Walking in cities frustrates me. You can never just walk in a straight line anywhere. You go up and over, down and around and through, but never ever straight.
This week I decided I would get off at the Fish Creek/ Lacombe C-Train stop just simply because. And I was excited because the train had passed by a park (later identified as Fish Creek Park which makes sense) that looked nice, having a scenic bridge.
But do you think I could figure out how to get there?
It's not a rhetorical question. Rhetoric is for difficult, thought-inspiring questions. The question I just asked is simple.
It's not a rhetorical question. Rhetoric is for difficult, thought-inspiring questions. The question I just asked is simple.
I wandered down a slope from the station, found a pond, and then of course a highway. That was not bordered by a sidewalk and as far as I could tell unsurpassable. Unless I intended to do a kamikaze run through traffic. But seeing as how I enjoy life and am not quite that dedicated to the blog I decided that I would return to Fish Creek Park another time.
Plus I had more pressing issues. Finding a bathroom. It's a substantial C-Train ride.
While on my way to the Humpty's across the tracks (up, over, and down) to solve Issue #1, I noticed two old-school churches across the highway, so once I had solved Issue #1, I figured I would do some trespassing. Nothing like trespassing on a Saturday afternoon.
Up and over and down again (after being threatened by the sign shown above) and I was across the street and staring at yet another post-secondary institute in Calgary that I had no idea existed: St. Mary's University College. Add that to the pile with ACAD and Bow Valley College. Not to mention all the random secondary campuses of non-local institutions that exist. So I took a quick glance at St. Mary's because I was a little puzzled, and then back on track to the churches.
I crept down some side street with the night and into the graveyard through a cast-iron gate.
That might be a bit of an elaboration. It was midday. And I couldn't tell you the make up of that fence. Could have been regular iron for all I know. I don't even know if there is a difference between iron and cast-iron.
Plus graveyards stopped scaring me when I was approximately 13. Ok, I was a bit older than that.
The point is that now I like them. My favourite headstones are old, large, and ornate. I also like when one family has a section fenced off from the rest of the cemetery.
My major is archaeology. This should be known. Otherwise unless you are also fascinated by old things as well, you probably will not understand how enthralled I was to have stumbled upon these churches. St. Paul's (the one I spent more time looking at on account of the other church being under repair and bearing a sign saying that it was under video surveillance) was built in 1885 and has a bell from England that is more than 200 years old. Which is not really old by world church standards but was old enough by Alberta standards for me to geek out about.
I took a few minutes to check out the other church which is in a bit of rough shape. There was no sign of the name of the other church in sight.
Heading back to St. Paul's chapel, there was still that glow from the windows that I was fairly certain was neither the sun reflecting off the glass, nor my imagination. And sure enough as I paused to take a picture, out of the church came a man who also was photographing the church. Which was pretty good timing. When I asked him if the church still held service regularly on a whim (because most churches of that age don't but the whole 11 am worship on the sign was misleading) he said that it has about 5 masses a year and 2 weddings this year. I'm not Anglican but I would consider getting married there. It's a pretty nice church. Backdrop of the church not so much. Content with all that had happened, I followed a curving path out of the church site, retraced my steps on the back street and hit the spot where the sidewalk ends, or rather from my direction where it began.
And that is a corny ending to this post. Too corny.
I found a lotto max ticket from January 13th when I was trying to walk straight, cutting through a parking lot. Then, with much serendipity, a friend later told me that January 13th's ticket was indeed bought in Calgary.
And had not been claimed!
How awesome would have that been? Yes, "would".
I checked the numbers of last week's win and they're not mine. I signed the ticket anyways. I wouldn't want to be a chump like whoever lost that ticket in the hypothetical scenario where the ticket I found was a winner. Instead of just a piece of garbage that can't even win me another ticket.
But maybe you have more luck than me?
While on my way to the Humpty's across the tracks (up, over, and down) to solve Issue #1, I noticed two old-school churches across the highway, so once I had solved Issue #1, I figured I would do some trespassing. Nothing like trespassing on a Saturday afternoon.
Up and over and down again (after being threatened by the sign shown above) and I was across the street and staring at yet another post-secondary institute in Calgary that I had no idea existed: St. Mary's University College. Add that to the pile with ACAD and Bow Valley College. Not to mention all the random secondary campuses of non-local institutions that exist. So I took a quick glance at St. Mary's because I was a little puzzled, and then back on track to the churches.
I crept down some side street with the night and into the graveyard through a cast-iron gate.
That might be a bit of an elaboration. It was midday. And I couldn't tell you the make up of that fence. Could have been regular iron for all I know. I don't even know if there is a difference between iron and cast-iron.
Plus graveyards stopped scaring me when I was approximately 13. Ok, I was a bit older than that.
The point is that now I like them. My favourite headstones are old, large, and ornate. I also like when one family has a section fenced off from the rest of the cemetery.
My major is archaeology. This should be known. Otherwise unless you are also fascinated by old things as well, you probably will not understand how enthralled I was to have stumbled upon these churches. St. Paul's (the one I spent more time looking at on account of the other church being under repair and bearing a sign saying that it was under video surveillance) was built in 1885 and has a bell from England that is more than 200 years old. Which is not really old by world church standards but was old enough by Alberta standards for me to geek out about.
I took a few minutes to check out the other church which is in a bit of rough shape. There was no sign of the name of the other church in sight.
Heading back to St. Paul's chapel, there was still that glow from the windows that I was fairly certain was neither the sun reflecting off the glass, nor my imagination. And sure enough as I paused to take a picture, out of the church came a man who also was photographing the church. Which was pretty good timing. When I asked him if the church still held service regularly on a whim (because most churches of that age don't but the whole 11 am worship on the sign was misleading) he said that it has about 5 masses a year and 2 weddings this year. I'm not Anglican but I would consider getting married there. It's a pretty nice church. Backdrop of the church not so much. Content with all that had happened, I followed a curving path out of the church site, retraced my steps on the back street and hit the spot where the sidewalk ends, or rather from my direction where it began.
And that is a corny ending to this post. Too corny.
I found a lotto max ticket from January 13th when I was trying to walk straight, cutting through a parking lot. Then, with much serendipity, a friend later told me that January 13th's ticket was indeed bought in Calgary.
And had not been claimed!
How awesome would have that been? Yes, "would".
I checked the numbers of last week's win and they're not mine. I signed the ticket anyways. I wouldn't want to be a chump like whoever lost that ticket in the hypothetical scenario where the ticket I found was a winner. Instead of just a piece of garbage that can't even win me another ticket.
But maybe you have more luck than me?
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