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.
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.
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:
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 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:
Here are some photos from August 12th (2021) of the North Saskatchewan River in central Edmonton (at Dawson Bridge).
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
Beside the yellow/green and orange colors of the bark, with moss and lichen, there are little splashes of red berries.
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)
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
The arches of this bridge make it an instant landmark but the adjacent pedestrian/bicycle bridge has some striking lines and form too:
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:
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.
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.
At the other end of Louise McKinney Park is the Chinese Garden which has been a landmark for a number of years already:
The TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival took place June 22 to July 1. This year I attended nine events including 4 as a volunteer and one as a performer (in one of the Big Bands playing in the Big Band Bash).
Aside from the music I also enjoy taking photos of the performances at the free noon hours concerts on The Works Stage (which this year was relocated to the plaza at the Alberta Legislature Grounds due to ongoing construction around the usual Churchill Square location). Here are a few of my favorite photos from those concerts.
From the Slide Zone performance on Sunday June 24th – four of Edmonton’s top trombonists: Audrey Ochoa, Allen Jacobson, Remi Noel and Ken Read, with Josh McCann (bass) and Jamie Cooper (drums)
From June 28th, the Finnish-inspired but Edmonton-based group, Sauna Sessions with Stephanie Urquhart (piano), Derek Plunkie (guitar), Joel Jeske (drums), Fred Mack (sax) and Aretha Tillotson (bass):
and from June 30th, the John Sweenie Group – John Sweenie (tenor sax), Chris Andrews (keyboards), Jamie Cooper (drums) and Rubim de Toledo (bass):
I also had the opportunity to catch performances by : The Heavyweights Brass Band, Vincent Herring Quartet, Audrey Ochoa Quartet and Al Muirhead’s Canadian Quintet, but unfortunately didn’t have an opportunity to capture any photos of these.
YEGmonton 