This is how things looked from our front door yesterday:

And this is how things looked this morning.

Welcome to spring!

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

The first picture was taken looking East on Stony Plain Road and 124 Street at 10:00 p.m.

The second picture was taken from Cloverdale Hill looking West at the Muttart Conservatory at about 10:15 p.m.

Sunrise to sunset was over 17 hours yesterday, in our neck of the woods. Add dawn and dusk to that and you end up with a whole lot of daylight.

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

For those of you who think Canada is one great Arctic wasteland where everyone lives in igloos, it’s beginning to feel that way for us.

It is time for Spring!!!

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

If you were to dig a hole from where you are standing all the way through the center of the Earth, where would you end up?

DigHoles.com aims to answer that question.

Using Google maps, DigHoles.com takes a starting point —say Edmonton, Alberta— and shows where you would end up if you dug a hole through the centre of the Earth.

Caution to Edmontonians: do not try this at home, unless you’re a very good swimmer. The exit hole is in the Southern Ocean, somewhere off the barren Heard and McDonald Islands. There’s also the risk that water from the Southern Ocean would pour through and flood Edmonton.

Link from BNUG who thinks this might be a practical method for twinning cities around the world. (Unless of course, you live in Edmonton.)

[tags]Earth, maps, geography, Google Earth[/tags]

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

2006
Prince of Wales Armouries
10440 – 108A Ave

Saturday November 18
9:30 – 4pm

 Justice at Christmas is a global marketplace for quality arts, handmade crafts and other goods.

When you purchase a gift from the non-profit and charitable organizations in this market, the money you spend goes towards the building of healthy communities around the world.

Origins
The event began in the late 1980s after two friends visited a number of artisans’ cooperatives in Peru, and were impressed with the incredibly beautiful workmanship. The pair were compelled to support the artisans by providing them with access to a larger market and by compensating them with a fair price for their goods.

After selling items purchased from the Peruvian cooperatives to friends and families, the need for a larger venue than their home was identified as well as the desire by other similar groups to access the public. From this, the first Just Christmas event was born and the principles of fair trade and charitable support for positive development became ingrained in the event.

Today
Since then, the event has grown to include over 25 different non-profit and charitable organizations that represent causes critical to the improvement of conditions for people in developing nations.

Just Christmas

[tags]Christmas, Edmonton, Alberta, Fair Trade, sale[/tags]

Of course, the best Transcend experience -if you’re in the Edmonton area- is not virtual, but real. Drop by for a cup and a friendly welcome from the staff. It’s well worth the time.

Tags: coffee, retail, beans, Transcend Coffee, Edmonton, Alberta

For the fourth calendar year in a row, Sandy Foster is releasing an album – the long awaited Christmas project entitled Spruce It Up. Featuring nine songs, this project includes innovative arrangements of Frosty the Snowman, The First Noel, Joy to the World and I’ll Be Home for Christmas along with three sparkly originals. Designed to reflect the simplicity, symbolism, and spirit of Christmas, this album continues to offer swing, Latin, ballads and blues in the tasteful arrangements listeners have come to expect from Foster. Her 2005 release Marooned has garnered nominations at the 2006 GMA’s Covenant Awards, IOMA’s along with national airplay, inclusion in Top Ten Jazz charts, and rave reviews.

Sandy Foster blows through your stereo speakers like a breath of fresh air. Her sprightly lyrics, blithe delivery and fun personality brighten every room she graces. Kurt Leavins, Magic 99

All are invited to share in the festivity of the release of this album by attending the following celebratory events—

• SHOWCASE: NOV 8 &15th- Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge’s annual Christmas in November will feature the Sandy Foster Quintet (including members of Razor’s Edge) performing a showcase of the music of Spruce It Up. A portion of the recording of Spruce It Up was completed at JPL in the serene splendour of spruce and other fine trees. To attend this event, please contact the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and inquire about their Christmas in November guest package.
• CD LAUNCH: NOV 23rd – Spruce Grove’s Evergreen Gallery will host the launch of Spruce It Up from 6-9 p.m. in conjunction with an awareness night for Global Neighbors (www.gnci.ca), a Canadian charity working with Thailand orphanages. Several local businesses are coming together in true Spruce Grove community spirit to offer support for this event. Admission is free. Door prizes & refreshments will spruce up your evening. How perfect to celebrate a “spruce” themed album in the city of Spruce Grove at a marvellous venue entitled Evergreen!
• VIP PARTY: NOV 29th- Listeners are the VIPs at the Spruce It Up party held November 29th from 6 pm – 8 pm at Perugia Salon Spa on Whyte. Hosted by Magic 99’s Allison Bailer, Perugia Salon Spa and Sandy Foster offer the definitive Christmas mingle and jingle experience – guests enjoy scintillating samplers of Christmas coffees, chai tea & hot chocolate by Transcend, sumptuous sweets by Sobey’s Hawkstone, perusing a plethora of jewellery displayed by the Plaid Giraffe whilst reminiscing and renewing in the atmosphere provided by the Matt Day & Glenn Durksen Duo. Each guest receives a gift and the opportunity to win fabulous door prizes. Sandy Foster will offer a highlight performance of Spruce It Up. To become a VIP for this event, please visit Magic 99 online.
• CONCERT: NOV 30th- Fort Saskatchewan’s DOW Centennial Centre will become the home for Habitat for Humanity’s Christmas Concert featuring the Sandy Foster Quintet (including members of Razor’s Edge) and the music of Sandy Foster’s 2006 release: Spruce It Up. Sponsored by Integrity Land Inc., this evening of Christmas delight will be hosted by Magic 99’s Duncan Paterson. All proceeds from admissions go to Habitat for Humanity. Tickets ($20 Advance, $25 Door) available soon.

  My desire for this album is that this garland of songs would feel as intimate as a warm winter’s evening spent with great friends and family by a crackling fire. It is my great privilege to celebrate Spruce It Up in the true spirit of Christmas. I couldn’t imagine a more wonderful way to share this music. Sandy Foster

  Please visit Magic 99 online at www.magic99.ca or www.myspace.com/SandyFoster often, as more details for each of these events will be posted in the coming days.

  § Spruce It Up will be available for purchase at each of these events.

  § Pre-orders are also being taken at info@paperbagz.com and will be available for pick up at Evergreen Gallery in November.

blog.myspace.com/sandyfoster.

At 7,400 hectares —that’s approximately 21 times larger that New York City’s Central Park— Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River valley is the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America. There is more than150 kilometres of trails for walking, running, riding, etc.

There are granular trails, such as the one pictured here, that are designated as off-leash for dogs. We took advantage of the beautiful autumn weather and let Shady have a run this afternoon. This is the first time we’ve let him run without a leash and we were not sure how things would go. Fortunately, there were not many people and even fewer dogs, so there were no behaviour problems to deal with.

Incidently, in the picture of Shady, you can see a tree behind his head. The wire “cage” around the bottom of the tree is to keep beavers from using it as building material. 

[tags]Edmonton, river valley, Rundle Park, North Saskatchewan River, Alberta[/tags]

I had a couple of meetings in Calgary today, so I rode the Red Arrow bus down and back. With larger seats, power for laptops, complimentary snacks and a movie, it beats driving the 600 KM round trip.

I managed to space my meetings so I had time to meet my daughter for lunch. It was good to catch up on her life, hear more of her recent trip to Australia and make fun of Fred.

Part of my job entails on-site support when dealing with serious employee issues. The last time I visited this centre in Calgary, we shut down a program and laid off a third of the staff. Today’s quick, unadvertised visit put some employees on edge. I need to make an occasional “friendly” visit so that I’m not seen as the organization’s hatchet man.

I strung the camera around my neck. Now and then, when the scenery warranted, I’d pass the dog to Glenda and snap a few photos. Of course, being a curious, energetic, 75 pound puppy, the dog thrust himself into the picture-taking action. It is impossible to hold a camera steady with that kind of enthusiasm jumping at you.

Nevertheless, I prevailed and managed to get a few pictures taken. Clicking the thumbnails should take you to the pictures in Flickr.

[tags]Edmonton, Alberta, fall, autumn, photos, Flickr[/tags]