YEGmonton

Transition to Spring 2022 in Edmonton

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2022/05/21

Posted in: River Valley, spring, winter. Tagged: bridges, butterfly, dragon boat, duck, Edmonton, ice, photography, river, river valley, skyline, snow, spring, winter. Leave a comment

Here are a collection of my photos to document the change in season in Edmonton. It seemed like a very long winter and therefore a late spring. These are images that I captured in the river valley between mid-February and Mid-May:

Mid-February, late-afternoon sunset behind downtown Edmonton

February was fairly typical, some snow melting but still plenty around and the river mostly frozen over with a few channels of flowing water. It seemed a particularly icy winter for walking around. I finally broke down and bought ice cleats to put on my boots (in fact I bought and tried 3 different pairs).

March: More open water on the North Saskatchewan River and of course more snow

April: Significant snow melting and breaks-up of the river ice, as well as first sighting of spring/summer fauna

May: The river is free of ice and the dragon boat dock reappears. The river valley slowly greens up – first the grass, then small shrubs and finally the larger deciduous trees leaf-out.

By mid-May we are seeing a green river valley and increasingly more summer-typical weather with dark clouds and thundershowers in the evening.

Mid-January Respite

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2022/01/16

Posted in: photo, River Valley, winter. Tagged: black and white, Dawson Park, Edmonton, ice, moon, photo, photography, river valley, sky, snow, sunset, winter. Leave a comment

Here is what mid-January (late afternoon, January 15th to be precise) looked like in Edmonton in 2022. This was a brief break from what had been a rather cold winter, and when not too cold – too icy.

These images were taken in Dawson Park, in central Edmonton’s river valley.

My NovEdmonter

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2021/11/06

Posted in: autumn, parks, photo, River Valley. Tagged: autumn, Dawson Park, Edmonton, leaves, November, photography, river valley, trees. Leave a comment

Here is a little collection of photos from Edmonton, Canada on November 5, 2021. We have had a pleasant autumn this year – mild temperatures and no snow yet. The leaves were very colorful but alas, they have all fallen now, leaving a gray haze of skeleton trees across the river valley. Those fallen leaves and grasses have faded to dormant golden brown and we are left with a very subtle beauty. Of course a bright blue sky (and its reflection in the river) adds a dramatic burst of color.

The north bank of the North Saskatchewan River in Dawson Park always looks dramatic in its barren autumn cloak:

Even with minimal landscape color at this time of year I am still attracted to the forms, textures (and occasional burst of colors) from the tree trunks:

Even without color (excepting the occasional hanger-on) the forms of the trees are worth noticing:

The ice has just started to form on the edge of the North Saskatchewan River. In a month it will be frozen over until it breaks up in March.

Different seasons, different beauties.

The North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton in early November.

A Brilliant October Day in Edmonton

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2021/10/11

Posted in: autumn, River Valley. Tagged: autumn, boats, Capilano Bridge, Dawson Park, Edmonton, fall, leaves, North Saskatchewan, path, photography, Randall Talbot, river, river valley, Riverside, trees. Leave a comment

October in Edmonton can be cold and gloomy, or brilliant and breathtaking. October 9th, 2021 was one of those brilliant days with an abundance of golden leaves still on the trees, and wonderful sunshine to backlight the colors and cast long dramatic shadows. Here are some photos from that afternoon:

City of Edmonton skyline on an early-October day

Many leaves have fallen, but enough still decorate the trees:

The views from the north side of the river, near Capilano Bridge:

Down at the southern edge of the river (east of Capilano Bridge):

More trails and leaves:

It was still warm enough for many people to be out enjoying the North Saskatchewan River on boats:

The bend in the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton between Dawson Park and Riverside.

Dawson Bridge (Views Of and From)

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2021/09/09

Posted in: photo, River Valley, Summer. Tagged: blue, bridge, clouds, Dawson Bridge, Edmonton, North Saskatchewan, photography, river, September. Leave a comment

The Dawson Bridge crosses the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, a little east of downtown.

Here are some photos taken of the bridge and from the bridge in early September 2021:

Dawson Bridge in Edmonton (from the southwest)

Shimmering sun on the North Saskatchewan River

Dragonboat dock, looking northwest from Dawson Bridge

Looking west across Dawson Brdige, towards downtown Edmonton

Looking south from Dawson Bridge to a bend in the river,

Massive concrete supports for Dawson Bridge.

August on the River

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2021/08/12

Posted in: River Valley, Summer. Tagged: August, dragon boat, Edmonton, photography, river, river valley, summer. Leave a comment

Here are some photos from August 12th (2021) of the North Saskatchewan River in central Edmonton (at Dawson Bridge).

looking down on a sandbar on the downstream side of a bridge pillar

It was nice to see Dragon boats back on the river

This is the start of perhaps the most beautiful time of year for the river – slow and relaxed, clear and colorful.

A Snapshot of East/Northeast Downtown Edmonton (July 2021)

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2021/07/30

Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: 97th Street, Alex Taylor School, east downtown, Edmonton, Gateway Hotel, Graphic Arts Building, Hull Block, Kinistinaw Park, summer, Wyser Manor. Leave a comment

The east end of the nearly-completed LRT tunnel entrance on 102 Avenue near 95th Street

In this photo blog, I share some photos from around 97th Street and the eastern fringe of downtown Edmonton – just as a snapshot of what it looked like on July 27th in 2021. Some of these images appealed to me for their architectural/historical interest, some just for an interesting composition. In any case this is what this part of the city looks like in the middle of summer 2021:

Looking southwest from 107 Avenue and 100 Street

The Hull Block on the northeast corner of 97th Street and 106 Avenue

The northeast corner of the 97th Street underpass between 103A and 105 Avenues

the northside of the Doubletree by Hilton hotel

Looking west, from east of Kinistinaw Park (red structures are in the park)

the west side of Wyser Manor (on 102A Avenue, west of 95th St.)

in the alley west of 95 St., north of 102A Ave.

The Graphic Arts Building on Jasper Avenue (still surviving)

A Winter Walk in Mill Creek Ravine

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2019/01/05

Posted in: parks, River Valley, winter. Tagged: bark, berries, bridge, Mill Creek, photography, reflections, snow, trees, trunk, winter. Leave a comment

Today (January 5th) I went for a walk in one of my favorite areas of the city, but someplace I hadn’t got to yet this winter.

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I love all of the little (and a few not so little) bridges. The Mill Creek always keep flowing offering a wonderful reflective contrast to the white snow.

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Another thing which fascinated and is in abundant in the ravine in a variety of colors, textures and forms are the tree trunks and their bark:

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Beside the yellow/green and orange colors of the bark, with moss and lichen, there are little splashes of red berries.

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Now that I’ve reminded myself of the beauty of this part of Edmonton in the winter, I’ll be back sooner than later.

A bend in Edmonton’s Mill Creek (January 2019)

Edmonton 2018 – a Photo Summary

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2019/01/04

Posted in: architecture, autumn, downtown, River Valley, spring, Summer, winter. Tagged: 2018, architecture, autumn, photography. Leave a comment

In this post I take a look back at the year 2018 in Edmonton, through my photos of Edmonton landscapes and landmarks – a couple of photos selected for each month.

January: The year started off rather frosty and cool. Photos: suspended wires crossing the river near Dawson Bridge and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald

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February: Notably longer, sunnier days but still the snow on the ground wasn’t going anywhere yet (other than piled into windrows in the middle of the road. First photo is Jasper Avenue east of 97th Street. The second photo is the old (but not that old) Bank of Montreal building (on 101 St. at 102 Ave.) being demolished.

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March: Winter persisted and the Crashed Ice event returned to Edmonton’s river valley in Louise McKinney Park. The second photo is looking south on 108th Street, past one of the intriguing pieces of art on that street, towards the Alberta Legislature.

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April: Finally winter (and the ice on the North Saskatchewan) broke. Unfortunately a rapid snow melt lead to flooding of paths like shown in the second photo from Rundle Park.

May: This month brought the explosion of green that I so look forward to. The first photo is in Mill Creek Ravine; the second looking east over the river valley from the top of Edmonton’s funicular site.

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June: More downtown construction, on 102 Avenue for the new LRT line and around City Hall, forced the festivals, normally centered on Churchill Square to more elsewhere. The Works festival, with its musical stage was at the plaza north of the Alberta Legislature grounds.

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July: This month brought more festivals and celebrations, starting with Canada Day and a delightful program of band music in Borden Park. July also brought some typical mid-summer stormy weather with the dark, ominous skies that typically roll in from the west.

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August: The skies of mid-August were filled with choking smoke (from not-so-nearby forest fires). I noticed that the sun-blocking smoke really stalled by garden in what should have been a prime part of the growing season. By the end of the month the smoke had dissipated and the sky was relatively clear (save for the occasional rainbow)

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September: As is typical for this month, it starts with the hint of autumn colors and ends with a blast of yellow and red (with the lingering green) in the river valley. (Not shown is the first significant dump of snow that occurred mid-month)

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October: By the tenth month the days are noticeably cooler and the days shorter. The first photo is of the top of the riverbank in the glow of the rich late-afternoon sunlight. The second photo is of Edmonton’s new Walterdale Bridge, that in October I finally had a chance to get down close to (even though I think it had been operational for around a year.

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November: The Edmonton landscape continues to cool and dullen in November and ice begins to form from the edges of the North Saskatchewan River. This November was special in Edmonton as the City played host to the Grey Cup game and celebrations. Part of that fun is shown in the second photo – a couple of guys on a zip line, down into the river valley from high above Jasper Avenue.

December: The final month of 2018 brought more dullness, a bit more snow and continued freezing of the river, but from what I can remember the temperature were relatively mild and we didn’t get hit with a typical early-winter cold snap that can drop temperatures to -20C for a week – so we can’t complain.

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Catching up with Landmarks

Posted by Randy Talbot on 2018/10/03

Posted in: architecture, autumn, parks, photo, River Valley. Tagged: Chinese, history, Kinsmen, landmark, Louise McKinney, Queen Elizabeth, Rossdale, Walterdale. Leave a comment

These have been some major projects in Edmonton in the last few years and one in particular that I hadn’t explored (and photographed) up close. So today (2018 October 3)was the day. I went for a good long walk on this cool but sunny early-October day. The main landmark that I wanted to photograph was the new Walterdale Bridge in Edmonton’s river valley.

DSC_9578-1 The arches of this bridge make it an instant landmark but the adjacent pedestrian/bicycle bridge has some striking lines and form too:

DSC_9575-1 A few hundred meters west of the bridge on the south side of the river is Kinsmen Park is the newish outdoor Queen Elizabeth Pool. I think its been open since 2011 but with all of the construction in the river valley in recent years it has not been very accessible to me. The pool is closed for the season but I walked by and took a photo of the unique around-the-corner name:
DSC_9585-1 Back on the northside of the Walterdale bridge is the old Rossdale Power Plant building. I’ve heard various proposals for redeveloping the space but I don’t believe any decisions have been made. The building is a landmark so I sure hope it is not knocked down.
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On the other (north) end of Rossdale and leading into Louise McKinney Park is the bottom of the funicular development, with an elevator and set of stairs. This structure was opened in early 2018.
DSC_9565-1 At the other end of Louise McKinney Park is the Chinese Garden which has been a landmark for a number of years already:
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