the way through Victoria park. This winter, the City has been really good about clearing the paths within 1-2 days after a snowfall so biking (while still very cold....do you get the sense I'm quite sick of winter) has been pretty good. It has taken a good week however for the paths to be cleared after our last snowfall. When the paths aren't clear it's almost impossible I find to travel by bike; so I really noticed it this past week when that white stuff didn't get plowed away in a timely fashion.

I can vividly remember arriving in Saskatoon back in 1995, the last week in April, waking up, looking out the window of the hostel and seeing the snow falling, and thinking, "Where on Earth have I come to!!" Raised in Windsor, snow in April just never happens. I'm glad the paths will be clear so that I can ride again tomorrow....assuming no more snowflakes overnight!

On a totally unrelated note...here's a really cool video that Tim sent to me. I think I actually screamed at one point when the guy gets some air between one platform and the next! And watch out for the dog!

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

Things I See From My Bicycle

On Friday I needed to take the yuba to work to haul home some dog food. Earlier in the week I had bought a 35 lb bag from the WCVM but needed to wait for a day when Tim wouldn't be going out with the kids to any activities so that I could use the ultimate hauling bicycle to get the bag home.

I finally got a battery charged and found a memory card for my camera and figured that I really should start carrying it with me to capture any moments that I see by bike. The past few days the sunrises and sunsets had been amazing, and it has left me always thinking, "I should have had a camera with me!" So no more excuses!. The kids and Tim even saw an eagle the other night on their way to violin group lesson.

There were a bunch of mallard ducks on the water Friday morning, plus the sky was amazing. Here are a few shots from my morning ride to work.

The trail along the river is such an excellent way to travel from our house to the University by bike or by walking.

Man, those ducks must be cold!!!

My return ride was not as enjoyable due to hauling all that dog food - the bike being a little lope-sided and harder to maneuver. I had a near wipeout just under the bridge because I didn't have the required momentum nor leg strength to get up the hill and started slipping back on the icy path. I had a few moments of panic that seemed more like minutes as I tried just to keep upright and prevent sliding back down the hill. Luckily I managed to shimmy over to the side of the path and get off the bike and then was able to push it to the top of the path and then carry on my merry way home!

Ice Cycle 2011

This past Sunday, we participated in the 2nd Annual Ice Cycle - the coldest bicycle parade on the planet. We started at the Saskatoon Farmer's Market and toured through downtown ending back at the market. About 200+ riders showed up on a day that was -42oC with the windchill! It was fabulous to see all the cyclists out, especially those who dressed up!

As part of the PotashCorp Wintershines Saskatoon there were all sorts of amazing ice sculptures on display. Finnegan and Keira particularly liked the ice fort with slide!

Tim and the kids were on the yuba and I was on my trusty 18-year-old Rocky Mountain! Thanks to 'Wayne' who posted this photo on The Weather Network.

Since we had to scurry off to Irish dance class right after the ride, we unfortunately had to wait until later to have some hot chocolate at home rather than enjoying it with the other cyclists after the parade.

The sense of community was great amongst all the cyclists, especially given the cold temperature and wind. I was also really impressed that the coordinators had worked with the City Police and so every intersection throughout the route had a police officer stationed to stop and conduct traffic to allow all the riders to travel as one unit for the parade. To me it seemed like a city sanctioned critical mass - though I guess the fact that it was referred to as a "parade" is what makes the difference? Whatever you want to call it, it was great fun and I'm sure no matter the weather next year, our family will be cycling in the 2012 Ice Cycle!

Check out a video from the 1st Annual Ice Cycle and more photos from this year's event will be posted on Tim's Bike Blog soon. Our friend Don Cook put together this great video of the ride - enjoy!

Winter Wonderland

Winter certainly brings its share of challenges when living in Saskatoon and trying to walk, bike or bus as much as possible. On the weekend, Keira and I headed out to catch a bus to get to dance class at the University and after about 20 minutes of waiting I figured we had either missed the bus or had the schedule wrong (Note to self - always check the bus schedule the night before instead of just assuming you know otherwise you could be waiting for a long time if the buses only run every hour!!).

So we headed back home, grabbed helmets and hauled it over to Miss Tina's creative dance class - better late than never.

It was a fair bit of effort to pull just one child over to campus and certainly gave me renewed appreciation for Tim's efforts in chauffeuring the kids around to all their activities on the yuba!