dogs

Yesterday (2015 April 3) we took our dog out for his daily walk, to one of our regular areas – Buena Vista Park. It had been a while since I’d visited that area and I was reminded of 2 things:

How lucky we are to have off-leash dog parks in Edmonton
How happy dogs are just to be outside running around, playing and socializing

We usually get to Buena Vista via Hawrelak Park and the pedestrian bridge spanning the North Saskatchewan River between the parks. At the southwest side of the bridge is a “beach” that is a favorite of dogs and their human companions – in the summer. Or so I thought. I wasn’t expecting the river to be accessible or any canines to be in the water at the beginning of April but sure enough there were a number of dogs frolicking at the edge of the river.

At the River Edge in April

Icy Edge and Open Water

I didn’t want our dog in the water so we headed on down the trail to the large open field part of the Buena Vista off-leash area. I t was not as wet and muddy as I feared but there was still a largish pond of melt water on the grass, much to the delight of many dogs.

A Spring Gathering at Buena Vista

Pond Reflection

Although the area is drying up nicely there were still some wet (and muddy and icy) sections on some of the less sun-exposed trails (not that this seems to be of any concern to a dog).

Wet/Muddy/Icy Trail

I’ve often heard the phrase “its a dry cold” when people compare an Alberta winter (and our ease of surviving it) compared to the “cold” of the eastern Canada (and by “eastern” Canada one is usually referring to the middle east, the GTA). When Alberta’s winters are compared with the balmy west coast, inevitably one hears a comment to the effect that Edmonton’s winters may be cold but they’re sunny – as opposed to cool, wet, grey and dreary.

Well this past Sunday was truly a “Sun” day and it was a beautiful time to be out enjoying the bright sun and beauty. Following are some photos captured in the Hawrelak and Buena Vista Park areas of Edmonton’s river valley.