Last weekend I thought I'd take my first skate around the Emera Oval in Halifax.  It was a beautifully clear day, and the crowd had thinned out quite a bit by the time I got there.  I did less than 10 circuits because it was my first skate of the year.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-222" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0726.jpg" alt="IMG_0726" width="3998" height="2130" />

After the skate, I made my way back towards the Halifax-Dartmouth ferry and passed the mural on the side of the Freak Lunchbox.

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A CBC post explains how this mural received international attention after it was painted, placing 14th in the top 20 best murals as voted by All City Canvas.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/freak-lunchbox-mural-online-recognition-1.3391843

Once back on the Dark Side I took a short walk on the Waterfront Trail to check out some of the murals there.   The Dark Side is nothing nefarious.  As <a href="http://halifaxmag.com/opinions/shedding-light-on-the-dark-side/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jack Floek </a>explains in his walking tour of Dartmouth, the name came from ships' captains entering the harbour. The Halifax side was very well lit, and the Dartmouth side was comparatively darker.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-224" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0733-1.jpg" alt="IMG_0733 (1)" width="2048" height="1536" />This is one end of Dominion Diving's building along the trail, that doesn't disclose much about the business, but the long side of the building certainly captures it.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-225" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0734.jpg" alt="IMG_0734" width="2048" height="1536" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-226" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0735.jpg" alt="IMG_0735" width="2048" height="1536" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-227" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0737.jpg" alt="IMG_0737" width="2048" height="1536" />

Just past the diving company the trail passes a dedicated spot for artists to showcase their works.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-228" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0740.jpg" alt="IMG_0740" width="2048" height="1536" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-229" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0741.jpg" alt="IMG_0741" width="2048" height="1536" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-230" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0743.jpg" alt="IMG_0743" width="2048" height="1536" />

Some are starting to show the stress of being so close to the ocean, but they will likely get a new lease on life during our three days of summer.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-231" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0745.jpg" alt="IMG_0745" width="2048" height="1536" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-232" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0746.jpg" alt="IMG_0746" width="2048" height="1536" /><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-233" src="https://davekingsite.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/img_0747.jpg" alt="IMG_0747" width="2048" height="1536" />

I finished off my walk closer to home and the last mural that was painted last summer on the corner of Portland and Prince.  It was really nice to actually feel warmth in the sun again.

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