You’ll have to bear with me on this one. It’s my first attempt at inserting an image into a post.

Throw up some barricades and open a street to pedestrian traffic and wonderful things can happen. We do that once a year here in Inglewood, and today the sun smiled down in all its brilliance from a perfect unbroken blue sky.

Tens of thousands made the short pilgrimage down to SunFest and no one went away disappointed. There was plenty of food to sample, wares on display, street performers like Byron from England here drawing huge crowds with their frothy blend of skill and humour, fashion shows highlighting local designers, and music playing over the people from every direction.

It’s city living at its best, being local, and yet having an air of the international. Infants in strollers, toddlers making a mess of themselves with ice cream, boys and girls wowed by magicians–and who doesn’t like a magician!–young adult and old sharing space normally given over to cars. Coming together happily, the spirit of community given such a wild one-day boost as to last another year, hopefully.

SunFest also coincides with Calgary’s Fringe Festival, which got underway yesterday. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to take in a few shows. Busy days.

The Omphalos Cafe will have to wait, although when I stay away too long my hypos threatens to get the best of me. Don’t ask me what that means. Read the first page or two of Moby Dick and you’ll have an idea. Ishmael remarks that when the urge to knock a cap off a passing police officer becomes irresistible it is time for him to go to sea. For me it’s like dragging my feet across a carpet with sox on. Sparks are going to fly!

But it’s time I go to bed. Tomorrow is our annual trip out to take in the Canmore Folk Festival. With the cooperation of technology I’ll have some photos very soon. Music amidst the Rockies. Very close to paradise on earth. We are the blessed.

Crane and falling water

The soul after one short visit to the Cafe