Month: June 2014

124th Street

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IMG_3864Today is a hot, blue sky day in Edmonton. One of the first truly summer-like days this year, it was perfect for exploring 124th Street, another of the city’s popular locations.

Beginning at the west end of Jasper Avenue and extending north to about 111th Avenue, this vibrant district is known for it’s many specialty shops, restaurants and small art galleries that feature the work of Canadian artists. We strolled from one end of the area to the other checking out several of the shops and most of the galleries.

Though we enjoyed critiquing the wide variety of art that we saw, I had to remind Richard to save some of his comments until we were back on the street! His question, “Don’t you think that this could have been painted by Drew and Jami-Lee?” (referring to two of our preschool grandchildren), asked within earshot of the gallery staff, was a mite embarrassing! In that particular case and a couple of others, I did have to agree with his assessment, but I also saw many pieces that were more to my taste. We both agreed that Bearclaw Gallery was our favourite due to our appreciation for Inuit and West Coast native art.

This was a perfect time of year to visit 124th Street. Flowers and lilac bushes bloomed everywhere adding to the already colourful scene and filling the air with their heavenly scent.

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A relaxing lunch on the patio at the Urban Diner, just around the corner on 102nd Avenue, completed our visit to the area. Fortunately, radiation treatments haven’t affected my sense of taste yet and I was able to thoroughly enjoy my salmon quiche.

There’s that hat again!

Fitness from the shoulders up!

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“Normally you should be able to place the two middle joints of your index and middle fingers in your mouth” reads one of the many handouts that I was given at the Cross Cancer Institute this week.

You tried it, didn’t you? I knew you would!

I can do it, but barely. In fact, when I do, I’m left with imprints of my teeth on my fingers.

I’m amazed at all the services available to patients at the Cross and I haven’t even had to go looking for them. This week, I had appointments with a speech language pathologist (who knew that they also deal with swallowing issues?), a nutritionist and an occupational therapist and now I have a whole new exercise routine to follow. I have lip exercises, swallowing exercises, jaw exercises and neck exercises to do! Sadly, none of them requires cute exercise attire!

The lip exercises are meant to help correct the crooked smile that I was left with after last month’s surgery. It has been gradually improving as the facial nerve recovers and if it never got any better than it is right now, I could certainly live with that, but I might as well do what I can to help it along.  The exercises, which involve making a variety of funny faces, are simple and easy do while I’m engaged in other activities.

Surgery also left me with a fair amount of stiffness in the neck and jaw area, hence the difficulty getting two knuckles between my teeth. Radiation can cause increased stiffness in these areas so, rather than becoming a permanently stiff-necked person, I’ll be doing neck and jaw exercises at least 3 times a day for the duration of my radiation treatments and for several weeks or possibly months afterwards. Fortunately, they’re also simple to do and don’t take very long.

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a common side effect of radiation to the head and neck so the swallowing exercises that I’m doing are preemptive, designed to minimize or prevent problems from arising. They’re not particularly difficult to do, but because they’re done with sips of water, they involve consuming copious amounts of H2O. Since staying well hydrated is important, this isn’t a particularly bad thing but it does mean having to break the exercises down into manageable amounts spread throughout the day.

I haven’t lifted weights since having surgery and the treadmill is gathering dust again now that the weather is suitable for walking outdoors, but I’m still fitting in my regular morning exercises 4 or 5 days a week. This is the first time I’ve worked on being physically fit from the shoulders up though!

Old Strathcona

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We had a couple of hours to kill between a late morning appointment with the surgeon who did my recent surgery and today’s radiation treatment. Since we were just a few minute’s drive from Old Strathcona, one of Edmonton’s trendiest neighbourhoods, we decided that that would be a good place to explore today. It had been several years since we spent any time there.

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Today, the city of Edmonton straddles the North Saskatchewan River but originally, Edmonton was on the north side while South Edmonton was a separate village on the south side. In 1899, the same year that it was incorporated as a town, South Edmonton was renamed Strathcona and in 1912, the two communities amalgamated. Whyte Avenue forms the backbone of present day Old Strathcona, a funky blend of historic buildings and youthful vitality. Designated a Provincial Historic Area in 2007, it is home to a plethora of unique boutiques, galleries, music shops, restaurants and drinking establishments.

Old Strathcona has an ambiance all it’s own and is a perfect area to explore on foot. I loved the names on many of the signs; titles like When Pig’s Fly, Funky Buddha, Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery, and The Plaid Giraffe! We enjoyed a hearty and delicious lunch of po’boys and sweet potato fries at Dadeo New Orleans Diner and Bar, a retro 50s style diner.

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Fashion in Old Strathcona is as diverse as the people on the street; businessmen mix with students and buskers strumming guitars, each one expressing their personal style through their clothing, hairstyles, jewelry and, in many cases, body art. Personally, I wore a new hat. I’ve been told that I need to protect the area that’s receiving radiation from the sun but not to use any products, including sunscreen, on it. That’s a little tricky considering that it’s part of my face and neck. A floppy, wide-brimmed hat seemed to be the answer to my dilemma. Though the wind threatened to steal it away, you can see that it did the job rather well.

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Look what drove into my picture!

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Contrasting towers!

Exploring close to home

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Though we’ve climbed Mt. Fuji and the Great Wall of China, cruised Vietnam’s spectacular Halong Bay and swum in the Grotto on the island of Saipan, there are plenty of things right here in Edmonton, the city closest to our home, that we haven’t done. When we come to the city, it’s usually a day trip filled with mundane activities like medical appointments and shopping, but this time is different.

This time we’re in Edmonton from Monday to Friday for six weeks in a row while I undergo radiation treatment. Most days, we’re in and out of the clinic in less than an hour. That leaves lots of time to do and see the things that we haven’t taken time for in the past. Essentially, we’re playing tourist close to home.

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The North Saskatchewan River, one of Canada’s most historic waterways, winds its way through Edmonton on its journey from the Columbia Icefield, high in the Rocky Mountains, to the Hudson Bay. Edmonton’s river valley comprises over 20 major parks and attractions and forms the largest expanse of urban parkland in North America. With over 150 km of well-maintained trails, the river valley provides a unique opportunity for city dwellers and visitors to escape the city without ever leaving it.

IMG_3823After today’s treatment, we spent about an hour walking in the river valley, something we had never done before. Though we started off near a high traffic area, the further we walked, the more the noise of the city faded into the background. It was soon replaced by birdsong and the chatter of squirrels likeIMG_3826 this little fellow who protested loudly when we came too close.

Further along the trail, we heard an unfamiliar sound; the huff and puff of Fort Edmonton’s steam train! Though we couldn’t see it through the trees, we were passing by Canada’s largest living history museum, just one of the many attractions found in the river valley.

The confluence of Whitemud Creek and the North Saskatchewan River

The confluence of Whitemud Creek and the North Saskatchewan River

I’ve always admired cities with well developed and accessible green spaces and I’m glad we finally took the time to explore a bit of Edmonton’s!

What are you reading?

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“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Suess

I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. Bookstores and libraries are two of my favourite places but when I was recently asked who my favourite author is, I couldn’t answer. I had to be honest and say that I don’t have one. There are simply too many to choose from!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my favourite novel is The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller and the nonfiction book that has impacted me most is Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn.

As Dr. Suess so wisely mentions, books can take us places we might never go. I’m presently in the middle of reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Katherine Boo, which has carried me into the slums of present day Mumbai, India. Next on my list is The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs. Recommended by my blogging friend, Donloree, the book chronicles Jackson’s experience reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A to Z!

My taste in reading is somewhat eclectic and perhaps a bit academic. I don’t care for fantasy, mysteries or thrillers. I’m not averse to romance but I don’t like what I call “fluff” (syrupy, predictable, “happy ever after” stories) nor do I care for the highly erotic. Fifty Shades of Grey is not on my reading list. Though our bookshelves contain a very sizable collection of westerns, those are Richard’s and I’ve never had a desire to read them.

So what do I like to read? First on my list would probably be realistic fiction, true to life human interest stories like the book I’m presently reading. I also enjoy historical fiction, stories that take me back in time. Biographies, autobiographies and other non-fiction books that introduce me to the lives of interesting people in interesting places are also high on my list.

Though I’ll never read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica, I have read the Bible from cover to cover several times. I consider it the essential guidebook for this journey called life and I read from it almost every day. For reading purposes, I much prefer a chronological Bible that puts the historical narrative in the order that it happened. The version that I’m currently reading is a New King James chronological study Bible that contains lots of notes, articles, timelines and other graphics that give insight into the life and customs of Bible times. They contain information on everything from agriculture to architecture, food and drink to government, and marriage and family to science and worship. I’m thinking that it’s going to take me a long time to get through this one but it’s definitely fascinating.

As a teenager, I went through a science fiction phase but that genre no longer captures my interest and as a long time teacher of upper elementary school, I’ve read a lot of juvenile fiction, some of it very good. Perhaps some of my most entertaining reading these days is sharing children’s books with my grandchildren!

I was disappointed to discover that though I had plenty of time to read while recovering from last month’s surgery, for the first couple of weeks I wasn’t able to focus well enough to escape into a good book! The after effects of seven hours of anesthetic plus the amount of pain medication that I was using left my poor head a bit addled! Fortunately, that has worn off and I’m reading again. We’re off to Edmonton to start my radiation treatments the day after tomorrow and I’ll be taking several books with me.

What do you like to read? Do you have a favourite author?