One of the final moments to share from my visit to Regina earlier this month was the time that Tyler and I spent exploring downtown. I hadn't even realized prior, but 12th Avenue has now been paved to create the City Square Plaza around Victoria Park. This links the F.W. Hill Mall and creates a huge open walking space that brings a welcome and brand new focal point to the centre of the city. They've done a really nice job.
The new Mosaic Potash Tower (Hill Centre Tower III) is also nearly complete, which changes the symmetry of the skyline created by Regina's twin towers - not to mention the logo on the welcome to Regina signs. It's a beautiful area though, and we even had a few flashbacks from seeing the Saskatchewan Film Pool building again. It was where we screened our experimental film shorts back in 2006. It's great to see Regina continue to become a more dynamic place, and in some cases change so rapidly in just the few years that have passed since my time there in film school.
On my way to Golden, BC I had it in my mind that I'd stop at Lake Louise in Banff National Park for a couple of hours to walk around and snap pictures. What had become obvious the closer I got however, was that the clouds weren't breaking up and it was going to be overcast while I was there. That wasn't exactly the picturesque scene I had in mind, but I had been driving for hours and felt like stopping anyway.
The bright side to this was that the park was noticeably less busy because everyone figured it was going to rain. It also wasn't a total loss for me because I knew I'd be back through in a couple of days and it was supposed to be really warm and sunny.
On the Sunday as I was heading back home, the weather didn't disappoint. The crowds were insane however, and it took me an hour just to find parking. I got a kick out of everyone, myself included, snapping the exact same pictures of the famed lake in Banff. Who could blame them? It was really scenic.
I walked around the boardwalk, did a lot of people watching, and took a short tour around the Fairmont Chateau. It was a nice afternoon and the vibe (outside of the parking lot) was really relaxed and enjoyable. Banff in general, including Lake Louise, is truly an incredible place.
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Medicine Hat Stampede, but on a more personal note, it marks a decade since the last time I bothered snapping any pictures of it. The reason that sticks out in my mind is because my friend Paul and I have gone to most of the Stampede & Exhibitions together since we were kids (mainly the midway or fairgrounds), and it was that summer 10 years ago that we last bothered to buy a wristband to spend the afternoon riding the rides.
In recent years our annual trip to the fairground has really just been an excuse to eat, check out the exhibits, bump into people we know, play crown and anchor, and buy tickets for the raffles going on. On Thursday night we did all of that, and surprisingly avoided the casino. We may not ride the rides anymore (mainly because they're swamped with kids), but the colors sure make for some nice pictures.
