At the best of times, I have a short little span of attention, and THESE times are not helping. So while we isolate here at home, maybe I can show you what I'm noticing in the spring landscape, and around the site, cause that is mostly what I'm doing anyway. Tangible proof of the outside… Read More

At the best of times, I have a short little span of attention, and THESE times are not helping. So while we isolate here at home, maybe I can show you what I'm noticing in the spring landscape, cause that is mostly what I'm doing anyway. Sunday has started with the most beautiful atmosphere: still,… Read More

What a lot of talk about toilet tissue. By now maybe you are in the mood for some photos of vintage toilet facilities, to go along with all that paper work. "I am just going outside and may be some time." The outhouse comes to mind when we think of the days before indoor plumbing.… Read More

Do you know bollards? When I've pointed them out on walking tours, people are often not familiar with the name, but for some reason, are amused and enjoy saying "bollards". There are many examples around Halifax, so let the hilarity begin. Bollards have several functions, and since we live in a seaport let's start with… Read More

Soon the old CBC building, at the corner of Summer Street and Bell Road, will be demolished to make way for the hospital expansion. I've never found the building particularly interesting, but I do like how its stub-nosed entrance echoes the curve of Bell Road. When the building opened in 1956,… Read More

On Sunday the Halifax Convention Centre hosted an open house, so Sheila and I went down to take our first look inside the big blue shard. Have you been? It's a mammoth space and very clean. At every turn we were met and engaged by helpful staff who made us feel most welcome. I do… Read More

When I posted this picture of a vigorously curvy concrete park bench on Twitter, it attracted more attention than anticipated. People liked it, and also ate their lunch on it. It's at the corner of Queen and Green Streets, in a parkette that was created about 1980 as part of the… Read More

The provincial government progressed from total secrecy to communication stumbles in their recent roll out of a proposed QEII hospital parkade and power plant. In the midst of the, not surprising, public outrage, urban planner Tristan Cleveland offered a helpful reminder and plea to us all. For the whole massive hospital project it is really… Read More

Join me on a little winter ramble in the wilderness. Not the new backlands urban wilderness park but the real urban wilderness, among the Kempt Road car dealerships. Took our car to the dealer for a recall: apparently it could spontaneously careen down a hill. VW has a new building that has the charm of an… Read More

Have you noticed the talk recently about the burying grounds that were on the old Memorial Library site, and under the paved parking lot beside St Mary's Basilica? A strong voice in this conversation is St Mary's University archaeology professor Dr Jonathan Fowler, who also produces compelling graphics. On the contemporary aerial photograph, below, he… Read More