Category: #Sunnyside365 (Page 23 of 39)

“I’ve lived here for about forty years… I think we moved here in ’77. I grew up by the Holy Cross Hospital, but I always wanted to live in this neighbourhood because of all the motorcycles parked at the Lido Cafe. Back then we used to spend time in Bowness and we weren’t supposed to stop here, but I did.

It’s really changing now. They’re tearing up the old houses and putting up condos. I’m sure they’re really nice inside, but they’re all so expensive and tiny.

I’ve been buying coffee beans from the Roasterie for… geez, how long have they been open?” Faye.

“I got into the gallery system of Calgary and New York, so I guess I’ve been doing this professionally since 2006. I painted the Bass Bus, worked with Cirque Du Soleil, but Hillhurst Hardware was the first one I did professionally.

I love the vibrancy of this neighbourhood. It’s the people, that’s what makes it so great. Even the people who pass through here. When I was working on this mural, it was a simple concept, but the people who walked by helped push it to what it is now. Local businesses helped out, let me store things in their space, people brought me food–I’m thankful for that.

I just want to give a shout-out to Neil Egsgard. He was already doing a project like this, so we connected and I don’t think this mural would have happened if it weren’t for the both of us collaborating. I just want to give him some acknowledgement.” Shane ‘Holts’, artist.

“This building was built in 1908. It was called the Hunter Block. It was a grocery store for a couple of years. It’s been Pushing Petals for over a while now.

We’ve been here sixteen years. I feel at home here. We know most of the people who come in here by the name of their dogs, haha!

Everyone looks out for each other. People support local business. If we have deliveries in the neighbourhood, the neighbours will accept it if the recipients aren’t home, y’know? We fight the good fight to keep the neighbourhood a small town feel in the big city. We’re just lucky to be in this neighbourhood.

Are you in the mood for some dramatics? Put this poem in it’s by E.E. Cummings. It’s juicy and it’s where our mission statement comes from:

‘who knows if the moon’s
a balloon,coming out of a keen city
in the sky–filled with pretty people?
(and if you and I should

get into it, if they
should take me and take you into their balloon,
why then
we’d go up higher with all the pretty people

than houses and steeples and clouds:
go sailing
away and away sailing into a keen
city which nobody’s ever visited, where
always
it’s
Spring) and everyone’s
in love and flowers pick themselves'” Janet, Owner, Pushing Petals Flowers.

“‘Flowers to the void.’ You’re invited to offer, but who you’re offering to… who knows? What results of it is immaterial–just do it because.

It just worked out that I moved here seventeen years ago and I have a principle where, if you live in a city, live ‘in’ the city. So this place is central and it’s convenient. This weird little house that I live in had this weird little room in the front main level, so we turned it into a meditation room. My roommates moved out, so we decided to convert the space into a temple.

We’ve been established for seven years here. Little Tea Temple is what it’s called. We were calling it ‘Small Tea Temple’, but one of the regular visitors said that he’d never been offered tea, so we called it Little Tea, as in, ‘Little Tea has ever been offered.’

I’m what’s called a Soto Zen Buddhist Priest. For the last 22 years I’ve been practicing in this Zen tradition. It’s a school of Buddhism that has meditation as its central practice. I did a pilgrimage to Japan a few years ago and I was ordained as a priest. I came back and decided that I would get a few cushions and invited my friends to come and sit with me.

Most of my training is through the San Francisco Zen Centre where I was ordained again last Summer. I’m also the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Calgary.

We’ve had a wonderful revolving door of people who have come through our space, some have had their fill and moved on, some have moved on to other places or Zen centres. Living in this neighbourhood and seeing all the changes, especially the new developments over the past few years really puts in things in perspective and I find myself truly coming to terms with the concept of Mortality.

We have a regular schedule of sits and events, it’s all at our website: CalgarySotoZen.Org.” Tim Sampson, Ordained Zen Priest, Little Tea Zen Temple.

“When I came to town, oh, it must have been in ’74 or ’75. I moved to this neighbourhood from Medicine Hat and I never left. If I ever get lost, I can always find my way home.

I volunteer with the Women In Need foundation. I help them to organize and decorate. Haha, they don’t let me climb any ladders anymore. I say ‘God will tell me when to hang up my gloves.’ I love this neighbourhood and I love this city.

Yes, there’s changes. But there’s changes wherever you go. Something gets knocked out and then something new goes up, but the people here are all the same.

From what I can see it’s hard for people. Hard for the students, harder for the homeless… it’s tough. But this neighbourhood has a wonderful heart. I like the people at the Second Cup. I’m here every morning at 6am. If I don’t show up, they call my home to ask if I’m okay. I love dogs and I visit the dogs at LifeSport all the time.

A few years back I was robbed, but the people in the community really helped me out. I forget their names, but there’s a lot of really nice folks. I never stay mad at anybody. I like telling jokes. I say I’m 29 years-old and holding.

I enjoy just spending time with people. They say ‘We know you’re independent,’ (I’m 76 years old) ‘But let us help you’.

I want to smile for this photo, but my dentures broke.” Edna.