david.segonds.org » Tourism

A few photos of Nose Hill Park and Downtown Calgary

David — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:23:07 +0000

A couple of days ago, I took a few pictures of my favorite park in Calgary. Here they are…

Fall in Calgary

David — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:38:37 +0000

While our friends in Houston appreciate the relief that comes with the fall and the drop in temperatures, we enjoy mother Nature colors and the sun whenever it is out. Obviously, it is getting colder in Calgary and we even had a couple a snow storms, a few inches of snow that lasted for a few days.

Yesterday was exceptionnaly gorgeous and our star was kind enough to radiate its warmth all over the house. The cats are craving such attention and they were following the rays like well programmed phototropic robots.

By sunset, we went for a walk into Nose Hill park, which is one of the largest municipal parks in North America. To my surprise, you can find solitude there. The snow capped mountains block the western horizon and downtown lays at its feet to the south.

In Calgary, Fall marks the beginning of the new season for many clubs and associations. It seems that we leave the outdoors to focus again on social activities and other human beings. For example, CAMUG and APLN local chapter seasons have begun. I was privileged to present my department work during CAMUG October session and I was pleased to share the result of our work with like-minded individuals. If you live in Calgary and are into software engineering and project management, I strongly encourage you to have a look at those two organizations.

Hiking on Grassi Lakes trail

David — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:17:26 +0000

Sunday was a fine day. The temperature was cool (around 18C) and even though it was slightly raining, this was a good day for a hike near Canmore. Enjoy the pictures.

Spain

David — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:46:51 +0000

Last month, we went to Spain for a week. It was nice to warm up our old bones to the sun before returning to Calgary and get ready for the frigid winter. We had a lot of sun and a lot of fun. I even had a tan for a few days after our return.

I was really impressed by this country unknown to me even though it is only one hour away by car from where I grew up. I had to live in Canada before getting an opportunity to visit Madrid. Life is strange…

We drank a lot of Sangria and I had to find a recipe as soon as we landed back in Calgary.

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First impressions

David — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:11:41 +0000

There is nothing like new adventures to keep you going. This is what staying young means to me.

Right now, I am writing from my hotel room in Beijing. I arrived here on Sunday after a 20 hours journey. This is my first trip to Asia.

I am here to visit my colleagues and for now, I have only commuted from the hotel room to the office (a whooping five minutes walk).

At this point, I don’t know how much I am going to blog about this experience but I thought that I would celebrate my arrival by listing my first impressions.

I am due for a post anyway.

Nothing beats face to face time with colleagues on the other side of the world. You can get so much accomplished and you plan so much more effectively. Phones are really a poor substitute for real human contact.
The food is excellent and Chinese food has nothing to do with the stuff (I’d rather not use the word crap) that you usually find in North America or Europe. The lamb is exquisite and so is the duck. The beer is great. Of course, you also have dishes that North Americans consider more exotic such as pork lungs, pork stomach or donkey. This is not that unusual in Europe.
I am glad that I have started to practice using chop sticks eight months ago. It saved a lot of frustration.
It takes about one hour to negotiate for a new room with an Internet connection that actually work. As one of my colleague puts it, since the hotel is named E-House and is located in a Software Park north of downtown Beijing, you would expect a decent Internet connection.
Like anywhere else in the world, Windows Vista is frown upon.
The jet lag is not so bad once you realize that flying from Calgary to Beijing is similar to flying from Paris to Los Angeles.
It is fun to be ahead of Europe (time wise) for a change. Family, and friends don’t usually expect a phone call from me in the morning (Europe time).
I need to polish my Mandarin. For some reasons, I have trouble communicating.
Thanks the FSM for Internet.
Having lived in Europe and North American means that I am not as surprised as my North American colleagues with the cultural differences.
You are not going to escape snow by flying around the world. At least here, the temperature is above freezing

I will be doing the touristy things on week-ends — I am here for three weeks — and I will post some photos.

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Grain Elevators, the prairie sentinels

David — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:19:08 +0000

Grain Elevators were the link between the farmers of western Canada prairie and the railroad that carried away the grains to towns, ports, and ultimately consumers. We consume grains every day in many forms and in many products without knowing how they are grown or come into our homes. Bread is only one of such products, wheat flour is used in many other consumables from Chinese style seasoning to powder detergents.

Old and abandoned elevators are part of the landscape around Calgary and a group of volunteers, in the town of Nanton are working hard to save the elevators that sit by Highway 2 and goes through Alberta to Montana. Their goal is to create and develop a discovery center to preserve and promote the history and culture of farming, grain elevators and the associated rail roads.

I spent a full day with the board of that organization. As a humble member, I was invited to participate in a strategic planning session facilitated by a great pedagogue who enlighten me on what goes on in the board room of corporations.

I learned a lot, not only about strategic planning, but also about wildlife, rail roads, farming, snow, horses, Canadian constitution, the Crown, and many other topics too numerous to recall. This was a full fledged experience. that gave me more than an insight on the kindness, hospitality, generosity, of the people of Nanton. And of course, I ate too much…

If you are in the area, go check the town. The hotel downtown has live music most nights, the food is great and the people are fun. The antique shops are full of treasures while the landscape towards the foothills is magical…

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Heritage Park

David — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:55:11 +0000

Even though the temperature was quite cool (-22C, -8F), we went to visit Heritage Park with some friends. It was really interesting to see all those buildings that have been transplanted from different parts of Alberta to recreate an historical experience.

If you go there, I encourage you to stop by the bakery and taste a couple of sausage rolls. They were delicious and quite unique.

A few photos of Nose Hill Park and Downtown Calgary

Bragg Creek

David — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:25:26 +0000

This afternoon, we drove to Bragg Creek, a small town south west of Calgary. It is a very pleasant community hidden among tall evergreen trees. I took some pictures and I must say that I wish that I could have pressed the shutter button through my glove. The temperature was -23C (-10F) and even without wind, you can feel your fingers getting cold (and red) after only a few minutes.

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Fall in Southern Alberta

David — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:32:42 +0000

I know that some individuals—who I will not name here—wishes me to freeze to death in Calgary especially when they live in a warm climate such as Houston.

But, let it be known that winter is not here quite yet and I am exorcising the dreaded season by posting some photos on my Flickr account. Photos were taken in October in Southern Alberta at an elevation greater than 1000m. I will insist on the fact thet there is no snow on those photos.

Hurricane Ike affects Calgary

David — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:50:31 +0000

This morning, I called some of my friends and neighbors in Houston and I was glad to hear that Ike moved over Houston without too much damage, at least in the area where I used to live.

However, I must exclusively report that Ike has affected Calgary in unsuspected ways and I have unaltered photographic proof to illustrate my discovery.

This morning, Melissa and I traveled to the South East of Calgary and we came across a building stuck in the ground reminding me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz right after Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland and in which the ruby-slippered Wicked Witch of the East get smashed by Dorothy’s house.

I am convinced that Houston is now missing a church and that this church can be found in Calgary.

It appears that some people try to discredit my findings and have been too far in claiming that “Device to Root Out Evil, a work in steel, aluminum and glass by New York artist Dennis Oppenheim, looks like an upside-down New England church with its steeple planted in the ground.”

You will certainly agree with me and I need your help to locate the site in Houston where this church comes from. Please report your findings in the comments to this post.

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

David — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:23:47 +0000

This photo represents the very reason I wanted to move from Houston to Calgary. Lake Louise is a two hours drive from our house. This photo was taken last Sunday after a short 1.6km uphill hike.

Now, I can’t wait for the ski season to start.

Calgary Highland Games

David — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:41:19 +0000

Today, Melissa and I went to the Calgary Highland Games. It was quite fun to see bag pipes, many gentlemen of all ages in kilt, and traditional Scottish dancing. I am also comforted to see that there is a British influence around here and not merely an English influence.

I also learned that there is a Calgary, Banff, and Airdrie in Scotland and I am guessing this is where the name of our local towns are coming from.

I also suspect, looking a the license plate below, that there may have been other nationalities enjoying the games.

Canoeing on Lake Louise

David — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:54:56 +0000

Yesterday was a wonderful day with great weather and a nice temperature of 27C (80F). Melissa and I decided to leave for Lake Louise around noon.

We took the long way out, road 1A, all the way to Canmore, where we stopped for a quick lunch. Then, after entering Banff National park we took the scenic route via Baker Creek where we found a restaurant serving a very nice apple pie with blackberries and ice cream. We drank our tea and coffee outside, enjoying the sunny weather.

Arriving near lake Louise, the temperature was 23C (73F) and we noticed a few dark clouds.

I just had time to park the car before the temperature instantly dropped to 11C (52F) and we found ourselves in an hailstorm that lasted for a good ten minutes and was followed by dogs and cats falling from the sky.

Let’s just say that canoeing will be for another day…

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada