My 1,555th post…seems significant, given that I was born in 1955…not sure why! Laughing about this! I’ve been a blogger since 2005, my first post written on September 12, 2005 and titled, In the Classroom.
I didn’t know a single soul on the bus tour, but loved the anonymity of the event on that particularly dark and cold Calgary day. Yet again, snow. I enjoyed loading on to the bus with others and rocked gently while listening to a very interesting narrative about the Brutalist architecture that appears throughout the city of Calgary, unbeknownst, I’m certain, to very many Calgarians.
Hosted by Cynthia Klaassen, the President of the Calgary Heritage Initiative Society and Darryl Cariou, the Senior Heritage Planner for the City of Calgary, this guided tour was both fascinating and relaxing. I enjoyed seeing both premier and lesser-known Brutalist sites, including some of the most controversial and nationally acclaimed. It was fascinating to enter into the Science Center, a place where I had toured many times with my children when they were younger. Once again, I felt a huge link to the University of Lethbridge, designed by Arthur Erickson and completed in the early 1970s. I attended the university from 1973 until 1977 and lived in the main building residence on the fourth floor for two of those years. Playing guitar in the abandoned stair wells and conversing with friends into the wee hours of morning on the main concourse are memories that stick with me. The smell of concrete is not something everyone can easily get used to, but for me, a fond memory.
When we arrived back at the Esker, I purchased my 10.00 pkg of postcards and headed for the Blackfoot Diner, where I enjoyed a late afternoon breakfast, while reading over the descriptors on the backside of the postcards. Another great day!
