Random Halifax Picture #16

Unfortunately, I missed the now annual Commons Powwow - Mawio'mi - but I was able to catch the very very last song of the entire weekend event. This is a bunch of, soon to be voiceless, boys singing "Victory Song." I can attest that the sound is as intense as it sounds from this close.

Random Halifax Picture #15

A friend of mine told me that the owner of this house must certainly be from Newfoundland, since she saw many houses there that had decorated their mail boxes like this. Mailboxes like this are few and far between in Halifax, but they're always a treat to find, if you do.

Random Halifax Picture #14

Lately the weather has been a tad bit on the blizzardy side here in Halifax. I thought I'd remind myself of warmer days by posting this picture of a woman making a snow bear for a snow sculpture contest outside of the RCMP building near my home. Unfortunately it rained the day after this picture was taken and the bear was washed away.

Random Halifax Picture #13

When I first saw these stocks set up between the buildings of the Privateers Wharf Historic Properties, I just thought it made for a funny picture. For the last few months though, I had worked at a Subway restaurant, and it just dawned on me that a Subway restaurant would be the perfect place for one of these.

I can see it now: Anyone who asks for "extra extra onions" or "loads of pickles," or lets his/her son squish his nose and mouth up against the sneeze guard I had just cleaned, gets locked up in the stocks. Anyone who was made late by the person who ordered five subs during the supper rush gets two free throws of a rotting tomato or onion from the compost bin. The over all customer satisfaction rate from all those non-offenders who now get to have some pickles on their subs too would soar through the roof! Think about it Subway, and give me a call.

Random Halifax Picture #12

Is that an Iguana on his shoulder? I expect it when I see something like this in Toronto, but I must admit that it was a slight surprise when I passed by this reptile enthusiast near the Waterfront in Halifax.

Random Halifax Picture #11

Nova Scotians are bracing themselves for hurricane Earl, which is set to touch ground in the province some time tomorrow. I was told that the last time a hurricane hit Halifax the power and water were out for a week. The newspapers said this week the power/water might be out for 72 hours, and since Nova Scotia is in the midst of a stifling heat wave I prepared the above collection of 29 Litres of water (plus a few water bottles pushing the total over 30 Litres) just in case.

The best part is I did not buy a single one of these bottles; they were all found on the street or in garbage cans. I then took them home and washed them out several times with soap and water, and then refilled them. This means that I reduced waste, reused the bottles, and after the hurricane I will recycle them. I have used all three Rs at the same time with this move; I rule!

Random Halifax Picture #10

Rather than going to Tim Horton's, the "bikers" (it doesn't really count if you aren't using your legs) in Halifax like to hand out at Chebucto Landing, near the Naval Dockyard Clock, on the Halifax Waterfront. To be fair to motorcyclists in other cities without waterfronts, there is a Tim Horton's in the ferry terminal, just out of shot.

Random Halifax Picture #9

This isn't really a random picture, it's my old bicycle. I purchased this second-hand, back in June, because I needed a quick way to get around. It wasn't much of a bike though, but as the website for the bike shop said, "it takes a special kind of bicycle to be a $100 bicycle", so I knew what I was getting in to before I bought it (for the record, it cost $150, but that's not much better). In fact one of the workers at Cyclesmith (not where I bought it) who had to fix the tire on it once told me, "my girlfriend had this same bike and it was horrible twenty years ago, so I can't imagine it's much better now."

Nevertheless, even though the seat post clamp wouldn't tighten properly, so I had to constantly pull it up at every red light, and the brakes didn't work at all during the rain, and the dérailleurs were constantly giving me issues, it was still my bike and I felt pretty close to it. It was also instrumental in helping me collect most of the pictures you've seen on this website up until now.

However, a couple of weeks ago I was going to see a friend, and the front tire exploded, and so did the tube. At the same time, the chain slipped off the front and jammed itself up in between the chain rings. That was the third blown tire on the bike in that one week alone, and after being told by someone at Cyclesmith that it needed about $400 worth of work done on it, I thought it wasn't worth it and decided to buy a new bicycle.

This picture is the last I ever saw of my bicycle after walking it over to donate to a North End community bike charity. I hope someone else has more success with it than I did.

For the record, my new bike is awesome. I also bought a rack on the back, and rigged up a "unique" basket for it. I have fenders to keep my shirt from getting muddy in the rain, and lights and a bell. In short, it's the ultimate EP Cruiser. I'll show a picture soon.

Random Halifax Picture #8

Sarge, and his rider, made an appearance at the Northern Lights Lantern Festival on August 14. I asked the officer if there was an advantage to riding a horse over driving a car or riding a bicycle. The officer told me that being on a horse has two main advantages. A) People who wouldn't normally come talk to the police, will come and talk with him because they want to see the horse. This allows him to become more trusted in the community. B) If crowd control is needed, then riding a horse is the best option since i) the rider can more easily see what's going on, and ii) rather than yelling and screaming to move people out of the way, the horse just takes a step and clears out the path without a fuss or problem. Sarge has his own badge too, as you can see around his neck. Fittingly, it's the badge of a Sergeant, which means he technically outranks his rider.

Random Halifax Picture #7

One of the things I love about living in Halifax is all the odd signs I never even knew existed. I've even seen a sign warning drivers to look out for ducks.

Random Halifax Picture #6

Hundreds of square dancers "swing their partners" at the Dance By The Shore at Sackville Landing, down on the Waterfront. The dance was an unofficial community event being held during the Natal Day Festival, on July 30 and 31, 2010. The song being played during this picture was an upbeat rendition, with live singing by the caller, of "There Was Always Love In Daddy's Hands". This song was originally sung by a woman, but as the male caller accurately remembered during his version, "there wasn't always love in Daddy's hands, let me tell you."

Random Halifax Picture #5

Spring Garden Road is the busiest pedestrian street east of Montreal. During the Pride Parade, it was filled with even more people than usual. Ukulele Mike, seen above, one of the many buskers who like to set up shop along the strip, must have gotten up bright and early to be able to lay claim to this prime busker real estate on the corner of Spring Garden Road and South Park St. (Across the road from the entrance to the Public Gardens.)

Random Halifax Picture #4

This edition of Random Halifax Picture contains not just one, but four random pictures, all taken at the Quinpool Show and Shine on Quinpool Road, July 18, 2010. The cars are, in order from top to bottom (or from left to right depending on how your monitor displays them), a 1954 Chevrolet Bel-Air, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air, a 1928 Model A Ford with its own trailer, and a 1940 Chevrolet Special Deluxe.

Random Halifax Picture #3

I accidentally came across this 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray while trying to find the Multicultural Festival on Saturday, July 3rd. It was part of an event called Corvettes on the Waterfront, and members from a number of Atlantic Corvette owners clubs had driven down to Halifax to show off their cars and compete for the first prize.

Random Halifax Picture #2

Reason #4 why I hate BellAliant.

Random Halifax Picture #1

It's always a pleasant surprise to walk down a street in a major city and see a horse grazing along the side of the road.