I think most of us know that last Sunday was Mother’s Day, but did you also know it was  Clean Up The Sturgeon day?  What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day then to say thanks to Mother Nature by helping clean up some litter, plant some trees, and spend some time with the family? Sure, brunch would have been nice, but how could I say no to a bike ride, BBQ lunch and the chance to make a bit of difference in the city with my kid right beside me?

We decided to start our day at St.Albert Place and  move down the river to tree planting and a BBQ lunch at St. Albert Centre. Of course the fact that we also knew ice cream (courtesy of Dairy Queen) was at St. Albert Place also weighed into our decision of...

The art show put on by the St. Albert Artist’s Guild is an anticipated event in my house. My husband and I attend together; but as soon as we get our ballots for people’s choice we become strangers. We each start in a different section, perusing the art in detail. If I turn a corner and see my husband, I immediately turn the other way. For us, one of the joys of the art show is comparing our ballots; and laughing at how different our taste is. After intense inspection of every piece we meet at one of the tables to compare the results. This year; when my husband sat down he said “If by chance our number one choice is mutual, I think we should purchase it.”  I agreed with this statement; our tastes are usually so different, I did not anticipate that my visa card would need to be withdrawn from my purse.  

And the envelope please....much astonishment on both of our parts when we realized that we had agreed not only on our number one choice, but on number three as well. Alas a red dot was already posted...

Chestnuts Roasting on a Open fire….

This song tends to bring a certain period in time to mind for me.  Not necessarily a simpler time, but a slower paced time when things weren’t so rushed, and how much you spent and gifts weren’t the focus of the season. 

 

A little bit of that time was evoked and shared with my son this past weekend at the St. Albert Grain Elevator and Train Station, where they had a telegrapher send his wish list to Santa in the North Pole via Telegraph!  Man, the Operators fingers sure knew what they were doing as they tapped out this great long list….We opted out writing the list with an old fashioned pen and ink and went with good ol’ lead!  I could see messes happening with ink in a 4 year olds hands and a wandering mind, especially since the great man in red was sitting in the next room waiting to talk and see if you had been good or naughty.

 

We created a couple of crafts and ornaments and decorated a gingerbread cookie (deliciously from Grandin Bakery),...

The Painters Guild Fall Art Show & Sale was last weekend in St. Albert Place. I always look forward to this show, it is a tremendous tribute to all the talented artists we have in the city and the area. This year my husband and I attended together, as in we entered the building together and left the building together, however, we took different paths to view the show. This works for us, as what I stop to admire, at times will only get a passing glance from him, and of course vice-a-versa.

 This year as part of the show they had a “People’s Choice” award. Armed with a golf pencil and a slip of paper we were asked to pick our top three. What a great way to really immerse your visitors in the show. We both took our job very seriously and carefully deposited our votes in the draw box. Of course, the first question you ask each other as you leave the building is “What three did you pick?” We were both very surprised to discover that our second choice was actually the same, a partial nude painting of a woman....

For one week each summer, St. Albert is taken over by cars…everything from Cadillac hearses to 1957 Chevy pick-ups…to…well, other vehicles that have engines & wheels. Cars are not really my thing, but still one cannot help but get caught up in the excitement of the week.

I attended the Show and Shine at Millennium Park on Saturday. I have to admit I took pictures of the cars that I liked the colour of…maybe a bit shallow, but seriously can you imagine a dress in the same blue as the truck pictured below!

From pancake breakfasts, to street dances and car cruises, Rock’n August is truly a wonderful week. For me, it really is a walk through history…told by the automobile. Rather than examining the engines, admiring the pistons and cam shafts, I imagine what...

St. Albert's celebration, honouring those that have contributed to the fibre of our City

Petunias are beautifying the St. Albert Community Hall grounds