March

 It came. It went. I got out a bit more for a bit. Then didn't. It was very much an in like a lamb, out like a lion kind of March. We had a greadually warming temperatures throughout the month... then a blizzard on the 29th, and I didn't leave the house for four days. 

Beaver! This was earlier in the month and a bit of a surprise to see one out and about this early - when it was still fairly cold! 

Despite the snow and ice in my backyard, by mid month the roads were all dry and so I wanted to get the Salsa set up for riding. I needed some new tires and found these Shawalbes deeply discounted at my local bike show - $10 each!? So I thought I'd give them a try! 

Got Keira's summer bike ready for riding as well! 

She needed the seat adjusted and I ended up breaking the damned thing... 

She rode all the way to the store with her seat all the way down, thinking we'd pick up a new one and carry on our way... but they were CLOSED and she had to ride all the way home. 

Luckily, I'd gotten the tandem road ready, so we went out with that, instead. 

Eight years ago, on the first day of spring we had a blizzard. It took a WEEK for the city to get out and clear the paths near our place, and this is what it looked like when they did. The snow lasted well into May. It is the reason why, when we get an early melt in February or March and people start saying "looks like spring is here early" - as they were doing this year - I say "WAIT FOR IT!"

Sure enough, on the 29th we had a blizzard - not as bad as 8 years ago... but it was brutal enough that no one was going anywhere for a couple days. It's mostly all melted now, though. 

Spring Has Sprung

From deep cold and blizzards to instant melt in a week... Not complaining. So nice to go out with the kids and not have to bundle them up like they're heading out to explore the moon.

With the return of warmer weather we will soon see a return of bike lanes (as through the winter they are either a dumping ground for snow ploughed from the road) or the road is so obscured by packed snow and gravel that people just forget they were ever there and use the extra metre of road space as "breathing room". With the return of bike lanes comes a Saskatoon spring/summer tradition I could do without: parking in the bike lanes.


This is actually a CBC van (you can see the camera man on the sidewalk). He was thoughtful enough to roll two wheels up onto the promenade so as to ONLY cover teh bike lane and not block any "real" traffic.

To be fair, he was probably assuming that since half the bike lane is submerged in murky brown water and the rest is filled with detritus from months of ploughing snow and gravel and rubbish off the road (into the bike lane) that no sensible cyclist would actually want to USE the bike lane....

Fear naught - they will be cleared of said detritus by June - just in time for them to be used as parking for all the summer festivals in the park...

Frosty (and Foggy!)

Nipped out for a frosty-foggy ride to the Farmer's Market this morning.


REally wondering where all these cars are going to park once that empty lot is developed...?

It was slated to be developed as an "Ecovillage". Wonder if/when that's going to happen...?


Frosty wheel at the bike rack on campus when I hauled the kids there later for dance classes.


a rather tired looking Finnegan... late night (out at the Yevshan Ukranian Folk Ballet), early morning dance class...

Library on Twentieth

We rode the bike train over to the new branch Library on Twentieth to pick up a few books I'd requested....


There sure was a lot of space to park cars....


....an important consideration for a branch library in a less affluent neighborhood in the city's center.

There is no bike rack at all... but fear naught!!


.... we found a place to lock up nevertheless...