Time to get up, get out, get some steps in and share it with my legions of followers on STEEM! Is it winter where you are? Frost here but a different kinda beauty so check out my little town as I Wednesday Walk.
You should know that @tattoodjay has a mob of people walking behind him as he champions physical activity and blockchain in one fell swoop. There are prizes and such I think but I do it for the support of a great member here and those looking to be active and healthy. That being said, check out Jay on his blog as there is much more than just walking.
Here is how it looks as I stroll in my small town in the winter.
This walk started out with meeting a good friend, parking at his place, and electing to take a nice walk downtown to have a chat and a beer. I could have met him there or picked him up and parked downtown. What fun is that anyhow and Actifit isn't going to reward you for the miles you drive! Besides, the skies are blue, sidewalks are pretty clear, and the hibernators leave it nice and thin as far as foot traffic goes.
Looking back at the beginning of our little jaunt leaves me looking like a tourist and taking a pic of the nice little body of water at the center of our town. It is really a big puddle but is nice in the summer for the water fowl, walks along the shore, and the dragon boat races which I have been sucked into participating in.
There is not much going on in Memorial Gardens this afternoon as a few fresh inches of snow lay undisturbed on the courtyard and benches. These are some of the oldest buildings in the town which would be new developments when you compare them to the European countries where this architecture must have originated. On the right is the side of one of the most popular restaurants in town and the building on the left is an old folks home I think. Nice to have sky and space right in the center of town.
Looking Southwest from the same spot, we are sneaking up on the main intersection in town. From east to west, there are only 9 traffic lights from end to end and this hub has 3 of them jammed pretty close. Makes for the closest thing to prohibitive traffic but coming from the big city, this is really not bad at all.
This is a better view of the main intersection looking south towards City Hall which you can see in the middle. On the right is the computer store for whom I run the Business Services Division which is a business-focused I/T support practice. In the summer time, the locals mainly avoid this part of downtown as there are too many tourists, not enough parking, and so many other ways to avoid waiting 2 minutes at a stop light.
The north side of the main street has the sun, some restaurants and shops. The winter season is a strange exercise in business survival as foot traffic with unnecessarily disposable income dwindles. Some of the interesting folks come out of the woodwork and it was interesting to see a fellow in a kilt proudly walking in front of the local Scottish Shop run by a terrific lad aptly named Rob Russel. Dead of winter or not, there are still plenty of parked cars but I have rarely been unable to find a spot for mind on the block I am visiting.
This grandiose and picturesque destination is the Revival House https://revival.house owned by a very good friend. You have probably seen me write about this place with @tasteem reviews, @jahm reggae posts, beerology updates and Weekly Zekely reports as I love it here and do a good amount of work to help with marketing, I/T support, and keeping the beer kegs fresh!
A couple streets perpendicular to the main street, the sidewalks and roads are a little thinner as you head back east toward the square. The depths of this shot is probably 500 meters or so with plenty of pubs, cafes, the corner of city hall, banks and other businesses in the downtown core. Pretty peaceful on the sidewalks this time of year or perhaps they are at the pub where it is warm, friendly and delicious.
Almost to the pub, you get a shot of the side court of a restaurant that has packed up for the winter. This is a nice space with flowers, tables and chairs in the summer at a place you can get some good comfort food, a little South African influence @jaynie may like and a little craft beer. I won't name it because I think the owner is a dumbass ignoramous and there are a dozen places better than this within 60 seconds walk.
It wouldn't be a #wednesdaywalk with Zeke without a beer. This one is a nice local IPA from https://www.Blackswanbrewing.ca, a blue sky and a beer label from overseas. We had an awesome chat and got in the inevitable visit with the other patrons in a friendly town. So interesting to talk with interesting folks who have a unique story of their own to share. This is what a pub should be I suppose. A public house with people enjoying life and conversation with strangers. A great stop in the middle of a walk.
One last view of the great big sky over the armory building where the Army Reserves HQ is. I love the old fortifications which would have been for defense in times gone past but are ornamental and interesting now. It may be the dead of winter now but a nice blue sky, friends, beer and a sociable small town make it rewarding to take a walk. The easiest and most universal of exercise bonds us all and makes for a great blog post.
I am honoured to curate for:
