salty instructions

for people who wander here
to eat a bag of fish and chips?

or for the actual ocean waves
that dance alongside this harbour park?

somebody might wave back ~ halifax

This sculpture is beside the visitor's centre at the Halifax harbour.

It took me ages to get this pic because, despite these signs,










children were constantly trying to get to the top.
Many of them succeeded.


one...











hurry hard...









two...










three.

Aaaaaaah!














Others prefer to tuck themselves under the wave.

I wonder whether a preference for running up the wave or hiding under the wave tells us anything about ourselves. Dr. Freud?

sunday morning ~ halifax

I went back to the cafe where the coffee is excellent without asking for a double shot (yes, I am talking about you Starbucks!) AND they give you a special red stick that plugs the hole in the lid of the take away cup so you do not spill your coffee. My plan was to sit out on the pier and wake up in the Atlantic wind. It was drizzling but not too hard. Just as I got to the end of the pier, it started to pelt and the guy who was sitting on the best bench gathered up his 3 empty Keith's cans and hurried away. I took advantage of my good fortune and took my place on the abandoned bench ~ I got soaked of course, but it was one of the great cups of coffee.

for tom

because it drives him crazy that we call this guy John Cabot and say he is from England

lunch in halifax ~ saturday

breakfast in halifax ~ saturday

I had a coffee and banana bread in the public gardens.


People love these beautiful gardens.


This is the gate to the gardens.


The you see this (click on pic 4 larger view)


and this


and these


and of course, the classic


which I climbed over to take this

where am I?

Here is why sometimes I do not know which coast I am on:

accommodation in halifax

I am staying at Gerard Hall, one of the Dalhousie Residences. The location is perfect ~ just minutes from the hotel where the conference is being held, a hop to the harbour and seconds from "the busiest street" east of Rue Ste. Catherine in Montreal. I heard that from the amphibious tour bus as it drove by yesterday morning. It got me thinking about what is between Montreal and Halifax. And that Rue Ste. Catherine is probably the busiest street east of Yonge St. in Toronto and Yonge Street is probably the busiest street east of Robson Street in Vancouver (or is the Granville Mall actually Vancouver's busiest street?).

Inside my room:


The view!

magic in oville

Last weekend, while touring the Hockley Valley Road
(Orangeville, Ontario, Canada)



we happened upon a magic pottery studio nestled behind
a giant weeping willow and inhabited by a teeny tiny Rover.