Not In Service

the end of the line
at least for now

after weeks of wending
time out

back to the garage
for a little cleaning
maintenance
refuelling

along the way spinning
spirits, wheels and threads

the fabric of our paths
woven into being
and the promise of many more journeys
ahead

Coliseum LRT Station

wrapping around the walls of the station
the 'People on the Move Mural':

~people walking and running
~a guy with a skateboard
~a couple on an escalator
~a woman on a phone
~a man with a cane
~a man with a guitar
~a woman with a child in a stroller
~a worker wearing a hard hat
~a man in a cowboy hat
~two people reading newspapers
~someone walking a dog
~two women cheering
~a woman with groceries
~someone rollerblading
~a girl blowing bubbles

a project of The Works Society 2001
a friend among the featured artists

a little motivation to keep us moving

#306 Bonnie Doon

one of seven passengers on the community route
Maple Oak Ridge 17th street
'Irish Tea March 18' (better late than never)
a bit of a bumpy ride through Twin Parks
a stack of 'FREE' pallets and Legacy Centre
Jasper Auto Parts
and the Habitat for Humanity Restore
The Lawnmower Hospital
and Fiddler's Roost
a woman riding with a covered stroller
and the surprising bark of a small dog within
past a yellow school bus 'On the journey of learning'
all new to me
i haven't been this way before

Meadows Transit Centre

on the exterior wall of the shelter a mural of animals:
mice/voles/raccoon/weasel/badger/fox
rabbit/cougar/lynx/squirrel/deer
hawk/eagle/mallard/loon/pileated woodpecker
owl/magpie/robin/swallow/gull/pheasant/bee
partridge/bat/bluejay/butterfly/ladybug
caribou/deer/moose/bear/bison/dragonfly
a little walk on the wild side
as we wait to depart

#69 Millwoods TC

Velma E. Baker School
Velma was a custodian for 25 years
with the Edmonton Public School Board
near the end of her career she served as
the first female president of CUPE Local 474
an avid volunteer 'she spent her life helping people'
'witty and kind' ...'she was an inspiration'
i'm glad i rode past this school today
International Women's Day

#94/#15

two consecutive ETS trips
with women bus drivers

March 8, 2018
on this day celebrations all around the world
feet are marching

and in skilled steering hands
we are safely delivered to our destinations
we move ahead and the wheels roll on

Belvedere LRT Transit Station

just inside the doors at the entry to the train platform
at the bottom of the stairs/escalator are stained glass windows
depicting people at work:
domestic cleaners
construction workers
a butcher
a painter
an ironworker
a seamstress
rail workers
office workers
and a porter
a variety of figures undertaking a variety of tasks
a tribute to labourers
as we go about the business
of making our way

#125 Belvedere

an unhappy toddler
fussing then settling
comforted by his mother
as we leave the transit station

wondering about The Building Alberta Plan
'Modernizing Ross Sheppard High School'
and what changes will be made
to the old stomping ground

Groat Plaza
Darlene Manor
Westmount School
and John G. Niddrie Park

a magpie in the sun
a pinwheel spinning on a snow fort
a man with a walking stick strolling down 111 avenue wearing a dragon hat
looking a bit like a character from 'Where the Wild Things Are'

advice to 'Use the trail stay off the rail' at Stadium Station

Veteran Electric
Ben Calf Robe Society
and Alberta Surplus Supplies

last summer's tall grasses blowing in a field

'Welcome to Fort Road:
A footprint in the past...keeping pace with the future'
My Grandma's Attic
and the old Transit Hotel

signage on the bus:
'Let's keep each other safe'

yes
let's

Bus #4915

on right turns
the bellows of the accordion bus
are really bellowing!
(maybe time for a little WD40)

#12 Kingsway

Rosslyn School and St. Edmund Centre
swans and shamrocks adorning front doors
and other External Affairs

Parks for Paws and the Dun Vegan Loop
Bronx Bowl, Last Minute Limousine and Best Kabab
Prince Charles School and Sherbrooke Grocery
(familiar sights in the old hood)

Amiskwaciy Academy
Metis Nation of Alberta
the old municipal airport now dormant
what will be built there?
what was there before?
who was there before?
before any of this
before many of us
not so long ago

#143 Montrose

a man wheeling a suitcase through the snow
the tail end of winter
waiting for the Metro Line to pass
on a turquoise painted car:
'How far will optimism take you?'
riding solo for a bit
by NAIT (Transforming vision into future)
and Shepherd's Care
north on Wayne Gretzky Drive
past the giant guitar outside Axe Music
and the Ali Baba ice cream truck parked for the season
City Neon and The Potter's House
on the return power boxes parallel to the train tracks
pink cosmos and wild roses
gifts of electric blooms in spring

#30 South Campus

along the routes many named places
new to me
as we pass Thomas Rhatigan Park
i wonder who was he?
Wiki says:
'...a south west Edmonton...area farmer
who was proclaimed "World Oat King"
at Toronto's Royal Winter Fair
in 1953, '66 and '70'

on Belgravia i am reminded of the upscale neighbourhood in London
and that 'Edmonton' is part of the Borough of Enfield
north-east of Charing Cross

maybe a different kind of royalty
but there were kings here too

#34 Leger

a man with a bag of sushi reading his phone and laughing
a man with dreadlocks in a periwinkle cap
a man reading a newspaper with Chinese characters
a woman searching in her bag

past Michener Park
and Rabbit Hill Snow Resort
(lots of bunnies on the slope)
the promise of a 'Touchless Car Wash'
and 'New Programs'---tai chi--- at Brookview Community League
George H. Luck School and a yellow soccer ball in the snow

why so many cars parked on the 'Seasonal' route
with a 'Parking Ban Declared'?
(i guess they're rolling the dice)

the bus pulls into the transit station and the elderly man
who sat in the middle of the bus
waits for the elderly woman
who sat at the front of the bus
and they exit together
this leg of their journey complete
their paths converging

Health Sciences/Jubilee LRT Station

...poetry etched in glass...
 
'Holding her small hand,
he watched
the train roll into position.'

'A robin sings.'

'His eyes followed her yellow polka-dotted dress.'

'A reflection of the lights
bounced from window to window
multiplying a fun house mirror trick.'

'He stomped the snow.'

'She smiled.'

'Three of them, wildly flinging their arms.'

'Rest.'

'Full loaded backpack.'

'Train still and quiet
the driver walked its length.'

...words on windows of the station shelter...

...poetry etched in glass...

#88 Capilano

down Jasper past Thornton Court
Everything Photographic
and the one time Barbershop and Turkish Baths
of the Gibson Block
Rowland Road
and tracks in the snow on the river
seen crossing Dawson Bridge
past the HillTop and Cartago
and the spot on 106 ave
where the cops park with radar
and where guys show up waving big signs that read 'RADAR'
meandering through the hood
fast tracking it
the Happy Hour Route

Bus stop #1336

is it just me
or is everybody vaping?
the office worker on her break
is vaping
the young hipster in low slung jeans
is vaping
the construction worker
is vaping
the man in a parka
is vaping
the man in a suit
is vaping
not me
but everybody else
is vaping

Bus #4861

what's that blue blob on the outside window?
is it:
~paint?
~a sticker?
~gum?
whatever the flavour the colour is lovely (cerulean)

and by the back door a winking pink graffiti cat

a little something for everyone

#111 Downtown

a gazebo waits for visitors in Terra Losa Park
near a striking stand of poplars

two elderly women run for the bus
as a passenger alerts the driver to wait for them
(he kindly does)

an ad for something 'Warm & Melty'
turning onto Rosen Way
past Anatolia Food Market and Ritualistics

'Shop
Dine
Live
Work
Play'
on Stony Plain Road

Blue Jar Antique Mall and The Gilded Rabbit

laughter and conversation in a language not familiar to me

past Samuel Dickson Rotary Park and Sylvancroft Lane

riding towards flashing lights
and sirens that slowly fade
as they head up 116 street

#102 West Lymburn

a crow flies against the wind
and a scarecrow sits at the entry to Sunset Point

past The Woods, Ormsby Lane and Our Savior's Lutheran Church

a bulldog doing his business
a black dog with a blue collar
a collie cross
and a shih tzu (also known as a 'chrysanthemum dog')
in a silver puffy coat
all going walk about

Primrose Gardens and the promise of blossoms

Winter Storm Warning for Northern Alberta
(none yet but 15 to 25 cm on the way)

leeks and daffodils on St. David's Day