Wascana Park was a special place, a picturesque Victorian landscape built to surround the Legislative buildings. The park and its lake were a make-work project during the Great Depression, providing income for unemployed immigrant workers like my dad. I spent many magical hours biking and walking paths through the shrubbery and trees. Back then, we swam in the water and caught fish under the Albert Street Bridge. In the wintertime, we cleared the snow off the ice and skated late into the night, carrying torches made of dried cattails and water grasses.

The streets, the back alleys, the buildings, the park, the lake and the open prairie around our house sparked my curiosity and gave me my first sense of place. Regina: My World hangs in the east foyer of the Co-operators Building in Regina.