Rusty The Elephant

Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Address: 2311 12th Ave.
Date: Oct 2014
Website: esask.uregina.ca

  Behind the Regina Public Library near the corners of 12th Avenue and Smith Street stands Rusty.  Rusty is a life sized elephant made out of iron bars.  He was given his appropriate name by some elementary students from a local school.  You would be rusty too if you were made out of metal and left out year round in the rain and snow.  Russell Yurisity is the Saskatchewan artist who created this piece back in 1981.  Poor Rusty is feeling hollow inside since he only consists of a wire frame.  This gives him a sadness, which it could be said that all elephants possess.  His hollow frame also often makes him hard to see depending on what is happening on the street around him. There is still something about elephants, including Rusty, that makes them endearing.  This would explain why Rusty has been a welcome site to Regina visitors for over 30 years now.

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Map of Our World
Rusty The Elephant

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Post # 82

World's Largest Dinosaur

Location: Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
Address: 60 1 Ave. W.
Date: June 2005
Website: www.worldslargestdinosaur.com

  Drumheller, Alberta is known as a site where numerous dinosaur fossils have been found.  It is often referred to as the dinosaur capital of the world.  It is also home to the world's largest dinosaur.  Located right next to the tourist information booth stands a 25 meter tall Tyrannosaurus Rex.  This T-Rex is about 4 and a half times bigger than the ones that used to roam the earth.  For a small fee you can also climb up inside and look out through its mouth over the surrounding badlands.  We didn't take the climb, but we did get up close for a better look.
  Being surrounded by all the dinosaur history of the area and looking up at this "tyrant lizard", we imagined what it would have been like to be alive millions of years ago.  There was a truck that pulled up in front of the dinosaur advertising "The Best Buffets in Drumheller".  Perhaps it was an attempt to appease the beast.  If the T-Rex did manage to take a step forward, our Ford Escape rental car would have been the next thing it encountered.  We decided it was time to get back on the road.

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Map of Our World
World's Largest Dinosaur

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Post # 81

Afternoon Tea At The Empress Hotel

Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Address: 721 Government St.  
Date: June 2005
Website: www.teaattheempress.com

  While in Victoria, BC we enjoyed a very fancy tea at the Empress Hotel.  Actually, a few days prior we ate in the harbour at a nearby Milestones restaurant and got a little too much sun.  Then we went on a whale watching tour in a zodiac boat and took on even more sun and wind.  By the day we arrived for tea we were more than a little bit sunburnt.

  As we walked up towards the entrance of the hotel, two leaning sequoia trees reached out to greet us.

  We were seated at a wooden table in the middle of their elegant tea room.  Tall, white columns stretched from the ceiling to the tapestries on the floor below.  A pianist played softly during the tea service.  Across the room the windows looked out towards the harbour.  Some light came in through the windows, but at least for now we were shielded from the full force of the sun.

  Our experience began with fresh strawberries served with whipped cream.  We were also served a glass of port each.

  Next to arrive was a three-tier stand filled with treats.  There was a layer of sandwiches, a layer of desserts and of course a layer of scones and cream.  We do very much enjoy scones and clotted cream with our tea.  We each also received a pot of our chosen tea and an extra pot of hot water with which to refresh our tea.  The exclusive china pattern tea cups have been used since 1939 for the Royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

  Afternoon tea has been an Empress hotel tradition since 1908.  We have had tea all over the world, but this was one of our all time favourites.  We plan on making it a tradition every time we return to Victoria.

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Map of Our World
Empress Hotel , Milestones Grill & Bar (Victoria, BC)

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Post # 80