Regina 2 - the Ledge and Wascana

Well, scratching the surface of those topics.
Wascana is a not very old, large lake and park that also houses the provincial legislature, the museum, the art gallery, etc. "The Big Dig" took place in 2003-4 to dredge the lake down to deep from the hand dug version, employing 2000 men in a make-work project in the 1930s depression/desperation years, that created the lake from a creek. Another bunch of money got thrown at the infrastructure in 2014 when Regina hosted the Canada summer games. Regina is the only provincial capital not built on a water way, rather a railway intersection, but Wascana fills the gap nicely.

yes, it's a pelican!

The Albert Memorial Bridge that spans Wascana Creek was another depression era relief project. King Tut's tomb had recently been discovered and all things Egyptian were in style, explaining the bridge design. The bridge is about 250 meters long to span the 20 meter creek and cost more than double the budget estimate. Hmmmm. Sounds familiar.

Kelly was our guide in the Legislature as visitors are not let loose on their own anymore. It is a gorgeous building with 34 types of marble and the chamber built for twice as many legislators as there are. Premier of the day Walter Scott, seriously, imagined the Regina and Saskatchewan of the future as grand and important and built accordingly.

marble from Cyprus

 

In the basement of the Ledge, there is an art gallery and the current exhibit blew me away. Wow, wow, wow. It is a large body of work with both large and small pieces, some are hands but the majority are Roughrider fans. But the skill.....!

self portrait, Belinda Kriek

And then there was the cafeteria, serving perogies that day. You would die if you ate this whole plate, we shared.