A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 9 – July 23: Continued:
It wasn’t far from the Manitoba Museum to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights located at the “Forks” where the Red River & the Assiniboine River meet, which is also considered the birthplace of the Metis (indigenous peoples). The museum’s amazing architecture (and I thought the Canadian Mint Building was unique), with its wrap- around exterior ‘Dove Wings’ and its eight interior Alabaster walkways that take you up, from gallery to gallery, is all breath taking. Each walkway leads you to where the various aspects of the history of human rights are displayed. I had to stop and think about ‘The Stuart Clark Garden of Contemplation’ (What are all those short basalt rock columns all about?). The 360-degree view from the 328-foot-high Israel Asper Tower of Hope gives a person a truly magnificent look at the city of Winnipeg and the surrounding area to appreciate its scope and beauty.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Now I headed a few miles out of town to try to visit the Prairie Dog Central Railway Museum located at the Inkster Junction Railway Station. This turned out not to be a museum as much as a scenic railway system situated in the old restored 1905 Canadian National Railway Station. This railway offers 1-hour train rides in their restored early 1900s Pullman train cars pulled by a restored 1882 (4-4-0) stream locomotive (Old No. 3) to Grosse Isle and return. These train rides give passengers an idea of what it was like to ride the train in the Winnipeg/Manitoba area at the turn of the century. I had missed the scheduled Sunday train ride to Grosse Isle and headed back toward town to check out another museum.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
On my way back downtown, to the “Hotel” for the evening, I stopped to visit the Winnipeg Railway Museum, located in the beautiful old 1911 Union Station building, but it was closed. So, a few blocks from the Union Station I tried to visit the Fort Gary Horse Museum located in the old 1912 Armory building that was originally used by the 34thCanadian Army Calvery Regiment during WWI, but that museum was also closed.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
By this time, I was getting hungry, and started looking for some place to eat (I didn’t want to have to resort to KFC again). I spotted Smitty’s Restaurant & Lounge and decided to stop in for my evening meal. I had their Fish & Chips plate (with Onion Rings instead of chips). The Cod was deep-fried with an excellent batter and was wonderful, but the onion rings were absolutely the best I have ever had. Yummm! There was way too much food for me to eat at one sitting, so, I would be able to enjoy this leftover meal again tomorrow evening. After that incredible meal, Greata (My Garmin) took me back to the “Hotel” and I was surprised, and pleased, that there was no hollering and banging of doors tonight. There was no TV in the room, so I recorded my day’s activities and went to bed. I had a surprisingly good night’s sleep.
—–To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 