Pick-A-Day

February 2025
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Archives

Whatchamacallit 158: The Hockey Sweater

When I decided to write about the backside of the Canadian $5 bill, I knew that it had a bit about ice hockey engraved into the winter wonderland; I had not realized, until after I did research for that blog post, that the lines about hockey come from a book, The Hockey Sweater.

Once […]

Whatchamacallit 146: Apple Crumble by Moonshine Creek

Last September I spent a week in Quebec: I flew to Montreal, rented a car, slept off jetlag, then drove north – but while I tend to think of the vacation as being in Quebec, the fact remains that I spent my second night in Campbellton, New Brunswick.

Whilst there, I did a little […]

Whatchamacallit 140: Canadian $5 Bill (Reverse)

If all had gone according to plan, right now I would be in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Vancouver is, hands down, one of my top ten cities globally: it is a place worth visiting incorporating great scenery, great food, and a great friend.

Alas, I’m not – instead I look at the reverse side of […]

Whatchamacallit 70: Peace Love Pride by Roots

A few years ago, I was in Canada in the run-up to Pride, which is when I bought this bracelet.

While I can tell you that I bought this at Roots, the venerable Canadian clothing store, I have no idea how much I paid for it. I also do not know when I bought […]

Prince Albert National Park: Simultaneously disappointing and amazing!

When I announced that I was going to Saskatchewan, more than one friend assumed that I would chose to visit Regina – mainly because Regina is about the only legit rhyme for another English word. So, while these friends were right to go to the gutter, they forgot about Prince Albert National Park, which must […]

Saskatoon, from best to worst

I’m fresh back from a trip to Saskatchewan – my ninth Canadian province – meaning that I have one to go, plus the three territories. My explicit goal is the complete the provinces, but I am not sure I will attempt the territories: while the Yukon and Northwest Territories are easy, Nunavut is shockingly expensive […]

Newfoundland – tick!

After having flown over Newfoundland and Labrador more times that I care to count – even once stopping for fuel on a Continental 757 flying from Berlin to Newark – I decided it was high time to actually visit Newfoundland, specifically St. John’s.

I timed the trip to take advantage of Reformationstag, the day […]

Winnipeg Objective Achieved: #VisitCMHR – The Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, as seen from the main entrance for those not in groups and those who are not physically challenged.

When I started setting up my around the world trip, exactly how I was going to get from New Zealand back to Europe was a bit unclear. After doing some […]

My grand return to Montréal.

I’m nearing the end of my time in Montreal – it’s been a lovely few days with some nice art discoveries (Kent Monkman — I saw another one of his works today), nice long walks, and some good food.

This is not actually my first time in Montreal – in fact, Montreal was the first […]

Newfoundland Counted! Or not…

YYR

Before today I had not visited four Canadian provinces: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland.

I’ve always assumed that Newfoundland would be the most difficult of the ten, especially since I’ve already been to all of its neighbors.

However the fickle finger of fate send crappy weather into the skies around Newark and my […]