Happy New Year 2010!

A blast from the past

An old NBTel pay phone sign on a store in the west side.

Santa by day, hepcat by night?

An online article published by Canada.com gives a bit of history on the department store Santa Claus phenomenon.  Interestingly,  Saint John historian David Goss is quoted, and apparently, (for those who remember or know about) MRA's had the first department store Santa in Canada.

Santa's first store appearance in Canada was at Saint John department store Manchester Robertson Allison in 1887, and his arrival caused such an uproar the police had to be called to disperse the crowd.

 Now, I wish I could take credit for this image of Santa rockin his Elvis Costello specs, but it's a Flickr find.

The Bridge

I have been noticing posters for the Bridge around the west side and "on the other side of the bridge".  And a flyer was delivered to my door this week advertising the the Bridge.
According to its Facebook page:

The Bridge is an informal worship gathering at Hillcrest Baptist Church. The service starts at 4:30pm and there is a meal after at 6:00pm. Everyone is welcome!

Many churches in the city offer weekly community meals. It's a good opportunity for those who are in need, and  for those who want companionship.

Still working on the Lancaster Mall

This worker took advantage of yesterday's reprieve from the bitter wind to work on the roof at Lancaster Mall.  Also, the light standards in the Mall parking lot have had the bulbs installed and on Fairville Blvd. the new LED fixtures are in place.   Good thing - with the new lanes and other changes to the area and intersection, it was getting difficult to see where you were supposed to be going once darkness set in.

Dominion Park Beach

I dropped by Dominion Park yesterday, the brief mild spell had me craving fresh air.  No sign of life to be found. It was interesting to see the formation of the frozen water on the shore.

Just when you thought it was safe to go out

Just a week or so ago I noticed how cooperative the weather had been for local construction companies - case in point - the Fundamental Baptist Church on Sand Cove Road; I took this image on Dec. 4th.  The cooperative spirit didn't last long as the cold and snowy weather appeared.

Home Energy Conservation Kit - Free! (kind of)

I picked up my Home Energy Conservation Kit from SJ Energy this afternoon. Not bad for just sending in an energy saving tip.  SJE gave out 800 kits valued at 50 dollars each.  (Isn't that $40,000?)  What are the chances the 50 bucks are figured in to my SJE statement?

Christmas Tree Lighting at Wolastoq Park

The rain had ended and the temperature was unusually mild for the Irving sponsored  Christmas Tree Lighting tonight at Wolastoq Park (former Centracare site).  A good sized crowd attended, and Rudolph, Frosty, and even the Grinch were chillin' to hot chocolate and music from Harbourview School choir.

Saint John Transit Lounge at Lancaster Mall

The Transit Lounge at Lancaster Mall is slowly taking shape. Although there wasn't actual work hapening when I was there today, there were signs that something was going on.  This is taking an awfully long time to complete.   Today was a very wet day, the lounge would have been a welcomed addition.