My Edmonton Trip

Haiku Poetry and Art
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Mark Harlan Rich
7/23/2002 - 7/28/2002

I: Shaw Conference Center

When seen from the south side of the river, the glass reflecting the sky created the effect of a large, frozen waterfall, mirroring the one found inside.

II: Inukshuk next to Shaw Conference Center

The Inukshuk is an ancient symbol used by native canadians to help in hunting rituals. They are usually piles of stones made to look in the form of a human.

III: Russo-Greek Orthodox Church

This church can be found to the east of the Shaw Conference Center, getting close to the shady part of town. The Orthodox cross has three cross-bars, a small one on top, a longer one right below, and then a slanted one about two thirds of the way down. The roof looks like gold-leaf paint, which shines when the sun is setting.

IV: Gateway to Chinatown

I found this structure on 97th street, next to the farmer's market. A very ornate entryway, the street it led to did not look very appealing. I was informed by a friend that there were three such gates.

V: Friendship Tower

This bell-tower can be found next to city hall, the single glass pyramid located downtown. rin-tin tinabulation was an allusion to an Edgar Alan Poe poem called Bells.

VI: Large Granite Pillar

I found this large pillar with plants growing on top near the "Sherlock Holmes" pub and "It's all greek to me" greek resturant, a little west of the Westin hotel. I love greek food, I don't know why.

VII: Old Clock at Westin Hotel

Part of the mechanics of this clock looks like a paddlewheel boat. Time and the sky can be seen as rotating west in the sky, with west also being a reference to it's location, outside the Westin hotel.

VIII: Garden near the Canada building

With the sunny weather in Edmonton for KDD, many people could be found eating lunch in a garden across from the Shaw conference center and in the shadow of the large red Canada building.

IX: MacDonald Hotel

While there, I learned that this hotel, located on the cliffside, used to be owned by a big railroad company, but had since been refurbished and renovated into the MacDonald Hotel.

X: Stairway from river to city level next to MacDonald Hotel

This is a great stairway leading over to the southern side of the river, descending is a piece of cake, but climbing can take a while. This is also the site of my escape from a local villan yelling profanities at me and shoving me. He was a smoker and couldn't climb very well.

XI: Circular stone park

This is where I drew the first sketch found in the book, located on the south side of the river, to the west of the bridge. I also saw a local TV reporter taping a story on some local epidemic; never found out what that was about...

XII: Mutart Conservatory

These looked bigger out the outside than they were inside; I don't know that King Tut would have fit into these glass pyramids. I guess they like pyramids up there along with Inukshuks. It was here that I picked up a handy book on Haiku poetry.

XIII: Piece of lumber art in Conservatory gardens

I passed this on my way to the Conservatory, never could figure out what it was; maybe a broken down swing set?