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.
