Sept 29

I'm a bit late on this last post - the show officially ended on Sept. 14. However these are the distances walked since last entry:
Sept 7 - 5.33
Sept 8 - 8.98
Sept 9 - 12.10
Sept 10 - 6.39
Sept 11 - 10.73 Drive to Toronto and fly to Lethbridge.
Sept 12 - 6.48
Sept 13 - 3.57
Sept 14 - 9.91 The Sun Never Sets closes. Fly to Toronto and drive to Peterborough.
Sept 15 - 8.07

Sept 16 - 5.79

Sept 17 - 6.25
Sept 18 - 11.52
Sept 19 - 12.08
Sept 20 - 5.07
Sept 21 - 3.01
Sept 22 - 5.27
Sept 23 - 7.17
Sept 24 - 7.37
Sept 25 - 5.06
Sept 26 - 6.05
Sept 27 - 7.19
Sept 28 - 2.44
total = 155.83 km.

This is the last for for Erratic Space: Victoria Park.
I'm returning to Don Gill - Walking (dongillwalking.blogspot.com)

September 6

September 4 - 7.72 km
September 5 - 8.90 km
September 6 - 9.78 km

One of the pleasures of living in a compact urban neighborhood is the convenience of walking for a morning newspaper, especially if there are a variety of local, national and international newspapers to choose from. Having the papers delivered is pleasant but it means you don't have to leave the house till well on into the morning. The 1 km. walk before reading the papers is refreshing. Being able to conveniently and pleasurably walk for most of life's necessities is a remarkable change from a car oriented suburban life.
Papers - 1 km return.
Work - 6 km return.
Groceries - 1-7 km return.
Downtown - 1.5 - 6 km return.
Hardware - 3 km return.
Artist Run Centre and art galleries - 1.5 - 6 km return.
Other culture - 3 - 6km return.
Cafe Society - everywhere.

September 1-3

Sept 1 - 10 km
Sept 2 - 8.44 km
Sept 3 - 8.48 km
Still mainly centered in the house, although I'm managing short walks into town. Weather is hot and humid.
Coincidentally, a short distance away by the Peterborough bus station is a mural painting of Ghost Mountain in Alberta, a connection with our western residence. A stimulating view if you can ignore the unnecessary and intrusive biblical quote.

Aug 28 - 31

Aug 28 - 10.39 km
Aug 29 - 8.94 km
Aug 30 - 3.74 km
Aug 31 - 5.45 km
Moving into new accommodations and walking many kilometres without leaving the house. Unpacking and doing repairs and changes. Occasional walk into town. Shopping. Getting accustomed to a new place.

Aug 24 - 27

Chaplin, Manitoba












Lethbridge to Peterborough, leaving on the 24th and arriving on the 27th. Stopping in Brandon, Thunder Bay and Kirkland lake.


km. walked
24 - 3.09
25 - 2.64
26 - 3.50
27 - 5.64








Kirkland Lake

Aug 18 - 23

Aug 18 - 7.41 km
Aug 19 - 8.19 km
Aug 20 - 10.02 km
Aug 21 - 12.20 km
Aug 22 - 12.76 km

Up the stairs, down the hall, pick up, outside, put down, inside, downstairs, upstairs, downstairs, garage, kitchen, pick up, garage, put down, basement, down the hall, outside, back driveway, kitchen, basement, pick up, kitchen, garage, put down, back-yard, garage, front room, kitchen, hallway, media room, hardware store, garage, inside, front yard, recycling depot, back driveway, garage, back yard, garden, garage, garbage dump, etc., etc., etc., etc.
On the road tomorrow.

Aug 13 - 17

Aug 13 - 13.6 km
Aug 14 - 10.53 km
Aug 15 - 12.82 km
Aug 16 - 6.90 km
Aug 17 - 9.30 km

Enjoying the beauty of day-to-day life in Lethbridge, although I spent the 16th. in Calgary cleaning out my mother's basement so she can sell the house. Good practice for the endless days getting prepared to move to Peterborough, and then to come back. It would be easier just to move everything than to figure out what needs to go and what I will need in January.

Had a pleasant walk downtown and back on Tuesday, thought it might be the last chance I had to enjoy the weather in a relaxed way. I'm now enjoying it in a busy way.
Very hot today and hotter tomorrow.

Aug 12

Aug 12 - 8.77 km.

Newspaper and coffee at home before heading out to do my list of errands. Had a bit of a walkabout downtown, lots of new renovation construction going on in the downtown area. Went up to the university - Arthur Erikson buildings are always good for putting on a few kilometres. This is an image from last fall - too lazy to take another one today - or rather no time. Had to drive to do the recycling - including all the recycling I brought back from Regina - but I did walk to the mailbox to post a letter - a novel experience. Walked a lot around the house and yard carrying things back and forth.

Aug 10 - 11

Aug 10 - 3.82 km despite driving all day.
Packed up and left Regina this morning. Drove past the Sherwood Park branch of the Dunlop as I didn't want to leave Regina again without making it out there. Sunday morning - the gallery and library are closed of course. Drove west to Moose Jaw (stopped for coffee) and then headed south to go the scenic route. Stopped at East End late in the afternoon to see the town, something I've been trying to do for months now. Couple of art galleries and the Wallace Stegner house for writers residencies. And the T-Rex centre.
Continued west - another four hours and I was in Lethbridge with my feet up watching the Olympics.

Aug 11 - 3.09 km.
This day is a bit of a blur - no photos. Mostly ran errands to do with the upcoming move. Saw C.W.'s mother J. off at the airport and ran around some more.
Dinner at A.M. and D.I.'s house with D.D. and C.R. Great dinner.

Aug 9

Aug 9 - 10.25 km
Last day of residency portion of exhibition - morning coffee and newspapers at alternate spot. Busy, crowded and irritating, not conducive to a quiet read. Glass on sidewalk from broken car window from the previous night, although the streets are peacefully busy. Farmers market on Scarth St. generating lots of interesting activity. Go back to lodgings to work for balance of morning, printing images and GPS maps. Also starting to organize my gear as I have to leave tomorrow morning - good thing it's a morning that no newspapers are published.
Scheduled to be at the gallery from 1pm-4pm so I move over there to continue the final additions to the installation. Occasionally walk back through park to lodgings on an some errand or other, taking in some of the daytime festival activities.
Finish at the gallery at about 4:30 and go for early dinner at a food stall in the park - food from the Punjab. then back to lodgings to pack up.
Over the course of my 20 days in Regina I walked 282.5 km.

Aug 8

Aug 8 - 11.32.km
Feet tell me to take it easy today. After morning coffee and news go to gallery to work and take care of business. In the news: Harper government making more cuts to arts funding because some grant recipients aren't conservatives.
Walk around park - work in gallery- work at lodgings - walk in park. Go for an afternoon walk with gallery facilitator M., to describe process and get some valuable Regina history. Go up to cafeteria on top floor of SGI building (Sask. Government Insurance), tallest building in Saskatchewan, if I remember correctly.
Folk Fest doing sound checks - loud at street level but can't hear from SGI building. Later walk around park a bit more as the folk fest builds to it's opening night, then walk over to the Cathedral District for dinner at my favorite restaurant - The Crushed Grape.
After dinner walk back through park to lodgings - festival in full swing.

Aug 7

Aug 7 - 22.88 km

Decide to do a walking day today. After morning coffee and papers drop by gallery briefly to pick up material to take back to lodgings. On the way back make appointment with the hot-dog vendor at the south east corner of park for a grayson sausage on bun for about 20 minutes in the future. Unfortunately I was delayed and didn't get back for about 30 min. by which time it was just past noon and therefore a long line-up. After a 20 min. wait I had to settle for a bratwurst on a whole wheat bun. Still delicious.
After lunch I start walking north through the industrial area between Broad and Albert in the general direction of the Sherwood Park branch of the Dunlop Art Gallery . On the way I pass by the Regina cemetery again and once again my GPS unit starts acting erratically - I look up and see that I'm also right underneath a cell-phone tower. I think this is the reason.
I hope to see the show "Garden Folk" before leaving. I've never managed to make it to the Sherwood Park branch any of the times I've been in Regina. Don't make it this time either. Extremely hot day and my ankle is a bit tender today so I wimp out about 3/4 of the way there and start curving back over to the north-east side. Stop at video store and pick up some used DVDs - "The Prisoner" -a documentary about a journalist imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay (the U.S. war on terror has been a huge boost for the documentary industry if nothing else), Gary Burns' "Radiant City", "As you Like It - Shakespeare", and "Paris - Je T'aime" - a multiple director meditation on the city of Paris.
Continue on my back to Broad Street on an unsuccessful search for a Moto-Guzzi dealership, then loop over to Winnipeg Street and back down south through the industrial east side. Back to lodgings through Victoria Park - the set-up for the folk festival is well underway. In the evening watch "Radiant City", an excellent film - by which I mean that it is an ambitious film that overcomes it's problems.

Aug 6

Aug 6 - 14.56 km
After coffee and newspapers go to gallery to spend scheduled 11am to 1pm time on site. Quite busy today with lots of people coming in to chat including L.B., a Regina artist whom I had met in Lethbridge when he was showing at the University Art Gallery, S. and B., two people quite engaged with the project, an older couple who came with the true history of the Knox Metropolitan United Church (along with the meaning with the "Limp" admonishment on their sign, V.V. from Saskatoon and K.D. from Regina.
After 1pm go to lunch at the Novia Cafe, a Regina institution just across 12th ave. from Victoria Park. Clubhouse Sandwich and black tea.
Back to the gallery to browse the art books.
Around 3pm head out for a longer walk (I've been wandering in the park off and on) east on Victoria to Winnipeg (stopping at the wonderful Italian Deli) then turn north up past the tracks into industrial N.E. Regina. Not much in the way of streets or paths so backtrack down to South Railway & follow the tracks back to downtown stopping at the liquor store to be watched suspiciously while I select a bottle of wine. After making my selection and being hit up for change outside the store I continue down 12th ave to the park for a small amount of perambulation before returning to lodgings.

Aug 5

Aug 5 - 8.77 km
Pick up newspapers relatively early - Globe and Mail & weekend New York Times & go to favorite coffee shop to read. After newspapers spend the rest of the morning & early afternoon working at lodgings, gallery, and Victoria park. Stop at hot-dog cart and have a fabulous sausage on a bun with the works - ketchup, hot mustard, pickles, sauerkraut, green and black olives. After lunch I pick up the Regina Post-Leader and go to alternate coffee shop for a cup of tea.
Wander around park and environs - photograph the two "Municipal Hail" buildings - the old and the new - then back to the gallery for a bit. It starts to rain as I'm inside so wait the storm out inside the front entrance as I'm carrying lots of stuff. Guard strikes up conversation with me about how life is over at sixty and a person had better wish for a healthy life rather than a long one. On that note I dash back out through traffic into park. The folk festival crews are starting to set up for the weekend. Back at the lodgings I watch a DVD of "The Devil's Backbone" by Guillermo Del Toro. An excellent film.

Aug 4

Aug 4 - 12.21 km




Head off to Lumsden to visit J.N. and see the town. Walk a labyrinth at the writers retreat and view the QuAppelle valley. Go by John Nugent's Clifford Wiens designed studio.

Back to town to search for laundromat - a long search. Finally find one in Cathedral district by the Safeway, pack laundry down. Have coffee during the wash cycle and watch clothes circulate during dry cycle. After laundry is done pack clothes back to lodgings with a spin through the park. Run into Bernie F. on the way and chat about an architectural exhibit he had seen over the weekend at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

After dropping laundry off at lodgings go back to park to wander and read for a bit. Very quiet. Look for a credit union to get some cash and then go for dinner at a Tapas bar with a tree-house deck. Have a very nice plate of catfish. Just as i was leaving i was bitten be a mosquito- hopefully not one of the west-nile variety which the newspapers say are hatching this weekend.
Wander about in search of a cold beer ( or any kind of beer) store with a decent selection. Wander a bit more through park and environs before returning to lodgings with beer in hand.

Aug 3

Aug 3 - 19km
Spend morning with feet up, no papers on Sunday. Have coffee and putz.
Around 1pm walk south toward University of Regina campus, going through Wascana park. When on campus I walk around First Nations University by architect Richard Cardinal - it reminds me of visiting the RCMP centre on the other side of town, a building influenced (at the minimum - I'm not sure of the total involvement) by Arthur Erikson. Stop at Fine Arts but that part of the building is locked up. Walk through the neighborhoods on way back to shopping area on Albert. Find specialty wine store and buy same wine I get at skid row liquor store - an Argentinian malbec. Get some groceries at Safeway and continue walking through neighborhoods on my way towards downtown. Stroll around Victoria park and then back to lodgings for the evening.

Aug 2

Aug 2 - 15.26 km
Get newspapers and read obituary of Victoria B.C. artist Fenwick Landsdowne while at coffee, interesting that for the most part you can only read in-depth articles on Canadian artists is in their obituaries.
There was also a good article about Japanese author Haruki Murakami, both articles in the Globe and Mail.
This is my day to spend the afternoon in the gallery although there is a very weak internet connection and it's difficult to work on blog.
After spending pleasant 3 hrs. at Dunlop I rush out to buy mor ink for printer, the only printer i didn't bring spare cartridges for. Before leaving I haul printers and other material I will need for the weekend back to the lodgings as the gallery is closed for the next two days.


Walk up Albert to business supply store and then down to Bushwakker Brewing Co. for beer and dinner. On the way pass by Sarcan recycling depot and Flamen's automaton. this reminds me of the growning pile of empty bottles at the lodgings and the difficulty of recycling when on foot. I need a shopping cart to haul the bottles around.
Have a glass of Granny's bitter at Bushwakkers - it's been extremely hot today and I found out that I missed the Buffalo days parade this morning - finish dinner and second glass of Granny's bitter & consider a glass of Laphroaig for dessert but thankfully reject the idea. Walk back to lodgings.

Aug 1

Aug 1 - 10.56 km
E.M. calls me in the morning to tell me about the sign at Knox United. Limp is the order of the day, I've been complying by limping all over town. E. wanted to know if I had done an intervention, I say that it was a psychogeographic intervention only.
I pass by the church on my way to coffee, Jen (coffee person) tells me that the grain workers union is going to acknowledge my donation in their upcoming newsletter. Spend the rest of the day in gallery and park, the long walk yesterday calls for an easy couple of days - the "limp" admonition at Knox United reminds me of this. Walk with J.N. after lunch - go down to Regina College and talk about Architecture and Regina Art History. View Clifford Wiens' mysterious cube.
Return to gallery and process info till close to closing time - manage to avoid being locked in again for the evening.
Chat with C.W. on phone back at apt while waiting for video to render then walk over to local wine bar for dinner and to read Will Self's book "Psychogeography". In the text of his book Self is walking through Queens & Brooklyn N.Y. while I'm in Regina eating a salami and bell pepper pizza surrounded by the celebrants of a young man's 29th birthday. Lots of cellphone activity going on in restaurant. Chat with C.W. again myself.
While at wine bar I'm noticing that Regina is a tattoo town - lots of Tinkerbelles of various ferocities as well as other images.
Return to lodgings to finish video and burn DVD.

July 31

July 31 - 26.25 km
Blasted out of bed very early by very loud music. Although I think at first it's coming from a neighboring apartment I realize that it's live music coming from across the parking lot, it's the beginning of "Buffalo Days". I head out to a new place for coffee, stop at a Macs store for newspapers and have an interesting conversation with clerk about walking and photography. I have another conversation about walking and photography with server at Roca Jacks coffee house. The shop is providing coffee for strikers on picket line so I leave some money for coffee fund.

Start on Day's excursion. Drop a copy of Rebecca Solnit's "Wanderlust" at gallery for facilitator to read and start walking toward north end of town in search of the "New Utopia" cafe . An obituary of the owner, local artist and restauranteur Roger Ing, had appeared in yesterdays newspaper and I thought that looking for the site of the cafe would be an appropriate tribute. I walk up Broad to Dewdney and then west on Dewdney for quite a distance with out sighting the cafe. I end up at the RCMP Heritage centre, in a new Arthur Erikson influenced building, have lunch there -smoked chicken sandwich & salad. $12.00 admission to the centre and $8.00 for lunch.
I return to the city along the Wascana Creek walking path mulling over my experience at the heritage centre which I'm thinking of more as a propaganda centre designed for training recruits in the grand tradition of the force. It makes me wonder again about the need for a nineteenth century paramilitary federal police agency in current times. To paraphrase Rousseau, "...I think when I walk...."
In the evening i walk down to the Mackenzie Art Gallery for a re-enactment of "The Trial of Louis Riel". As I enter I am invited to play the part of a member of the jury, requiring me to be in costume and sit on the stage in an extremely uncomfortable chair for two hours. Excellent re-enactment with predictable results.

July 30

July 30 - 9.31 km
After newspapers and coffee go to gallery for scheduled 11am - 1pm period. Pick up a copy of "The Epoch Times" on the way, a paper on Chinese and World issues published by adherents of Falun Gong.
1 pm - Two people come into the gallery to schedule a walk, Chris and her mother in law and I go into the park and wander around until the walk is cut short by quite impressive thunder, rain and hail storms.
Wait out the storms and then go for longer walk with E.M., a sort of circular walk in the blocks surrounding the Library ending up back in Victoria park.

July 29

July 29 - 11.74 km
Spent morning with ankle in ice-packs before going for newspapers. Bill Burns drops by for coffee at Atlantis, a surprise. Then to work at the gallery.
1pm. Walk up to postal outlet to mail some documents and pick up a package. While entering the drugstore containing the postal outlet I was told that I was entering a "back-pack free zone" and I had to surrender my pack at the counter, not unusual but inconvenient as I was going to the postal outlet not the drugstore. A couple of days earlier while buying a bottle of wine I was followed around the liquor store by a security guard, presumably because of the backpack. Seems like you become an object of suspicion if you need to carry everything you need for a days activity with you. Urban walking is a suspect activity.
After returning to the gallery for a bit more work I went down to a wine bar for dinner, a guinness burger with stilton, delicious. While I was enjoying an after dinner glass of wine a local artist arrived to drop off a commissioned painting.
After dinner I picked up some groceries and walked home.

July 28

July 28: 4.41 km
Out the door relatively early to go read the newspapers. A change in tactics is called for due to the ankle sprain. Walk around downtown mall in search of supplies and then go to gallery to work. Lunch with A.C. then work at the gallery for day.

July 27

July 27 - 15.28 km.
Take it easy in the morning then walk down to Mackenzie Art Gallery to see the exhibitions. Walked back via Wascana Lake to Broad St. and then back into town towork in the gallery for a couple of hours.
Got out of the Dunlop before it closed and worked in the apartment with my foot up wrapped in ice for the evening. Set up computer and printer.

July 26

July 26 - 19.50 km.
Get newspapers and go for home-cooked breakfast fry-up with CW at a local restaurant.
Walk out to airport to see CW off (walking with CW of course). Route back into town is along Regina avenue via Wascana park. cut back over to 13 ave. to shop for sausages and fresh pesto. After leaving shop I step into a hole in the pavement on 13 ave. and get a bad ankle sprain. Fell on my face in front of traffic stopped to let me cross, very embarrassing and painful. Limp back to shops and sit on edge of planter til worst of the pain passes. Had conversation with a fellow who sat down with me. He looked like he had been badly beaten and was wearing a hospital bracelet. He wanted to know what I was doing with a camera.
Limp back to apartment and put on ankle bandage (never travel without one!). Walk back over to gallery to work. The library closed while I was working in the gallery and when I left i found myself locked in. Embarrassing again. E Mcluhan came out to rescue me.
Go back to apartment for the evening to ice ankle and hide out.

July 25

July 25 - 9.67 km.
Coffee and newspapers, the Globe and Mail and the Regina Leader-Post, a bit of walking around the park and then to the gallery for a heavy installation day.
Finish at about 6 pm and head out for a pre-opening glass of wine with CW.
Exhibition opens at 7:30 - good turn out. Curator Elizabeth McLuhan opens and talks about Rachelle Viader-Knowles' work (Rachelle is in Singapore) followed by me talking about me and then Bernie Flamen (architect and co-curator) talked about the architectural aspect of the show.
More wine post-opening.

July 24

July 24 - 11.42km.
Up at 7:30 to coffee served by CW. Heaven.
Pick up newspapers and go to coffee shop for more coffee and to read the papers. Walk around Victoria Park a bit and then to gallery but they aren't ready for me yet so go back to apt. to work.
Back to gallery in early afternoon to begin installation and meet with docents.
Go down to Bushwakker Brewery for dinner and to sample some local craft beer. Very good. Walk home in the evening and look at architecture at night.

July 23

July 23: 17.89 km.
Up at 7am to walk to the airport to meet C.W's flight. Pleasant walk - only took about an hour. Lots of pedestrian pathways etc until reaching the airport when all sidewalks, paths and any other form of pedestrian access disapear.
Walk back to town with CW dragging her suitcase and stopping for coffee and other walking perks.
Stop by gallery & go for lunch with B. Shopping, monster thunderstorm, back to apt for nap.
out to dinner at a great wine bar.

July 22

July 22: 20.07km.
Get up early and walk around park looking for Rachelle's intervention. Walked more than 4km unsuccessfully and it's not a big park - ran into Bernie outside of Dunlop who gave me instructions. Lunch with R. Walked back up to Cemetery - GPS goes wonky again. Great birds again including flickers. Shop for supplies at large big box shops, a walking experience in itself.
On way back to town stop at Cathedral Village Free House for a beer (and sweet potato fries) - good local craft beer.
Drop in at store afterward and barely miss a massive thunder and lightning storm. It went from daylight (5:30 pm) to dark as midnight in seconds. Power went out in shop while I was waiting out the storm.

July 21

July 21: 13.18km today. Spent a good part of the day settling in, at the gallery and lunching. Walked a good distance up Albert Street looking for sources for supplies. Walked back on Broad. Stopped at the Regina Cemetery. GPS unit went crazy while I was in the Jewish section. Odd. Looked at headstones of holocaust survivors.
Lots of birds. Robins, Thrashers, Chipping Sparrows, Warblers. The cemetery is an oasis in the city, bounded on one side by the tracks that divide the city into North and south sides, and between Broad and Albert Streets on the east and west.

July 20

July 20: Walked 10.27 km despite driving most of the day to get to Regina. Walked around the periphery of the park in late evening.
On my way to Regina I stopped in Moose Jaw for coffee and noticed in the paper that Regina has more violent crime per-capita than any other city in Canada.

July 19

The Sun Never Sets: Victoria Park in Context.